National Affairs

Rajasthan Becomes Largest Wool Producer in India

In February 2026, Rajasthan became the largest wool producer in India with 16,013.50 thousand kg, accounting for nearly 47.5% of the national output.

As per government data, Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) secured 2nd place with 7,770 thousand kg, followed by Karnataka in 3rd place with 6,472 thousand kg.

About India's Wool Production:

• Data Source: The ranking is derived from the Basic Animal Husbandry Statistics (BAHS) 2024–25.
• Sheep Population: India has the 2nd largest sheep population in the world with about 77.4 million sheep and ranks 9th globally in total wool output.
• Total Output (FY24): Approximately 33.69 million kg.
• Sheep Contribution:
• Ewes: ~71.13%
• Rams and wethers: ~14.54%
• Lambs: ~14.33%
• Wool Grades:
• Carpet-grade wool: 85% of total production — used for carpets and rugs.
• Apparel-grade wool: ~5% — used for clothing.
• Coarser-grade wool: ~10% — used for rough blankets and mats.

About Rajasthan:

• Chief Minister: Bhajan Lal Sharma
• Governor: Haribhau Kisanrao Bagde
• Capital: Jaipur
• Tiger Reserves: Sariska TR, Mukundara TR

IPC Signs Three MoUs with GSPC, QCI, HITES to Strengthen Drug Safety and Quality

On February 9, 2026, the Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission (IPC), an autonomous body under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), signed three MoUs with Goa State Pharmacy Council (GSPC), Quality Council of India (QCI), and HLL Infra Tech Services Limited (HITES) to strengthen drug safety, improve medicine quality, and build professional capacity across India.

MoUs Signed:

• IPC–GSPC: Aims to strengthen pharmacovigilance by enhancing post-marketing drug safety monitoring and promoting the rational use of medicines through improved training and capacity building of pharmacists.
• IPC–QCI: Focuses on promoting healthcare quality and public awareness on medicine safety through joint training programmes, workshops, and capacity-building initiatives.
• IPC–HITES: Aims to build capacity and provide infrastructure support for quality assurance and training by leveraging HITES' expertise in project management and infrastructure services.

India, Greece Sign Joint Declaration of Intent to Boost Defence Industrial Cooperation

In February 2026, the Government of India and the Government of Greece signed a Joint Declaration of Intent to strengthen defence industrial cooperation between the two countries.

The agreement was signed following a bilateral meeting at the Maneskshaw Centre, New Delhi.

Key Details:

• Objective: To develop a 5-year roadmap to expand collaboration between India's Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiative and Greece's Hellenic defence reforms under Agenda 2030.
• Signatories: Union Minister Rajnath Singh (Ministry of Defence) on behalf of India and Nikolaos-Georgios Dendias, Minister of National Defence, Hellenic Republic.

Other Key Highlights of the Bilateral Meeting:

• Bilateral Military Cooperation Plan: Both countries exchanged the Bilateral Military Cooperation Plan for 2026, outlining future military engagements.
• Key Announcement: Greece announced the deployment of a Greek International Liaison Officer at the Information Fusion Centre–Indian Ocean Region (IFC-IOR) in Gurugram, Haryana, to enhance maritime cooperation.

International Affairs

Network Readiness Index 2025: USA Tops; India Ranks 45th

In February 2026, the Portulans Institute published the 2025 Network Readiness Index (NRI 2025), titled "AI Governance in a Global Context: Policy and Regulatory Approaches".

India climbed four places to secure 45th position out of 127 economies with a score of 54.43 out of 100. Among lower-middle-income economies, India ranked 2nd, behind Vietnam (40th).

The USA retained 1st place globally with a score of 79.13, marking its fourth consecutive year at the top, followed by Finland (2nd, 75.82) and Singapore (3rd, 75.46).

Top 10 Rankings:

Key Findings:

• Income Distribution: The 2025 rankings comprise 52 high-income, 34 upper-middle-income, 32 lower-middle-income, and 9 low-income economies.
• Top 25 Regional Representation: Europe (17), East & Southeast Asia (4), North America (2), and Oceania (2).
• China: Dropped 7 spots to 24th, but remains the only middle-income economy in the NRI's top 25.
• Pillar Toppers:
• Technology: USA, Switzerland, Netherlands
• People: USA, Republic of Korea, Israel
• Governance: Denmark, Norway, Netherlands
• Impact: Finland, Ireland, Denmark

Banking & Finance

ADB Approves USD 182 Million Loan to Scale Up Flood & Soil Erosion Management in Assam

In February 2026, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) approved a USD 182 million loan as additional financial support to strengthen Assam's resilience against chronic flooding and severe riverbank erosion along the Brahmaputra river.

This additional funding will boost the ongoing USD 200 million ADB-supported Climate Resilient Brahmaputra Integrated Flood and Riverbank Erosion Risk Management Project in Assam, approved in October 2023.

Key Details:

• Key Benefits: The funding will extend integrated flood and erosion risk management measures into 4 additional high-priority reaches of the river.
• Key Interventions:
• 63.5 km of riverbank protection.
• Adaptive and emergency works to strengthen existing structures.
• Pro-siltation measures to promote sediment deposition and rejuvenate eroded land.
• Upgraded and widened disaster-resilient flood embankments.

Economy & Business

Moody's Projects India's GDP Growth Rate at 6.4% in FY27, Fastest Among G-20 Nations

In February 2026, Moody's Ratings released its latest report titled 'Banking System Outlook – India: Outlook stable, backed by strong economic growth and robust bank fundamentals'.

The report projected India's real GDP at 6.4% in FY27, highlighting that India will continue to be the fastest-growing economy among G20 nations, driven by robust domestic consumption, policy measures, and a stable banking system.

Key Projections:

• Bank Loan Growth: System-wide loan growth projected to increase marginally to 11–13% in FY27, compared to 10.6% in FY26 YTD.
• Loan-to-Deposit Ratio: Expected to remain around 80% through FY27.
• NIMs: Net Interest Margins expected to improve gradually as deposit costs decline following earlier rate cuts.
• Asset Quality: Non-Performing Loan (NPL) ratio expected to remain low at 2%–2.5%, with a slight rise in slippages as loans mature. Retail asset quality remains stable among prime borrowers.
• Banking Sector Profitability: System-wide Return on Assets (ROA) projected to increase to 1.2–1.3% in FY27, compared to 1.2% in H1 FY26.

GRSE and HSL Sign MoU to Form Consortium for National Shipbuilding Programme

In February 2026, Indian Defence PSUs — Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE) Ltd and Hindustan Shipyard Limited (HSL) — signed an MoU in Kolkata, West Bengal, to form a strategic consortium for executing a large-scale national shipbuilding programme.

The agreement was signed by Cdr Shantanu Bose, IN (retd.), Director (Shipbuilding), GRSE, and Captain Ganti Venkateswarlu, IN (retd.), Officiating CMD of HSL.

Key Details:

• About the Consortium: GRSE and HSL will collaborate on the design, construction, and delivery of ships for national requirements, leveraging complementary strengths and infrastructure.
• Objectives: Accelerate strategic shipbuilding projects, enhance self-reliance in defence and commercial shipbuilding, optimise resources, and support Atmanirbhar Bharat in the maritime sector.
• Significance: Expected to improve project timelines, cost efficiency, and quality while boosting domestic expertise. It also aligns with India's vision to become a global shipbuilding hub and reduce import dependence for naval and maritime platforms.

Appointments & Resignations

RBI Approves Vijay Anandh as New MD and CEO of City Union Bank w.e.f. May 1

In February 2026, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) approved the appointment of R. Vijay Anandh as the new Managing Director (MD) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of City Union Bank Limited (CUB), one of India's oldest private sector banks, for a period of 3 years.

Key Details:

• Effective From: May 1, 2026
• Remuneration: Rs. 2.50 crore per annum
• Succeeds: Dr. N. Kamakodi, who has been serving as MD and CEO since May 2011.
• Condition: The appointment is subject to final ratification by the bank's shareholders.

Indian Cricketer Shikhar Dhawan Appointed as Brand Ambassador of Inaugural Delhi Khel Mahakumbh

On February 9, 2026, former Indian cricketer and Arjuna Awardee Shikhar Dhawan was appointed as the Brand Ambassador of the inaugural Delhi Khel Mahakumbh by the Government of Delhi.

About Delhi Khel Mahakumbh:

• Date: February 13, 2026
• Venues: 16 locations across all 12 districts of Delhi.
• Organised By: Directorate of Education and Sports, Government of Delhi.
• Purpose: A large-scale grassroots sports festival to strengthen sports participation at the grassroots level.
• Sports Included: Basketball, football, athletics, kabaddi, wrestling, squash, and volleyball.

About Shikhar Dhawan:

• Over 6,700 ODI runs with 17 centuries and 39 fifties.
• More than 2,300 Test runs with a highest score of 190.
• 1,759 T20I runs in 68 matches.
• Top scorer in the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy, playing a key role in India's title victory.
• Received the Arjuna Award in 2018 for outstanding performance in cricket.

Science & Technology

ISRO Identifies Mons Mouton-4 as Lander Site for Chandrayaan-4 Mission

In February 2026, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) identified Mons Mouton-4 (MM-4), a designated landing site in the Mons Mouton region near the Moon's south pole, as the prospective touchdown zone for the Chandrayaan-4 mission — India's first lunar sample-return mission.

About the Landing Site MM-4:

• Coordinates: Approximately 84.289° south latitude and 32.808° east longitude, within a geologically significant mountainous terrain.
• Data Analysis: Researchers at the Space Applications Centre (SAC) evaluated high-resolution multi-view datasets from the Orbiter High Resolution Camera (OHRC) onboard Chandrayaan-2 to assess hazards, slopes, and landing safety.

Aditya Pandya Becomes India's Youngest Male Analog Astronaut

In February 2026, Aditya Pandya, a 17-year-old Indian student and young space technologist from Gujarat, became India's youngest male analog astronaut following the completion of a lunar habitat simulation mission organized by AAKA Space Studio.

The mission took place from February 1 to 8, 2026, on the white plains of Dholavira, Kutch, Gujarat.

About the Lunar-Habitat Mission:

• Overview: A lunar habitat analogue mission using a container-based habitat engineered to simulate Moon-like physical and operational conditions.
• Purpose: Analogue missions prepare for real space missions by replicating isolation, confinement, and operational autonomy.
• Crew: A four-member analog astronaut crew lived inside the container-based lunar analog habitat.

About AAKA Space Studio:

• Works on planetary analog environments and is registered as a Space Tutor of ISRO.

About Aditya Pandya:

• Led the crew for hardware, IoT systems, and habitat intelligence systems.
• Contributed to internal and external environmental sensors, astronaut biometric systems, embedded habitat health and safety hardware, centralized mission control telemetry, and modular components developed through 3D printing and prototyping.

Sports

Services Defeat Kerala to Clinch 8th Santosh Trophy Title 2025–26 in Assam

On February 8, 2026, the Services Football Team clinched their 8th Santosh Trophy title by defeating Kerala 1–0 in extra time in the 79th National Football Championship final at Dhakuakhana Football Stadium, Assam.

The tournament was held from December 15, 2025 to February 8, 2026.

About Santosh Trophy 2025–26:

• Organiser: All India Football Federation (AIFF) — founded in 1941.
• Teams Participated: 38 teams in total; 12 teams in the Final Round, divided into two groups of six.
• Services Composition: Managed by the Services Sports Control Board (SSCB), comprising players from the Indian Army, Indian Navy, and Indian Air Force.
• Winning Goal: Abhishek Pawar scored the decisive goal in the 109th minute.
• Prize Money:
• Winners (Services): Rs. 5 lakh
• Runners-up (Kerala): Rs. 3 lakh

Important Days

National Deworming Day 2026 – February 10

National Deworming Day (NDD), led by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), is observed annually across India on 10 February and 10 August to protect children aged 1–19 years from intestinal worm infections, also known as Soil-Transmitted Helminths (STH).

February 10, 2026 marked the 12th observance of NDD, followed by Mop-up Day (MUD) on 17 February to cover children who missed the initial dose.

Background:

• Launch: NDD is a flagship programme of the MoHFW, launched in February 2015 under the National Health Mission (NHM).
• First Observance: 10 February 2015.
• Expansion: Initially launched in selected states/UTs covering nearly 9 crore children, later scaled up into a nationwide biannual programme across all states and UTs.
• Medication: Albendazole and Mebendazole tablets (WHO-approved).
• Children aged 1–2 years: 200 mg
• Children aged 2–19 years: 400 mg
• Alignment: Aligns with the Krimi Mukt Bharat Abhiyan (Worm-Free India).

About MoHFW:

• Union Minister: Jagat Prakash Nadda (Rajya Sabha – Gujarat)
• Ministers of State: Anupriya Patel (Mirzapur, UP); Jadhav Prataprao Ganpatrao (Buldhana, Maharashtra)

World Pulses Day 2026 – February 10

The United Nations' World Pulses Day (WPD) is observed annually on 10 February to highlight the critical role of pulses — such as lentils, chickpeas, beans, peas, and lupins — in achieving food security, improving nutrition, and promoting sustainable agrifood systems.

10 February 2026 marked the 8th observance of WPD.

2026 Theme: "Pulses of the World: From Modesty to Excellence"

Focus: The theme highlights pulses as nutritious, versatile foods that support sustainable diets and climate-smart agriculture.

Background:

• UN Resolution (2013): UNGA adopted Resolution A/RES/68/231, declaring 2016 as the International Year of Pulses.
• UN Resolution (2018): UNGA adopted Resolution A/RES/73/251, proclaiming 10 February as World Pulses Day, following a proposal by Burkina Faso.
• First Observance: 10 February 2019.
• FAO Role: Established after the successful implementation of the International Year of Pulses 2016 by the FAO.

2026 Event:

• Organised by the FAO in partnership with the Kingdom of Spain at the Miguel Delibes Cultural Centre in Valladolid, Spain — only the second time the observance was held outside FAO headquarters in Rome, Italy.

About FAO:

• Director-General: Qu Dongyu
• Headquarters: Rome, Italy
• Established: 1945

State News

Gujarat Signs LoI with Starlink to Boost Digital Connectivity

In February 2026, the Government of Gujarat signed a Letter of Intent (LoI) with Starlink Satellite Communications Private Limited, a subsidiary of Elon Musk-founded SpaceX, in Gandhinagar to enhance high-speed satellite-based internet connectivity across remote, border, and underserved areas of the state.

The documents were exchanged between Industries Commissioner P. Swaroop and Head of Starlink India Prabhakar Jayakumar, in the presence of CM Bhupendra Patel and Deputy CM Harsh Sanghavi.

Key Details:

• Working Group: A Joint Working Group (JWG) comprising state officials and Starlink representatives will oversee planning, monitoring, and implementation.
• Coverage: Pilot implementation will prioritise Aspirational Districts such as Narmada and Dahod to address regional digital disparities.
• Governance: Common Service Centres (CSCs) and e-Governance facilities will be connected to strengthen access to digital government services.
• Services: Government schools, Primary Health Centres (PHCs), disaster control rooms, police units, ports, wildlife sanctuaries, agricultural research centres, and GIDC industrial parks will receive high-speed satellite connectivity.
• Vision: The initiative aligns with the Digital India programme and the Viksit Bharat 2047 vision to ensure seamless last-mile digital service delivery.

Books & Authors

Odisha Governor Releases Two Books Authored by Former AP Governor

In February 2026, Hari Babu Kambhampati, Governor of Odisha, released two books authored by Biswabhushan Harichandan, former Odisha Cabinet Minister and former Governor of Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.

About the Books:

• 'Buxi Jagabandhu: The Great Commander' (English): A tribute to Odisha's Paika leader, documenting one of the earliest resistance movements against British colonial rule.
• 'E Mati Katha Kahe' (Odia): A collection of essays reflecting on democracy, Odia identity, national leadership, and spiritual traditions, including the Nabakalebara of Lord Jagannath.