Daily Current Affairs and GK | 19 February 2026

Topic: Environment and Ecology

1. The National Highways Authority of India has launched a new initiative called "Bee Corridors" on national highways.

• This program promotes sustainable infrastructure development and shifts the focus from ornamental plantings to ecological plantings along roadsides.
• This initiative addresses the growing ecological stress on honeybees and other pollinators.
• The corridor will be continuously saturated with bee-friendly vegetation.
• Flowering plants will provide nectar and pollen year-round.
• The plantation model will include trees, shrubs, herbs, and grasses.
• Native species such as Neem, Karanj, Mahua, Palash, Bottle Brush, Jamun, and Siris will be planted.
• Flower clusters will be planted at intervals of approximately 500 meters to 1 kilometer.
• At least three pollinator corridors will be created and approximately 4 million trees will be planted in 2026–27.
• Approximately 60 percent of these trees will fall under the Bee Corridor Initiative.

Topic: Environment and Ecology

2. Researchers from the Zoological Survey of India have discovered a new species of Diplura in the Eastern Himalayas.

• This species has been named Lepidocampa sikkimensis. It is a wingless, soil-dwelling micro-arthropod.
• This is the first Diplura species formally described by an Indian research team.
• These specimens were collected near Ravangla in Sikkim. More specimens were later found in Kurseong.
• These results indicate a widespread distribution in the Eastern Himalayan region.
• This study was published in the international taxonomic journal Zootaxa on January 7, 2026.
• Seventeen Diplura species had previously been recorded from India. However, these species were only described by foreign researchers.
• The research team was led by Surjit Kar. The new species exhibits unique body scale patterns.
• It also has a distinctive bristle arrangement. Its appendage structure further distinguishes it from related species.
• Diplurans are primitive, blind hexapods. They play an important role in nutrient cycling. They also help maintain soil structure.
• The team rediscovered Lepidocampa juradii bengalensis.
• This subspecies had not been recorded for nearly 50 years.
• This study generated the first DNA barcode data for an Indian Lepidocampa species.

Topic: Summits/ Conferences/ Meetings

3. UN plans to convene an annual global dialogue on AI with participation from the private sector, governments, and civil society.

• UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that regulating Artificial Intelligence is not the responsibility of the United Nations.
• He stated that AI regulation should be handled by national governments.
• He clarified that the UN’s role is not to act as a global AI regulator.
• His remarks came before his visit to New Delhi to attend the India AI Impact Summit.
• He outlined AI-related initiatives under the Global Digital Compact to strengthen global cooperation on AI.
• One initiative is the creation of a high-level Independent International Scientific Panel on Artificial Intelligence.
• The panel will comprise 40 experts from around the world.
• It will provide independent scientific assessments of AI progress and risks.
• These assessments will support governments in making informed policy decisions.
• The United Nations General Assembly has appointed the panel members.
• One of the members is IIT Madras professor Balaraman Ravindran.
• Guterres has proposed the creation of a voluntary global fund of up to three billion dollars.
• This fund is proposed to help developing countries build AI capacity.

Topic: Environment and Ecology

4. A South African cheetah named Gamini has given birth to three cubs at Kuno National Park.

• With these cubs, the total population of cheetahs in India has increased to 38.
• Union Environment Minister Bhupendra Yadav said that the number of surviving cubs born in India has increased to 27.
• This marks the ninth successful cheetah litter on Indian soil.
• Gamini has become a mother for the second time in India.
• This birth comes three years after the cheetahs were brought from South Africa.
• The Minister said that every successful birth strengthens Project Cheetah.
• He described this event as a significant milestone in cheetah conservation efforts.
• India completed the world's first intercontinental translocation of a large carnivore with 20 cheetahs in 2022-23.
• Twenty cheetahs were brought to India from Namibia and South Africa.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi released the first eight cheetahs on September 17, 2022.

Topic: State News/ Mizoram

5. Lalduhoma inaugurated the Lengtekai Bridge over the Tlawng River in Mizoram.

• The bridge connects Aizawl city to Lengpui Airport. It also connects to Mamit district near the Tripura border.
• The project was funded by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.
• It cost a total of ₹43.83 crore to build. The bridge is officially named Faith Bridge.
• It is 100 meters long and 7.5 meters wide, with 1.5-meter sidewalks on both sides.
• The bridge is designed to carry a load of up to 385 metric tons.
• This will significantly improve transport safety in the area and increase vehicle carrying capacity.
• In December 2024, the initial launch of the bridge was delayed due to a pulley failure.
• The structure was successfully launched in April 2025 without incident.
• Final finishing work, including the approach road, was completed in September 2025.
• The bridge was formally inaugurated after all finishing work was completed.
• The Chief Minister emphasized the bridge's strategic importance for Mamit district.
• Mizoram's road density is approximately 46.37 km per 100 square kilometers. This is lower than the national average.

Topic: Banking/Finance

6. The Online Death Claim Settlement Portal has been launched by Indian Overseas Bank.

• This portal provides a digital solution for families and legal heirs.
• It provides a time-bound process for efficient claim settlement.
• Claimants can initiate and complete settlements from the comfort of their homes.
• All required documents can be uploaded directly through the portal.
• A real-time tracking system allows claimants to monitor progress at every stage.
• The bank has simplified the process for claims up to ₹15 lakh. Claims below this amount do not require any third-party security.
• Indian Overseas Bank ensures that claims are processed within 15 days.

Topic: MoUs/Agreements

7. An MoU signed between FCI and WFP for Supply of 2 Lakh Metric Tonnes Rice.

• On 18 February 2026, an MoU was signed between the Food Corporation of India and the World Food Programme to support global humanitarian operations against hunger.
• The agreement was signed by Rabindra Kumar Agarwal on behalf of the Government of India and Carl Skau, Deputy Executive Director of WFP.
• Under the MoU, the supply of 200,000 metric tonnes of rice (up to 25% broken) to WFP has been agreed upon to strengthen global food assistance programmes.
• The agreement has been made valid for a period of five years from the date of signing and can be extended through mutual consent of both sides.
• It has been decided that the price of rice will be mutually fixed every year, with the current rate set at ₹2,800 per quintal up to 31 March 2026.
• Secretary Sanjeev Chopra stated that the partnership reflects India’s resolve to export hope, nutrition and dignity to populations facing hunger.
• Carl Skau described the agreement as a key milestone that will help WFP reach vulnerable populations more effectively over the next five years.
• India’s role as a major agricultural nation and supporter of global solidarity was highlighted during the signing.
• The partnership is expected to strengthen cooperation between India and WFP in addressing humanitarian food security challenges worldwide.

Topic: Summits/Conferences/Meetings

8. Google’s America-India Connect Subsea Initiative announced.

• A major subsea connectivity initiative titled America-India Connect was announced by Google at the India AI Impact Summit.
• India will be connected with the United States through new subsea cables under a $15-billion investment planned over five years.
• A new international subsea gateway is to be established at Vizag as part of the collaborative infrastructure project.
• The initiative will also create three new subsea routes linking India with Singapore, South Africa and Australia along with four strategic fibre-optic paths.
• CEO Sundar Pichai stated that the project will significantly enhance AI connectivity between India, the US and the southern hemisphere.
• He expressed confidence that India is likely to witness an extraordinary growth trajectory in artificial intelligence.
• Additionally, Google is also partnering with AIIMS in India to explore how patients can report their symptoms or provide information, and how AI can generate a report to help doctors.

Topic: State News/Uttar Pradesh

9. UP Government launched District-Level Manuscript Digitisation under Gyan Bharatam Mission.

• Directives have been issued by the Government of Uttar Pradesh to all districts to identify and digitally document manuscripts at the local level.
• The initiative has been launched under the national campaign ‘Gyan Bharatam Mission’ to revive India’s knowledge and intellectual heritage.
• Chief Development Officer (CDO) of each district have been designated as nodal officers for supervision of the programme.
• The mission focuses on heritage conservation, scientific preservation, digitisation and archiving of manuscripts and rare texts related to India’s knowledge tradition, which are being carried out in every district.
• The primary objective is to make valuable manuscripts accessible to researchers, students and the general public worldwide.
• Deputy Director Yashwant Singh Rathore stated that manuscripts will be identified, surveyed, catalogued, preserved and digitised systematically.
• Materials to be covered include handwritten texts, palm-leaf and birch-bark manuscripts located in institutions, temples, libraries and private collections.
• After digitisation, the documents will be made available to the public through the Gyan Bharatam portal.
• Special campaigns will be conducted to prepare a comprehensive list of manuscripts that are more than 75 years old.
• Importantly, ownership of manuscripts will remain with collectors while the government will handle digital preservation and global presentation.

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

10. VoicERA Open-Source Voice AI Stack launched by MeitY.

• An open-source Voice AI stack named VoicERA was unveiled by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology at the India AI Impact Summit 2026.
• The launch was led by the Digital India BHASHINI Division under the Digital India Corporation to strengthen multilingual voice technologies.
• VoicERA has been deployed on the BHASHINI National Language Infrastructure as a national execution layer for voice and language AI.
• The platform has been designed to be open, modular, interoperable and suitable for both cloud and on-premise deployment.
• It enables secure and scalable implementation of voice-based services across government agencies, research bodies and innovation ecosystems.
• The integration expands BHASHINI’s scope from translation tools to real-time speech systems, conversational AI and multilingual telephony.
• Government departments can now deploy voice-enabled citizen services in areas such as agriculture, education, grievance redressal and scheme discovery.
• CEO Amitabh Nag described the initiative as the beginning of a new phase where voice becomes the most natural digital interface for citizens.
• Experts from EkStep Foundation, the Centre for Open Source Software, IIIT Bengaluru, and AI4Bharat collaborated in developing the platform.
• The launch strengthens India’s Digital Public Infrastructure by promoting secure, inclusive and population-scale voice AI capabilities.