UPSC Current Affairs Pointers of the past week | February 2 to February 8, 2026

• World Wetlands Day 2026

— February 2 is annually marked as World Wetlands Day to spread awareness about conserving one of the most critical ecosystems on the planet.

— This year’s theme is “Wetlands and Traditional Knowledge: Celebrating Cultural Heritage,” highlighting that conserving wetlands also means protecting the cultural identity woven into them.

— Wetlands are regions covered by water either perennially or seasonally, such as marshes and lakes. They are vital reservoirs of biodiversity, aid water conservation and provide habitat for numerous migratory birds, aquatic species, and plant life.

• World Cancer Day 2026

— To raise awareness and educate people about the prevention, detection, and treatment of cancer, every year, February 4 is recognised as World Cancer Day.

— This year, 2026, the theme for World Cancer Day is “United by Unique.” This initiative forms part of a three-year campaign running from 2025 to 2027, which focuses on raising awareness and taking action.

— World Cancer Day was first observed on February 4, 2000, during the World Summit Against Cancer for the New Millennium in Paris.

— According to a new analysis by the World Health Organization (WHO) and its International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), worldwide four in 10 cancer cases can be prevented.

— Drawing on data from 185 countries and 36 cancer types, the study identifies tobacco as the leading preventable cause of cancer globally, responsible for 15% of all new cancer cases, followed by infections (10%) and alcohol (3%).

— In India, nearly 4 in 10 (37.1%) cancers are preventable for both women and men, which amounts to approximately 5,20,000 cases.

• National Conference of the State Election Commissioners (SECs)

— Election Commission of India (ECI) will host a National Conference of the State Election Commissioners (SECs) on February 24, 2026 at the Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi.

— The Conference is being held after a gap of over 25 years. The last such conference was held in 1999.

— The primary objective of the Conference is to build synergy in the functioning of ECI and SECs with respect to the electoral processes and logistics within their respective legal frameworks.

(Source: ladakh.gov.in)

 

Polity

• 16th Finance Commission

— On February 1, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman tabled the 16th Finance Commission report in the Lok Sabha, providing the framework for tax devolution between the Centre and the States.

— The Commission was headed by Dr. Arvind Panagariya, former Vice-Chairman of NITI ayog. It has made the recommendations for the five‑year period commencing on 1 April 2026 and ending on 31 March 2031.

— The Commission has kept the vertical devolution intact, retaining the states’ share in the divisible pool at 41 per cent. But, in determining the horizontal devolution, it has deviated from the previous Commission on the criteria and weights to be used.

Horizontal devolution under the 15th Finance Commission and the 16th Finance Commission. (Image created using AI)

About Finance Commission

The Finance Commission is a constitutionally mandated body that decides, among other things, the sharing of taxes between the Centre and the states. Article 280 (1) requires the President to constitute, “within two years from the commencement of this Constitution and thereafter at the expiration of every fifth year or at such earlier time as the President considers necessary”, an FC “which shall consist of a Chairman and four other members”.

• Meghalaya’s rat-hole mines

— The bodies of four more miners were retrieved by rescuers from the illegally operating rat-hole mine in Meghalaya’s East Jaintia Hills district on 6th February, and another three succumbed to their injuries while being treated, taking the death toll in the tragedy to 25.

— Rat-hole mining is a method of extracting coal from narrow, horizontal seams, prevalent in Meghalaya. The term “rat hole” refers to the narrow pits dug into the ground, typically just large enough for one person to descend and extract coal.

— Rat-hole mining has been banned practice in Meghalaya since 2014, but continues to be rampant in the coal-rich belts of Meghalaya and Dima Hasao despite repeated loss of lives in such incidents.

At the Delhi airport, its pre-paid taxi booths have been taken over by Bharat Taxi. (Express photo by Devansh Mittal)

• Bharat Taxi

— The Bharat Taxi app was formally launched by Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah on February 5. It works on a zero-commission model. It will be rolled out across India in 3 years.

— The platform – customers can hail cars, three-wheelers, and two-wheelers through it – makes two promises in a cut-throat ride hailing market dominated by private players: it won’t charge commissions from drivers, with drivers earning more since it is also a driver-owned initiative, and it will have reasonable pricing for customers.

— Bharat Taxi is operated by Sahakar Taxi Cooperative Ltd (STCL), a multi-state cooperative society, in collaboration with National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC), and supported by various entities, including Amul and NABARD. Representatives of these bodies form part of the interim board.

• SOP on Disaster Victim Identification

— On Republic Day, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) released the country’s first-ever Standard Operating Procedure, including guidelines, for the identification of victims in the event of “mass fatality incidents”.

— The document titled ‘National Disaster Management Guidelines on Comprehensive Disaster Victim Identification and Management’ was released exactly 25 years after Gujarat saw one of its worst tragedies in the 2001 earthquake.

— The expansive document details the role of all stakeholders in the aftermath of a disaster, including the composition of teams for the identification process, and highlights critical lacunae.

— One of the most notable recommendations in the guidelines is the creation of a ‘National Dental Data Registry’, so that teeth and jaws could be used to identify victims.

— The guidelines also include the use of “forensic archaeology” to help in the identification of bodies months or years after a disaster.

• Frontier Nagaland Territorial Authority (FNTA)

— A tripartite agreement was signed between Eastern Nagaland People’s Organisation (ENPO), Nagaland government and the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to create the Frontier Nagaland Territorial Authority (FNTA).

— FNTA comprises six districts of Nagaland– Tuensang, Mon, Kiphire, Longleng, Noklak, and Shamator, and devolution of powers in respect of 46 Subjects to the FNTA. However, this agreement does not affect in any manner whatsoever the provisions of Article 371(A) of the Constitution.

— These districts are home to members of seven tribes — Konyak, Khiamniungan, Chang, Sangtam, Tikhir, Phom, and Yimkhiung — and account for more than 30% of the state’s population.

— The state of Nagaland was carved out of Assam in 1963 as a result of the 16-point agreement between the Naga People’s Convention and the Union of India. A special constitutional provision under Article 371(A) was provided to the new state, including provisions for the protection of Naga customary law.

— Both the agreement and Article 371(A) have a provision for the then undivided Tuensang district, which later became the six present districts, to be governed directly by the Governor owing to its relative backwardness. The agreement provided for this arrangement for 10 years, “until such time when the tribes in the Tuensang District are capable of shouldering more responsibility of advance system of administration in other parts of the Nagaland.”

— Article 371(A) provided for a regional council for the Tuensang district consisting of 35 members, which would nominate members to the legislative assembly. Later, this system was done away with at the end of 10 years in 1973, and it was only then that this region participated for the first time in the state legislative assembly elections.

• Compensation for digital fraud victims

— The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has proposed to compensate up to Rs 25,000 per case for losses arising from small-value fraudulent transactions.

— RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra said that a paper will be issued for public consultation on this matter. It will provide a framework to compensate customers up to Rs 25,000 for losses incurred in small-value fraudulent transactions.

— A customer will be able to avail this benefit once in a lifetime, for the loss of money due to such frauds. Further, they can avail of the compensation even where they have shared a one-time password.

— According to him, a customer will also be eligible to get a pay-out in fraud cases, Malhotra said the RBI will compensate 70 per cent of the loss amount and the remaining 30 per cent would be shared between the customer and the bank.

— The pay-out will be made from surplus income accrued on the Deposit Education and Awareness (DEA) Fund.

— The DEA Fund was constituted by the RBI in 2014. According to the RBI, “the amounts credited to the DEA Fund are the credit balances in any deposit account maintained with banks (Commercial Banks, Co-operative Banks), which have not been operated upon for 10 years or more by the depositor, or any amount remaining unclaimed for 10 years or more.”

 

International Cooperation

• India-U.S. Interim Agreement framework

— The United States and India have agreed on a framework for an Interim Trade Agreement. The agreement was announced jointly by Washington and New Delhi, which builds on trade talks launched by US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in February 2025.

— The framework aimed at lowering tariffs, opening markets and reshaping energy and technology ties, as both sides work towards a full bilateral trade pact. The negotiations continue on a broader US–India Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA).

— On February 2, a trade agreement was reached between the two countries. However, details of the agreement were disclosed later. Washington lowered tariffs on India to 18% from 50% imposed in August 2025. The 50% tariff, comprised a reciprocal tariff of 25% and a penal 25% for the purchase of Russian arms and crude.

— The statement on the interim agreement framework said India will eliminate or reduce tariffs on all US industrial goods and a “wide range” of US food and agricultural products, including dried distillers’ grains (DDGs), red sorghum for animal feed, tree nuts, fresh and processed fruit, soybean oil, wine and spirits, and additional products.

— India will also get exemptions under section 232 on aircraft parts, tariff rate quota on auto parts and negotiated outcomes on generic pharmaceuticals, leading to tangible export gains in these sectors.

— The Section 232 concession is significant as it is not subject to the ongoing US Supreme Court case that could rule against US President Donald Trump’s authority under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to impose reciprocal tariffs.

— The joint statement also said that India “intends” to purchase $500 billion of U.S. energy products, aircraft and aircraft parts, precious metals, technology products, and coking coal over the next 5 years.

US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin (AP Photo)

• New START Treaty

— The New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START), which limits the number of deployed strategic nuclear warheads and delivery systems for the US and Russia, has officially expired on 5th February, 2026. It was the last remaining nuclear arms control treaty between the two countries.

— The name START comes from the original “Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty”, known as START-I, which was signed between the US and the erstwhile USSR in 1991, and came into force in 1994. After it lapsed in 2009, it was replaced by the Strategic Offensive Reductions Treaty (SORT, also known as the Treaty of Moscow), and then by the New START treaty.

• Exercise KHANJAR

— The 13th edition of the joint military Exercise KHANJAR between India and Kyrgyzstan is ongoing at Misamari in Sonitpur district of Assam. It will end on February 17.

— The 14-day-long military exercise aims to enhance interoperability between the Special Forces of both nations, with a focus on joint operations in urban warfare and counter-terrorism scenarios under the United Nations mandate.

— India and Kyrgyzstan organising joint military exercises annually since 2011, with venues alternating between the countries to reflect deepening defence ties.

• BRICS Centre for Industrial Competencies (BCIC)

— India has joined the BRICS Centre for Industrial Competencies (BCIC) for providing integrated support services to manufacturing companies and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises across BRICS countries.

— The BCIC is launched in partnership with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO). It serves as a one-stop centre providing integrated support services to manufacturing companies and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) across BRICS countries, with a focus on strengthening Industry 4.0 competencies.

 

Science and Technology

• J1007+3540

— A rare “giant” radio galaxy named J1007+3540 has been discovered by astronomers who used some of the world’s most powerful telescopes, including the upgraded Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (uGMRT), located 80 km from Pune.

— The GMRT is an array of 30 45-m antennas spread over a 25 km area at Khodad in Narayangaon in Maharashtra’s Pune district. It was built and is operated by the National Centre for Radio Astrophysics of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research.

• Solid Fuel Ducted Ramjet (SFDR) technology 

— Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has conducted a successful test of the Solid Fuel Ducted Ramjet (SFDR) technology which places India in an elite league of nations that have the technology critical to developing long-range air-to-air missiles with supersonic speeds.

— The SFDR has been developed by Defence Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL), Hyderabad in collaboration with other DRDO laboratories such as Research Centre Imarat (RCI), Hyderabad and High Energy Materials Research Laboratory (HEMRL), Pune.

— The SFDR-based propulsion enables the missile to intercept aerial threats at very long range at supersonic speeds.

— SFDR is an advanced air-breathing propulsion system where a solid fuel gas generator produces fuel-rich gases that mix with incoming air and burn in a ramjet combustor.

— Ramjet is a propulsion system that relies on the missile’s high forward speed to compress incoming air, eliminating the need for a compressor and enabling efficient high-speed flight.

— Unlike conventional rockets, SFDR does not carry an oxidiser, making it lighter and more efficient.

• Intrusion Detection System (IDS)

— Following the commissioning of IDS in 2023, the Ministry of Railways has undertaken a Rs. 208-crore project to install IDS across 1,158 route kilometres of railway tracks, spanning eight zones.

—  IDS is a fibre-based system which works on the principle of Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS). The DAS work on the principle of Rayleigh scattering phenomenon.

— The Laser pulses from remote OFC DAS units are sent continuously and reflected pulses are received from various points along the fibre cable and analysed.

— So, whenever there is an elephant movement along these optical fibre cables, it captures the signature of the elephant, based on pressure, weight and vibration or external sound waves. After the analysis of the signature, the system creates the alarm at the station and level crossing gate.

 

Places in News

(Just FYI: The location of the place is important, considering that UPSC has asked several questions about places that were in the news, such as Aleppo and Kirkuk, in the 2018 UPSC Prelims. The best way to remember them is to plot them on a world map.)

•  Paradip Port Authority (PPA)

— Paradip Port Authority (PPA) has been awarded the First Prize at the Swachhata Pakhwada Awards 2025.

— The award is instituted by the Ministry of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways (MoPSW), in recognition of its outstanding performance in cleanliness, sustainability, and community participation.

— Swachhata Pakhwada Awards are an annual initiative of MoPSW, evaluating ports and maritime institutions across the country on cleanliness drives, waste management, green initiatives, and public participation.

(Source: PIB)

Person in News

The 64-year-old is the first Dalit prelate to head India’s nearly 2 crore Catholics. (Express Photo)

• Poola Anthony

— The first Dalit Cardinal of India and Archbishop of Hyderabad, Poola Anthony, has been elected as the new President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI) during its 37th general body meeting held on Saturday.

— The 64-year-old is the first Dalit prelate to head India’s nearly 2 crore Catholics.

— According to the website of CBCI, “the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India, established in 1944, exemplifies the unity and dedication of the Catholic Church in fostering faith throughout the nation”.

 

Awards

Rouble Nagi inaugurated a computer lab at Madrassa Shah-e- Hamdan and a dedicated women’s skill development centre at Roza-tul-Salehat Baghbela Tangdhar, Kupwara. (Credit: Instagram/roublenagi)

• Nobel of Teaching

— Rouble Nagi, an artist from Jammu and Kashmir, has won the $1 million Global Teacher Prize at the World Governments Summit in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The coveted prize is known as the “Nobel of Teaching” and honours an educator who has made an outstanding contribution to the profession.

— Nagi, a social worker, was honoured for transforming neglected walls into interactive educational murals that teach reading, writing, arithmetic, as well as public health and environmental awareness.

— Through her Rouble Nagi Art Foundation, she has set up more than 800 educational centres across India, providing safe and inspiring spaces in over 100 low-income communities and villages.

— The Global Teacher Prize, presented by GEMS Education and organised by the Varkey Foundation with UNESCO during the World Government Summit, recognises exceptional educators for their outstanding contributions to teaching.

• 2026 Grammy Awards

—  The 68th edition of the Grammy Awards was held at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.

— The Dalai Lama, at 90, won his first Grammy for best audio book, narration and storytelling recording. He won the award for ‘Meditations: The Reflections of His Holiness The Dalai Lama’.

Category	Winners
Album of the year	Bad Bunny – Debí Tirar Más Fotos
Record of the year	Kendrick Lamar with SZA – Luther
Song of the year	Billie Eilish – Wildflower

 

Sports

(Just FYI: With the unpredictability of the UPSC examinations and questions like the ICC World Test Championship question 2021, you can’t be sure of anything. It is wise to know what it is and not go into too much detail.)

• Super 300 Title

— Devika Sihag became only the third Indian women’s singles player to win a World Tour 300 title after triumphing at the USD 250,000 Thailand Masters in Bangkok. She defeated Goh Jin Wei.

— Devika joined P. V. Sindhu and Saina Nehwal were the only Indians to win a Super 300 women’s singles title.

— According to the BWF World Tour, Super 300 consisted of eleven tournaments. It is part of the BWF World tour.

India players celebrate after winning the U-19 World Cup. (X/BCCI)

• India wins U-19 World cup

— India’s Under-19 cricket team won a record sixth World Cup title with a commanding 100-run victory over England in the final.

— Ayush Mhatre is the captain of the Indian team. His name is now added to the list of five other captains who have guided India to the title: Mohammed Kaif (2000), Virat Kohli (2008), Unmukt Chand (2012), Prithvi Shaw (2018), and Yash Dhull (2022).

— The 14-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, player of the Match and Player of the series, became the first batter in Under-19 ODI cricket to record 100 sixes. Only one other batter has managed more than 50 sixes in Youth ODIs – Bangladesh’s Zawad Abrar with 55.

— All records broken by Sooryavanshi in his 175 from 80 balls with 15 fours and 15 sizes innings:

* Second fastest U19 World Cup hundred – 55 balls

* First batter to hit 100 Y-ODI sixes

* Most sixes in U19 World Cup history – 30

* Most sixes in a single U19 World Cup edition – 30

* Fastest century in U19 World Cup final

* Most runs for India in Youth ODI cricket – 1412

* Most sixes in a Youth ODI innings – 15

• Women’s Premier League 2026

— Royal Challengers Bengaluru clinched their second Women’s Premier League title with a six-wicket win over Delhi Capitals, hailing the historic achievement as a repeat triumph for the franchise.

— Coming to the highest run scorer and highest wicket taker of this season, RCB’s Mandhana won the Orange Cap with 377 runs while Gujarat Giants’ Sophie Devine snapped up the Purple Cap with 17 wickets.

 

Test Your Knowledge

(Note: The best way to remember facts for UPSC and other competitive exams is to recall them through MCQs. Try to solve the following questions on your own.)

(1) The “New START” treaty was in the news. What is this treaty? (UPSC CSE 2011)

(a) It is a bilateral strategic nuclear arms reduction treaty between the USA and the Russian Federation.

(b) It is a multilateral energy security cooperation treaty among the members of the East Asia Summit.

(c) It is a treaty between the Russian Federation and the European Union for energy security cooperation.

(d) It is a multilateral cooperation treaty among the BRICS countries for the promotion of trade

(2) Consider the following statements about the Deposit Education and Awareness (DEA) Fund:

1. Constituted by the RBI

2. Deposit accounts with Commercial banks, not operated for 10 years, are credited here.

3. The payout for digital fraud victims will be made from this fund.

How many of the above statements is/are correct?

(a) Only one

(b) Only two

(c) All three

(d) None

 

Prelims Answer Key

1. (a)    2. (c)

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