18th February 2026

1. Department of Posts issues eight commemorative stamps under the theme ‘Puppets of India’
2. ICG DG Paramesh Sivamani inaugurates a Waterjet Production and Testing Facility in Goa
3. RBI grants In-Solutions Global approval to operate as a Payment Aggregator
4. Smriti Mandhana named BBC Indian Sportswoman of the Year 2025
5. RBI clears Bain Capital’s acquisition of up to 41.66% stake in Manappuram Finance
6. India tops the medal tally at the Asian Rifle/Pistol Championship 2026 in Delhi
7. Oscar-winning actor Robert Duvall passes away
8. Global Tourism Resilience Day observed
9. Tamil Nadu government signs MoUs worth ₹5,980 crore in semiconductor and aerospace sectors
10. Indian Overseas Bank launches an online portal for death claim settlements
11. J&K captain Paras Dogra achieves a historic milestone
12. SBI report highlights record currency circulation despite the digital payments push
13. MILAN Village inaugurated in Visakhapatnam as the Indian Navy begins Exercise MILAN 2026
14. Sugar exports cross 2 lakh tonnes in the 2025–26 marketing year
15. Arunachal Pradesh’s mega hydel project extended, with completion timeline now set till 2037
16. NGT clears the Great Nicobar Project subject to stringent environmental conditions
17. The Adani–Marseille agreement assessed as a potential boost for global shipping trade
18. India finishes sixth with five medals at Asian Indoor Athletics Championships
19. Veteran actress Pravina Deshpande passes away in Mumbai at the age of 60
20. PM Modi and President Macron launch the H125 helicopter project, marking India’s entry into advanced helicopter manufacturing

National News

Department of Posts releases ‘Puppets of India’ commemorative stamps

• What: The Department of Posts issued a set of eight Commemorative Postage Stamps on “Puppets of India” in New Delhi to celebrate India’s traditional puppetry heritage and promote awareness of its diverse cultural storytelling practices.
• Tell me more:
  • The stamps were released at Indian Habitat Centre, New Delhi by Ms. Vandita Kaul, Secretary (Posts). They highlight four forms of Indian puppetry—string, glove, rod and shadow—and carry a denomination of 500p for the set of eight stamps.

State News

Tamil Nadu signs ₹5,980 crore MoUs with MinebeaMitsumi and Aequs Group

• What: The Tamil Nadu government signed two Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) worth ₹5,980 crore with MinebeaMitsumi and Aequs Group to boost semiconductor and aerospace manufacturing and generate 8,400 jobs in the state.
• Tell me more:
  • MinebeaMitsumi will set up a semiconductor manufacturing and research centre inside the Mahindra Origins Industrial Park in Tiruvallur.
  • Aequs will build an aerospace cluster at the SIPCOT-Shoolagiri Industrial Park in Krishnagiri for aircraft engine and precision parts manufacturing.

Demwe Lower Project environmental clearance extended till 2037

• What: An expert panel of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change extended the environmental clearance of the 1,750 MW Demwe Lower Project on the Lohit River till 2037, treating litigation delays as ‘zero period’.
• Tell me more:
  • Right now, this project is under dispute because of its alleged impact on the environment, especially Dibru-Saikhowa National Park in Assam.

National Green Tribunal upholds environmental clearance for Great Nicobar mega project

• What: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) upheld the environmental clearance of the Great Nicobar mega project, citing adequate safeguards and recognising its strategic importance in ecologically sensitive coastal areas.
• Tell me more:
  • The project will use forest land and build a port, airport and power plant. NGT found no violation of coastal rules.
  • The project was approved in 2022 with a cost of about ₹72,622 crore, including a port, airport, township, and power plant. By 2025–26, the estimated cost increased to around ₹80,000–90,000 crore due to expansions and phased development over 30 years.

Banking and Economy

RBI grants ISG approval across three Payment Aggregator categories

• What: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) granted In-Solutions Global Limited (ISG) regulatory authorisation across online, offline and cross-border Payment Aggregator categories under Master Directions 2025-26.
• Tell me more:
  • The approvals cover Payment Aggregator Online (PA-O), Payment Aggregator Physical (PA-P) and Payment Aggregator Cross-Border (PA-CB).
  • ISG can now legally operate in all three payment areas — online, offline and cross-border.
  • Businesses do not need separate systems for different types of payments. Payments inside India and between countries can be handled under one compliant framework.

RBI approves Bain Capital stake acquisition in Manappuram Finance

• What: Reserve Bank of India approved Bain Capital affiliates to acquire up to 41.66% stake in Manappuram Finance with ₹4,385 crore investment.
• Tell me more:
  • Bain will first buy 18%, then make an open offer for 26% more. It will become joint promoter, join the board, and share control with existing promoters.

Indian Overseas Bank launches online death claim settlement portal

• What: Indian Overseas Bank (IOB) launched an online death claim settlement portal to help families and legal heirs submit and track claims digitally, with simplified procedures and a 15-day processing timeline.
• Tell me more:
  • Claims up to ₹15 lakh require no third-party surety under the simplified process.
  • In September 2025, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) issued standardised guidelines for banks on death claim settlement.
  • RBI directed banks to implement the guidelines by March 31, 2026.

Cash in circulation hits ₹40 trillion as cash-to-GDP ratio declines

• What: State Bank of India (SBI) reported that Currency in Circulation (CIC) reached ₹40 trillion by January 31, 2026, while the cash-to-GDP ratio declined to 11% in FY26 from 14.4% in FY21.
• Tell me more:
  • The report stated that although total cash in circulation is rising, the new economic growth (incremental growth) is increasingly supported by UPI transactions instead of cash.
  • Monthly cash withdrawals from Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) may exceed the long-term average of ₹2.5 lakh, with rising trends in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal.

Defence News

Indian Coast Guard inaugurates waterjet production facility in Goa

• What: The Director General of Indian Coast Guard (ICG) inaugurated the Waterjet Production and Testing Facility of Marine Jet Power (MJP) India in Goa, making India the third country to host such a facility and strengthening maritime self-reliance.
• Tell me more:
  • The other two countries hosting such a facility are the United States and South Korea.
  • The facility strengthens domestic supply, testing, maintenance, regional outreach and supports MSMEs, while boosting indigenous Air Cushion Vehicle production.
  • The project marks India’s first indigenous Air Cushion Vehicle programme with approx. 50% indigenous content, with delivery of the first vessel scheduled for May 2026.

Indian Navy inaugurates MILAN Village for Exercise MILAN 2026

• What: The Indian Navy inaugurated MILAN Village at Eastern Naval Command for Exercise MILAN 2026, promoting cultural exchange and global maritime engagement among navies from over 70 countries.
• Tell me more:
  • The inauguration was presided over by Vice Admiral Sanjay Bhalla, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Naval Command.
  • Exercise MILAN 2026 will be held in Visakhapatnam from 15 to 25 February 2026.
  • It will be conducted alongside International Fleet Review (IFR) 2026 and Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) Conclave of Chiefs.
  • The exercise includes harbour and sea phases focusing on anti-submarine warfare, air defence, search and rescue and cooperative security missions.
  • The event aligns with the MAHASAGAR vision and carries the theme “Camaraderie, Cooperation, Collaboration”.

India-France inaugurate H-125 helicopter assembly line in Karnataka

• • What: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron virtually inaugurated the Tata Advanced Systems Limited Final Assembly Line for Airbus H-125 helicopters in Karnataka, strengthening India-France defence manufacturing partnership under Make-in-India.
  • Tell me more:
    • The facility is located at Vemagal, Karnataka, and the project investment is expected to exceed ₹1,000 crore.
    • The H-125 is a single-engine light utility helicopter known for reliability and versatility, while the H125M variant supports reconnaissance, surveillance, logistics, search and rescue, and medical evacuation missions.
    • This is the second major Tata Advanced Systems and Airbus industrial collaboration, following the C295 military transport Final Assembly Line.

Agriculture and Rural Development

India exports over 2 lakh tonnes of sugar in 2025-26

• • What: India exported over 2 lakh tonnes of sugar till February in the 2025-26 marketing year, under government-approved quotas of 2 million tonnes, with United Arab Emirates as the top destination.
  • Tell me more:
    • The marketing year runs from October to September.
    • The government approved 2 million tonnes of exports, including an additional 500,000 tonnes allowed recently.
    • Sugar production is estimated to rise 13% to 29.6 million tonnes in 2025-26, excluding diversion for ethanol.
    • United Arab Emirates was the largest importer of Indian sugar, followed by Afghanistan in second place, Djibouti in third place and Bhutan in fourth place.

Awards

BBC Sports Awards

Important Days

Global Tourism Resilience Day – February 17

• In February 2024, the General Assembly decided to proclaim 2027 the International Year of Sustainable and Resilient Tourism.

Sports

India finishes Asian Shooting Championships 2026 with 33 medals

• • What: India concluded the Asian Shooting Championships 2026 in New Delhi with 33 senior rifle and pistol medals, including 13 gold, 11 silver and nine bronze, marking a strong overall performance.
  • Tell me more:

• What: Paras Dogra became only the second player after Wasim Jaffer to score 10,000 runs in Ranji Trophy history.
• Tell me more:
  • This achievement is important because scoring 10,000 runs in Ranji Trophy is rare, achieved by only two players in the 92 years of tournament’s history. Ranji Trophy began in 1934.
  • He is the captain of J&K team.

India finishes sixth with five medals at Asian Indoor Athletics Championships

• What: India concluded the Asian Indoor Athletics Championships in Tianjin, China, with five medals and sixth position overall.
  • China topped the medal standings with 34 medals, including 10 gold, 11 silver and 13 bronze.
• Tell me more:

Memorandum of Understanding

Adani Ports signs MoU with Port of Marseille Fos to strengthen IMEC corridor

• • What: Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Limited (APSEZ) signed a memorandum of understanding with Port of Marseille Fos, France to boost trade facilitation, port innovation and energy transition under the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC).
  • Tell me more:
    • Launched at the 2023 G20 Summit in New Delhi, the IMEC is a 6,000-km trade route linking India and Europe through sea, rail, digital and clean energy networks.
    • APSEZ ports at Mundra and Hazira act as India’s gateways, while Marseille Fos connects Europe. The agreement will develop the Mundra-Marseille Fos Green Maritime Corridor.
    • The partnership boosts India-European Union trade and promotes greener, technology-driven port operations.

Miscellaneous

Robert Duvall passes away at 95

• What: Legendary actor Robert Duvall, known for roles in Apocalypse Now and The Godfather, died at 95.
• Tell me more:
  • Born in San Diego, California, he received his first Oscar nomination in 1973 for The Godfather.
  • He earned further nominations for Apocalypse Now, The Great Santini, The Apostle, A Civil Action and The Judge.

Veteran Marathi and Bollywood actress Pravina Deshpande passed away

Start Quiz of 18th February 2026 on Mobile

Start Quiz of 18th February 2026 on Desktop