19th February 2026

1. Supreme Court declares menstrual health a Fundamental Right under Article 21
2. Indian Army hosts its first UN Fellowship Training Programme on SALW control in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh
3. Tamil-Brahmi inscriptions discovered in Egypt’s Valley of the Kings
4. India’s first National Biobank for Lysosomal Storage Disorders launched in Ahmedabad
5. IDFC First Bank introduces FD-linked ‘Hello Cashback Credit Card’
6. Air India and Lufthansa Group sign an MoU to enhance India–Europe air connectivity
7. Reliance Consumer Products forms a majority-owned joint venture with Nigeria’s TGI Group
8. Rajnath Singh presents the ‘Bhavya Bharat Bhushan Award 2026’ in Coimbatore
9. First indigenous Cadet Training Ship ‘Krishna’ launched at L&T Kattupalli in Chennai
10. Oscar-winning filmmaker Frederick Wiseman passes away
11. Losar Festival celebrations begin in McLeod Ganj, marking the Fire Horse Year
12. Devendra Fadnavis inaugurates the first edition of Mumbai Climate Week
13. Gender Budget allocation rises by 11.55% to ₹5.01 lakh crore
14. Gujarat’s Biggest-Ever Budget 2026-27: AI, Tourism, and Olympic Dreams in Focus
15. Google’s $15 Billion ‘America-India Connect’ Cable Plan to Power AI Future
16. India Sets Guinness Record for Most AI Pledges in 24 Hours
17. L&T and NVIDIA collaborate to establish India’s first gigawatt-scale AI factory
18. Mumbai selected to host Prince William’s Earthshot Prize 2026 during Climate Week
19. Gujarat introduces a landmark Bill aimed at expanding women’s participation in the workforce

National News

Supreme Court Declares Menstrual Health a Fundamental Right under Article 21

• What: The Supreme Court recognised menstrual health as a Fundamental Right under Article 21 of the Constitution of India and directed all schools to provide free sanitary products and facilities, making menstrual dignity a constitutional requirement.
• Tell me more:
  • The Bench led by Justices JB Pardiwala and R Mahadevan reframed menstrual health as an enforceable constitutional entitlement.
  • The judgement is anchored in substantive equality under Article 14 and linked to the Right to Education under Article 21A.
  • National Family Health Survey 2019-21 (NFHS-5) shows 77.3% use of hygienic menstrual methods among women aged 15–24, up from 56.7% in NFHS-4.

Gender Budget Allocation Rises to ₹5.01 Lakh Crore in Union Budget 2026-27

• What: Union Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs Nirmala Sitharaman allocated ₹5.01 lakh crore for women and girls in the Gender Budget Statement 2026-27, marking an 11.55% increase over the previous year.
• Tell me more:
  • The allocation increased from ₹4.49 lakh crore in the previous financial year.
  • The share of Gender Budget in the total Union Budget rose to 9.37% from 8.86%.
  • A total of 53 Ministries and Departments and five Union Territories reported allocations.
  • This is higher than 49 Ministries and Departments and five Union Territories last year.

State News

Ahmedabad Gets India’s First National Biobank for Lysosomal Storage Disorders

• What: The first national biobank for lysosomal storage disorders was established at the FRIGE Institute of Human Genetics in Ahmedabad to support drug discovery, diagnostic development and genetic research in rare diseases.
• Tell me more:
  • Lysosomal means related to lysosomes, which are tiny parts inside cells that work like garbage cleaners.
  • They use special enzymes to break down waste and harmful materials. If lysosomes do not function properly, waste builds up inside cells, damages organs, and leads to serious inherited diseases.

Tibetan Community in McLeod Ganj Prepares for Losar Festival

• The Tibetan exile community in McLeod Ganj, Himachal Pradesh is preparing to celebrate Losar from February 18 to 20, marking the beginning of the Fire Horse Year.
• Losar is the Tibetan New Year festival celebrated by the Tibetan community.

Mumbai Climate Week Inaugurated to Promote Sustainable Climate Action

• What: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis inaugurated the first Mumbai Climate Week at Jio World Convention Centre, starting a three-day global event focused on sustainable and actionable climate solutions for the Global South.
• Tell me more:
  • The event is organised by Project Mumbai with the Government of Maharashtra and supported by Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).
  • Union Minister of New and Renewable Energy Pralhad Joshi announced 1 lakh additional solar pumps under Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha Evam Utthan Mahabhiyan (PM Kusum).
  • India added 55 gigawatts to its 252 gigawatt capacity in one year.
  • Maharashtra has around 48 gigawatt installed capacity with 21% renewable energy and aims to reach 84 gigawatt capacity from green and clean sources by 2030.

Gujarat Presents ₹4.08 Lakh Crore Budget with Focus on Tourism and 2030 Commonwealth Games

• What: Gujarat Finance Minister Kanubhai Desai presented a ₹4.08 lakh crore Budget for 2026-27, focusing on tourism promotion and sports infrastructure ahead of the 2030 Commonwealth Games, with no new taxes.
• Tell me more:
  • ₹1,278 crore is allocated for infrastructure related to the 2030 Commonwealth Games.
  • ₹500 crore is earmarked to develop Ahmedabad as an Olympic Ready City and for the SVP Sports Enclave.
  • ₹100 crore each is proposed for Olympic-level infrastructure at Karai and a Para High Performance Centre in Gandhinagar.
  • 2026 is declared as Gujarat Tourism Year.
  • Gujarat Legislative Assembly passed the Gujarat Shops and Establishments Amendment Bill, 2026, allowing women to work night shifts and extending daily working hours to improve job opportunities and business environment.
  • It amends the Gujarat Shops and Establishments Act, 2019.

Mumbai to Host Earthshot Prize 2026 for the First Time in India

• What: Mumbai will host the Earthshot Prize 2026 in November, bringing the global environmental award to India for the first time and highlighting climate and sustainability solutions.
• Tell me more:
  • The Earthshot Prize was founded by Britain’s Prince William in 2020.
  • It recognises 15 environmental solutions under five categories.
  • The categories include Protect and Restore Nature, Clean our Air, Revive our Oceans, Build a Waste-Free World and Fix our Climate.

Banking and Economy

IDFC FIRST Bank Launches Fixed Deposit-Backed Hello Cashback Credit Card

• What: IDFC FIRST Bank launched the Hello Cashback Credit Card, a fixed deposit-backed card to help digitally savvy customers, especially young adults aged 18+, build credit history while earning cashback on online and Unified Payments Interface transactions.
• Tell me more:
  • The credit limit equals the fixed deposit amount. The joining fee is waived, and the annual fee can be reversed.

Google Announces $15 Billion AI Infrastructure Investment for India

• What: Google announced a $15 billion, five-year investment in India to expand Artificial Intelligence infrastructure, including new undersea cable routes linking India with global destinations to strengthen connectivity.
• Tell me more:
  • The investment is part of the America-India Connect initiative.
  • The purpose is to improve internet connectivity between India and other countries, increase network capacity, reduce outages, and build strong data and cloud systems to support Artificial Intelligence training, storage and services at a large scale.
  • A new subsea landing station will be built in Visakhapatnam. Three subsea routes will connect India with Singapore, South Africa and Australia.
  • Four terrestrial fibre routes will improve connectivity between India, the United States and the Southern Hemisphere.
  • A $30 million Global AI for Government Innovation Impact Challenge and a $30 million AI for Science Impact Challenge were announced.
  • A Google Center for Climate Technology will be set up with the Office of the Principal Scientific Advisor.
  • Google Cloud will support the iGOT Karmayogi platform for over 20 million public servants

Larsen & Toubro Partners with Nvidia to Build Sovereign AI Infrastructure

• • What: Larsen & Toubro announced a proposed venture under the IndiaAI Mission with Nvidia to develop sovereign, scalable gigawatt-scale Artificial Intelligence infrastructure in India.
  • Tell me more:
    • A 30 megawatt Nvidia Graphics Processing Unit cluster is planned at the Chennai data centre within a 300-acre campus.
    • A new 40 megawatt data centre is under execution in Mumbai.
    • The vision is “Making AI in India and Making AI Work for India.”
    • The initiative aims to make India a major Artificial Intelligence hub for Indian and global users. It combines Larsen & Toubro’s engineering strength with Nvidia’s advanced chips, networking and Artificial Intelligence software.

Defence News

Indian Army Hosts First UN Fellowship on Small Arms and Light Weapons Control in Asia

• What: The Indian Army is hosting the inaugural United Nations Fellowship Training Programme on Small Arms and Light Weapons Control in Asia, strengthening India’s role in global peace, disarmament efforts and regional security cooperation.
• Tell me more:
  • Delegates from 13 Asia-Pacific nations are participating.
  • The programme is conducted under the aegis of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and the Ministry of Defence (MoD).
  • It is held from February 16 to March 6, 2026, at the Military College of Materials Management, Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh.
  • The fellowship is organised by the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) through the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Asia and the Pacific (UNRCPD).

First Cadet Training Ship ‘Krishna’ Launched at L&T Kattupalli

• What: Yard 18003 Krishna, the first of three Cadet Training Ships built by Larsen & Toubro Limited at Kattupalli, Chennai, was launched to strengthen Indian Navy training and promote indigenous shipbuilding.
• Tell me more:
  • Chief of Defence Staff – General Anil Chauhan

Science and Technology

2,000-Year-Old Tamil-Brahmi Inscriptions Found in Egypt’s Valley of the Kings

• What: Researchers identified 2,000-year-old Tamil-Brahmi inscriptions inside royal tombs in Egypt’s Valley of the Kings, showing that ancient Tamil traders travelled deep into Egypt beyond port cities.
• Tell me more:
  • The findings were presented at the International Conference on Tamil Epigraphy in Chennai.
  • Professor Ingo Strauch of the University of Lausanne and Professor Charlotte Schmid of the French School of Asian Studies documented around 30 Tamil-Brahmi and Prakrit inscriptions.
  • The inscriptions were found across six rock-cut tombs, including the tomb of Ramesses VI.
  • The name ‘Cikai Korran’ appears in eight locations within the complex, and one inscription reads ‘Cikai Korran vara kanta’, meaning ‘Cikai Korran came and saw’.

Awards

Defence Minister Presents Inaugural Bhavya Bharat Bhushan Awards

• What: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh presented the inaugural Bhavya Bharat Bhushan Awards at the Isha Yoga Centre, recognising distinguished individuals and Armed Forces institutions for contributions to India’s progress.
• Tell me more:
  • The awards were instituted by the Isha Foundation and will be declared annually across seven categories.

• What: India achieved a Guinness World Records title for the most pledges in 24 hours for an Artificial Intelligence responsibility campaign, collecting 2,50,946 valid pledges under the IndiaAI Mission.
• Tell me more:
  • The campaign was launched under the IndiaAI Mission in collaboration with Intel India.
  • The announcement was made at the India AI Impact Summit 2026 at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi.
  • The record was verified by a Guinness World Records Adjudicator.

Memorandum of Understanding

Air India and Lufthansa Group Sign MoU to Boost India–Europe Connectivity

• What: Air India and Lufthansa Group signed a Memorandum of Understanding to explore a joint business agreement to increase connectivity, passenger traffic and travel cooperation between India and Europe.
• Tell me more:
  • The focus is on traffic between India and Germany, Austria, Belgium, Italy and Switzerland.
  • Lufthansa Group is the fourth-largest airline group globally by revenue and fleet size.
  • India and the European Union together represent nearly 25% of global Gross Domestic Product.
  • According to the European Commission, the EU is India’s largest trading partner for goods, with bilateral trade in goods exceeding €120 billion in 2024.
  • The EU ranks India as its ninth-largest trading partner, accounting for 2.4% of the EU’s total trade in goods in 2024.

Miscellaneous

Documentary Filmmaker Frederick Wiseman Dies at 96

• Frederick Wiseman, acclaimed documentary filmmaker known for films on American institutions, died at age 96.

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