Feb 14 News Live: Nvidia CEO cancels visit to India AI Impact Summit

The government on Saturday (February 14) said it has approved a Rs 10,000 crore Fund of Funds to mobilise venture capital and support deep tech, tech-driven innovative manufacturing startups, and early-growth stage enterprises. This was the second part of the Fund of Funds (FoF) scheme under the Startup India initiative. The first was established in 2016.

The FOF 2.0 has been designed to continue the momentum of investments in startups, with an expanded scope over FFS 1.0.

"The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved the establishment of the Startup India Fund of Funds 2.0 with a total corpus of Rs 10,000 crore for the purpose of mobilising venture capital for the startup ecosystem of the country," a government statement said.

The Cabinet approved the second tranche of the Startup India Fund of Funds Scheme on Friday. The scheme, it said, is designed to accelerate the next phase of India's startup journey by mobilising long-term domestic capital, strengthening the venture capital ecosystem, and supporting innovation-led entrepreneurship across the country.

In 2016, the government constituted a Fund of Funds worth Rs 10,000 crore to provide seed capital and enable startups to take calculated risks. Following the successful utilisation of the first tranche, a second phase of Rs 10,000 crore was sanctioned in the Union Budget for 2025-26.

Congress MP Manickam Tagore on Saturday (February 14) said his party demanded only the seats the DMK lost in the 2021 Assembly election to Tamil Nadu and said power sharing was necessary.

Reacting to DMK leader RS Raja Kannappan’s remark on February 13 in Madurai that the DMK will contest from 170 Assembly constituencies in the 2026 poll and would win 160 seats, Tagore said his party was asking for the seats lost by the DMK in the 2021 election.

“In 2021, you contested in 173 seats and secured 133. What we are asking for (now) are the seats which you failed to win,” the Virudhunagar MP said in a post on the social media platform ‘X.’ “Power sharing is necessary. The share in power is our right. The people will decide,” Tagore said, posting a video clip of the state Forests Minister Rajakannappan’s speech.

In the video, Rajakannappan could be heard ruling out coalition government and said the DMK on its own would win 160 seats this time.

Striking a balance between welfare and development, the Andhra Pradesh government on Saturday (February 14) presented a Budget of over Rs 3.32 lakh crore for 2026-27, up by Rs 10,000 crore from FY26, with an estimated revenue expenditure of Rs 2.56 lakh crore and capital expenditure of nearly Rs 54,000 crore.

While presenting the Budget in the state assembly, Finance Minister Payyavula Keshav said the estimated revenue deficit would be around Rs 22,000 crore (1.11 per cent of the GSDP) and the fiscal deficit is pegged at nearly 76,000 crore (3.84 per cent of the GSDP).

“From the financial standpoint, we are yet to come out of the woods. Things are not all that rosy. I still have my times of struggle while sorting the financial mess left behind by the previous regime. But our intentions are uncompromising,” said Keshav.

According to the Finance Minister, the southern state will launch an “AP (Andhra Pradesh) Wealth Fund”, which tomorrow “will become big” like the Norway and Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth funds – possible enough to run the whole state.

As per FY27 budget figures, the state government is expected to raise Rs 76,000 crore through open market loans and Rs 19,000 crore from the Centre, while the GSDP during 2026-27 is pegged at Rs 19.75 lakh crore. The public debt is estimated to be Rs 7.11 lakh crore in fiscal 2026-27, rising from Rs 6.35 lakh crore in FY26, Rs 5.68 lakh crore (FY25) and Rs 4.91 lakh crore (FY24).

Pakistan skipper Salman Ali Agha kept the suspense about shaking hands with Indian players at the toss or after the T20 World Cup match in Colombo on Sunday (February 15), but said the game should be played in the spirit that it is meant to be. India and Pakistan players have stopped shaking hands with each other since last year’s Asia Cup in Dubai, which was held in the aftermath of the Pahalgam massacre and the subsequent Operation Sindoor carried out by the Indian Armed Forces.

“We will see about it tomorrow,” Agha gave a cryptic response about the possibility of a handshake in the pre-match press conference here on Saturday. However, Agha was clear in his view that the 'Spirit of the Game' should be upheld under any circumstances.

“Cricket should be played in (right) spirit. My personal opinion may not matter. But cricket should be played according to how it has always been meant to be played. It’s up to them to decide what to do,” Agha added.

However, it is learned that the general mood in the Indian camp ahead of Sunday’s game at the Premadasa too has been more thoughtful than bullish, leaving the decision-making to the higher officials and go by their call. However, when it comes to the Indian team, there is general wariness about public sentiment on social media which could be extreme as the emotions in the aftermath of Pahalgam attack is still raw.

A Shillong-bound aircraft was stranded at Kolkata airport for around four hours on Saturday (February 14) following a bomb threat, an official statement said. The IndiGo flight 6E 7304 was moved to the isolation bay after the discovery of a handwritten note claiming that a bomb had been placed on the plane, it said.

The threat, however, later turned out to be a hoax, and the flight left for its destination at 1.33 pm following a thorough search as per standard security protocols.

An Airports Authority of India (AAI) spokesperson said the note was discovered in the lavatory by one of the crew members around 9.15 am, around 15 minutes before its scheduled departure time. Some of the 60 passengers had already boarded the plane. The passengers were safely deboarded, and the aircraft was moved to the isolation bay.

Standard security protocols were followed and a thorough inspection was conducted by the agencies concerned, he said. Upon completion of all safety checks and clearance by security authorities, the aircraft was declared safe for operations, the AAI spokesperson added.

Skipper Lorcan Tucker’s blistering 51-ball 94 was complemented by a disciplined bowling effort as Ireland powered to a massive 96-run win over Oman in a lop-sided Group B T20 World Cup match in Colombo on Saturday (February 14).

Sent in to bat, Tucker launched a ferocious counterattack, smashing 10 fours and four sixes in a sensational knock as Ireland recovered from 47 for 3 to 235 for five, the highest total of this edition of the T20 World Cup.

Chasing the massive total, Aamir Kaleem (50) and Hammad Mirza (46) gave Oman hope but once they departed, it all went downhill as they were bowled out for 139 in 18 overs. As many as eight batters scored in single digits.

Josh Little was the most successful bowler as he snared three for 16 in his quota of four overs. He was ably supported by Matthew Humphreys (2/27), Barry McCarthy (2/32) and George Dockrell (1/6).

Despite the win, Ireland stayed at the fourth spot with Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, and Australia occupying the top three. Oman succumbed to their third loss.

A set of like-minded global firms in the area of connectivity to cloud infrastructure to semiconductors, including Jio Platforms and Anthropic, have joined hands to form a Trusted Tech Alliance, a joint statement said. The alliance was launched at the Munich Security Conference with 15 companies from Africa, Asia, Europe, and North America coming together to work across borders, and based on a shared set of principles for a trusted technology stack - from connectivity, cloud infrastructure, and semiconductors to software and AI.

These principles are designed to ensure that, regardless of a supplier's nationality, companies in this Alliance will adhere to common commitments of transparency, security, and data protection which build trust and pass on the benefits of technology to people across the globe.

In response to an unprecedented pace of technological change and an increasingly complex environment, countries and customers are seeking greater reliability and resilience across technology providers and the services they deliver. At the same time, there is continued scepticism about digital technologies and their potential negative impact on individuals and societies. In this environment, it is critical that companies from across the tech stack come together to address these concerns, the statement said.

In defining the attributes for trusted technology and a set of operating principles to which signatories will adhere, TTA members are committing to work with governments and customers to ensure that the benefits of emerging technologies can accrue to broader public trust while driving job creation and economic growth.

The Supreme Court is slated to hear on Monday (Feb 16) petitions seeking action against Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma over a viral video allegedly showing him taking aim and firing with a rifle at members of a particular community. According to the apex court cause list, a bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi is likely to hear the matter.

The top court on February 10 had agreed to consider listing a plea of Left leaders seeking action against Sarma. Referring to the upcoming assembly polls in Assam, the top court said that the problem is that a part of the elections is fought before it.

It had taken note of the submissions of lawyer Nizam Pasha, appearing for a few CPI and CPI(M) leaders, against Sarma and said it would consider listing the plea.

The video of Sarma purportedly taking aim with a rifle and firing at two people, one wearing a skull cap and the other with a beard, was shared by the Assam BJP on its official X handle on February 7. The controversial post sparked widespread outrage and political condemnation. It was deleted by the BJP after it was accused of inciting violence and communal hatred.

Separate pleas have been filed by the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and CPI leader Annie Raja seeking the registration of FIRs against Sarma for alleged hate speech aimed at communal polarisation. They also sought setting up of a special investigation team (SIT) by the top court on the ground that an independent probe was not expected from state and central agencies.

The pleas listed in chronological order alleged provocative speeches and statements made by Sarma. Earlier, a separate petition was filed by 12 people on the issue, seeking directions to prevent divisive comments by persons holding constitutional posts.

In a significant enhancement to urban infrastructure, the Union Cabinet has sanctioned the initiation of the Urban Challenge Fund with total central support of Rs 1 lakh crore, as stated by Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Saturday (February 14). Under the programme, central funding will account for 25 per cent of a project's expenses, on the condition that a minimum of 50 per cent of the financing is sourced from the market.

The government announced officially that the initiative will result in investment worth Rs 4 lakh crore in the urban sector in the next five years.

The transition signifies a fundamental change in India's strategy for urban development, shifting from grant-based funding to a market-oriented, reform-focused, and results-driven infrastructure creation, the government statement said.

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