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CURRENT AFFAIRS : BANKING, FINANCE & BUSINESS

Ministry of Commerce & Industry Updates Base Year of Merchandise Trade Indices to 2022–23

• The Directorate General of Commercial Intelligence and Statistics (DGCI&S) under the Ministry of Commerce & Industry (MoC&I) revised the base year of India’s merchandise trade indices from 2012–13 to 2022–23.
• The revision aims to better measure changes in the unit values (prices) of exports and imports over time and improve relevance, reliability, and analytical usefulness for policy-makers, researchers, and stakeholders.
• The base year revision was recommended by a DGCI&S-constituted committee headed by Nachiketa Chattopadhyay of the Indian Statistical Institute (ISI), Kolkata, West Bengal.
• The updated series includes monthly, quarterly, and annual trade indices.
• It covers trade indices based on Principal Commodity (PC) classification, Standard International Trade Classification (SITC), and Broad Economic Category (BEC).
• It also includes bilateral and region-wise trade indices for India’s top 20 export and import partner countries.
• The revision incorporates Terms of Trade indicators, including Gross Terms of Trade, Net Terms of Trade, and Income Terms of Trade.
• Merchandise Trade Indices are used by key government bodies such as the National Accounts Division (NAD) under the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI).
• The export and import unit value indices are used as deflators for estimating real exports and imports in Gross Domestic Product (GDP)

ICICI Prudential Launches India’s First NPS-Based Swasthya Pension Scheme with Healthcare Benefits

• ICICI Prudential Pension Funds Management Company Limited launched India’s first Swasthya Scheme named “ICICI PF NPS Swasthya Equity Plus”, integrating retirement planning with healthcare benefits under the National Pension System (NPS).
• The scheme is launched as a Proof of Concept (POC) under the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) Regulatory Sandbox Framework.
• The scheme was developed in collaboration with Apollo HealthCo Limited (healthcare network partner) and KFin Technologies Limited (digital technology partner).
• Subscribers can make multiple withdrawals up to 25% of their own contributions specifically for medical expenses.
• The scheme aims to promote financial discipline by protecting long-term retirement savings while providing healthcare financial flexibility.
• The product is designed to complement health insurance rather than replace it and may be linked to existing health insurance coverage in the future to strengthen its supplementary role.
• The scheme is primarily a retirement savings product with healthcare-linked withdrawal flexibility.
• During the POC phase, the scheme offers higher equity exposure to support long-term retirement wealth creation.
• In medical emergencies, if expenses exceed 70% of the corpus, premature closure is allowed, with payments made directly to healthcare providers and remaining funds transferred to the regular pension scheme.
• Compared to a regular NPS account, which allows only four partial withdrawals, this scheme provides greater liquidity for medical needs.

World Bank Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency Issues USD 197.67 Million Guarantee to Support SBI Rooftop Solar Refinancing via Citibank

• The Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), the guarantee arm of the World Bank Group (WBG), issued a USD 197.67 million guarantee for five years to Citibank N.A. for its non-shareholder loan to the State Bank of India (SBI).
• The guarantee supports the refinancing of investments in India’s Grid-connected Rooftop Solar Photovoltaic (GRPV)
• The GRPV systems programme was launched by SBI in 2016 with financing from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), part of the World Bank Group.
• The facility allows refinancing of the remaining principal of the USD 500 million IBRD loan for the GRPV systems.
• By transferring exposure to Citibank’s balance sheet, the transaction frees lending capacity for additional World Bank financing to the Government of India (GoI).
• The guarantee protects Citibank against the risk of non-honoring of financial obligations by a state-owned enterprise.
• The project promotes clean energy by providing grid-connected rooftop solar installations, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and displacing carbon-intensive thermal generation.
• The loan supports a national programme to deliver GRPV systems to commercial and industrial customers across India.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : INTERNATIONAL NEWS

India Becomes Part of United States-Led Pax Silica Coalition to Boost AI and Semiconductor Supply Chains

• India formally joined as the 12th country in the USA-led Pax Silica Coalition, a strategic alliance focused on secure, resilient, and innovation-driven supply chains for critical minerals, semiconductors, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) infrastructure.
• The Pax Silica Coalition was launched on 12 December 2025 in Washington DC, USA, to strengthen global technology security and supply chain resilience.
• The coalition aims to build security in critical minerals, rare earth elements (REEs), semiconductor manufacturing, and AI technology ecosystems through public-private partnerships and technology collaboration.
• One of the major objectives is to reduce global dependency on China in rare earth processing and semiconductor supply chains, strengthening technological and economic sovereignty.
• India’s contributions include a strong engineering talent base, advanced chip design capabilities including 2-nanometre (nm) technology, and development of 10 semiconductor plants.
• India also possesses 8.52 million tonnes (MT) of rare earth reserves, aligned with the National Critical Mineral Mission (NCMM) and India Semiconductor Mission (ISM).
• The founding members of the coalition include the USA, Japan, South Korea (ROK), Singapore, UK, Israel, and Australia.
• Later expansions included Greece, Qatar, UAE, Netherlands, and India, strengthening the trusted global technology partnership network.
• The initiative supports strategic economic security, advanced manufacturing, and next-generation technology development

South African Cheetah Gamini Gives Birth to Three Cubs at Kuno National Park

• Female cheetah Gamini, translocated from South Africa, gave birth to three cubs at Kuno National Park, Madhya Pradesh, marking the 9th successful cheetah litter at the park.
• With the new births, India’s cheetah population increased to 38, including 27 India-born cubs and 11 translocated adult cheetahs from Namibia and South Africa.
• Earlier, Namibian cheetah Aasha gave birth to five cubs, showing increasing reproductive success under Project Cheetah.
• Three adult cheetahs were also relocated to Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary, Madhya Pradesh, expanding cheetah habitat beyond Kuno National Park.
• Project Cheetah was launched on 17 September 2022 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi with the release of eight Namibian cheetahs to reintroduce the species that became extinct in India in 1952.
• Since the programme began, 21 cheetahs (adults and cubs) have died, highlighting the challenges of wildlife reintroduction despite recent conservation successes.
• The project supports biodiversity restoration, wildlife conservation, and ecosystem balance in India’s protected reserves.

European Union Opens Legal Gateway Office in New Delhi to Facilitate Legal Migration to EU Countries

• The European Union (EU) launched the European Legal Gateway Office in New Delhi, India, to serve as a one-stop hub for facilitating safe and legal migration of Indian students, researchers, and professionals to EU member countries.
• This is the first such office established by the EU in a partner country, primarily focusing on the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector as part of the India–EU mobility agreement.
• The initiative is a key outcome of the India–EU Summit (held on 27 January 2026) and supports the Joint Strategic Agenda and Skills Mobility Cooperation between India and the European Union.
• The Gateway Office provides reliable information on mobility pathways, skill requirements, and academic and professional qualification standards across 27 EU member states.
• The initiative operates through three pillars: the Gateway Office in India, a Support Office in the EU, and a digital platform providing verified mobility information.
• The European Union, founded on 1 November 1993 under the Maastricht Treaty, is a supranational political and economic union headquartered in Brussels, Belgium.
• The office was inaugurated by EU Executive Vice-President Henna Virkkunen along with India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar.
• The platform aims to simplify migration, study, research, and employment opportunities for Indian talent by providing transparent and structured guidance.
• The digital platform will act as a single access point for information on work visas, academic programmes, and research mobility routes.
• The initiative also aims to strengthen India–EU labour market cooperation, especially in high-demand technology sectors.
• The Gateway Office promotes skill mobility, global talent exchange, and economic collaboration between India and the European Union.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL AND STATE NEWS

Vice President Releases Tamil and Gujarati Editions of Constitution of India

• Vice President C. P. Radhakrishnan released the updated Tamil and Gujarati editions of the Constitution of India along with the 8th Edition of the Legal Glossary (English–Hindi) at Uprashtrapati Bhavan.
• The initiative aims to enhance constitutional awareness and linguistic inclusivity.

Key Highlights:

• Release made on the occasion of International Mother Language Day (21 February).
• Objective is to promote access to constitutional provisions in regional languages.
• India has 22 officially recognised languages under the Eighth Schedule.
• Constitution now available in multiple Indian languages including Bodo, Dogri, Santhali and Nepali.
• Initiative strengthens democratic participation and inclusive governance.
  8th Edition of Legal Glossary (English–Hindi) aims to simplify legal terminology.
• Glossary will benefit lawmakers, judicial officers, students and researchers.
• Transition reflects India’s commitment to multilingual governance and cultural preservation.
• Tamil recognised as one of the oldest classical languages in the world.
  Move enhances awareness of constitutional rights and duties at the grassroots level.

Indian Railways Integrates Artificial Intelligence into Passenger and Operational Systems

• Indian Railways has integrated Artificial Intelligence into key passenger facing and operational applications to improve grievance redressal, ticket prediction, crowd management and freight planning.
• The initiative is led by the Centre for Railway Information Systems and was highlighted at the AI India Summit 2026 in New Delhi.

Key Highlights

• Artificial Intelligence integrated into RailMadad, RailOne and Coach Mitra applications to enhance passenger services.
• In RailMadad, Artificial Intelligence classifies and prioritises complaints based on urgency and type, identifies complaint trends and analyses passenger sentiment.
• Integration with Bhashini platform enables voice to text conversion in 12 languages for multilingual grievance reporting.
• In RailOne, Artificial Intelligence improves waiting ticket confirmation percentage prediction.
• Coach Mitra application operational in 74 trains, supporting onboard housekeeping services through Artificial Intelligence enabled monitoring.
• The Centre for Railway Information Systems is embedding Artificial Intelligence into 15 additional systems including Generation of Optimised and Automated Loco Links and Coaching Crew Link Management System and Track Management System.
• Artificial Intelligence based crowd management system will combine reserved ticket data, unreserved ticket data and train movement data to predict platform crowding on an hourly basis.
• The system will identify potential bottlenecks at station entry points and foot over bridges and adjust predictions during festivals, special events and weekend travel surges.
• Artificial Intelligence based incident prediction model is being developed for predictive maintenance of tracks, locomotives, wagons and signalling systems.
• Indian Railways is leveraging Goods and Services Tax data to identify around 300 freight clusters to enhance freight loading and shift cargo from road to rail.
• The integration of Artificial Intelligence marks a major step towards safer passenger flow, improved service delivery, predictive maintenance and efficient freight operations across Indian Railways.

Waaree Energies to Set Up India’s Largest Lithium Ion Battery Gigafactory in Andhra Pradesh

• Andhra Pradesh has secured India’s largest integrated lithium ion battery Gigafactory by Waaree Energies with an investment of ₹8,175 crore.
• The 16 Gigawatt hour facility will be established at Rambilli in Anakapalli district and is expected to generate around 3,000 direct jobs.
• The project will significantly strengthen India’s clean energy and battery manufacturing ecosystem and reduce dependence on imports.

Key Highlights

• Investment of ₹8,175 crore for setting up a 16 Gigawatt hour lithium ion battery Gigafactory.
• The project will be located at Rambilli in Anakapalli district, Andhra Pradesh.
• The facility will cover the entire battery value chain including cell manufacturing and battery pack assembly.
• Large scale production of Battery Energy Storage Systems will be undertaken at the plant.
• The project received in principle approval from the Andhra Pradesh State Investment Promotion Board.
• The initiative aligns with Andhra Pradesh’s Integrated Clean Energy Policy.
• The Gigafactory will generate around 3,000 direct jobs along with indirect employment in manufacturing, logistics and technical services.
• The facility will support renewable energy storage, electric vehicle expansion, grid stability and energy security.
• The project will reduce dependence on imported battery cells and strengthen domestic manufacturing capabilities.
• A Gigafactory is a large scale manufacturing unit designed to produce battery cells and packs at massive capacity measured in Gigawatt hours, essential for scaling clean energy and electric mobility

Cash Payments Discontinued at National Highway Toll Plazas from 1 April 2026

• The Government of India has decided to discontinue cash payments at all National Highway toll plazas from 1 April 2026.
• The National Highways Authority of India confirmed that toll payments will be accepted only through digital modes such as FASTag and Unified Payments Interface.
• The decision aims to improve traffic flow, reduce congestion and enhance transparency across more than 1,150 fee plazas nationwide.

Key Highlights

• Cash payments will not be accepted at any National Highway toll plaza from 1 April 2026.
• Toll payments will be processed exclusively through FASTag and Unified Payments Interface.
• India currently has more than 1,150 toll plazas on National Highways and Expressways.
• The move aims to ensure faster traffic movement, reduced congestion and improved lane throughput.
• Digital transactions will enhance transparency, accountability and monitoring of toll revenue.
• FASTag uses Radio Frequency Identification technology for automatic toll deduction from prepaid or linked bank accounts.
• Benefits of FASTag include no stopping at toll plazas, automatic deduction of charges, reduced fuel consumption and real-time transaction alerts.
• The nationwide rollout of FASTag began in 2019, and this step marks the complete digitalisation of toll collection in India.
• The initiative aligns with the Government’s broader push towards digital governance and smart mobility solutions.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: MOUS AND AGREEMENT

L and T Vyoma Signs Memorandum of Understanding with Gujarat for 250 Megawatt Green Artificial Intelligence Ready Data Centre

• At the India Artificial Intelligence Impact Summit 2026, Larsen & Toubro through its Vyoma unit signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Government of Gujarat to conduct a feasibility study for setting up a 250 Megawatt green Artificial Intelligence ready data centre at Dholera Special Investment Region.
• The proposed project involves an investment of ₹25,000 crore and is expected to be operational by 2028, strengthening Gujarat’s digital and Artificial Intelligence infrastructure.

Key Highlights

• Memorandum of Understanding signed between Gujarat Department of Science and Technology and L and T Vyoma under the Investment Promotion Activity of the India Artificial Intelligence Impact Summit 2026.
• The proposed project involves ₹25,000 crore investment for a 250 Megawatt high scale Artificial Intelligence ready data centre.
• The facility will be developed at Dholera Special Investment Region in Gujarat.
• The data centre will be designed as green and sustainable digital infrastructure.
• L and T Vyoma will conduct a detailed feasibility study covering land suitability, infrastructure readiness, availability zones and sustainability parameters.
• The Gujarat government will provide policy support and infrastructure facilitation through relevant departments.
• The project aligns with the Gujarat Information Technology and Information Technology Enabled Services Policy 2022 to 2027 and India’s digital transformation goals.
• The proposed data centre is expected to generate employment in construction, commissioning, long term operations and technology management roles.
• The initiative aims to position Dholera Special Investment Region as a major hub for Artificial Intelligence infrastructure, advanced analytics and cloud computing in India.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

Slice Small Finance Bank Names Founder Rajan Bajaj as Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer

• Slice Small Finance Bank (Slice SFB) appointed its founder Rajan Bajaj as Managing Director (MD) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO).
• He succeeded Satish Kumar Kalra, marking the bank’s transition from a fintech startup to a fully licensed Small Finance Bank (SFB).
• The appointment was approved by the Board of Directors, shareholders, and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
• Rajan Bajaj founded Slice in 2016 and led its transformation into a regulated banking entity following its merger with North East Small Finance Bank (2024).
• Slice has served over 20 million registered users, employs more than 3,000 people, and has raised over USD 250 million from investors such as Tiger Global, Insight Partners, and Advent International.
• Bajaj previously worked on the product team at Flipkart and served as Executive Director (ED) of Slice before becoming MD & CEO.
• In 2019, he established Quadrillion Finance, a wholly owned NBFC, which provided credit to retail customers and small businesses using technology-led underwriting and risk processes; it was later merged into Slice’s banking entity.

About Slice SFB :

• Headquarters : Guwahati, Assam
• Established : 2016

CURRENT AFFAIRS : DEFENCE NEWS

Indian Army’s Konark Corps Conducts Successful Live Firing of Strela-10 VSHORADS at Pokhran,Rajasthan

• The Indian Army (IA) under its Konark Corps, including the Air Defence Warriors of the Blazing Skies Brigade, successfully conducted a high-intensity live firing test of the Strela-10 Very Short Range Air Defence System (VSHORADS) at the Pokhran Field Firing Range, Rajasthan.
• The test demonstrated precision targeting capabilities, accurately engaging aerial targets, thereby strengthening operational readiness and air defence preparedness in desert terrain.
• Key objectives included enhancing crew coordination, validating firing standards, and reinforcing combat preparedness in challenging environments.
• The exercise showcased seamless coordination between target surveillance systems, acquisition systems, and missile deployment units, ensuring effective air defence operations.
• The Strela-10 is a very short-range air defence missile system designed to counter low-altitude threats such as helicopters, low-flying aircraft, and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs).
• The system has an engagement range of approximately 6–10 kilometres (km).
• The successful live-fire test validated the Indian Army’s battlefield air defence capability and the effectiveness of the Strela-10 system under operational conditions.

INS Sudarshini Makes Historic Port Visit to Safaga, Egypt Under Lokayan-26 Deployment

• Indian Navy’s Sail Training Ship INS Sudarshini arrived at Safaga, Egypt as part of its Lokayan-26 deployment.
• The ship covered a distance of 1,832 nautical miles in 16 days, sailing from Salalah to Safaga, demonstrating crew endurance, confidence, and operational resilience.
• On arrival, the ship was welcomed by Egyptian Navy officials and Indian Embassy representatives, highlighting strong diplomatic maritime relations.
• The Commanding Officer of INS Sudarshini met Rear Admiral Ramy Ahmed Ismail Mohamed, Base Commander, Red Sea and Safaga Naval Base, strengthening naval cooperation and interoperability.
• During the port visit, the Indian Navy conducted professional exchanges, shared sail training best practices, and performed community outreach activities to promote bilateral goodwill.
• The transit through the Gulf of Aden and Red Sea was a critical operational phase, requiring navigation through challenging weather conditions and dense shipping traffic, showcasing advanced seamanship skills.
• The visit supports the “Bridges of Friendship” initiative, reinforcing India–Egypt maritime cooperation and strategic naval partnership.
• The deployment reflects the Indian Navy’s commitment to maritime diplomacy, training excellence, and international naval collaboration.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Unique Identification Authority of India Launches AI-Based Biometric Deduplication Platform to Enhance Aadhaar Security and Authentication

• The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) launched an AI-enabled biometric deduplication and document verification platform to strengthen India’s digital security framework and improve Aadhaar authentication accuracy.
• The platform is called the “Invisible Shield”, representing a multi-layered AI-based digital defence system that performs crores of high-speed computations using accelerated computing technology to protect citizen data privacy and trust.
• UIDAI operates one of the world’s largest biometric deduplication systems, ensuring one unique identity per resident by cross-checking every new Aadhaar enrolment or update transaction against the entire Aadhaar database.
• UIDAI has developed indigenous AI models for fingerprint, face, and iris biometric modalities in collaboration with the International Institute of Information Technology (IIIT), Hyderabad.
• The system runs on NVIDIA DGX High-Performance Computing Infrastructure, enabling secure population-scale biometric processing.
• Each deduplication transaction involves billions of computations, improving biometric matching accuracy and system efficiency.
• UIDAI has completed enhanced deduplication deployment in several states and is working toward nationwide implementation in the coming months.
• For fraud prevention, UIDAI uses AI-based document metadata extraction and verification through DigiLocker APIs for checking document authenticity.
• The platform uses NVIDIA AI inference infrastructure for semantic document analysis and identity verification.
• The new system is expected to reduce enrolment turnaround time, improve service delivery quality, and enhance authentication reliability for Aadhaar number holders.
• The initiative strengthens India’s Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) and promotes secure, scalable, and trustworthy digital identity systems.

Recent News :

• In Jan 2026, Minister of State for Commerce & Industry and Electronics & IT Jitin Prasada dedicated the new Aadhaar App, developed by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), to the nation.

About UIDAI:

• The Unique Identification Authority of India is a statutory authority established under the provisions of Aadhaar act 2016 by the Government of India under the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology.
• It is a 12-digit unique identification number
• Chairman: Neelkanth Mishra
• CEO: Bhuvnesh Kumar
• Headquarters: New Delhi

Fractal AI Unveils Vaidya 2.0 Healthcare Reasoning Model at India AI Impact Summit 2026

• Fractal AI launched Vaidya 2.0, a next-generation healthcare reasoning AI model, at the India AI Impact Summit 2026 in Mumbai (held at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi).
• Vaidya 2.0 integrates healthcare decision-making actions with raw clinical data, improving real-world medical diagnosis support and patient care workflows.
• The platform provides key healthcare use cases such as Emergency Assist, which helps in rapid patient triage and critical medical decision support during emergency time windows.
• Fractal AI claims Vaidya 2.0 is the first AI model to score above 50 (specifically 50.1) on OpenAI’s HealthBench (Hard) Benchmark, outperforming models like GPT-5 and Gemini Pro 3.
• The model supports AI-driven healthcare innovation, clinical data analysis, and digital medical intelligence systems for improved healthcare delivery efficiency.
• The launch strengthens India’s position in healthcare AI technology development and medical digital transformation.

Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda Launches Indigenous Td Vaccine at CRI, Kasauli to Boost Health Self-Reliance

• Union Health and Family Welfare Minister J.P. Nadda launched the indigenously manufactured Tetanus and Adult Diphtheria (Td) Vaccine at the Central Research Institute (CRI), Kasauli, Himachal Pradesh, strengthening India’s healthcare self-reliance.
• The launch supports the vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat in healthcare and pharmaceuticals, promoting indigenous vaccine manufacturing and national health security.

Key Highlights :

• The Td vaccine has been introduced under the Universal Immunization Programme (UIP), with 55 lakh doses to be supplied by April 2026, and production expected to increase in future years.
• The Universal Immunization Programme (UIP) is the world’s largest immunization programme, currently providing 11 vaccines protecting against 12 vaccine-preventable diseases.
• CRI is the first government institute in India to manufacture vaccines under Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP)
• India is recognized as the “Pharmacy of the World” and has achieved WHO Maturity Level 3 in global regulatory system benchmarking, reflecting strong vaccine quality control and safety standards.
• India’s immunization system annually covers about 5 crore beneficiaries, including approximately 5 crore pregnant women and 2.5 crore children.
• Through digital tracking platforms such as U-WIN, beneficiaries are monitored from pregnancy registration until the child reaches 16 years of age, receiving 27 vaccine doses under the programme.
• The Ayushman Bharat – Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY) is the world’s largest publicly funded health insurance scheme, covering over 62 crore people with ₹5 lakh annual health coverage per person.
• Institutional delivery rates in India improved from 79% to 89%, reflecting better maternal healthcare access.
• Under the Vaccine Maitri Initiative, India supplied vaccines to nearly 100 countries, with 48 countries receiving vaccines free of cost.
• The Td vaccine replaces the Tetanus Toxoid (TT) vaccine, providing additional protection against diphtheria, as recommended by WHO (2006, 2017) and NTAGI, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare.
• The initiative strengthens India’s global public health diplomacy, vaccine manufacturing capability, and public sector pharmaceutical ecosystem.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : OBITUARIES

Eminent Bengali Author Mani Shankar Mukhopadhyay Passed away

• Mani Shankar Mukhopadhyay (Shankar), a renowned Bengali novelist and writer, passed away at the age of 93 in Kolkata, West Bengal.

About Mani Shankar Mukhopadhyay :

• He was born on 7 December 1933 in Jessore (present-day Bangladesh).
• He was honoured with the Sahitya Akademi Award (2021) for his autobiographical work ‘Eka Eka Ekashi’.
• His literary contributions include novels, short stories, biographies, and philosophical works, marked by sharp observation, rich characterisation, and empathy for ordinary people.
• His debut novel ‘Kato Ajanare’ (The Many Unknowns) was semi-autobiographical, inspired by his experience as a clerk.
• Notable works include ‘Chowringhee’ (1962), ‘Samrat O Sundari’ (1961), and ‘Charan Chhuey Jai’ (1960).
• His novels ‘Simabadhya’ (1971) and ‘Jana Aranya’ (1975) were adapted into landmark films by Satyajit Ray as part of the Calcutta Trilogy, portraying urban struggles and moral compromises.
• The novel ‘Chowringhee’ was adapted into a film (1968) by Pinaki Bhusan Mukherjee, starring Uttam Kumar as Sata Bose, a hotel executive.
• Filmmaker Ritwik Ghatak began adapting ‘Kato Ajanare’ (1959), but the project remained unfinished.
• Director Basu Chatterjee adapted his novel ‘Maan Samman’ into the Hindi film ‘Sheesha’ (1986), focusing on corporate life.
• His final major project was a research-based book on Swami Vivekananda.
• Apart from writing, he worked as an executive in a Kolkata-based power company for around 50 years.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SPORTS NEWS

Norway Sets Record with 17 Gold Medals at 2026 Winter Olympics

• Norway created history at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics by winning its 17th gold medal, the highest number of gold medals won by any nation at a single Winter Games.
• The record was achieved after Johannes Dale-Skjevdal secured gold in the men’s 15-kilometre biathlon mass start event.

Key Highlights

• Norway won 17 gold medals, breaking its previous record of 16 gold medals set at the Beijing Winter Olympics.
• Johannes Dale-Skjevdal delivered a perfect 20 out of 20 shooting performance in the biathlon mass start.
• Winning time: 39 minutes 17.1 seconds.
• He took the lead after the first standing shooting round despite gusty winds and slow snow conditions.
• Silver medal was won by Sturla Holm Laegreid, finishing 10.5 seconds behind and securing his fifth medal of the 2026 Games.
• Bronze medal was claimed by Quentin Fillon Maillet, finishing 25.6 seconds behind the winner and earning his ninth Olympic medal overall.
• The biathlon men’s 15 kilometre mass start includes 30 athletes, five 3 kilometre ski loops and four shooting rounds (two prone and two standing) with penalty laps for missed targets.
• Norway leads the all-time Winter Olympics medal tally with 405 medals.
• Norway’s medal tally: 148 Gold, 134 Silver, 123 Bronze (Total 405).
• United States ranks second with 330 total medals (114 Gold, 121 Silver, 95 Bronze).
• Germany ranks third with 267 total medals (105 Gold, 97 Silver, 65 Bronze).
• The 17th gold medal at Milan Cortina 2026 reinforces Norway’s dominance in Winter Olympics history, particularly in biathlon and Nordic skiing events.

Harmanpreet Kaur Becomes Most-Capped Player in Women’s International Cricket

• India captain Harmanpreet Kaur created history by becoming the most-capped player in women’s international cricket.
• She achieved the milestone during the second Twenty20 International match against Australia in Canberra, marking her 356th international appearance.
• With this, she surpassed New Zealand legend Suzie Bates, who previously held the record with 355 matches.

Key Highlights

• Harmanpreet Kaur has now played 356 international matches, the highest in women’s cricket history.
• She broke the record during the second Twenty20 International against Australia in Canberra.
• The previous record of 355 matches was held by Suzie Bates of New Zealand.
• India head coach Amol Muzumdar described the achievement as historic and praised her consistency and leadership.
• Other leading players in international appearances include Ellyse Perry with 349 matches, Mithali Raj with 333 matches, and Charlotte Edwards with 309 matches.
• Format-wise appearances of Harmanpreet Kaur include 6 Test matches, 161 One Day Internationals and 189 Twenty20 Internationals.
• In One Day Internationals, she has scored 4,409 runs in 140 innings with an average of 37.05.
• In Twenty20 Internationals, she has scored 3,820 runs, while in Test cricket she has scored 200 runs.
• Her career tally includes 8 centuries and 38 half-centuries across formats.
• Under her captaincy, India won the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup title in 2025, marking a historic achievement for Indian women’s cricket.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: IMPORTANT DAYS

24th February 2026 is to be celebrated as Central Excise Day

• Every year February 24 is celebrated as the central Excise Day all over the world.
• The day is being celebrated to honor the service of the Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC) to the country.
• The day is celebrated to honor the officers associated with CBEC and their services. This is done to encourage the officers to carry out their duties with utmost sincerity. 

History 

• The Central Excise Department was one of the oldest departments in India which was established in the year 1855, under the British Raj.
• “The Central Excise Act” or “The Central Excise and Salt Act” was regulated in the year 1944, in which year for the first time Central Excise Day was celebrated but later in the year 1996 these acts get some changes.
• For the Central Excise Officers under the Union Government the “Power to Arrest” was given in the year 1973, which in the year 2013 was given to the Service Tax Matters.
• In this act, at first, there were 67 items mentioned about the Excise Duties which now approximately reach the number 1000.
• After the year 2017, July, and the appearance of GST the Central Excise department only focus on Petroleum and Liquor products to get the tax on perfect assurances.
• In recognition of the establishment of laws, the CBEC has celebrated Central Excise day since the passing of the Salt Act which was signed into law on February 24, 1944.

Daily CA on Feb 24 :

• The Directorate General of Commercial Intelligence and Statistics (DGCI&S) under the Ministry of Commerce & Industry (MoC&I) revised the base year of India’s merchandise trade indices from 2012–13 to 2022–23.
• ICICI Prudential Pension Funds Management Company Limited launched India’s first Swasthya Scheme named “ICICI PF NPS Swasthya Equity Plus”, integrating retirement planning with healthcare benefits under the National Pension System (NPS).
• The Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), the guarantee arm of the World Bank Group (WBG), issued a USD 197.67 million guarantee for five years to Citibank N.A. for its non-shareholder loan to the State Bank of India (SBI).
• India formally joined as the 12th country in the USA-led Pax Silica Coalition, a strategic alliance focused on secure, resilient, and innovation-driven supply chains for critical minerals, semiconductors, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) infrastructure.
• Female cheetah Gamini, translocated from South Africa, gave birth to three cubs at Kuno National Park, Madhya Pradesh, marking the 9th successful cheetah litter at the park.
• The European Union (EU) launched the European Legal Gateway Office in New Delhi, India, to serve as a one-stop hub for facilitating safe and legal migration of Indian students, researchers, and professionals to EU member countries.
• Slice Small Finance Bank (Slice SFB) appointed its founder Rajan Bajaj as Managing Director (MD) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO).
• The Indian Army (IA) under its Konark Corps, including the Air Defence Warriors of the Blazing Skies Brigade, successfully conducted a high-intensity live firing test of the Strela-10 Very Short Range Air Defence System (VSHORADS) at the Pokhran Field Firing Range, Rajasthan.
• Indian Navy’s Sail Training Ship INS Sudarshini arrived at Safaga, Egypt as part of its Lokayan-26 deployment.
• The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) launched an AI-enabled biometric deduplication and document verification platform to strengthen India’s digital security framework and improve Aadhaar authentication accuracy.
• Fractal AI launched Vaidya 2.0, a next-generation healthcare reasoning AI model, at the India AI Impact Summit 2026 in Mumbai (held at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi).
• Mani Shankar Mukhopadhyay (Shankar), a renowned Bengali novelist and writer, passed away at the age of 93 in Kolkata, West Bengal.
• Vice President C. P. Radhakrishnan released the updated Tamil and Gujarati editions of the Constitution of India along with the 8th Edition of the Legal Glossary (English–Hindi) at Uprashtrapati Bhavan.
• Indian Railways has integrated Artificial Intelligence into key passenger facing and operational applications to improve grievance redressal, ticket prediction, crowd management and freight planning.
• Union Health Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda launched the indigenously manufactured Tetanus and Adult Diphtheria vaccine at Central Research Institute.
• Andhra Pradesh has secured India’s largest integrated lithium ion battery Gigafactory by Waaree Energies with an investment of ₹8,175 crore.
• The Government of India has decided to discontinue cash payments at all National Highway toll plazas from 1 April 2026.
• At the India Artificial Intelligence Impact Summit 2026, Larsen & Toubro through its Vyoma unit signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Government of Gujarat to conduct a feasibility study for setting up a 250 Megawatt green Artificial Intelligence ready data centre at Dholera Special Investment Region.
• Norway created history at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics by winning its 17th gold medal, the highest number of gold medals won by any nation at a single Winter Games.
• India captain Harmanpreet Kaur created history by becoming the most-capped player in women’s international cricket.
• Every year February 24 is celebrated as the central Excise Day all over the world, the day is being celebrated to honor the service of the Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC) to the country.