National Affairs

Overview of 2nd India AI Impact Summit Held in New Delhi – Part II

Prime Minister Narendra Modi formally inaugurated the 2nd India–Artificial Intelligence Impact Summit 2026, held from February 16 to 20, 2026 at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi.

The summit focused on responsible AI development, global AI governance, innovation, inclusion, and international cooperation.

Key Highlights:

MANAV Framework:
During the inaugural ceremony, PM Narendra Modi unveiled the MANAV framework for AI governance.

MANAV Stands For:

Focus Areas of MANAV Framework:

• Ethics in AI
• Accountability
• National data sovereignty
• Accessibility and inclusion
• Legal validity

Opening Ceremony Addresses:
The opening ceremony was addressed by:

• Emmanuel Macron, President of France
• António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations

New Delhi Declaration:
The five-day summit concluded with the adoption of the New Delhi Declaration on AI Impact.

Endorsement:
The declaration was endorsed by 91 countries and international organisations.

AI Impact Summit 2027:
During the summit, Guy Parmelin, President of Switzerland, announced that the next edition of the AI Impact Summit will be held in Geneva, Switzerland, in 2027.

Brazilian President Lula Visits India from February 18–22, 2026

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, President of Brazil, undertook a State visit to India from 18 to 22 February 2026 at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

During the visit, he participated in the 2nd India AI Impact Summit 2026 and held bilateral meetings in New Delhi.

Ceremonial Reception:
President Droupadi Murmu received President Lula at Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi, on 21 February 2026 and hosted a state banquet in his honour.

Bilateral Meeting:
PM Narendra Modi and President Lula held bilateral discussions at Hyderabad House, New Delhi.

Trade Target:
President Lula set a target to expand India–Brazil bilateral trade to USD 30 billion by 2030.

Current Trade:
The current bilateral trade stands at USD 15.21 billion, with India maintaining a surplus of around USD 1.5 billion.

Key Events:

• Announcement of the opening of ApexBrasil office in New Delhi
• India–Brazil Economic Forum held in New Delhi
• Discussions on defence, renewable energy, pharmaceuticals, agriculture, technology, AI, and trade

India–Mercosur PTA:
Both sides discussed the expansion of the India–Mercosur Preferential Trade Agreement.

MoUs Signed:
India and Brazil signed multiple MoUs to strengthen cooperation in:

• MSMEs
• Postal services
• Pharmaceuticals
• Trade promotion
• Research and Development
• Rare earths and critical minerals
• Steel
• Digital trade through e-Certificate of Origin
• Education
• Cinema
• Heritage preservation

Visa Agreement:
Both countries agreed to extend multiple-entry tourist and business visas from 5 years to 10 years, strengthening people-to-people ties.

FM Nirmala Sitharaman Launches National Monetisation Pipeline 2.0

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman launched the second phase of the asset monetisation pipeline, titled National Monetisation Pipeline 2.0, in New Delhi.

The pipeline covers central ministries and public sector entities.

About Asset Monetisation:
Asset monetisation involves leveraging existing or under-utilised infrastructure assets to generate revenue and attract fresh investments.

Purpose:
The unlocked capital is reinvested into the creation of new infrastructure assets, boosting economic growth.

Formulated By:
NMP 2.0 has been formulated by NITI Aayog in consultation with infrastructure ministries.

Policy Link:
It is aligned with the Asset Monetisation Plan 2025–30, announced in the Union Budget 2025–26.

Target:
The NMP 2.0 estimates an aggregate monetisation potential of ₹16.72 lakh crore over five years from FY26 to FY30.

Private Sector Investment:
The pipeline includes estimated private sector investment of ₹5.8 lakh crore.

Key Highlight:
The NMP 2.0 target is over 2.6 times higher than the target under NMP 1.0.

DBN and Andhra Pradesh Government Sign Pact for Amended BharatNet Programme

Digital Bharat Nidhi, under the Department of Telecommunications, signed a Memorandum of Cooperation with the Government of Andhra Pradesh for the faster implementation of the Amended BharatNet Programme in the state.

The agreement was signed in Tadepalle, Guntur district, Andhra Pradesh.

Signatories:

• Shyamal Misra, Administrator, Digital Bharat Nidhi
• Movva Tirumala Krishna Babu, Special Chief Secretary, Infrastructure and Investment Department, Andhra Pradesh

Key Role of State Government:
The Andhra Pradesh government will support faster rollout of the programme by facilitating:

• Right of Way permissions
• Infrastructure access
• Coordination support
• Local implementation support

Special Purpose Vehicle:
The state government has formed AP BharatNet Infrastructure Limited as a Special Purpose Vehicle for project implementation.

Financial Support:
The Government of India has approved ₹2,432 crore for execution of the programme in Andhra Pradesh.

Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan Launches Teacher App 2.0 with AI Integration

Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan launched Teacher App 2.0, an AI-powered digital platform developed by Bharti Airtel Foundation in collaboration with the CK-12 Foundation, California, USA.

The launch took place in New Delhi.

Objective:
The initiative aims to accelerate AI adoption in India’s K–12 education ecosystem.

Alignment:
The platform aligns with:

• National Education Policy 2020
• Viksit Bharat @2047
• AI-enabled education transformation

Key Features of Teacher App 2.0:

• 45+ AI-enabled tools
• Lesson planning support
• Personalised learning tools
• Pedagogy support
• Classroom management features
• 2,500+ hours of training modules
• Foundational Literacy and Numeracy modules
• Teachers’ Lounge for collaboration

User Base:
The app supports over 2 lakh educators across India.

Access:
It is a free-for-life digital platform.

Integration Plans:
The platform plans integration with Indian Large Language Models such as:

• BharatGen
• Sarvam

Version 1.0:
Teacher App Version 1.0 was launched in November 2024 as a one-stop platform for teachers.

TEXMiN Foundation Signs MoU with Russia’s GIREDMET for Rare Earth and Critical Mineral Technologies

TEXMiN Foundation, a technology research and translation hub at IIT-ISM Dhanbad, signed an MoU with Russia’s State Research and Design Institute of Rare Metal Industry, also known as GIREDMET JSC.

The MoU was signed on February 23, 2026, during the Industry-Institute Interaction 2026 conclave at IIT-ISM Dhanbad, Jharkhand.

Dignitary Present:
The agreement was signed in the presence of Shivkumar Kalyanaraman, Chief Executive Officer of Anusandhan National Research Foundation.

Focus Areas:
The MoU aims to develop technologies across the mining-to-materials value chain.

Major Areas of Cooperation:

• Exploration of rare earth elements and critical minerals
• Beneficiation and extraction
• Separation of rare earth elements
• Refining and advanced materials development
• High-purity metals, alloys, and specialised powders
• Battery recycling technologies
• Recovery of lithium, nickel, and cobalt from spent lithium-ion batteries
• Production of permanent magnets
• Smart processing through digital twin, AI, ML, and sensor-integrated systems

Significance:
The partnership will strengthen India’s capabilities in rare earths, critical minerals, advanced materials, and battery recycling technologies.

States’ Electricity Transition Report 2026: UP, AP and Rajasthan Lead in EV Adoption and Green Hydrogen

The 3rd edition of the States’ Electricity Transition Report 2026 was released by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis and Ember.

The report highlighted broader but uneven progress in India’s electricity transition at the state level.

Key Highlight:
Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, and Rajasthan emerged as leaders in electric vehicle adoption and green hydrogen development.

Coverage:
The report assessed 21 states, which together account for 95% of India’s total power demand.

Assessment Dimensions:

Decarbonisation Leaders:
Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh, and Kerala led due to high renewable energy procurement and low emission intensity.

Power Ecosystem Leaders:
Delhi and Haryana performed strongly due to distributed solar adoption and reliable DISCOM performance.

Market Enabler Leaders:
Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan performed strongly due to:

• Updated renewable energy policies
• Green tariff adoption
• Solar-hour-aligned Time-of-Day tariffs

Awards & Recognitions

MBRA Groups Chairman Dr. Bhargav Mallappa Conferred Royal Honour of ‘Dato’

Dr. Bhargav Mallappa, Founder and Chairman of MBRA Groups and senior leader of the Indian National Congress, was conferred the Royal Honour of “Dato” by Kerajaan Kutai Mulawarman, a traditional Indonesian institution.

Date:
February 23, 2026

Recognition:
He was honoured for his contributions to:

• Social development
• Humanitarian work
• International cooperation
• Agriculture
• Economic empowerment

Honour Bestowed By:
The title was conferred by His Majesty Maharaja Kutai Mulawarman.

Honorary Membership:
Dr. Mallappa was appointed as an Honorary Member of the Grand Palace Family of the Kutai royal institution.

Agreement Signed:
As CEO of MBRA Agro Impex Food Products OPC Private Limited, Dr. Mallappa signed Consortium Cooperation Agreements with Kerajaan Kutai Mulawarman.

Objective of Agreements:

• Promote India–Indonesia agro-based trade
• Strengthen food processing cooperation
• Support rural economic development
• Build private sector Track-II partnerships

Significance:
The honour strengthens India–Indonesia agro-economic cooperation and positions Tamil Nadu as a potential gateway for Nusantara-linked investment opportunities.

Appointments & Resignations

Rob Jetten Sworn in as Youngest Prime Minister of the Netherlands

Rob Arnoldus Adrianus Jetten was sworn in as the youngest-ever Prime Minister of the Netherlands on 23 February 2026 at the age of 38.

He also became the country’s first openly gay head of government, marking a historic milestone in Dutch politics.

Succeeded:
He succeeded Dick Schoof, who served as Prime Minister from 2024 and continued in a caretaker role after the government collapsed in June 2025.

Swearing-in Ceremony:
The ceremony was administered by King Willem-Alexander at Huis ten Bosch Palace in The Hague, Netherlands.

Coalition Government:
Rob Jetten leads a minority coalition government formed after the October 2025 election.

Party:
Democrats 66, a centrist and pro-European party.

Coalition Partners:

• Democrats 66
• Christian Democrats
• People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy

Parliamentary Strength:
The coalition holds 66 out of 150 seats in the lower house of the Dutch Parliament.

Key Challenge:
The minority government will need regular cooperation with opposition parties to pass legislation.

Abhinav Bindra Concludes IOC Athletes’ Commission Tenure

Indian shooting legend Abhinav Bindra, India’s first individual Olympic gold medallist, announced the completion of his eight-year tenure from 2018 to 2026 as Vice-Chair of the International Olympic Committee Athletes’ Commission.

He was succeeded by Humphrey Kayange, a Kenyan rugby player, as the Second Vice-Chair of the IOC Athletes’ Commission during the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Games.

About Abhinav Bindra:

Olympic Gold:
Abhinav Bindra became India’s first individual Olympic gold medallist by winning the men’s 10m air rifle event at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

World Championship:
He was the first Indian to hold both the World Championship title in 2006 and the Olympic title in the same event.

Major Games Medals:

• 7 medals at the Commonwealth Games
• 3 medals at the Asian Games

Major Honours:

Book:
He authored “A Shot at History: My Obsessive Journey to Olympic Gold”, published by HarperCollins India in 2011.

IOC Journey:
He was elected to the IOC Athletes’ Commission in 2018 and elevated as Vice-Chair in 2024.

About IOC Athletes’ Commission:
The commission was established in 1981.

Current Leadership:

• Chair: Pau Gasol
• Vice-Chairs: Maja Włoszczowska, Humphrey Kayange, Oluseyi Smith
• Members: 10 elected and 7 appointed members

Acquisitions & Mergers

Tata Consumer Products Acquires Food and Nutrition Technologies from CSIR-NIIST

Tata Consumer Products Limited formalised the transfer of select food and nutrition technologies from CSIR-National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology.

The move aims to promote national goals in health, nutrition, wellness, and food security.

Technologies Transferred:

Smarter Rice:
A nutritionally enhanced rice formulation with:

• Higher protein
• Lower Glycaemic Index
• Improved micronutrient availability

Coffee Crema Technology:
A technology that improves:

• Crema stability
• Aroma retention
• Sensory quality in brewed coffee

Low-Sodium Salt Initiative:
Tata Consumer Products and CSIR-NIIST also signed a sponsored research agreement to develop Low-Sodium Salt Technology.

Objective:
The initiative aims to reduce sodium intake without affecting taste.

Significance:
The collaboration supports public health goals and Tata Consumer’s wellness-driven innovation strategy.

Books & Authors

VP C.P. Radhakrishnan Releases Coffee Table Book on Atal Bihari Vajpayee

Vice President C.P. Radhakrishnan released the coffee table book titled “Atal Bihari Vajpayee: The Eternal Statesman” in New Delhi.

The book has been authored by former Union Minister Vijay Goel.

Venue:
Dr. Ambedkar International Centre, New Delhi

Publisher:
Gandhi Smriti and Darshan Samiti

About the Book:
The book pays tribute to Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Bharat Ratna awardee and former Prime Minister of India.

Content:
It includes a rich collection of photographs and anecdotes covering Vajpayee’s journey as:

• Poet
• Parliamentarian
• National leader
• Statesman

Key Milestones Covered:

• Pokhran nuclear tests in 1998
• Infrastructure initiatives such as Delhi Metro
• Major achievements during his tenure as Prime Minister

Gujarat CM Releases Srila Prabhupada’s Gujarati Biography

Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel released the Gujarati biography titled “Vishwaguru Srila Prabhupada” in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, on February 23, 2026.

Author:
Dr. Usha Upadhyay

About the Biography:
The book chronicles the life and spiritual journey of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada, Founder-Acharya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness.

Key Focus Areas:

• Srila Prabhupada’s spiritual journey
• His struggles and dedication
• Promotion of Indian culture globally
• Spread of Vedic teachings
• Global influence of ISKCON

Significance:
The biography highlights Srila Prabhupada’s role in taking Indian spiritual thought and Vedic knowledge to the world.

Important Days

Central Excise Day 2026 – February 24

Central Excise Day is observed annually across India on 24 February to commemorate the enactment of the Central Excise and Salt Act, 1944.

The day also honours the contributions of the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs in tax administration and national development.

About Central Excise Duty:
Central Excise Duty is an indirect tax levied and collected by the Government of India on goods manufactured or produced within India for domestic consumption.

About Central Excise and Salt Act, 1944:

Enactment:
The Act was the first comprehensive legislation imposing excise duties on goods manufactured in India.

Key Feature:
It consolidated 11 earlier excise laws into one unified framework.

Amendments:

• In 1966, the Act was renamed as the Central Excise Act, 1944
• In 1985, the Central Excise Tariff Act was enacted to prescribe detailed schedules for duty rates and valuation principles

Important Days at a Glance

State News

Kerala Signs MoUs with Central PSUs for ₹2,000 Crore Vizhinjam Logistics Masterplan

The Kerala Government signed MoUs with three central Public Sector Undertakings to launch an integrated logistics masterplan worth ₹2,000 crore at Vizhinjam International Seaport in Thiruvananthapuram district.

The MoUs were signed in the presence of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan at the Kerala state legislative assembly building.

Key Partners:

• Vizhinjam International Seaport Limited
• Indian Oil Corporation Limited
• Container Corporation of India
• Central Warehousing Corporation

Key Investments:

Significance:
The integrated logistics plan will strengthen Vizhinjam’s role as a major maritime and logistics hub in India.

UP CM Yogi Adityanath Inaugurates IBM’s AI GovTech Innovation Centre in Lucknow

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath inaugurated IBM’s AI GovTech Innovation Centre in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, on February 22, 2026.

The centre aims to transform governance using Artificial Intelligence.

Purpose:
The centre will serve as a collaborative platform to design, test, validate, and scale AI solutions for government departments.

Focus Areas:

• Better service delivery
• Transparency
• Productivity
• Decision-making
• Trusted AI model development
• Replicable AI models for public sector functions

MoUs Signed:
Two MoUs were signed between the Government of Uttar Pradesh and IBM.

MoU Objectives:

• Accelerate AI-led governance initiatives
• Build AI use cases for public services
• Introduce AI literacy programme for students of Classes 6–12
• Train teachers in AI literacy and future-ready skills

Delhi Implements ‘Rah-Veer’ Road Accident Assistance Scheme

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta announced the implementation of the Rah-Veer scheme to encourage citizens to help seriously injured road accident victims during the golden hour.

About Rah-Veer Scheme:
The scheme is a Central Government initiative of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.

Objective:
It encourages citizens to assist seriously injured road accident victims and ensure timely transport to hospitals or trauma centres.

Cash Reward:
Any person helping a seriously injured accident victim within the golden hour will receive:

• ₹25,000 cash reward
• Certificate of appreciation

Reward Limit:
A maximum of ₹25,000 per incident will be provided, even if multiple victims are saved in the same accident.

Special Award:
Ten outstanding Rah-Veers selected nationally every year will receive:

• ₹1 lakh
• Certificate of appreciation

Legal Protection:
The scheme complements the Good Samaritan Rules under Section 134A of the Motor Vehicles Amendment Act, 2019.

Protection Provided:
Citizens helping accident victims are protected from:

• Legal hassles
• Police harassment
• Procedural delays