INTERNATIONAL NEWS

India Announces $175 Million Special Package for Seychelles

• India announced a $175 million Special Economic Package for Seychelles to strengthen bilateral cooperation.

• The package will support social housing, e-mobility, vocational training, healthcare, defence, and maritime security sectors.

• India and Seychelles signed seven Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) across multiple fields.

• The agreements cover health, meteorology, electronics, information technology, and governance cooperation.

• A key MoU promotes technical and scientific collaboration in weather services, linking the India Meteorological Department with Seychelles’ meteorological authority.

• An agreement was signed to train Seychelles civil servants in India and to share India’s digital governance expertise.

• Healthcare cooperation will focus on affordable medicines, medical tourism, and strengthening health infrastructure.

• The visit, described as marking a strong maritime partnership, coincides with 50 years of diplomatic relations and is President Herminie’s first visit to India since assuming office.

NATIONAL NEWS

CISF Launches ‘Vande Mataram Cyclothon 2026’

• The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) launched the “Vande Mataram Cyclothon 2026” on February 10, 2026.

• The nationwide campaign aims to raise public awareness about coastal security.

• The event commemorates 27 years of CISF service and marks 150 years of the song “Vande Mataram.”

• A team of 65 CISF cyclists is participating in the campaign.

• The cyclists will travel across nine coastal states and four Union Territories.

• The objective is to sensitise coastal communities about threats such as drug trafficking, arms smuggling, and movement of explosives.

• The cyclothon also seeks to strengthen coordination between citizens and security agencies.

• In Maharashtra, the journey begins at the Tarapur CISF unit, concluding at Ratnagiri on February 14, before proceeding to Goa.

STATE NEWS

Delhi Lakhpati Bitiya Yojana Launched

• The Delhi Government launched the ‘Delhi Lakhpati Bitiya Yojana’ on February 10 to strengthen girls’ education and long-term financial security.

• The scheme is an upgraded version of the 2008 Ladli Scheme.

• Financial assistance of up to ₹56,000 per beneficiary has been provisioned under the initiative.

• Funds will be released in phased instalments linked to age and educational milestones, from birth up to graduation or diploma studies.

• The accumulated amount will be invested in structured financial instruments to generate growth over time.

• On maturity, the total amount will be transferred directly to the beneficiary’s Aadhaar-linked bank account.

• Eligibility is restricted to girls born in Delhi from families with an annual income not exceeding ₹1.20 lakh, limited to two surviving girl children per family.

• The objective is to ensure that no girl child drops out of education due to financial hardship.

SPORTS

Arjun Babuta & Elavenil Valarivan Clinch Gold with World Record

• India’s Arjun Babuta and Elavenil Valarivan won the gold medal in the 10m air rifle mixed team event.

• The achievement came at the 2026 Asian Rifle/Pistol Championship held in New Delhi.

• The duo set both a new world record and a championship record in the event.

• They scored a total of 505 points in the final, successfully defending their Asian title.

• South Korea’s Kim Woorim and Kwon Eunji secured the silver medal with 501 points.

• Japan’s Naoya Okada and Misaki Nobata claimed the bronze medal, scoring 437.9 points.

• The previous world record of 502.7 points was held by Germany’s Hanna Buehlmeyer and Maximilian Ulbrich.

• The German pair had set that record at the ISSF Grand Prix in Slovenia in January 2026, which has now been surpassed by the Indian team.

GOVERNMENT SCHEMES

Ashtalakshmi Darshan Youth Exchange Programme in Nagaland

• A delegation of 44 students from Ladakh and Kerala is visiting Nagaland under the Ashtalakshmi Darshan Youth Exchange Programme.

• Nagaland University, Medziphema Campus, is hosting the visiting students.

• The exchange programme will continue until February 14.

• The initiative has been launched by the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) in collaboration with the North Eastern Council, Shillong.

• It promotes the vision of “Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat”, encouraging national integration and cultural harmony.

• Participants interacted with Dr. S.C. Jamir, noted statesman and Padma Bhushan awardee from Nagaland.

• The programme includes academic sessions highlighting the eight North Eastern states.

• Delegates are also visiting historically and culturally significant sites in Nagaland to deepen their understanding of the region.

SATYA Portal Launched to Digitise STQC Services

• Jitin Prasada, Minister of State for Electronics and IT, inaugurated the STQC Lab Automation Portal named ‘SATYA’.

• The portal integrates Standardisation Testing and Quality Certification (STQC) services onto a single digital platform.

• SATYA is designed to benefit citizens, industries, startups, MSMEs, and government departments.

• The initiative aims to enhance efficiency and transparency in certification and testing services.

• According to the Minister, the platform strengthens citizen-centric digital governance and improves service delivery.

• SATYA also contributes to cybersecurity, data protection, and quality assurance of products.

• The digital transformation of STQC services supports innovation and compliance in emerging sectors.

• Such initiatives reinforce India’s position as a growing global technology and manufacturing hub.

SUMMIT AND CONFERENCES

First BRICS Sherpa Meeting 2026 Held in New Delhi

• The first BRICS Sherpa Meeting of 2026 commenced in New Delhi on February 10 under India’s chairship.

• India is presiding over BRICS for the fourth time, having earlier held the chairship in 2012, 2016, and 2021.

• Sudhakar Dalela, Secretary (Economic Relations), is serving as India’s BRICS Sherpa.

• He outlined that India’s priorities are guided by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of a people-centric and humanity-first approach.

• The overarching theme of India’s chairship is “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability.”

• Discussions are expected to focus on strengthening collaboration among BRICS member nations.

• The meeting sets the foundation for upcoming ministerial and leaders’ engagements under India’s leadership.

• India’s chairship aims to reinforce multilateral cooperation and inclusive global development within the BRICS framework.

Amit Shah Addresses National Conference on Cyber-Enabled Frauds

• Union Home Minister Amit Shah delivered the keynote address at the National Conference on Tackling Cyber-Enabled Frauds and Dismantling the Ecosystem on February 10, 2026, in New Delhi.

• He inaugurated the new Cybercrime Branch of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

• The State Cyber Crime Coordination Centre Dashboard was also launched during the event.

• The dashboard is part of the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) under the Ministry of Home Affairs.

• The two-day conference is being organised by the CBI in collaboration with I4C.

• The objective is to develop a shared understanding of the scale and evolving nature of cyber-enabled frauds in India.

• The event includes participation from senior officials and domain experts.

• Representatives from Central and State Law Enforcement Agencies, Department of Telecommunications, Department of Financial Services, and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) are attending the conference.