On completion of 10 years of the ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao’ campaign, an awareness campaign was organized at the Government Girls Hostel in Betul, Madhya Pradesh.

• During this campaign, girls were given information on the POCSO Act, Child Helpline (1098), One Stop Centre services, and menstrual hygiene management.
• The Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP) Scheme was launched in 2015.
• The National Girl Child Day (24th January) was started by the Ministry of Women and Child Development in 2008.
• BBBP is a national campaign with focused multisectoral action in 100 selected districts low in Child Sex Ratio (CSR), covering all States and UTs.
• This is a joint initiative of the Ministry of Women and Child Development, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, and the Ministry of Education.

• S. President Donald Trump on Thursday, February 6, authorized economic and travel sanctions targeting people who work on International Criminal Court investigations of U.S. citizens or U.S. allies such as Israel, repeating action he took during his first term.
• The International Criminal Court (ICC) was established in 2002 to hold to account those guilty of some of the world’s worst crimes.
• The ICC is the world’s first permanent international criminal court. It is the only permanent international criminal tribunal.
• It was established by an international agreement, the Rome Statute, on 17 July 1998.
• The Rome Statute sets out the Court’s jurisdiction, structures, and functions.
• The ICC investigates and, where warranted, tries individuals charged with the gravest crimes of concern to the international community: genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and the crime of aggression.
• As a court of last resort, it seeks to complement, not replace, national courts.

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has recently introduced a framework to facilitate the safe participation of retail investors in algorithmic (algo) trading.

• The move aims to democratize access to advanced trading strategies traditionally dominated by institutional investors.
• Algorithmic trading, or algo trading, is computer-assisted buying and selling of stocks. It is also known as automated or programmed trading. Algo trading came to India in 2008.
• SEBI is a statutory body established on April 12, 1992, in accordance with the provisions of the Securities and Exchange Board of India Act, 1992.
• The headquarters of SEBI is situated in Mumbai. The regional offices of SEBI are located in Ahmedabad, Kolkata, Chennai, and Delhi.
• The basic functions of SEBI are to protect the interests of investors in securities and to promote and regulate the securities market.

TP Solar, a Tata Power subsidiary, has opened a 4.3 GW solar cell and module factory in Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu.

• It is India’s single largest solar cell manufacturing unit.
• The Gangaikondan SIPCOT Industrial Growth Centre is an industrial park in the village of Gangaikondan, Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu.
• The facility will produce photovoltaic cells and modules for solar power generating units, having an annual capacity of around 4 GW.
• The unit will produce 182mm mono and 158.25mm multi-crystalline cells.

The Ministry of Earth Sciences launched SARAT (Search and Rescue Aid Tool) Version 2 to enhance search-and-rescue efficiency in the Indian Ocean.

• Key enhancements include more accurate search areas, enhanced data visualization, and future upgrades (e.g., surface current and wind prediction accuracy).
• SARAT is a satellite-based distress alert system that aids vessels, aircraft, and individuals in remote or high-risk areas at sea.
• It was developed by the Earth System Science Organization (ESSO) and the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) under the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) as part of the Make in India initiative.

Key Features of SARAT include:

• Customizable Tracking: Tracks 60 object types, including people, rafts, boats, and aircraft.
• Accurate Predictions: Forecasts search areas up to 10 days using wind, currents, and drifting buoys.
• User-Friendly Interface: Includes interactive maps, SMS/email alerts, and local language support for fishermen.
• INCOIS, recognized by UNESCO for its expertise in tsunami warnings, won the Subhash Chandra Bose Aapda Prabandhan Puraskar 2025 for excellence in disaster management.

President Donald Trump ordered a review of U.S. sanctions exemptions for Iran, including those for the Chabahar Port project. The move aims to block all financial channels benefiting Iran, escalating tensions in U.S.-Iran relations.

• Chabahar Port is located in Iran’s Sistan and Baluchistan Province, on the Makran coast, in the Gulf of Oman.
• The port has two main areas: Shahid Kalantari Port and Shahid Beheshti Port.
• India signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the development of Chabahar Port in May 2015.
• In May 2016, India, Iran, and Afghanistan signed the Chabahar Agreement, establishing the International Transport and Transit Corridor to boost trade and connectivity.

Observed annually on 11 February.

• In 2015, the United Nations General Assembly declared 11 February as the International Day of Women and Girls in Science.
• This day is an opportunity to promote full and equal access to and participation in science for women and girls.
• The 10th Anniversary of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science is organized by the Royal Academy of Science International Trust (RASIT) and the Permanent Mission of Malta.

• The Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) six-member Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) cut the repo rate by 25 basis points to 6.25 per cent on February 7,2025.
• This is the first rate cut initiated by the RBI in five years, the last one being in May 2020.
• Repo rate is the rate at which the central bank of a country(RBI in case of India) lends money to commercial banks in the event of any shortfall of funds. Here, the central bank purchases the security.
• As such, the repo rate forms the floor interest rate for all other interest rates in the economy.
• Repo rate is used by monetary authorities to control inflation.

• India’s Science and Technology Minister Jitendra Singh announced that the country aims to launch the Chandrayaan-4 mission by 2027.
• ISRO’s Chandrayaan-4 Mission is India’s first lunar sample return mission, aiming to collect and bring back Moon soil and rock samples.
• The Chandrayaan-4 will use five different components, which will be assembled in orbit, to help India overcome payload limitations as due to payload size constraints for single-launch rockets.
• It will require two separate launches using the heavy-lift LVM-3 rocket.
• The first launch is planned to carry the ascender module and descender module.
• The second launch would carry the transfer module, re-entry module, and the propulsion module.
• It could involve international collaboration with partners like Russia or NASA.

The Defence Ministry is set to sign a contract worth over ₹10,200 crore for ammunition for Pinaka multi-barrel rocket launcher weapon systems.

• The deal is with Solar Industries, Nagpur and public sector firm Munitions India Limited.
• The Pinaka rocket system has been developed by Armament Research and Development Establishment, Pune supported by High Energy Materials Research Laboratory, another Pune-based laboratory of DRDO.
• The Pinaka Mark1 (Mk1)has a range of 38 km and it can fire a variety of ammunition.
• The upgraded Pinaka system has successfully tested guided rockets with a 75 km range and is set to extend its range to 120 km and 300 km. It is becoming the Army’s main long-range artillery.
• The Pinaka Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) can fire 72 rockets in 44 seconds.
• In 2024, Armenia became the first export customer for the indigenously developed Pinaka.