The Catch Up: 5 February

Feb 5, 2025

A U.S. military aircraft has returned over 100 deported Indian immigrants, highlighting a significant diplomatic event. The demographics are diverse, with many coming from Punjab and Gujarat. Meanwhile, Delhi is buzzing with elections as major parties vie for power, with reports of voter turnout and allegations of fake votes surfacing. On an international front, India is gearing up for free trade agreement talks with the U.S. soon, signaling a potential shift in economic relations.

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Summary of Key Recent Events in India

00:00 • 3min

This is the Catchup on 3 Things by The Indian Express and I'm Ichha Sharma.
Today is the 5th of February and here are the headlines.

A military aircraft from the United States carrying over 100 deported Indian immigrants landed at Amritsar’s Shri Guru Ramdas Ji International Airport this afternoon. The deported individuals include 25 women, 12 minors, and 79 men. In addition to the deported Indian nationals, the aircraft also had 11 crew members and 45 US officials on board. Besides Punjab, the deported individuals are from Haryana, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, and Maharashtra. Among the deportees, 33 are from Gujarat, while 30 belong to Punjab.Two deportees each are from Uttar Pradesh and Chandigarh, while three are from Maharashtra.

Meanwhile, the high-stakes Delhi election is underway in 70 Assembly constituencies. In the triangular contest between the AAP, the BJP, and the Congress, the ruling party aims for a third consecutive term, while the saffron party hopes to make a return to power after 25 years, and the grand old party strives to make a comeback. As of 1 pm today, the voter turnout stood at 33.31 per cent. Meanwhile, police force was deployed in large numbers outside a polling booth in Seelampur after the BJP alleged fake votes were being cast.

In other news, India and the US are expected to start negotiations for a free trade agreement in the coming weeks as Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to travel to the US to meet President Donald Trump between the 12th and 14th of February. The Prime Minister, who will travel to France and co-chair the Artificial Intelligence Action Summit in Paris between 10th - 11th of February, is also expected to travel to Marseille on 12 of February. From there, he is likely to travel to the US to meet President Trump.

In another news headline, After submitting a Letter of Intent to host the 2036 Olympics last October, India is learnt to have opened an “informal” dialogue with the Commonwealth Games Federation to host the centenary edition in 2030 — 20 years after the country first held it. Officials involved in the process told The Indian Express, that unlike 2010, when the Games were hosted in New Delhi, Ahmedabad has emerged as the frontrunner, with Bhubaneswar also in the mix. On the sidelines of the National Games opening ceremony in Dehradun, Commonwealth Games Federation president Chris Jenkins also met Indian Olympic Association president P T Usha where the possible Indian bid was discussed.

Meanwhile, OpenAI founder Sam Altman during a fireside chat today said that India is the second biggest market for ChatGPT, where it has tripled its user base in the last year. Altman is on a whirlwind world tour and landed in India late on Tuesday night. He is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, along with a number of the country's start-ups and venture capital funds. During the chat Altman said, quote, “India is an incredibly important market for AI in general and OpenAI in particular. It is our second biggest market, we tripled our users here in the last year.”

This was the Catch Up on 3 Things by the Indian Express