National Affairs

Overview of Wings India 2026 Held in Hyderabad, Telangana

Union Civil Aviation Minister Rammohan Naidu inaugurated Asia’s largest civil aviation event, ‘Wings India 2026’, at Begumpet Airport in Hyderabad, Telangana.

• Organizers: Biennial event structured by the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) in collaboration with the Airports Authority of India (AAI) and FICCI.
• Theme: "Indian Aviation: Paving the Future- From Design to Deployment, Manufacturing to Maintenance, Inclusivity to Innovation and Safety to Sustainability".
• PM's Address: Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually addressed the gathering, highlighting that India has firmly risen as the world's 3rd-largest domestic aviation market.
• Major Industry Fleet Orders:
  • Air India + Boeing: Air India ordered 30 additional narrowbody aircraft (20 Boeing 737-8 and 10 Boeing 737-10), pushing its total order book with Boeing to 250 aircraft.
  • Air India + Airbus: Upgraded its existing order baseline, converting 15 A321neo orders into advanced, ultra-long-range A321XLR variants.
• Key Aerospace Deals (HAL):
  • Signed an agreement with Russia's United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) to manufacture the Superjet 100 (SJ-100)—a twin-engine 100-seater regional commercial jet—locally in India.
  • Bagged a ₹1,800+ crore contract from Pawan Hans Limited to supply 10 Dhruv New Generation (NG) helicopters along with spare kits.

Wings India 2026 Excellence Awards:

• Best Airport of the Year: Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL)
• Best Contributor to Atmanirbhar Bharat: Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL)
• Best States for Aviation Ecosystem: Uttarakhand, Telangana, and Gujarat
• Best State with a Dedicated Outlook: Andhra Pradesh

Gujarat Becomes India’s Largest Contributor to Renewable Energy Capacity

Gujarat has officially emerged as India's clear green energy leader, logging cumulative installations of 42.583 Gigawatts (GW) of Renewable Energy (RE) capacity. The state single-handedly accounts for 16.50% of the country's aggregate RE footprint.

• The Leadership Tally: Ranks 1st in overall installed RE capacity, 1st in total wind power (14,820.94 MW), 1st in rooftop solar setups, and 2nd in total utility-scale solar capacity (25,529.40 MW).
• Rooftop Solar Milestone: Breached the 11-lakh rooftop solar installation mark, translating to a standalone network of 6,412.80 MW.
• PM-KUSUM Execution: Deployed 12,700 off-grid standalone solar water pumps under Component B of the central scheme, adding 89.54 MW of localized rural capacity.

MHA Mandates Two-Year Central Deputation for IPS Officers’ IGP Posting

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has tightened criteria for top bureaucratic assignments by revising its structural promotion guidelines for Indian Police Service (IPS) cadres.

• The New Rule: IPS officers must complete a mandatory minimum two-year Central Deputation experience at the rank of Superintendent of Police (SP) or Deputy Inspector General (DIG) to qualify for an Inspector General of Police (IGP) posting under the Union Government.
• Objective: Curated to clear leadership supply gaps at the Centre and expand administrative experience within Central Police Organisations (CPOs) and Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs).
• Target Pool: Applicable to all IPS batches starting from the 2011 batch onwards.

CCRAS Signs MoU with Berhampur University to Digitize Rare Manuscripts

The Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS), working under the Ministry of Ayush, signed a 2-year functional pact with Berhampur University in Odisha to digitally rescue ancient indigenous medical repositories.

• The Target: Cataloguing and digitizing over 2,000 rare palm-leaf manuscripts housing unpublished, archaic Ayurvedic frameworks preserved at the South Odisha Cultural Study Centre (SOCSC).
• Execution Lead: The operational roadmap will be spearheaded by the Hyderabad-based National Institute of Indian Medical Heritage (NIIMH), a key peripheral wing of CCRAS.

SAIL Launches ‘SAIL-e-BRATION’ National Creative Challenge

Maharatna steel giant Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) has tied up with the government's citizen-engagement portal MyGov to launch a nationwide digital media campaign titled “सेल-e-BRATION (SAIL-e-BRATION): Steel Built India, SAIL Built Trust”.

• The Brief: Invites citizens to craft short videos, reels, or digital commercial concepts (MP4 layout, under 120 seconds) mapping SAIL’s everyday footprint in building national lifelines.
• Core Pillars: Focused on Building India’s Big Dreams (highways, rail networks), Shield & Star (Defense armor platings, aerospace), and A Little Bit of SAIL in Everyone’s Life.

GoI Withdraws 18% Excise Duty on Unmanufactured Tobacco

In a major structural tax shift, the Government of India (GoI) fully dismantled the 18% Central Excise Duty previously levied on unmanufactured tobacco or tobacco refuse.

• The Caveat: The waiver applies exclusively to raw products cleared without a brand name and not packaged for retail sale.
• The Beneficiaries: Delivers a zero-duty relief buffer for farmers, local unorganized suppliers, and rural wholesale traders. Branded and retail-packed unmanufactured tobacco variants will continue to attract the full 18% tax line.

Banking & Finance

SBI Launches ‘CHAKRA’ to Finance Sunrise Sectors

The State Bank of India (SBI) has unleashed a high-octane institutional program called CHAKRA, establishing a dedicated Centre of Excellence (CoE) to bankroll fast-emerging technological industries.

• The Mission: Intended to channel capital underwriting into 8 critical sunrise domains: Renewable Energy, Advanced Cell Chemistry (ACC) & Battery Storage, E-Mobility, Green Hydrogen, Semiconductors, Decarbonization projects, Smart Infrastructure, and Next-gen Data Centres.
• Target Capitalization: Designed to capture a piece of the estimated ₹100 trillion ($100 Lakh Crore) investment window projected to flood these sectors over the next 5 years (by 2030).
• Global Collaborations: In tandem with the launch, SBI signed credit validation MoUs with 21 major global financial institutions, including Japanese banking titans Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC) and MUFG.

Matrixport Receives In-Principle Approval for Gelephu Mindfulness City

Digital asset financial architecture group Matrixport announced that its regional branch, Matrix Bhutan Pte Ltd, secured an In-Principle Approval (IPA) from the Gelephu Financial Services Office (GFSO).

• The Boundary: Clears the decks for Matrixport to introduce regulated financial services, custodial asset infrastructure, and principal investment dealings from the upcoming special administrative zone of Gelephu Mindfulness City (GMC), Bhutan.

Central Bank of India Partners with HSBC Asset Management

Public sector lender Central Bank of India (CBI) signed a retail distribution framework with HSBC Asset Management (India) to scale its non-interest wealth management avenues.

• The Impact: Gives CBI's pan-India consumer base seamless access to HSBC's professionally managed equity, debt, and hybrid mutual fund portfolios via both brick-and-mortar branches and online digital banking nodes.

Awards & Recognitions

68th Grammy Awards 2026: Historic Wins for the Dalai Lama & K-Pop

The 68th annual Grammy Awards concluded at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, USA, delivering deep historical firsts across global cultural spheres.

• The Dalai Lama's First Grammy: The 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, won his maiden Grammy in the Best Audio Book, Narration, and Storytelling Recording category for "Meditations: The Reflections of His Holiness the Dalai Lama".
• K-Pop Makes History: The track "Golden" from the project K-Pop Demon Hunters picked up the trophy for Best Song Written for Visual Media, registering the first-ever Grammy victory for Korean Pop (K-Pop).

Appointments & Resignations

Sunetra Pawar Sworn In as First Woman Deputy CM of Maharashtra

Rajya Sabha MP Sunetra Pawar created administrative history by being sworn in as the first-ever woman Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra.

• The Context: The state post became vacant following the tragic demise of former Deputy CM and NCP leader Ajit Pawar in a plane crash.
• Constitutional Compliance: Administered by Governor Acharya Devvrat at Raj Bhavan, Mumbai. As she is not currently an elected member of the local state legislature, she must secure an MLA or MLC seat within 6 months to retain her cabinet post.

Sports

Australian Open 2026: Alcaraz Completes Career Grand Slam; Rybakina Reigns

The 114th edition of the Australian Open wrapped up at Melbourne Park, engineering record-shattering scorelines in the tennis ecosystem.

• Men’s Singles: Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz outlasted Novak Djokovic 2–6, 6–2, 6–3, 7–5 to capture his maiden Australian Open crown. At 22 years and 272 days, Alcaraz became the youngest man in the Open Era to complete a career Grand Slam, breaking a record held since 1938.
• Women’s Singles: Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina stunned World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka 6–4, 4–6, 6–4 to claim her second Grand Slam title, writing history as the first Kazakh woman to win the Australian Open singles crown.
• Mixed Doubles: Australian pair Olivia Gadecki and John Peers successfully defended their crown, becoming the first mixed doubles outfit to score consecutive Australian Open title defenses since 1989.
• Deaf Tennis Championship: Italy's Marco Carretta achieved an extraordinary double sweep, capturing both the Men's Singles and Men's Doubles titles in the Deaf Slam category.

Devika Sihag Claims Maiden BWF Super 300 Title at Thailand Masters

Rising Indian badminton sensation Devika Sihag (from Haryana) captured her first-ever BWF Super 300 crown at the Princess Sirivannavari Thailand Masters 2026 in Bangkok.

• Elite Circle: She became only the third Indian woman in badminton history to secure a BWF Super 300 level title, joining the elite ranks of Olympic icons P.V. Sindhu and Saina Nehwal.

Important Days & Events

Indian Coast Guard Day 2026 – February 1

The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) celebrated its milestone 50th Raising Day (Golden Jubilee), commemorating half a century of maritime policing and EEZ surveillance.

• Timeline Foundations: Formally raised on February 1, 1977 under the Coast Guard Act, 1978 with an initial floating pool of 2 frigates transferred from the Navy. It was officially inaugurated in 1978 by then-PM Morarji Desai.
• First Fleet Asset: The historical first vessel inducted into service was ICGS Kuthar (Pennant No. 31).

World Wetlands Day 2026 – February 2

Observed globally to mark the date of the adoption of the international Ramsar Convention on Wetlands (February 2, 1971), which hit its 55th anniversary milestone.

• Theme 2026: "Wetlands and Traditional Knowledge: Celebrating Cultural Heritage"
• Global Network Fact: The global Ramsar matrix spans over 2,520 sites covering 2.5 million sq km. The world's pioneering first Ramsar site was the Cobourg Peninsula in Australia (1974).