1 Prime Minister Modi inaugurated the Advantage Assam 2.0 Summit
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday inaugurated the Advantage Assam 2.0 Summit in Guwahati , Assam . Congratulating Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma , he also underlined the development of the Northeast in India’s development. This two-day summit focuses on investment and infrastructure, in which ambassadors and heads of missions of more than 60 countries are participating. The event is linked to the ‘ Act East Policy ‘ of the central government. It is worth noting that the second edition of Advantage Assam – which was first launched in 2018 – aims to accelerate infrastructure development and investment in the state, thereby establishing Assam as a major investment hub in India.
2 Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi attends Jhumor Binandini event in Guwahati, Assam
Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi attended the Mega Jhumor Event Jhumor Binandini 2025 in Guwahati, Assam . Addressing the gathering, he said that the event was full of energy, enthusiasm and excitement. He noted the wonderful preparations made by all the artists of Jhumor, which brought out the fragrance and beauty of the tea gardens. Jhumor Binandini (Mega Jhumor) 2025 is a spectacular cultural festival in which 8,000 artists participate in the Jhumor dance, a folk dance of the Assam Tea Tribe and the tribal communities of Assam, which reflects the spirit of inclusiveness, unity and cultural pride and symbolizes the syncretic cultural blend of Assam. The Mega Jhumor event marks 200 years of the tea industry and 200 years of industrialization in Assam.
3 Union Power and Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Shri Manohar Lal inaugurated Prakriti 2025
Prakriti 2025 (Promoting Strengthening, Awareness, Knowledge and Resources for Integrating Transformative Climate Initiatives), an international conference on carbon markets was held in New Delhi . The conference aims to promote strengths, awareness, knowledge and resources for integrating transformative climate initiatives. Prakriti 2025 provided a high-level platform for national and international experts, policy makers, leading industrialists, researchers and practitioners to discuss and exchange views on current trends, challenges and future directions in global carbon markets. The event brought together global leaders and experts to advance the discussion on innovative solutions for a sustainable, low-carbon future. Hon’ble Union Minister for Power and Housing & Urban Affairs Shri Manohar Lal inaugurated the event and shared the Government of India’s vision on the important role of carbon markets in tackling climate change.
4 Central Government announces data-visualization hackathon
The central government has announced a data-visualization hackathon called ‘ Innovate with GOISTATS ‘ with the aim of inspiring youth to contribute to innovation and policy making through data . It is being organized by the Ministry of Statistics and Program Implementation (MoSPI) in collaboration with the MyGov platform . The program will run from 25 February to 31 March 2025 and is open to undergraduate, postgraduate and research students. The aim of this hackathon is to inspire the youth to present innovative ideas using government data. Its theme has been kept as “Data-driven insights for developed India” i.e. contributing to the progress of the country using government data.
5 Defence Minister Rajnath Singh presented 32 medals to Indian Coast Guard personnel in New Delhi
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh presented 32 medals for gallantry, distinguished service and meritorious service to the personnel of the Indian Coast Guard at an investiture ceremony held in New Delhi . These include six President’s Coast Guard Medals for Distinguished Service, 11 for Gallantry and 15 for Meritorious Service. Mr Singh said that the government is committed to increasing the efficiency of the Indian Coast Guard. He said that the Coast Guard has been allocated Rs 9,676 crore for the financial year 2025-26, which is 26.6 per cent more than last year. He said that this is a very important step towards the modernization of the Coast Guard.
6 Herath Post
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday extended greetings on Herath , the biggest festival of Kashmiri Pandits , and wished everyone good health and prosperity. Herath is a Kashmiri festival celebrated on the 13th day of Krishna Paksha of Phalgun month , which falls between February and March . It has cultural and socio-religious significance for Kashmiri Pandits, who have continued to celebrate the festival even after they migrated due to the rise of terrorism in the Valley. Herath is also known as Har or the night of Shiva.
7 Government e-marketplaces celebrate six years of SWAYATT initiative
Government e-Marketplace (GeM) celebrated six years of its e-Transactions Benefiting Startups, Women and Youth (SWAYATT) initiative on 19 February 2025 at its New Delhi headquarters . Launched on 19 February 2019, the initiative was conceptualised with the clear objective of promoting participation of women-led enterprises and youth in public procurement. Rooted in the foundational pillar of social inclusion of Government e-Marketplace, the SWAYATT portal is committed to enhance ease of doing business and provide direct market linkages for annual public procurement to startups, women entrepreneurs, micro and small enterprises, Self Help Groups (SHGs) and youth, especially from the backward sections of the society. Since its inception, the initiative has been focused on easing training and onboarding of last-mile sellers, developing women entrepreneurship and encouraging participation and small-scale businesses in government procurement.
8 Bisleri signs MoU with ASI to conserve heritage water
In February 2025, Mumbai (Maharashtra) based Bisleri International Pvt Ltd announced a strategic partnership with Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) , Ministry of Culture (MoC) by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) under their ‘ Adopt a Heritage 2.0 (AAH 2.0) Programme ‘. ASI Director Zulfiqar Ali and Bisleri International Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Angelo George formally signed the MoU and then the agreement was formally exchanged between ASI Director General (DG) Yadubir Singh Rawat and Angelo George. The “Adopt a Heritage (AAH)” programme was launched in 2017. It is a collaborative effort between the Ministry of Tourism (MoT), Ministry of Culture (MoC) and ASI. In September 2023, a new version of the AAH programme was launched as “AAH 2.0”.
9 UNESCO launches ‘Imagine a world with more women in science’ campaign
In February 2025, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in collaboration with the International Development Centre of Canada (IDRC) launched the “ Imagine a world with more women in science ” campaign to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science (11 February 2025). The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) declared 11 February as the International Day of Women and Girls in Science in 2015. Using the hashtag #EveryVoiceInScience, the campaign builds on the momentum of UNESCO’s call to action to reduce the gender gap in science, launched during the 2024 celebration of this international day. The campaign aims to address the important role women play in driving progress in science. To shape the campaign, UNESCO conducted a global survey among its scientific community, receiving over 700 responses from a wide range of disciplines.
10 Dalibor Svrcina won the 2025 Maharashtra Open singles title
Dalibor Svrcina of Czechia won the men’s singles title of the Maharashtra Open or Maha Open Challenger tennis tournament by defeating Brandon Holt of the United States in the final . The final was played on 23 February 2025 at the Mhalunge Balewad Stadium in Pune , Maharashtra . The 2025 Maharashtra Open is an ATP 100 Challenger event with a prize money of $1,60,000. It was held in Pune, Maharashtra from 17–23 February 2025. Dalibor Svrcina won 100 ATP points and $22,730 in prize money with his win while losing finalist Brandon Holt received 50 ATP points and $13,350 in prize money. The Maharashtra Open was the third ATP Challenger event to be held in India in 2025, after the Chennai Open and the Delhi Open. The last ATP Challenger event of 2025 will be held in Bengaluru from February 24-March 2, 2025.
11 India won three titles at 2025 Uganda Badminton Championship
Indian badminton players won three titles at the Uganda International Challenge 2025 Badminton Championship . India won the men’s singles, mixed doubles and men’s doubles titles in this championship. World number 106 ranked Indian badminton player Manraj Singh defeated Diki Dvi Pangestu of Azerbaijan 21-10, 17-21, 21-18 in the final. In the men’s doubles final, top seeded Indian pair Dingku Singh Konthoujam and Aman Mohammad defeated the Indian pair of Akshan Shetty and Shankar Prasad Udayakumar 14-21, 21-15, 21-17. The mixed doubles final was contested between two Indian pairs. The Indian pair of Ishan Bhatnagar-Srinidhi Narayanan were declared winners after Dhruv Rawat-Manisha K retired due to injury . Before the match was stopped, Srinidhi and Ishan won the first game 21-18 and were leading 9-3 in the second set. American Ishika Jaiswal won the women’s singles title by defeating Nesihan Arin of Turkey 21-15, 19-21, 22-20 in the final.
