- On 20 February 2026, Union Home Minister Amit Shah launched the Vibrant Villages Programme‑II in Assam with a ₹6,839 crore outlay to boost border development, connectivity, and security across 1,954 villages in 15 states & 2 UTs.
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- On 19 February 2026, Tata Group and OpenAI (Open Artificial Intelligence) partnered to build India’s first large-scale Artificial Intelligence (AI) Data Centre of 100 Megawatt (MW) capacity, marking a milestone in AI infrastructure.
- On 18 February 2026, Gujarat FM Kanubhai Desai presented a ₹4.08 lakh crore Budget 2026‑27 with a ₹25,586 crore revenue surplus, focusing on sports, tourism, AI‑driven governance, and infrastructure without imposing new taxes.
- India’s foreign exchange (forex) reserves reached a record $725.727 billion in February 2026, driven by increases in Foreign Currency Assets (FCA), gold reserves, and Special Drawing Rights (SDRs).
- On 19 Feb 2026 in Tel Aviv, India and Israel signed an MoU to deepen defence industrial cooperation, focusing on joint development, co‑production, and technology collaboration, facilitated by SIBAT (International Defence Cooperation Directorate, Israel Ministry of Defence) and SIDM (Society of Indian Defence Manufacturers, India).
- Padma awardee and India’s most decorated cueist Pankaj Advani clinched the inaugural Liber Win Champions Cup 2026 on 18 February 2026 at the Karnataka State Billiards Association (KSBA), Bengaluru, defeating Kamal Chawla 6–3 in a best‑of‑11 final.
- In Feb 2026, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) lifted its ban, allowing Russian (6) and Belarusian (4) athletes to compete under their flags and anthems at the Milan‑Cortina Winter Paralympics 2026.
- On 20 Feb 2026 in Agartala, Union Home & Cooperation Minister Amit Shah inaugurated the Joint Regional Official Language Conference, organised by the Department of Official Language (Ministry of Home Affairs), themed on strengthening Hindi’s progressive use, aimed at reviewing policy implementation with 3,000+ delegates from 20 states.
- On 18 February 2026, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully conducted the qualification‑level load test of the Gaganyaan drogue parachute at its Rail Track Rocket Sled (RTRS) facility, Terminal Ballistics Research Laboratory (TBRL), Chandigarh.
- On 18 Feb 2026, Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma launched the PMS Portal at Dispur to digitize and streamline the provincialisation of venture schools and colleges, ensuring transparency and introducing the Gurudakshina scheme for ineligible staff.
- On 20 Feb 2026, Asha Sharma, an Indian‑origin executive, became CEO of Microsoft Gaming (Xbox Division), succeeding Phil Spencer and focusing on AI‑driven development, cloud delivery, subscriptions, and console innovation.
- Vice President C. P. Radhakrishnan unveiled the coffee table book Atal Bihari Vajpayee: The Eternal Statesman on February 21, 2026, at the Dr. Ambedkar International Centre in New Delhi. Authored by BJP leader Vijay Goel, it captures Vajpayee's life through rare photos, anecdotes, and milestones spanning his childhood to premiership.
- Shillong MP Ricky Andrew J. Syngkon, leader of the Voice of the People Party (VPP), passed away on 19 February 2026 at the age of 54 after collapsing while playing football in Mawiong, near Shillong.
- On 20 February 2026, eminent Bengali author Mani Shankar Mukhopadhyay (Shankar) passed away in Kolkata, leaving behind a rich literary legacy with classics like Chowringhee, Seemabaddha, and Jana Aranya.
Questions:
Q.1 The book “Atal Bihari Vajpayee: The Eternal Statesman” was authored by:a) C. P. Radhakrishnan
b) Vijay Goel
c) Arun Jaitley
d) Ram Madhav
Answer: b) This book is authored by BJP leader Vijay Goel.
Q.2 Who won the inaugural Liber Win Champions Cup 2026?
a) Kamal Chawla
b) Aditya Mehta
c) Pankaj Advani
d) Sourav Kothari
Answer: c) Pankaj Advani defeated Kamal Chawla 6–3 in the best-of-11 final at KSBA, Bengaluru.
