1) Bank employees across the country are to go on an all-India strike on Tuesday, after conciliatory talks between bank unions and the Indian Banks’ Association (IBA) failed to yield any results. The United Forum of Bank Unions — the umbrella body of nine bank unions — has, therefore, decided to proceed with the proposed strike. The unions had, among other things, demanded “legitimate compensation” for employees and officers for the extra hours of work performed during the demonetisation period. They also sought immediate introduction of five-day banking.
2) Flying in and out of Delhi to nearby areas in choppers is set to become much more convenient with the country's first dedicated "heliport" set to be launched on Tuesday. The Rs 100-crore project will be an integrated one with a chopper maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) unit part of the complex at Rohini. Owned by Pawan Hans Helicopters Ltd (PHHL), the hugely-delayed heliport will have a large number of parking bays and an AC passenger terminal building with car parking area for the flyers.
3) Mercedes-Benz is to launch the latest iteration of the E-Class in Mumbai today. Known as the E-Class Long Wheel Base (LWB), the version measures 5,063 mm in length while it has a wheelbase of 3,079 mm. This results in an increase of 140mm (5.5 inches) over the standard model. It will be for the first time that the E-Class LWB will be available in the right hand drive format. Currently, the model is sold only in China, in the left hand drive format.
4) The Communist Party of India, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi have announced an agitation in Neduvasal village in Tamil Nadu on Tuesday to urge the Centre to drop the proposed hydrocarbon exploration and extraction project. A CPI (M) leader G. Ramakrishnan said the project would affect the ground water level in Neduvasal, Karaikal and surrounding areas. He called on the state government to urge the Centre not to go ahead with the project, warning that otherwise, State-wide protests would be held.
5) The DMK has called a meeting of district secretaries on February 28, as the party braces for the local body elections which could be the most keenly watched civic poll battle in the state as the ruling AIADMK is up against the toughest challenge in its over four-decades of existence. DMK general secretary. K. Anbazhagan announced that the meeting would discuss the local body elections and related issues, indicating that the alliance with Congress too is likely to come up for deliberations.