Daily Current Affairs and GK | 17 February 2026

Topic: Infrastructure and Energy

1. India’s first underwater road-and-rail tunnel under the Brahmaputra River, Assam has been approved by CCEA.

• Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has approved the 33.7-kilometre-long four-lane access-controlled Greenfield connectivity project.
• This project will include a 15.79-kilometre twin tube tunnel under the river.
• The project will be developed at a cost of ₹18,662 crore in Engineering procurement Construction (EPC) mode.
• The new route will link Gohpur on NH-15 with Numaligarh on NH-715 in Assam.
• It will reduce the distance between the two Assam cities from the current 240 kilometres to just 34 kilometres.
• As a result, the travel time will be cut from six hours now to just 20 minutes.
• The project will benefit Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and other North -Eastern States.
• India’s first underwater road-and-rail tunnel under the Brahmaputra River, Assam will be the second underwater Road cum Rail tunnel in world.
• The cabinet has approved three multitracking rail projects covering 12 districts across Delhi, Haryana, Maharashtra and Karnataka.
• These projects include Kasara-Manmad third and fourth line; Delhi – Ambala third and fourth line; and Ballari – Hosapete third and fourth line.

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

2. The launch of the PM RAHAT Scheme has been approved by PM Modi.

• PM RAHAT stands for Road Accident Victim Hospitalisation and Assured Treatment.
• The scheme is designed to support victims of road accidents.
• It provides cashless medical treatment of up to one lakh 50 thousand per victim to eligible victims.
• The benefit is available for accidents on any category of road and for a period of seven days from the date of the accident.
• Road, Transport and Highways Ministry said that hospitals will be reimbursed through the Motor Vehicle Accident Fund.
• The programme was launched at Seva Teerth in New Delhi on 14 February 2026.
• India records a large number of road accident deaths every year.
• Many of these deaths are preventable with timely hospital admission.
• Studies show that nearly 50 percent of such deaths could be avoided with treatment within the first hour.

Topic: Summits/Conferences/Meetings

3. A high-level “Manthan” meeting on cooperative reforms chaired by Amit Shah.

• On February 17, a high-level meeting of state and Union Territory cooperation ministers chaired by Amit Shah in Gandhinagar.
• The meeting was called to advance legal, institutional and technological reforms in the cooperative sector.
• The main objective of this meeting was to strengthen cooperatives and promote the rural economy.
• The “Manthan” meeting held at Mahatma Mandir with participation from ministers and senior officials of all states and UTs.
• Progress on major initiatives reviewed and a coordinated roadmap for the cooperative sector prepared.
• The rollout of 2 lakh new PACS, dairy cooperatives and fisheries cooperatives discussed to energise the rural economy.
• Expansion of the nationwide modern warehouse network under the grain storage plan was also assessed.
• State participation in newly created national-level cooperative institutions was another focus.
• These included National Cooperative Exports Limited (NCEL), National Cooperative Organics Limited (NCOL) and Bharatiya Beej Sahkari Samiti Limited (BBSSL), which were intended to strengthen cooperatives in exports, organic farming and quality seed supply.
• Issues including reforms in state cooperative laws, viability of sugar mills and sustainability in the dairy sector examined.

Topic: Defence

4. The first UN SALW Training Programme in Asia-Pacific Region being hosted by India.

• The inaugural United Nations Fellowship Training Programme on Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) control in Asia has been hosted by the Indian Army.
• The three-week programme is being conducted at the Military College of Materials Management in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh from February 16 to March 6, 2026.
• The initiative is being organised under the aegis of the Ministry of External Affairs and the Ministry of Defence.
• The fellowship has been conducted by the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) through its Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Asia and the Pacific (UNRCPD).
• Delegates from 13 Asia-Pacific nations have been brought together under the prestigious training programme.
• The inaugural address was delivered by Deepayan Basu Ray outlining the UN disarmament framework.
• The keynote address was delivered by Lt Gen Sanjay Sethi, highlighting the importance of multilateral cooperation against illicit arms flows.
• The Fellowship is designed to build the technical and operational capacity of government officials implementing the UN Programme of Action (PoA) and the International Tracing Instrument (ITI).
• These are key global frameworks aimed at preventing the illicit trade, diversion and misuse of Small Arms and Light Weapons.
• The initiative is intended to strengthen regional cooperation, tracing systems and responsible stockpile management.
• The programme reinforces India’s image as a responsible stakeholder and a regional hub for professional military training.

Topic: Defence

5. President Droupadi Murmu to review naval strength at International Fleet Review 2026.

• The International Fleet Review 2026 will be witnessed by Droupadi Murmu during her two-day visit to Andhra Pradesh on 17 and 18 February.
• The President received in Visakhapatnam by the Governor and the Chief Minister of the state.
• The fleet review will be attended by the President in her capacity as Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces.
• An impressive display of ships, submarines and aircraft will be reviewed off the Visakhapatnam coast.
• The event is being organised by the Indian Navy under the theme “United Through Oceans, Strengthening Bridges of Friendship.”
• The review is intended to showcase maritime capability and cooperation among friendly navies.
• The event is being held alongside the 13th edition of the MILAN multilateral naval exercise.
• The Indian Ocean Naval Symposium Conclave is also being conducted to deepen strategic collaboration.
• Participating navies are expected to enhance interoperability and professional engagement in the Bay of Bengal region.

Topic: Personality in News

6. Veteran Odia Singer Geeta Patnaik passed away at 73.

• On 15 February, eminent Odia singer Geeta Patnaik has passed away after suffering a brain stroke.
• Geeta Patnaik had a distinguished singing career spanning several decades in Odia music.
• She was widely recognised for her collaborations with legendary singer Akshaya Mohanty.
• She lent her voice to many popular Odia songs during her long musical journey.
• One of her well-known songs includes “Phur Kina Udigala Bani” from the film Jajabar.

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

7. Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda launched two national AI initiatives in healthcare at the India AI Summit 2026.

• One initiative is the Strategy for Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare for India (SAHI).
• SAHI is designed as a national framework to guide the adoption of AI in healthcare.
• It promotes safe, ethical, evidence-based and inclusive use of AI technologies.
• The framework provides direction on governance and regulatory oversight.
• SAHI offers guidance on deployment and continuous monitoring of AI tools.
• The second initiative is the Benchmarking Open Data Platform for Health AI (BODH).
• BODH was developed by the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur in collaboration with the National Health Authority.
• BODH allows evaluation of AI models using diverse real-world health data.
• BODH platform is designed to preserve privacy while ensuring rigorous testing.
• It has been designated as a digital public good under the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission.
• The platform will improve trust and transparency in health AI deployment.
• Together, SAHI and BODH aim to build a responsible and competitive health AI ecosystem in India.

Topic: Summits/ Conferences/ Meetings

8. 6^th India-France Annual Defence Dialogue in Bengaluru co-chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and his French counterpart Catherine Vautrin.

• The dialogue is a ministerial-level meeting between the two countries and reviews the full spectrum of bilateral defence cooperation.
• This year’s discussions focus strongly on expanding industrial collaboration.
• A long-standing defence cooperation agreement is expected to be renewed for another ten years.
• An MoU on a joint venture to manufacture Hammer missiles in India is likely to be signed.
• The ministers are also expected to witness a virtual inauguration ceremony of the H125 Light Utility Helicopter Final Assembly of Tata Airbus by PM Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron at Vemagal, Karnataka.
• PM Modi attended the Bastille Day Parade in France in July 2023 as Guest of Honour.
• Emmanuel Macron was the Chief Guest at India’s Republic Day Parade in 2024.
• Military-to-military cooperation between India and France continues to expand. They regularly conduct Exercise Shakti between their armies.
• They also hold Exercise Varuna between their navies. Exercise Garuda is conducted between their air forces.
• This is the first visit to India by Catherine Vautrin since taking office on October 12, 2025.
• The previous (5th) edition of the dialogue was held in France from October 11 to 13, 2023.

Topic: Indian Economy

9. India’s total exports of goods and services rose by 13.17 percent in January 2026.

• India’s overall exports, merchandise and services combined, reached 80.45 billion dollars in January 2026.
• This was higher than 71.09 billion dollars recorded in January 2025.
• As per data released by the Commerce Ministry, overall imports increased at a faster rate of 18.76 percent in January 2026.
• Overall imports increased to 90.83 billion dollars in January 2026.
• Overall imports stood at 76.48 billion dollars in the same month last year.
• Accordingly, India’s overall trade deficit, merchandise and services combined, reached 10.38 billion dollars in January 2026.
• It almost doubled from 5.39 billion dollars in January 2025.
• Both exports and imports of merchandise and services recorded an increase in January 2026.
• Merchandise exports increased slightly from 36.34 billion dollars to 36.56 billion dollars.
• Services exports increased from 34.75 billion dollars to 43.90 billion dollars in January 2026.

Topic: Summits/ Conferences/ Meetings

10. The 23^rd edition of BioAsia 2026 international summit inaugurated by Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy on 17 February 2026.

• The summit is an international event focused on life sciences.
• It will be held over two days at Hyderabad International Convention Centre.
• This year’s theme is “TechBio Unleashed – AI, Automation, and the Revolutionary Changes in Life Sciences.”
• The event will highlight the integration of advanced technologies with biotechnology and healthcare.
• It reflects India’s growing role as a global hub for TechBio innovation.
• The Chief Minister also inaugurated an international exhibition at the venue.
• The exhibition will feature leading life sciences organisations from across the world.
• The conference brings together global experts, scientists and industry leaders to discuss key developments shaping the future of healthcare and biotechnology.
• Professor Bruce L. Levine from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine will attend as a speaker.
• Delegates will deliberate on next-generation biologics and AI-driven research.
• The discussions align with the broader vision of “Telangana Rising 2047 – World-Class Life Sciences Ecosystem.”