Current Affairs 17 February 2026

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NATIONAL AFFAIRS

Overview of PM Narendra Modi’s Visit to Assam on February 14, 2026On February 14, 2026, Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi undertook a day-long official visit to Assam, where he inaugurated several transformative development projects worth over Rs 5,450 crore.
Highlight of PM Narendra Modi’s Visit to Assam:
Visit to Dibrugarh: PM Narendra Modi commenced his visit by making a historic landing aboard an Indian Air Force (IAF) C-130J SH (Super Hercules) aircraft at the newly inaugurated Emergency Landing Facility (ELF) on the Moran Bypass National Highway-37 (NH-37) in Dibrugarh district.
Visit to Guwahati: He inaugurated the Kumar Bhaskar Varma Setu, a six-lane bridge across the River Brahmaputra connecting Guwahati with North Guwahati reducing travel time from 30 minutes to seven minutes.

• He virtually inaugurated the National Data Centre (NDC) for the North Eastern Region at Amingaon in Kamrup district, Assam.
• He also unveiled the temporary campus of the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Guwahati (Assam).
• He also virtually flagged off 225 electric buses (e-Buses) under PM‑eBus Sewa Scheme, to promote sustainable public transport across four Indian cities.

Cabinet Approves Rs 1 Lakh Crore UCF and Startup India Fund of Funds 2.0In February 2026, the Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi, has approved two major initiatives aimed at bolstering urban infrastructure financing and strengthening India’s startup ecosystem: the Urban Challenge Fund (UCF) with a Rs 1 lakh crore central assistance and the Startup India Fund of Funds 2.0 (FoF 2.0) with a Rs 10,000 crore corpus.
About Urban Challenge Fund (UCF):
Overview: The newly approved fund will be operational from Financial Year 2025-26 (FY26) to FY 2030-31 (FY31), with an extendable implementation period up to FY34.
Funding Structure: Under the UCF, Central Assistance (CA) will cover 25% of the project cost, while minimum 50% of funding have to be mobilised from market sources such as: municipal bonds, bank loans and Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs).

• And, the remaining amount will be funded by states, Union Territories (UTs), Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) or other sources.

About Startup India Fund of Funds 2.0: 
Overview: The Union Cabinet has also approved the establishment of the Startup India Fund of Funds 2.0 (FoF 2.0) with total budget outlay of Rs 10,000 crore, aimed to mobilize venture capital for the startup ecosystem of the country.
Launched under: It was launched under the wider Startup India initiative, launched in 2016.

Cabinet Approvals On February 14, 2026On February 14, 2026, The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), chaired by Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi, approved three railway expansion projects worth about Rs.18,509 crores.
About the Three Multitracking Railway Projects:
Overview: Union Cabinet approved three multitracking projects, covering approximately 389 Kilometre (Km) across four states such as Delhi, Haryana, Maharashtra, and Karnataka, and targeted for completion by Financial Year 2030-31 (FY31).
Approved Routes: The projects include addition of third and fourth line to the Delhi-Ambala (Haryana), Kasara-Manmad section (Maharashtra), and Ballari-Hosapete section (Karnataka).
Cabinet Approved Proposal to Shift Key Ministries to Seva Teerth and Kartavya Bhavans:
Overview: The Union Cabinet approved proposals to shift key central ministries from North Block and South Block to “Seva Teerth” and “Kartavya Bhavans” in New Delhi, Delhi.
About the North Block and South Block: It is located on Raisina Hill and has served as the administrative nerve centre of the Government of India (GoI). It was designed by British architect Edwin Lutyens and built during the British colonial period.

Union MoS Jitendra Singh Launches First Rs 2,000 Crore BIRAC–RDI Fund to Boost Biotech Sector In February 2026, Union Minister of State(MoS) (Independent Charge, IC) Dr. Jitendra Singh, Ministry of Science & Technology(MoS&T), launched the first Rs.2000 crore national call for the Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) – Research, Development & Innovation (RDI) Fund in New Delhi, Delhi.

• The initiative aims to provide long-term, low-interest financing for high-risk, long-gestation research projects in sunrise sectors like Deep-tech, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and Biotechnology.

About 1st National call for BIRAC-RDI Fund:
Overview: The BIRAC–RDI Fund forms part of the national RDI initiative, which was approved by the Union Cabinet in July 2025 with a total outlay of Rs 1 lakh crore over six years.

• Following the cabinet approval, the initiative was formally launched in November 2025.

Call: The first national call is now open for startups, Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), and industry partners.
Deadline: Interested applicants must submit their proposals through the official portal (biracrdif.org) by the Phase 1 deadline of March 31, 2026.
Maturity: Proposals will be assessed using the TRL scale, focusing on stages ranging from prototype validation in simulated environments (TRL 4–6) to final commercial operations (TRL 7–9).

C-DOT & RRU Sign MoU for Jointly Collaborating on Products in Telecom & Cyber Security DomainIn February 2026, Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT), a premier Research & Development (R&D) centre which works under the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), Ministry of Communications (MoC), signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Rashtriya Raksha University (RRU), Gandhinagar(Gujarat), an Institution of National Importance (INI) under the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), for jointly collaborating on products in telecom and cyber security domain.
Key Details of MoU:
Innovation Hub: As part of this strategic partnership, C-DOT in coordination with RRU will establish an Innovation-cum-Experience Centre at the campus of RRU.
Focus Areas: The proposed centre will foster collaborative research, innovation, and technology development in critical areas like: Cybersecurity, Quantum  Technologies, Artificial Intelligence(AI)/Machine Learning (ML), Internet of Things (IoT)/M2M solutions, 5G networks and Mission Critical Services.
Other MoU: C-DOT has also signed a MoU with Synergy Quantum India Private Limited, to jointly develop an automated tool to detect, classify, and report quantum-vulnerable cryptographic algorithms in target devices.

• The MoU outlines 3 key modules: Web Application(apps), Security Scanner Agent and Control Software.

India Adds Record 52,537 MW Power Capacity in 10 Months of FY 2025-26
In February 2026, the Ministry of Power (MoP) announced that India added a record 52,537 Megawatts (MW) of power generation capacity in the first 10 months of the Financial Year 2025-26 (FY26) (up to January 31, 2026), surpassing the previous record of 34,054 MW achieved in FY 25 and reflecting over 11% growth in total installed capacity.

• India strengthened energy security, accelerated clean energy transition, enhanced grid reliability, and promoted sustainable development through record capacity addition.

FY26 Power Expansion:
Renewables: Added 39,657 MW (34,955 MW solar; 4,613 MW wind; small hydro & bio), contributing 75.5% of total capacity additions, making India one of the fastest-growing solar markets.
Conventional: Thermal added 8,810 MW, large hydro 3,370 MW, and nuclear 700 MW, strengthening baseload capacity
Capacity: Total installed capacity reached ~521 GW, with 271.9 GW non-fossil surpassing fossil fuel capacity for the first time.
States: Gujarat & Rajasthan (44 GW each) led renewable capacity, followed by Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka.
Stability: Rapid renewable growth requires 74 GW / 411.4 GWh energy storage by 2031–32 and grid modernisation.
Hydrogen: Target of 5 Million Tonnes (MT) green hydrogen annually by 2030.
Achievement: IIndia achieved 50% installed power capacity from non-fossil sources in June 2025, five years ahead of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC)targets.
Supply: Supply-demand gap reduced to near zero in FY26, ensuring reliable power availability.

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

du Partners with Datawave Networks to Land SING Submarine Cable System in UAE
In February 2026, Dubai (United Arab Emirates, UAE)-based telecom and digital services provider du (Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company) announced a strategic partnership with Cyprus-based Datawave Networks Limited to land and invest in the Singapore-India-Gulf (SING) submarine cable system, establishing a next-generation undersea fiber-optic corridor connecting the Middle East, South Asia, and Southeast Asia.

• This initiative is designed to bolster the UAE as a global hub for data, cloud computing, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) by providing high-capacity, low-latency connectivity.

About SING Cable System:
Network: The system will connect Kalba (UAE), Muscat (Oman), Mumbai (Maharashtra) and Chennai (Tamil Nadu, TN) -(India), Kedah (Malaysia), and Singapore through a direct East-West digital corridor.
Capacity: The cable will feature 16 fibre pairs, each with a minimum design capacity of 18 Terabits per second (Tbps), supporting AI, cloud, hyperscale data centres, streaming, and e-commerce.
Supplier: SubCom, owned by Cerberus Capital Management of the United States of America (USA), will handle design, manufacture, and deployment.
Resilience: The system reduces Red Sea dependency, diversifies routes, mitigates risks, boosts digital trade, and strengthens theUAE’s data hub role through du hosting the cable at Kalba (UAE).
Timeline: Datawave signed a financing agreement with Cerberus affiliates in January 2026, and the cable is targeted to be Ready for Service (RFS) by 2030.

BANKING & FINANCE

Union Home Minister Amit Shah Launches CBDC Based PDS in GujaratOn February 15, 2026, the Union Minister Amit Shah, Ministry of Home Affairs (MoHA) and Ministry of Cooperation (MoC) launched India’s first Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) based transparent, modern and user-friendly public distribution system (PDS) in Gandhinagar, Gujarat.
Key Highlights
Implementation: Under the CBDC framework, digital coupons generated through the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will be credited directly to beneficiaries as programmable digital currency (e₹).

• Beneficiaries can redeem their entitled quantity of foodgrains at Fair Price Shops (FPS) using CBDC coupon or voucher codes.

Purpose: The new system aims to make ration distribution transparent, modern, and leakage-free using digital technology.

• This will address challenges related to biometric authentication and e-POS (Point of Sale) operational issues.

Districts: The initiative was launched by the Government of India (GoI) in collaboration with the RBI and the Government of Gujarat under the PDS in Ahmedabad, Anand, Valsad and Surat districts.

• The subsequent phases will extend to the Union Territories (UTs) of Puducherry, Chandigarh, and Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu.

RBI Imposed Monetary Penalties on Three Banks & Two NBFCs for Non-ComplianceIn February 2026, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI)  imposed monetary penalties worth Rs 1.35 crore on 5 Financial Institutions (FIs)which include 3 banks: CSB Bank Limited, Bank of Maharashtra (BOM), and DCB Bank Limited, along with two Non–Banking Finance Companies (NBFCs), IIFL Finance Limited (formerly known as IIFL Holdings Limited) and Navi Finserv Limited.
Key Details:
Highest Penalty: Rs 63.60 lakh has been imposed on CSB Bank for non-compliance with directions issued by RBI on ‘Scope of activities to be undertaken of Business Correspondents (BCs)’ and ‘Customer Service in Banks’.

• While, Rs 29.60 lakh has been imposed on DCB Bank due to its failure to maintain the required Loan-To-Value (LTV) ratio in certain gold loan accounts.

Penalty on PSB: BoM was penalized Rs 32.50 lakh for non-compliance with provisions of directions issued by RBI on credit information reporting in respect of Self-Help Group (SHG) members and Know Your Customer (KYC) rules.
Penalties on NBFCs: IIFL Finance was penalized  for non-compliance with certain directions issued by RBI on “asset classification” (Rs 5.30 lakh) and Navi Finserv Limited for non-compliance on ‘Recovery Agents’ ( Rs 3.80 lakh).

DBS Becomes 1st Bank in Asia-Pacific to Pilot Visa Intelligent Commerce for Daily Payments
In February 2026, DBS Bank Limited, Southeast Asia’s largest lender, entered into a strategic partnership with Visa, a global leader in digital payments, to drive the future of agent-initiated payments through a joint pilot under Visa Intelligent Commerce (VIC).

• With this, DBS has now become the 1st issuer in Asia Pacific to drive real-world agentic commerce use cases.

Key Details of Collaboration:
About VIC: It will offer a comprehensive suite of integrated Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) and partner programmes, leveraging Visa’s secure infrastructure to enable safe, transparent and consent-driven payments by Artificial Intelligence (AI) agents, on behalf of consumers.
Pilot: Under the pilot, AI-powered agents successfully carried out food and beverage transactions on behalf of customers using DBS/POSB credit and debit cards, with payments processed through secure, issuer-controlled flows and customer consent.
Expansion: Following the successful demonstration, DBS and Visa plan to expand the pilot to include online shopping, travel bookings, and other routine digital payment transactions.

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

Barbados PM Mia Mottley Re-elected as PM of Barbados for Third Consecutive TimeIn February 2026, Prime Minister (PM) of Barbados Mia Amor Mottley has been re-elected as PM of Barbados for the third straight term after the Barbados Labour Party (BLP) won all 30 seats in the 2026 general election held on 11 February 2026.
Election Results:
Vote Share: The BLP obtained approximately 69.83% of the total votes polled, while the Democratic Labour Party (DLP) secured around 27.31% of the popular vote.
Parliamentary Seats: The BLP achieved a clean sweep by winning all 30 seats in the House of Assembly, leaving no representation for the opposition.

• PM Mia Amor Mottley defeated opposition leader Ralph Thorne, with the opposition failing to win any seat in the election.

About Barbados:
Capital – Bridgetown
Currency – Barbadian Dollar (BBD)

Gujarat Govt Appoints Uday Kotak as Chairman of GIFT CityIn February 2026, the Gujarat Government, led by Chief Minister (CM) Bhupendra Patel, appointed industrialist and veteran banker Uday Suresh Kotak as the Chairman of Gujarat International Finance Tec-City Company Limited (GIFTCL), with immediate effect.

• He replaces Hasmukh Adhia, a retired Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer and former Secretary of Ministry of Finance(MoF), who had been serving as the non-executive chairman of GIFT City since June 19, 2023.

About Uday Suresh Kotak:
Profile: He is one of India’s most distinguished bankers and entrepreneurs, renowned as the founder of Kotak Mahindra Bank Limited(KMBL), one of the nation’s top private-sector banks.
Previous roles: He is the Non-Executive Non-Independent Director of KMBL and served as Managing Director (MD) & Chief Executive Officer (CEO) until 1 September 2023.
Awards: He received Padma Bhushan in 2026 in the field of Trade and Industry.

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

GalaxEye Partners with ISRO’s NSIL to Sell its Satellite Imagery Solutions
In February 2026, GalaxEye, a leading Indian space-tech startup, signed a data reseller partnership agreement with NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), the commercial arm of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).

• Following this agreement, GalaxEye became the 1st private Indian satellite operator to formally collaborate with NSIL to resell its Earth Observation data.

Key Details of MoU:
GalaxEye Imagery: Under the agreement, NSIL will resell GalaxEye’s portfolio, including its ‘SyncFused OptoSAR’ imagery products in domestic and global markets.
Applications : The data is mainly used in critical sectors like: agriculture, disaster management, natural resource and inventory management, infrastructure planning and development and environmental monitoring.
GalaxEye: Indian Institute of Technology, Madras (IIT-M), Tamil Nadu(TN), incubated space-tech GalaxEye has specialisation in building payloads like: Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), a special type of imaging radar that is deployed in space.

IMPORTANT DAYS

National Women’s Day 2026 – February 13National Women’s Day is observed annually on 13 February across India to commemorate the birth anniversary of Sarojini Naidu, popularly known as the ‘Nightingale of India’ and ‘Bharat Kokila’.

• 13 February 2026 marks the 147th birth anniversary of Sarojini Naidu.

About Sarojini Naidu:
Contribution to Women’s Rights: In 1917, she co-founded the Women’s Indian Association (WIA) along with Annie Besant and other leaders to promote women’s rights and welfare.
Indian National Movement: A key leader in India’s freedom struggle, she played a significant role in the Indian Nationalist Movement and became the first woman President of the Indian National Congress (INC) in 1925.
Leadership: In 1930, she became the President of the All India Women’s Conference (AIWC). In 1931, she was also appointed President of the All-Asian Women’s Conference (AAWC).
First Woman Governor: Post-Independence, she became the first woman Governor of Independent India, serving as the Governor of the United Provinces (now Uttar Pradesh, UP) from 15 August 1947 until her death.

International Childhood Cancer Day 2026 – February 15International Childhood Cancer Day (ICCD) is observed annually across the world on 15 February to raise awareness about childhood cancer, show support for children and adolescents with cancer, and advocate for equitable access to care worldwide.
Campaign: The 2026 campaign continues the three-year ICCD initiative (2024–2026), organised by Childhood Cancer International (CCI) in partnership with the International Society of Paediatric Oncology (SIOP).

• The campaign is structured across three years: Unveiling Challenges(2024); Inspiring Action(2025); and Demonstrating Impact(2026)

Background:
Establishment: ICCD is an annual event established in 2002 by CCI, a global umbrella organisation representing national and grassroots childhood cancer parent groups.
First Observance: The first ICCD was observed on 15 February 2002.
Symbol: Gold Ribbon is the Universal symbol of childhood cancer awareness representing the preciousness of children, value of every child’s life, hope, and strength.
2026 Event: On February 15, 2026, the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), in collaboration with the Indian Revenue Service Ladies Association (IRSLA), organised a walkathon in New Delhi, Delhi.

STATE NEWS

Kerala Approves India’s First Comprehensive Graphene Policy
In February 2026, Kerala State Cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister (CM) of Kerala Pinarayi Vijayan, approved India’s first comprehensive graphene policy to position the state as a global hub for research, development, and production of graphene, a carbon-based “wonder material” with applications in advanced industries.
Kerala Graphene Policy:
Incentives: Offers 50% land lease subsidy, flexible five-installment payments, up to 45% Capital Expenditure (CAPEX) support, and exemptions from stamp duty, registration fees, and electricity duty for graphene units in government parks.
Flagship Projects: Includes the Rs.87 crore Graphene Innovation Centre (Kochi) and Graphene Aurora Project (Palakkad) by Digital University Kerala with MeitY and industry support.
Graphene Parks: Dedicated industrial parks, including Graphene Park on Kerala Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (KINFRA) land and Grefine Park to promote large-scale production and ecosystem growth.
Global Collaboration: Partnerships with the University of Oxford and University of Manchester to link research with industrial commercialization.
Legislation: Supports startups,Research & Development(R&D) integration, and employment generation; Kerala Advocates Welfare Fund (Amendment) Bill, 2026 enhances welfare benefits for advocates.
About Graphene: A single-layer 2D (two-dimensional) carbon material known for high strength and conductivity, used in electronics, energy storage, composites, and water filtration.

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