1 Gyanesh Kumar will be the new Chief Election Commissioner
Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar has been appointed as the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) of India . The term of the current Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar ends today (18 February). After his retirement, Gyanesh Kumar will take over as CEC. The special thing is that he will be the first Chief Election Commissioner to be appointed under the new law related to the appointment of Election Commissioners . Gyanesh Kumar, a 1988 batch Kerala cadre IAS officer, was working as an Election Commissioner since March 2024. He has been promoted. His tenure will be till January 26, 2029. According to the notification issued by the Law Ministry, Vivek Joshi, a 1989 batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of Haryana cadre, has been made the Election Commissioner. Till now only the most senior Election Commissioner was promoted as Chief Election Commissioner. However, last year a new law came into force on the appointments of Chief Election Commissioner and Election Commissioner . Under this, a search committee had shortlisted the names of five secretary level officers for appointment to these posts, so that the committee headed by the Prime Minister can consider them. The PM, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha and a cabinet minister nominated by the PM approve a name. After this, the President will appoint the new Chief Election Commissioner.
2 Two-day state visit of Emir of Qatar
Qatar ‘s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani arrived in India on a two-day state visit. PM Modi welcomed Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani at the Air Force Station in Palam on Monday evening. The two leaders hugged each other warmly, reflecting the special relationship between the two countries. This is his second visit to India after March 2015. The Emir of Qatar is accompanied by a high-level delegation, which includes ministers, senior officials and a business delegation.
3 Matsya-6000: Testing of the country’s fourth generation deep-sea submarine completed
Matsya- 6000 , India’s fourth-generation deep-sea manned scientific submersible has successfully completed wet testing at Kattupalli Port , marking a significant step in the country’s Samudrayaan project under the Deep Ocean Mission. Developed by the National Institute of Ocean Technology under the Deep Ocean Mission initiatives under the Ministry of Earth Sciences , this state-of-the-art submersible is designed to carry three humans within its compact 2.1-metre diameter circular hull and will be tested at a depth of 500 metres by the end of 2025. After successful completion of an extensive series of dry trials at an operational range of 500 metres to ensure seamless functionality of all systems within its external structure, the Matsya 6000 submarine was taken for underwater trials at the L&T Shipbuilding facility located at Kattupalli Port near Chennai during January 27 to February 12, 2025.
4 Bafta 2025: ‘All We Imagine As Light’ missed Bafta, ‘Conclave’ became the best film
The result of the British Academy Film Awards 2025 is out. The 78th award ceremony was held at the Royal Festival Hall in London, in which ‘ Conclave ‘ won the award for the best film . The Malayalam-Hindi film ‘ All We Imagine as Light ‘ , directed by Payal Kapadia, lagged behind the French film ‘ Emilia Perez ‘. The film could not get the BAFTA Award for Best Foreign Language Film . The Spanish-language musical-crime film ‘Emilia Perez’ won the Best Foreign Language Film Award. Payal Kapadia’s film ‘All We Imagine as Light’ was nominated at the 2025 BAFTA Awards. The film stars Kani Kusruti, Divya Prabha and Chhaya Kadam in important roles. The Vatican drama Conclave won four awards at the award ceremony, including Best Film and Outstanding British Film. Let us tell you, Adrian Brody won the Best Actor title for ‘ The Brutalist ‘ and Mickey Madison won the Best Actor title for ‘ Anora ‘.
5 India developed world’s largest ten-tonne propellant mixer for solid rocket motor
India has developed the world’s largest ten-tonne propellant mixer for solid rocket motors . By designing and manufacturing this advanced system, ISRO not only demonstrates its technological expertise but also strengthens self-reliance in space technology under the “Atmanirbhar Bharat Space” initiative. This propellant mixer has been developed and manufactured by Satish Dhawan Space Centre SHAR , ISRO in collaboration with Central Manufacturing Technology Institute (CMTI), Bengaluru . CMTI is a premier research and development organization under the Ministry of Heavy Industries . It is the world’s largest vertical propellant mixer for processing solid propellants. Which is no less than a major technological marvel. ‘Solid propellants’ are the backbone of rocket motors and their production requires precise mixing of more sensitive and hazardous ingredients.
6 Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan will launch ‘Naksha’ pilot program for urban land survey in 26 states and 3 union territories
The Department of Land Resources under the Ministry of Rural Development is launching the pilot programme of National Geospatial Knowledge-based Land Survey-Mapping of Urban Habitations in 152 urban local bodies across 26 states and 3 Union Territories from February 18. Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare and Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan will launch the programme in Raisen , Madhya Pradesh . The programme aims to create and update land records in urban areas to ensure accurate and reliable documentation of land ownership. The ministry said the initiative will empower citizens and reduce land disputes. The IT-based system for property record administration will promote transparency, efficiency and sustainable development.
7 Uttarakhand government took steps to preserve Sanskrit, Gargi Sanskrit girl scholarship scheme started for Sanskrit girl students
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami gave scholarships and honors to 261 students in a program organized by the Sanskrit Education Department . On this occasion, he said that the government is continuously working for the upliftment of the Sanskrit language. He said that for the encouragement of girls studying in Sanskrit schools , Gargi Sanskrit Girl Scholarship Scheme has been started for the first time in the state, under which annual scholarships are being given to girls studying in Sanskrit schools.
8 ‘Malaysia Food & Cultural Festival-2025’ from 17 to 23 February in New Delhi
The celebration of Malaysia’s great taste and culture has begun in India . The ‘ Malaysia Food and Cultural Festival-2025 ‘ was inaugurated in a grand manner in New Delhi on Monday . This festival is a unique experience of Malaysia’s rich food and cultural heritage in India. Tourism Malaysia and Ibis Kuala Lumpur City Centre, the festival will run from 17 to 23 February. The festival was inaugurated by Malaysia’s High Commissioner to India H.E. Dato’ Muzaffar Shah Mustapha and Director of Tourism Malaysia Delhi Ahmad Johanif Mohd Ali.
9 SEBI launches ‘RPT Portal’ to strengthen corporate governance and transparency
On February 14, 2025, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) launched the ‘ Related Party Transactions (RPT) Portal ‘, India’s first dedicated platform to monitor and analyze RPTs. The portal also aims to promote transparency and governance in corporate India. The portal enables a wide range of stakeholders to access standardized and comparable data on RPTs.
10 Sportstar Aces Awards 2025: PR Sreejesh, Manu Bhaker win top honours Sportstar of the Year Male and Female
On February 14, 2025, the 7th edition of “ Sportstar Aces Awards 2025 ” was held at the Taj Mahal Palace in Mumbai , Maharashtra . The event celebrated exceptional achievements in Indian sports, honouring winners across 24 different categories. The awards recognised the remarkable contributions and achievements of athletes, coaches and organisations that have significantly impacted Indian sports. Indian hockey legend, Parattu Raveendran (PR) Sreejesh won the Sportstar of the Year 2025 (Men) , while Manu Bhaker won the Sportstar of the Year 2025 (Women) and Sportswoman of the Year (Olympic Sports) respectively . The event comprised of 5 Popular Choice Awards and 16 Jury Awards, with over 2 lakh votes cast for the Popular Choice categories. This year in 2025, 2 special awards: ‘Special Recognition Gamechanger 2025’ and ‘Inspirational Icon Award 2025’ were presented.
11 Asian Winter Games 2025: China dominates, India deprived of medals
The 9th Asian Winter Games (Harbin 2025), held from February 7 to February 14, 2025 in Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, China , marked an important milestone in promoting winter sports across Asia. Organised by the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) and supported by the International Skating Union (ISU), the event featured athletes from 34 countries. The Asian Winter Games 2025 featured 64 events across 11 winter sport disciplines. China topped the medal table with 32 gold, 27 silver and 26 bronze medals , for a total of 85 medals.
