Current Affairs Quiz - February 2026

Notes:
Paathara practice, also called Khoni, is an ancient method of storing grains in underground pits. It was followed by farmers along the Mahendratanaya River in the Uddanam region of Srikakulam district near the Andhra Pradesh–Odisha border. Freshly harvested paddy was stored in rectangular pits plastered with straw and clay. The pit was sealed with cow dung to protect grains from moisture, rodents, and theft. Paathara was built in front of thatched houses and supported joint family food security. The tradition is declining due to lack of space, awareness, and changing rural housing styles.

Notes:
State Bank of India launched CHAKRA, meaning Centre of Excellence, to finance sunrise sectors vital for India’s economic growth. It will act as a knowledge-based platform supporting technology-driven and sustainable industries. CHAKRA focuses on renewables, data centres, electric mobility, batteries, semiconductors, green hydrogen, decarbonization, and smart infrastructure. The centre aims to boost investments, global value chain integration, and Net Zero targets. It will promote technology and Artificial Intelligence innovation and provide advisory support. CHAKRA will collaborate with policymakers, banks, industry, startups, and global institutions.

Notes:
World Wetlands Day is celebrated every year on 2 February. It marks the adoption of the Convention on Wetlands on 2 February 1971 in Ramsar, Iran, on the Caspian Sea. The 2026 theme is “Wetlands and traditional knowledge: Celebrating cultural heritage.” The theme emphasizes the role of indigenous and local knowledge in protecting wetlands. It highlights the importance of wetlands in preserving cultural identity and guiding conservation and management practices.

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India will host the first Global Big Cat Summit this year. Leaders and ministers from 95 big cat range countries will participate. The summit will focus on collective and coordinated strategies for big cat conservation. It aims to strengthen international cooperation and protect natural habitats. The initiative will promote sustainable wildlife tourism and habitat protection. India plays a leading role as it has the world’s largest wild tiger population.

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The Union Finance Minister announced the Biopharma SHAKTI initiative in the Union Budget 2026–27 initiative to strengthen India’s biopharmaceutical sector. Biopharma SHAKTI stands for Strategy for Healthcare Advancement through Knowledge, Technology and Innovation. It aims to make India a global hub for biopharmaceutical manufacturing. The initiative will support domestic production of biologics and biosimilars. It will build a biopharma-focused network with three new National Institutes of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER).

Notes:
Union Budget 2026–27 launched a new Khelo India Mission to transform India’s sports sector over the next decade. The focus areas are talent development, sports infrastructure creation, and manufacturing-led employment generation. Mission builds on the earlier Khelo India programme with a mission-mode approach to nurture talent and strengthen the sports ecosystem. ₹500 crore allocated for promotion of sports goods manufacturing, research, and innovation to boost domestic capability and global competitiveness. Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports’ budget increased by ₹1,133 crore, from ₹3,346 crore to ₹4,479.88 crore, supporting athlete development, coaching, sports science, and infrastructure.

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Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu launched Pilloo AI, a voice-based billing and accounting assistant for businesses. The app allows users to create invoices, record transactions, generate reports, and manage accounts by speaking in their native language. No prior accounting knowledge or complex software is required, saving time and reducing manual effort. Pilloo AI supports five Indian languages and can record daily sales and payments, generate balance sheets, receivables, and payables. It automates purchase and bank transaction entries by extracting data from uploaded bills and bank statements.

Notes:
The 10th Mising Youth Festival 2026 was held from 26–30 January at Kareng Chapori, Dhemaji, Assam. It celebrates the heritage of the Mising tribe through traditional music, dance, and art. The festival was organized by Takam Mising Porin Kebang (TMPK) to showcase the culture of the Brahmaputra Valley’s riparian community. The event emphasizes that protection of tribal rights, culture, language, literature, and music is achieved through cultural unity, not conflict. The Donyi-Polo tradition of the Mising community teaches that worshipping nature is equivalent to worshipping God.

Notes:
The Global Appeal 2026 report was recently released by the International Organization for Migration (IOM). International Organization for Migration (IOM) requested USD 4.7 billion to support 41 million people worldwide in 2026. The report aligns with IOM’s Strategic Plan 2024–2028 under a humanitarian reset. It highlights record internal displacement of 83.4 million people globally. Climate-related displacement rose sharply to 9.8 million in 2024. 2024 was the deadliest year for migrants with over 9,197 deaths. A major USD 3.4 billion funding gap remains, threatening migrant support efforts.

Notes:
Nalsarovar Bird Sanctuary recorded over five lakh birds of about 200 species in the latest census, showing a 21% rise from 4.12 lakh birds in 2024. The increase is mainly due to no boating, reduced tourist movement, and very low noise pollution over the last two years. It is located around 64 kilometres west of Ahmedabad in Gujarat. “Nal Sarovar” means Tap Lake and it is a natural shallow lake with muddy lagoons and 36 small islets.