Daily Current Affairs: 22 February 2026

Harsharan Kaur Trehan became Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) Director (Commercial).

[Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL)]

Key Updates:

• Harsharan Kaur Trehan assumed charge as Director (Commercial) of Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) on 21 February 2026.
• She is the first woman technocrat to reach board level in PSPCL.
• Her appointment order was issued on 20 February 2026 by Basant Garg, Secretary, Power, Punjab Government, for a two-year tenure.
• Trehan had earlier become the first woman Engineer-in-Chief of PSPCL in May 2021 and retired from that post in October 2022.
• She joined the erstwhile Punjab State Electricity Board as an Assistant Engineer in 1987 after graduating from Delhi College of Engineering.

Ricky Andrew J Syngkon laid to rest; Meghalaya government declares holiday in Khasi-Jaintia Hills.

[Meghalaya]

Key Updates:

• Ricky Andrew J Syngkon, 54, Shillong Lok Sabha MP and founding member of Voice of the People Party (VPP), died on Thursday evening at a hospital in Shillong after a sudden cardiac arrest while playing futsal in Mawlai Mawiong.
• His mortal remains were laid to rest at Sumer Presbyterian Church Cemetery in Ri-Bhoi district on Saturday.
• The Meghalaya government observed a holiday in the Khasi-Jaintia Hills region on Saturday as a mark of respect.
• Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma visited Syngkon’s residence at Pohkseh locality in Shillong on Friday to pay homage.
• The Meghalaya legislative assembly adjourned its ongoing budget session on Friday after paying tributes to the late MP.
• Syngkon had served as assistant professor in the department of economics at North-Eastern Hill University before entering politics.
• In the 2024 general elections he won the Shillong parliamentary seat as a VPP candidate, defeating three-time Congress MP Vincent H Pala by 3,71,910 votes.

CP Radhakrishnan Releases Shashi Tharoor’s Biography of Sree Narayana Guru

Key Updates:

• Vice-President CP Radhakrishnan released the book titled The Sage Who Reimagined Hinduism: The Life, Lessons, and Legacy of Sree Narayana Guru at the India International Centre (IIC) in New Delhi on 19 February 2026.
• The biography is authored by Member of Parliament (MP) Shashi Tharoor and published by Aleph Book Company.
• The book documents the life and social reforms of Sree Narayana Guru, a 19th-century spiritual leader from Kerala who campaigned against caste discrimination and promoted social equality.
• The publication highlights the reformer’s central philosophy of one caste, one religion, one God for humankind and his initiatives in promoting education and temple entry for all.
• The author noted that the work aims to preserve the civilisational memory and legacy of the reformer, which remains largely unknown outside Kerala despite its universal relevance.

Directorate General of Commercial Intelligence and Statistics (DGCI&S) Revises Merchandise Trade Indices Base Year to FY 2022–23

Key Updates:

• The Directorate General of Commercial Intelligence and Statistics (DGCI&S), Ministry of Commerce & Industry, has revised the base year of India’s Merchandise Trade Indices from FY 2012–13 to FY 2022–23 (2022–23 = 100).
• The revision was based on the recommendations of a committee chaired by Prof. Nachiketa Chattopadhyay, Professor at the Indian Statistical Institute (ISI), Kolkata.
• The updated series includes Monthly, Quarterly, and Annual Indices for Export Unit Value and Import Unit Value.
• The revised indices cover Principal Commodity (PC) classification, Standard International Trade Classification (SITC), and Broad Economic Categories (BEC).
• The DGCI&S will now compile Bilateral and Region-wise Trade Indices for the top 20 export and import partner nations of India.
• The indices track three types of Terms of Trade: Gross terms of trade, Net terms of trade, and Income terms of trade.
• The National Accounts Division (NAD) of the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) uses these indices as deflators for estimating real exports and imports in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) compilation.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) utilises these indices for external sector assessment, balance of payments analysis, and evaluation of price competitiveness.
• The compilation methodology uses the Laspeyres Formula for weighted averaging of items and commodity groups.

Government data shows Index of Eight Core Industries (ICI) growth moderates to 4% in January 2026

Key Updates:

• The Index of Eight Core Industries (ICI) recorded 4% growth in January 2026 against a revised 4.7% in December 2025.
• Steel production rose 9.9% year-on-year in January 2026 and 9.8% during April–January 2025-26.
• Cement output expanded 10.7% in January 2026 and 9.1% during April–January 2025-26.
• Electricity generation increased 3.8% in January 2026 and 0.8% during April–January 2025-26.
• Fertiliser production grew 3.7% in January 2026 and 1.9% during April–January 2025-26.
• Coal output rose 3.1% in January 2026 but declined 0.3% cumulatively during April–January 2025-26.
• Crude oil production declined 5.8% in January 2026 and 2.1% during April–January 2025-26.
• Natural gas output fell 5.0% in January 2026 and 3.4% during April–January 2025-26.
• Petroleum refinery products output remained unchanged in January 2026 and rose 0.1% during April–January 2025-26.
• The ICI carries a 40.27% weight in the Index of Industrial Production (IIP).

Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) launches NPS Swasthya pilot for medical corpus

[Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA)]

Key Updates:

• Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) has introduced NPS Swasthya on a pilot basis to help subscribers build a separate health corpus within their pension account.
• Any Indian citizen can voluntarily enrol in NPS Swasthya and contribute any amount without an upper limit through their chosen pension fund manager.
• Existing non-government NPS subscribers above 40 years can transfer up to 30% of their total contributions from Common Account to Swasthya Account.
• Subscribers can withdraw up to 25% of their own contributions per instance for medical expenses after accumulating a minimum corpus of Rs 50,000.
• For critical hospitalisation bills exceeding 70% of the Swasthya corpus, 100% lump-sum withdrawal is allowed under the premature exit option.
• Withdrawn amounts are paid directly to the Health Benefit Administrator (HBA) or Third Party Administrator (TPA) against valid medical bills, and any surplus is transferred back to the Common Scheme Account.
• The scheme operates under PFRDA's Regulatory Sandbox Framework with limited enrollment, and if found unviable, the accumulated corpus can be transferred back to the Common Account without loss.

Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT City) and Arun Jaitley National Institute of Financial Management (AJNIFM) sign MoU to build FinTech and international finance talent for IFSC.

[Gujarat]

Key Updates:

• GIFT City and AJNIFM signed an MoU on 18 February 2026 to collaborate on capacity building, academic engagement, and knowledge exchange in international finance, governance, and financial technology under the GIFT International FinTech Institute.
• AJNIFM is an autonomous institution under the Ministry of Finance, Government of India.
• A five-day Industry Immersion Programme for second-year MBA students of AJNIFM commenced at GIFT City as part of the MoU.
• The programme offers exposure to regulatory frameworks, cross-border financial services, digital finance innovations, capital market operations, and institutional strategies at GIFT City.
• The MoU framework includes joint research, executive education, faculty exchanges, and knowledge platforms.

NHAI discontinues cash toll payments from 1 April 2026

Key Updates:

• National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) will stop accepting cash at all national toll plazas from 1 April 2026.
• All toll payments will be processed only through digital modes using FASTag or Unified Payments Interface (UPI).
• Vehicles entering a toll plaza without a valid FASTag are charged twice the applicable user fee if payment is made in cash.
• Users paying via UPI are charged 1.25 times the user fee for the applicable vehicle category.
• Over 98% penetration of FASTag has transformed toll collection practices across the country.
• More than 1,150 fee plazas on various National Highways and Expressways will implement the digital-only payment system.

Ministry of Power Constitutes Committees for PFC and REC Merger

[Ministry of Power (India), Power Finance Corporation (PFC)]

Key Updates:

• The Ministry of Power (MoP) has constituted a high-level committee and a three-member working group to oversee the merger of Power Finance Corporation (PFC) and Rural Electrification Corporation (REC).
• The working group is headed by the Director (Distribution) of the MoP and includes executive directors from both PFC and REC as members.
• The working group is tasked with studying and recommending strategies for personnel and technology integration, corporate and functional restructuring, and harmonisation of stakeholder interests.
• The high-level committee is convened by the Joint Secretary (Distribution) of the MoP, with the Chairman and Managing Directors (MDs) of PFC and REC serving as members.
• The high-level committee will meet once every week to review progress reports from the working group and ensure the smooth execution of the merger process.

Lengtekai 'Faith Bridge' over Tlawng river inaugurated in Mizoram

[Mizoram]

Key Updates:

• Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma inaugurated the Rs 43.83-crore Lengtekai 'Faith Bridge' over Tlawng river.
• The 100-metre-long, 7.5-metre-wide steel bridge is funded by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH).
• It links Aizawl with Lengpui Airport and Mamit district, replacing aging Bailey bridges and supporting loads up to 385 metric tons.

Gorakhpur International Cricket Stadium: Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) to contribute Rs 60 crore

[Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL)]

Key Updates:

• Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) signed an MoU with the Uttar Pradesh government to provide Rs 60 crore for constructing an international cricket stadium in Gorakhpur.
• The MoU was signed in the presence of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
• The proposed stadium will have a seating capacity of 30,000 spectators and will be developed fully in line with international standards.
• The project is targeted for completion by December 2027.

Assam rolls out Provincialisation Management System (PMS 1.0) portal and Guru Dakshina scheme

[Assam]

Key Updates:

• The Assam government launched the Provincialisation Management System (PMS 1.0) portal to streamline provincialisation of venture educational institutions under the Assam Education (Provincialisation of Services of Teachers and Re-Organisation of Educational Institutions) Act, 2017, as amended in 2025.
• Institutions established before 2006 will be considered for provincialisation and must submit documentary proof through the portal.
• The government will open around 75,000 teacher and lecturer vacancies this year, with UGC-qualified candidates assured fair opportunities.
• The Guru Dakshina scheme provides one-time financial assistance to teachers who missed earlier provincialisation due to lack of certificates or eligibility issues, and they will receive preference marks in future recruitment.

India and France Elevate Relations to Special Global Strategic Partnership during President Macron's Visit

[France]

Key Updates:

• Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron elevated the India-France relationship to a Special Global Strategic Partnership.
• Bilateral trade between India and France crossed $15 billion in 2024-25, driven by aircraft manufacturing, information technology, pharmaceuticals, and critical minerals.
• An annual Foreign Ministers Dialogue was established to review the implementation of the elevated partnership and the Horizon 2047 Roadmap.
• The leaders launched the India-France Year of Innovation and the India-France Innovation Network.
• An H125 helicopter final assembly line was inaugurated at Vemagal, Karnataka.
• Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) and Safran entered a joint venture to produce Highly Agile Modular Munition Extended Range (HAMMER) missiles in India.
• The bilateral agreement on defence cooperation was renewed for a period of 10 years during the 6th India-France Annual Defence Dialogue.
• Reciprocal deployment of officers will be implemented at Indian Army and French Land Forces establishments.
• A Joint Advanced Technology Development Group was constituted to enhance technological cooperation.
• A Joint Declaration of Intent was signed for cooperation in the sector of critical minerals and metals.
• The Department of Science and Technology (DST) and the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) signed a Letter of Intent (LoI) to establish a centre on advanced materials and a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for scientific collaboration.
• The protocol on the Double Tax Avoidance Agreement (DTAA) between the two nations was amended.
• The Indo-French Centre for Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Health was launched at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi.
• New centres were established for Digital Sciences and Technology, Metabolic Health Sciences, and a National Centre of Excellence for Skilling in Aeronautics.
• The Department of Biotechnology (DBT) and ANRS signed an LoI for cooperation in research and development on infectious diseases and global health.
• T-Hub and Nord France signed an LoI for strategic cooperation in start-up ecosystems, innovation, and technology.
• The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) renewed its MoU on renewable energy cooperation with the French Ministry for the Economy, Finance and Industrial, Energy and Digital Sovereignty.
• The Department of Posts, Ministry of Communications, signed an LoI with La Poste, France.
• President Macron invited PM Modi to the Group of Seven (G7) Summit to be chaired by France in 2026.

India and Israel sign MoU to deepen defence ties ahead of Prime Minister Modi's visit

[Israel]

Key Updates:

• An MoU was signed between India and Israel to deepen defence ties and strengthen ongoing joint activities, including future seminars and cooperative initiatives.
• The International Defence Cooperation Directorate (SIBAT) within Israel's Ministry of Defense (IMOD) facilitated meetings between leading Indian and Israeli defence industries leading to the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).
• SIBAT in cooperation with the Society of Indian Defence Manufacturers (SIDM) and India's Ministry of Defence led a seminar and B2B meetings this week between leading Indian and Israeli defence companies.
• The seminar was led by SIBAT Director, Brig. Gen. (Res.) Yair Kulas, and brought together small, medium and large Israeli and Indian defence companies for substantive engagements.
• The event featured representatives from 30 Indian and 26 Israeli defence companies.
• The Indian delegation was led by Ramesh K, Director General of SIDM, and included J P Singh, Ambassador of India to Israel, and Gp Capt. Vijay Patil, Defence Attache of India to Israel.
• Prime Minister Modi would arrive on February 25 on a two-day visit to Israel.

L&T Vyoma inks MoU with Gujarat govt to explore 250 MW green AI-ready data centre at Dholera SIR

[Gujarat, Larsen & Toubro (L&T)]

Key Updates:

• Larsen and Toubro (L&T) Vyoma signed an MoU with the Gujarat Department of Science and Technology during the India AI Impact Summit 2026 in New Delhi.
• The MoU envisages a 250 MW high-scale, green AI-ready data centre at Dholera Special Investment Region (SIR).
• L&T Vyoma will invest ₹25,000 crore and aims to operationalise the facility by 2028.
• The company will conduct a detailed feasibility assessment covering land suitability, infrastructure readiness, availability zones and sustainability parameters.
• The Government of Gujarat will facilitate the project through its relevant departments.
• The initiative aligns with the Gujarat IT/ITeS Policy (2022-27) and seeks to position Gujarat as a hub for AI infrastructure, cloud computing and advanced analytics.
• Gujarat’s Budget has allocated over ₹850 crore for AI and digital governance initiatives.

Union Health Minister J P Nadda launches India-made tetanus and adult diphtheria (Td) vaccine under Universal Immunization Programme (UIP)

[Universal Immunization Programme (UIP), Government of India]

Key Updates:

• Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare J P Nadda launched the indigenously manufactured tetanus and adult diphtheria (Td) vaccine at the Central Research Institute (CRI) in Kasauli, Himachal Pradesh.
• The Td vaccine has been introduced for supply under the Universal Immunization Programme (UIP) and CRI will supply 55 lakh doses to UIP by April.
• India achieved Maturity Level 3 in the World Health Organization (WHO) global benchmarking of regulatory systems, reflecting robust vaccine regulatory standards.
• Under the Vaccine Maitri initiative, India supplied vaccines to nearly 100 countries, with 48 countries receiving vaccines free of cost.
• CRI is the first government institute to manufacture vaccines under Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) standards.
• Universal Immunization Programme is the world’s largest immunisation programme, providing 11 vaccines against 12 vaccine-preventable diseases.
• The annual immunisation cohort under UIP comprises nearly 5 crore beneficiaries, including around 2.5 crore pregnant women and 2.5 crore children.
• Vaccine coverage in India has reached nearly 99 per cent due to systematic tracking and sustained immunisation efforts.

Indian Railways deploys AI-enabled apps for grievance redressal and crowd management

[Indian Railways]

Key Updates:

• Indian Railways has integrated artificial intelligence into seven mobile applications including RailMadad, Coach Mitra, and RailOne app.
• RailOne app uses AI to predict confirmation percentage of waiting tickets.
• RailMadad uses AI to classify and prioritise complaints based on urgency and type.
• Coach Mitra is operational in 74 trains.
• Centre For Railway Information Systems (CRIS) is embedding AI into 15 more applications to improve security, freight loading, and train operations.
• CRIS is developing an AI system to predict railway traffic congestion and identify potential bottlenecks at station entry points and foot over bridges.
• AI system will merge reserved and unreserved ticketing data with train movement data to predict platform-specific crowd density on an hourly basis.
• CRIS has created 300 freight clusters using GST data to identify potential freight movement areas for Indian Railways.
• An AI-based incident prediction model is under development to forecast asset failures using historical data.
• Bhashini integration in RailMadad converts voice in 12 languages to text and identifies complaint trends and passenger sentiment.

India ranks 6th in Global AI Brain Race Report 2026; United States (US) leads

[United States (US)]

Key Updates:

• The Global AI Brain Race Report 2026, published by essayhumaniser.io, evaluated over 100 countries based on their Artificial Intelligence (AI) capabilities.
• The United States (US) secured the first rank with a score of 82 out of 100, leading in AI Research and Development (R&D), economic integration, and infrastructure.
• China ranked second with a score of 59 out of 100, supported by 107 top AI universities and strong R&D performance.
• Singapore placed third with a score of 37 out of 100, followed by South Korea at fourth and the United Kingdom (UK) at fifth.
• India ranked sixth globally with a score of 32 out of 100, driven by talent readiness (9.12/16.67) but constrained by infrastructure (0.65/16.67) and governance (0.11/5.56).
• The evaluation framework combined eight factors: AI R&D, economic integration, infrastructure, talent readiness, governance, responsible AI, public opinion, and academic strength.

OpenAI partners with Tata Group for 100 MW AI data centre in India, eyes 1 GW scale

[OpenAI, Tata Group]

Key Updates:

• OpenAI has partnered with Tata Group to secure 100 megawatts of AI-ready data centre capacity in India.
• The capacity is planned to scale to 1 gigawatt over time.
• OpenAI becomes the first customer of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) HyperVault data centre business.
• The deal includes deploying ChatGPT Enterprise across Tata’s workforce.
• The partnership falls under the OpenAI for India initiative.
• India has more than 100 million weekly ChatGPT users according to OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.
• TCS plans to roll out ChatGPT Enterprise to hundreds of thousands of its employees.
• TCS will use OpenAI’s Codex tools to standardise AI-native software development.
• Tata Sons chairman N Chandrasekaran said the partnership will build state-of-the-art AI infrastructure in India.
• TCS secured backing from TPG in November 2025 to develop AI-ready infrastructure under HyperVault.
• HyperVault is backed by about ₹180 billion (about $2 billion) in planned investment.
• TCS becomes the first organisation outside the United States to participate in OpenAI’s certification programmes.
• OpenAI will open new offices in Mumbai and Bengaluru later this year.
• The announcement was made during the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi.
• OpenAI has partnered with Indian companies including Pine Labs, JioHotstar, Eternal, Cars24, HCLTech, PhonePe, CRED, and MakeMyTrip.

Johannes Dale-Skjevdal wins 15km mass-start biathlon gold for record-setting Norway

[Norway]

Key Updates:

• Johannes Dale-Skjevdal of Norway shot 20/20 and finished in 39 minutes 17.1 seconds to claim gold in the men’s 15km mass-start biathlon at the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Games.
• Sturla Holm Laegreid, also of Norway, missed one target and took silver, 10.5 seconds behind Dale-Skjevdal.
• Quentin Fillon Maillet of France overtook Philipp Horn of Germany on the final hill to secure bronze, 25.6 seconds behind the winner.
• Norway’s 17th gold medal of the Games broke its own Winter Olympics record of 16 golds set at Beijing 2022.
• Norway now leads the overall medal table with 37 medals (17 gold), followed by Team USA with 27 medals (9 gold) and host Italy with 27 medals.
• Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo of Norway has won five golds at Milano Cortina, taking his career Olympic gold tally to ten.

Pankaj Advani defeats Kamal Chawla to win inaugural Liber Win Champions Cup 2026

Key Updates:

• Pankaj Advani clinched the inaugural Liber Win Champions Cup 2026 by defeating Kamal Chawla 6-3 in the best-of-11 final at Karnataka State Billiards Association (KSBA), Bengaluru.
• Kamal Chawla compiled the highest break of the championship with a 140.
• Advani trailed 4-1 in the semi-final against Laxman Rawat before winning 5-4.
• Kamal Chawla beat Sourav Kothari 5-4 in the other semi-final after trailing 4-1.
• Liber Win appointed Pankaj Advani as its Indian Brand Ambassador at the end of the tournament.

International Mother Language Day 2026 observed on 21 February with theme 'Youth voices on multilingual education'

Key Updates:

• International Mother Language Day 2026 is observed on 21 February 2026.
• UNESCO marks the day under the theme 'Youth voices on multilingual education'.
• The observance reinforces UNESCO’s commitment through the International Decade of Indigenous Languages.
• Dr. Naga Lakshmi Chelluri, Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology, University of Hyderabad, highlights the need to preserve ancient languages in a globalized multicultural world.