Current Affairs Quiz - February 2026

Notes:
In Financial Year 2024–25, PM-SURAJ portal disbursed ₹1,389.61 crore loans to 1.39 lakh entrepreneurs, exceeding its target. PM-SURAJ means Pradhan Mantri Samajik Utthan evam Rozgar Adharit Jankalyan portal. It was launched by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. The objective is to provide credit support to entrepreneurs from disadvantaged sections. It is a centralized online platform to apply and track loan and credit schemes.

Notes:
National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC), a statutory body under Ministry of Cooperation, implements Ayushman Sahakar Scheme to promote cooperative healthcare. The scheme aligns with National Health Policy 2017 to provide affordable and holistic healthcare through cooperatives. Financial assistance is given as term loan or investment loan after technical and financial appraisal. The scheme supports hospitals, AYUSH, medical colleges, telemedicine, digital health and insurance services. Loan period is up to 8 years with moratorium, and women-majority cooperatives get 1% interest rebate. The initiative promotes community participation and sustainable cooperative healthcare delivery.

Notes:
The 22nd Senior, Junior and Sub-Junior National Mountain Bike Cycling Championship is scheduled to take place at Roing, Arunachal Pradesh from 12 to 15 February 2026. The event is organised under the aegis of Cycling Federation of India and hosted by Cycling Association of Arunachal Pradesh. Cyclists from various states and institutions across the country will participate. It is a prestigious and highly competitive national-level championship. The participating team will be guided by a Coach-cum-Manager during the competition.

Notes:
Idukki Hydroelectric Project in Kerala completed 50 years and Moolamattom power plant generated 115,852.672 Million Units (MU) in five decades. It is built across Periyar River in Idukki district of Kerala. It is the largest hydroelectric project in Kerala. Moolamattom powerhouse is the longest underground power station in India and has the largest pressure shaft.

Notes:
The Indian Army will host the first-ever International Military Adventure Challenge Cup (IMACC) 2026 from 18–23 February in the foothills of the Eastern Himalayas. The event will feature military teams from India and seven friendly foreign countries: Bhutan, Brazil, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Saudi Arabia. Indian participants include teams from the Indian Army, Indian Air Force, Indian Coast Guard, and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP). IMACC 2026 will involve a week-long series of adventure and endurance competitions testing physical fitness, mental resilience, teamwork, leadership, and decision-making under pressure.

Notes:
The World Economic Forum (WEF) launched the Davos Compact on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) 2025 to tackle the global health crisis of drug-resistant infections. It acts as a voluntary non-state counterpart to the UNGA 2024 Political Declaration on AMR, engaging non-government actors in the fight against antimicrobial resistance. The Compact sets a dual target: to prevent 100 million deaths and mitigate an estimated $1.7 trillion economic loss by 2050 due to unchecked drug resistance. Signatories pledge to adopt the “One Health” approach, linking human, animal, and environmental health in AMR mitigation strategies. The Compact ensures equitable access to essential and newly developed antibiotics for low- and middle-income countries.

Notes:
The Tamsa River, an important tributary of the Ganga River, flows through Ambedkar Nagar, Ayodhya and Azamgarh districts of eastern Uttar Pradesh. In Azamgarh, the river was revitalised under the Namami Gange Programme through coordinated administrative action and strong community participation. A structured plan covered an 89 kilometre stretch across 111 Gram Panchayats, focusing on desilting, garbage removal, and clearing illegal encroachments. Vacant riverbank land was identified and fruit-bearing trees were planted to support ecological restoration and provide economic benefits to Gram Panchayats.

Notes:
The Centre has approved India’s first underwater twin-tube road-cum-rail tunnel under the Brahmaputra River in Assam. The 33.7-kilometre Greenfield project includes a 15.79-kilometre twin tube tunnel and four-lane access-controlled roads, built in Engineering Procurement Construction (EPC) mode at ₹18,662 crore. It will connect Gohpur on NH-15 and Numaligarh on NH-715, reducing the current distance from 240 km to 34 km and travel time from six hours to 20 minutes. The tunnel will benefit Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, and other North-Eastern states, boosting freight efficiency, reducing logistics costs, and driving socio-economic growth.

Notes:
Researchers discovered a new species of squat lobster named Leiogalathea samudragiri near Minicoy in the Lakshadweep archipelago. It was found at a depth of 360 metres below the sea surface. The discovery happened during a research cruise under India’s Deep Ocean Mission, also called the Samudrayaan program. It has smooth and continuous ridges on the top of its shell, unlike related species with broken ridges. Squat lobsters are marine crustaceans, related to hermit and porcelain crabs.

Notes:
C2i Semiconductors, a Bengaluru based chip design startup, raised 15 million dollars in Series A funding. It is supported under the Government of India Design Linked Incentive Scheme. Design Linked Incentive Scheme is a major initiative to develop strong fabless semiconductor capability in India. It is implemented by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology under the Semicon India Programme. The scheme reduces risk by providing financial aid, Electronic Design Automation tools and Intellectual Property cores access.