1) 🇮🇳National

• Union Budget 2026: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is set to present the Union Budget 2026 today at 11 am in Parliament. This marks her 9th consecutive budget presentation.
• Viksit Bharat 2047 Strategy: The government is expected to outline specific roadmap milestones for achieving a developed nation status by 2047, focusing on infrastructure and digital public goods.
• Judicial Reforms: New guidelines for fast-tracking socio-economic cases are expected to be implemented starting this month to reduce pendency in high courts.

2) 🌍International

• TSA ConfirmID Launch: The United States Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officially launches the "TSA ConfirmID" system today, a modernized identity verification alternative for travelers.
• India-EU FTA Progress: India and the European Union have entered a landmark phase of their Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations, aimed at boosting services exports.
• OpenAI Roadmap: OpenAI has confirmed the transition towards GPT-5.2 as the new professional standard, with older models slated for retirement later this month.

3) 💰Economy

• Special Sunday Trading: For the first time in years, the NSE and BSE are conducting a live trading session today (9:15 am–3:30 pm) to coincide with the Union Budget presentation.
• Economic Survey 2025-26: The survey projects India's GDP growth at 6.8%–7.2% for FY27, noting that inflation has moderated to historically low levels (1.7%).
• Fiscal Deficit Target: Analysts expect the government to set a lower fiscal deficit target of 4.2% of GDP for the upcoming financial year.

4) 🗓️Date’s importance

• Indian Coast Guard Day: Observed annually on February 1 to recognize the contribution of the ICG in securing India's maritime interests.
• National Freedom Day (USA): Commemorates President Abraham Lincoln’s signing of the joint resolution that later became the 13th Amendment to the US Constitution (abolishing slavery).
• Oxford English Dictionary (1884): The first portion (fascicle) of the OED was published on this day.

5) 👱‍♂️👩‍🦳Person of the day

• Nirmala Sitharaman: The primary figure today as she presents the Union Budget. She holds the record for the most consecutive budget speeches by an Indian Finance Minister.
• Kalpana Chawla (Remembrance): Today marks the anniversary of the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster (2003); she remains an icon for Indian aspirants in science and aerospace.

6) 🏅Sports

• Rohit Sharma (Padma Honours): The Indian cricket captain was recently named as a recipient of the Padma Shri for his exceptional contribution to sports.
• Women’s College Basketball: Sayvia Sellers recorded a career-high 38 points for Washington in a major win against Maryland, highlighting the growth of women's sports globally.

7) 🏆Awards

• Padma Awards 2026: The full list of 131 awardees (5 Padma Vibhushan, 13 Padma Bhushan, 113 Padma Shri) is currently a major topic for exams.
• Padma Vibhushan (Posthumous): Veteran actor Dharmendra and former Kerala CM V.S. Achuthanandan were honoured with the nation's second-highest civilian award.
• Padma Bhushan: Malayalam legend Mammootty and singer Alka Yagnik were conferred the award for their contributions to the arts.

8) ⭐️Other important significance

• Digital Health Warning: Medical experts in India have issued a "Cyber-Safety" advisory following cases of unsupervised drug use advised by unverified AI tools.
• Space Research: India's capital expenditure for defence and space research is projected to cross ₹12 lakh crore in the upcoming fiscal cycle.

📚Word of the day

• Garrulous (Adjective)
  • Meaning: Excessively talkative, especially on trivial matters.
  • Synonyms: Loquacious, Voluble, Verbose.
  • Antonyms: Taciturn, Reticent, Reserved.
  • Usage: The candidate’s garrulous nature during the interview distracted from his technical qualifications.