February 2024

National News (India):

1. Bharat Ratna Awards: The government announced Bharat Ratna for PV Narasimha Rao, Chaudhary Charan Singh, and MS Swaminathan.
2. Uniform Civil Code (UCC) Bill: Uttarakhand became the first Indian state to pass a UCC bill.
3. Electoral Bond Scheme Struck Down: The Supreme Court of India unanimously struck down the Electoral Bond scheme as unconstitutional.
4. ISRO INSAT-3DS Satellite Launch: ISRO successfully launched the INSAT-3DS meteorological satellite.
5. Khelo India Winter Games 2024: The 4th edition of the Khelo India Winter Games was inaugurated in Gulmarg, Jammu & Kashmir.
6. PM-Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana: Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched this scheme to promote rooftop solar installations.
7. Skill India Centre Inauguration: India’s first Skill India Centre was inaugurated in Sambalpur, Odisha.
8. Gupteshwar Forest declared Biodiversity Heritage Site: Gupteshwar Forest in Odisha was designated as a State Biodiversity Heritage Site.
9. Kazi Nemu (Assam Lemon) as State Fruit: Assam recognized ‘Kazi Nemu’ as its state fruit.
10. Indian Army’s Vice Chief: Lt Gen Upendra Dwivedi was appointed as the new Vice Chief of the Indian Army.
11. Jharkhand Chief Minister: Champai Soren took oath as the new Chief Minister of Jharkhand.
12. RBI Monetary Policy: The RBI kept the repo rate unchanged at 6.5% in its February monetary policy review.
13. India’s Largest Green Hydrogen Production Plant: Announced to be established in Visakhapatnam.
14. AYUSH Holistic Wellness Centre: CJI D.Y. Chandrachud inaugurated the Ayush Holistic Wellness Centre at the Supreme Court premises.
15. Ministry of Tribal Affairs & AYUSH Collaboration: Joint initiative launched on the health of tribal students.
16. NCP Faction Recognition: Election Commission of India recognized Ajit Pawar’s faction as the official Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).
17. Asian Indoor Athletics Championship: India secured 4 medals in the championship.
18. REC Limited’s Green Bond Award: REC Limited earned the “Best Green Bond – Corporate Award 2024.”
19. ULLAS Mela Inauguration: Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan inaugurated the ULLAS Mela at National Bal Bhavan.
20. Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Amendment Bill 2024: Presented in the Rajya Sabha to strengthen water pollution regulations.
21. Manohar Joshi Passed Away: Former Maharashtra CM Manohar Joshi passed away.
22. Central Excise Day: Observed on February 24 annually.
23. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Jayanti: Celebrated on February 19.
24. National Science Day: Celebrated on February 28, marking the discovery of the Raman Effect.
25. Ram Temple Construction Cost: Estimated to be around ₹1,800 crore.

International News:

26. 66th Annual Grammy Awards: Held in Los Angeles; Fusion band Shakti won ‘Best Global Music Album’.
27. Oleg Kononenko Space Record: Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko set a new world record for the most time spent in space.
28. FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifiers: India drew with Qatar in their AFC World Cup Qualifiers match.
29. Malta joins International Solar Alliance (ISA): Malta became the 119th country to join the ISA.
30. Multinational Military Exercise ‘Shanti Prayas IV’: Organized in Nepal.
31. Fali S Nariman Passed Away: Eminent jurist and senior advocate Fali S Nariman passed away.
32. Global Cybersecurity Index 2024: India ranked 10th globally in the index.
33. World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting: Held in Davos, Switzerland.
34. International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation: Observed on February 6.
35. World Braille Day: Celebrated on January 4 (though it falls in Jan, its significance is across months).
36. Israel-Hamas War: Ongoing conflict with continued international mediation efforts.
37. Red Sea Attacks: Houthi attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea continued, leading to retaliatory strikes by US and UK.
38. NATO Expansion: Sweden moved closer to full NATO membership after Turkey’s ratification.
39. World Pulses Day: Observed annually on February 10.
40. International Day of Women and Girls in Science: Celebrated on February 11.
41. World Radio Day: Observed annually on February 13.
42. World Day of Social Justice: Celebrated on February 20.
43. International Mother Language Day: Observed on February 21.
44. UN Environment Assembly (UNEA-6): Held in Nairobi, Kenya, focusing on multilateral environmental agreements.
45. CMS COP 14 Samarkand: The Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) Conference of Parties (COP 14) was held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.
46. Dutch Court Orders Suspension of F-35 Parts to Israel: A Dutch appeals court ordered the suspension of exports of F-35 jet parts to Israel.
47. South China Sea Tensions: Continued tensions between China and the Philippines over disputed territories.
48. Global Food Security: UN report highlighted significant increase in acute food insecurity globally.
49. Somali Civil War: Continued security challenges with significant attacks in Mogadishu.
50. Russian Invasi