The Tamil Nadu Assembly on Wednesday, February 14, 2024, ‘unanimously’ adopted two resolutions against the Union government’s ‘One Nation, One Election’ proposal and the proposed delimitation after 2026.

The resolution against the proposed delimitation process by Union Government read: “This august House urged the Union Government that the delimitation process to be carried out after 2026 on the basis of the census should not be carried out. Due to unavoidable reasons, if the number of seats on the basis of population were to increase, it shall be maintained at the present ratio of the constituencies between the States in the State Assemblies and both Houses of Parliament fixed based on the population of 1971.”

Furthermore, the resolution said that States like Tamil Nadu should not be penalised for implementing various socio-economic development programmes and welfare schemes for the benefit of people over the past 50 years.

Jay Shah's comments came in the presence of chief selector Ajit Agarkar, head coach Rahul Dravid and Rohit himself It will be Rohit Sharma and not Hardik Pandya who will be leading the Indian team at the upcoming T20 World Cup in USA-West Indies. BCCI Secretary Jay Shah, speaking on the occasion of renaming of the Saurashtra Cricket Association stadium to Niranjan Shah stadium in Rajkot on Wednesday declared that Rohit would be the captain at the T20 World Cup.

"We may have lost the final of the 2023 ODI World Cup. But we won hearts there by winning 10 matches in a row. I would like to say that I am confident that India will lift the 2024 T20 World Cup under Rohit Sharma’s captaincy at Barbados," Shah said.

A revolutionary system has been developed at the Department of Computer Science in Punjabi University to enhance the typing experience in the Gurmukhi script on the internet, as repotred by Khalsa Vox.

The innovative system, named "PURAN", is designed to provide users with appropriate sentence suggestions as they type, catering to various topics and expressions.

Gurjot Singh Mahi lead the innovation under the expert guidance of Dr. Amandeep Verma, according to Khalsa Vox, adding that this research marks a significant leap forward in linguistic technology.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has achieved a milestone by surpassing the Rs 1 lakh crore mark in total order value through the Government e-Marketplace (GeM) portal.

In the current financial year, transactions worth around Rs 45,800 Crore have been awarded, covering a wide range of items from general stores to critical defence acquisitions. GeM has facilitated over 5.47 lakh orders for MoD.

CEO of GeM, P. K. Singh praised MoD for being the first central government entity to achieve this milestone. He emphasized MoD's dedication to embracing change and supporting Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of a self-reliant India.

A significant portion of the orders, totaling Rs 60,593 Crore, has been awarded to Micro and Small Enterprises (MSEs), reflecting GeM's focus on social inclusion and bolstering India's economy towards self-reliance.

ISRO's meteorological satellite INSAT-3DS, aimed at improving meteorological observations for enhanced weather forecasting and disaster warning, is scheduled for launch on February 17.

In a post on X, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) today announced that the satellite will be launched aboard a Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle F14 (GSLV F14).

"The GSLV-F14/INSAT-3DS mission is set to launch on Saturday, February 17, at 5:30 pm from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) SHAR in Sriharikota," stated ISRO.

In its 16th mission, the GSLV intends to place the INSAT-3DS meteorological satellite into the Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO). Following orbit-raising maneuvers, the satellite will be positioned in a Geostationary Orbit.

Railway PSU IRCTC on Wednesday announced the appointment of Sanjay Kumar Jain as its Chairman and Managing Director with immediate effect. Prior to this role, Jain was Principal Chief Commercial Manager (PCCM) of Northern Railway, Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation Ltd (IRCTC) said in an exchange filing.

"...the appointment of Sanjay Kumar Jain has been approved by the Government of India (Ministry of Railways) for the post of CMD on immediate absorption basis...for a period with effect from the date of his assumption of charge of the post and till the date of his superannuation i.e. 31.12.2026 or until further orders, whichever is the earlier," IRCTC said.

Under International Competitive Bidding (ICB), Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited has won an order for setting up a 800 MW Ultra-Supercritical Thermal Power Plant on Engineering, Procurement & Construction (EPC) basis, at Yamunanagar, Haryana, from HPGCL (Haryana Power Generation Corporation Ltd.). Notably, the 1x800 MW Deenbandhu Chhotu Ram Thermal Power Plant (DCRTPP) will be Haryana’s first ultra-supercritical technology-based power project.

On commissioning, this plant will offer more efficient parameters and consume lesser coal in comparison to the existing subcritical units in the state.

Emphasizing the commitment to provide the best education in the UAE, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that a new Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) office will soon be established in Dubai.

Addressing the gathering at the 'Ahlan Modi' diaspora event in Abu Dhabi, PM Modi highlighted the significant achievements in the education sector, stating that "More than 1.5 lakh Indian students are studying in UAE schools... The master's course was started at the IIT Delhi campus here last month and a new CBSE office will be opened soon in Dubai. These institutions will be helpful in providing the best education to the Indian community here".

Addressing the cultural ties between India and the UAE, PM Modi commended the close linguistic affinity and praised the accomplishments of both nations as exemplary for the world.

The Haryana Police has become the first police force in India to use drones to launch tear gas devices. The Haryana Police dropped tear gas shells from unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) on protesting farmers at Shambhu Barrier on the Punjab-Haryana boundary on Tuesday.

The State government used drones made by Drone Imaging and Information Service of Haryana Limited (DRIISHYA), a public limited company incorporated in 2021, a police official told The Hindu. According to a Haryana government press release of April 4, 2023, the drones are designed for “surveying infrastructure projects, monitoring of agriculture and horticulture crops, and surveillance of sensitive areas for security purposes.” The company is located at Karnal.

The Telangana Legislative Assembly has unanimously passed a bill that prohibits the operation of hookah parlours.

The bill, introduced by State Legislative Affairs Minister D Sridhar Babu on behalf of Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, aims to address the growing concern over the exploitation of hookah smoking among young people, including college students.

The minister highlighted the potential for addiction and the harmful effects of hookah smoking, stating that it is more detrimental than smoking cigarettes as it exposes individuals to toxic substances. Additionally, he emphasized the adverse impact on passive smokers and the health hazards posed by hookah parlours in public places.