February 2026 month current affairs

National News & Government Schemes

• Ramsar Sites:  India's total Ramsar sites increased to  98  with the addition of  Patna Bird Sanctuary (Etah, Uttar Pradesh)  and  Chhari Dhand (Kachchh, Gujarat)  .

• Income Tax Act 2025:  The new act will replace the  Income Tax Act of 1961  and will be effective from  April 1, 2026 .

• 16th Finance Commission Report:  Presented in Lok Sabha for the period 2026-31. Chaired by  Arvind Panagariya . Key highlights for 2026-27:

  • Defence allocation: Rs 7.85 lakh crore  (14.6% of central government expenditure).

  • Health allocation: Rs 1,60,000 crore  (approx.).

  • Education allocation: Rs 1,39,289 crore  (highest ever).

  • PM Jan Arogya Yojana allocation increased to Rs 9,500 crore .

  • Three new AIIMS to be established.

• Wings India 2026:   Uttarakhand  won the 'Best State' award for promoting the aviation ecosystem.

• Operation Sashastra:  Launched by the  Delhi Police  against the online display of weapons and the use of abusive language on social media.

• India's First LNG-Diesel Dual Fuel Train:  Successfully operated in  Sabarmati, Ahmedabad , using Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG).

• AP CM's Guinness Record:  Chandrababu Naidu set a record by distributing  555 e-cycles  in 24 hours under the 'Green and Healthy Kuppam' initiative.

• Saras Mela:  A special extended edition was organized by the  Jammu & Kashmir Rural Livelihoods Mission  in Jammu.

• Miniratna Status:   Yantra India Limited (YIL)  was granted Miniratna Category-I status by the Defence Ministry.

• Airports Authority of India (AAI):   Nivedita Dubey  became the first woman to hold a Board-level HR position as Member (Human Resources).

• Adampur Airport Renamed:  Renamed as  Sri Guru Ravidas Ji Maharaj Airport  in Jalandhar, Punjab.

• Senior Citizen Budget 2026-27:   Kerala  became the first state to present a dedicated budget for senior citizens.

• Padhai with AI  Initiative:  Launched in  Himachal Pradesh  (Bilaspur district) to provide AI-based digital learning for competitive exams.

• Operation Chivalrous Knight 3:  A humanitarian air bridge launched by the  UAE  to deliver aid to the Gaza Strip.

• Election Commission Roundtable:  A national roundtable conference of the Election Commission and State Election Commissioners was held in New Delhi after  27 years  (last held in 1999).

• Statue Replacement:  A statue of  Shri Rajagopalachari  will be installed in the central court of Rashtrapati Bhavan, replacing the statue of British architect Edwin Lutyens.

• Meri Rasoi Yojana:  Launched by the  Punjab  government to provide free food kits to registered families under NFSA.

• Rahveer Yojana:  The central scheme was implemented in  Delhi . Good Samaritans who help accident victims get ?25,000 and a possible national award of ?1 lakh.

• Namami Gange Programme:  'Himconnect' programme organized by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change in New Delhi.

International News

• India-Bangladesh Flights:  Direct air services resumed between Pakistan and Bangladesh after  14 years .

• Navam Perahera Festival:  The 48th annual Navam Perahera festival was celebrated in  Colombo, Sri Lanka .

• Operation Herof:  Launched by the  Baloch Liberation Army (BLA)  against Pakistani security forces.

• Cyclone Gajani:  A violent tropical cyclone that severely impacted  Madagascar .

• Hormuz Strait Closure:   Iran  temporarily closed the Strait of Hormuz for a live-fire drill.

• Losar Festival 2026:  The Tibetan New Year was celebrated in  Himachal Pradesh  (McLeodganj), Ladakh, and Sikkim.

• Operation Chivalrous Knight 3:  A humanitarian air bridge launched by the  UAE  to deliver aid to Gaza.

• India-Brazil Trade Target:  India and Brazil set a bilateral trade target of  US$ 30 billion  by 2030.

• International Mother Language Day (Feb 21):  Theme 2026: " Youth Voices for Multilingual Education ".

• International Childhood Cancer Day (Feb 15):  Theme 2026: " Showing Impact, From Challenge to Change ".

• Israel's Honour for PM Modi:  PM Modi was awarded the ' Speaker of the Knesset Medal ', the highest honour of the Israeli Parliament. He is the first Indian Prime Minister to address the Knesset.

Appointments

• GIFT City Chairman:   Uday Kotak .

• NITI Aayog CEO (Interim):   Nidhi Chhibber  (replacing B.V.R. Subrahmanyam).

• Chairperson of 16th Finance Commission:   Arvind Panagariya .

• New Chairman of GIFT City:   Uday Kotak .

• Microsoft Gaming Division EVP & CEO:  Indian-origin executive  Asha Sharma .

• IOC Athletes' Commission Vice-President:  Kenyan rugby player  Humphrey Kayange  replaced Abhinav Bindra.

• Director (Commercial) PSPCL:   Harsharan Kaur Trehan  became the first woman Director (Commercial) of Punjab State Power Corporation Ltd. (PSPCL).

Awards & Honors

• 68th Grammy Awards (2026):