Current Affairs – February 20, 2026

{GS2 – Governance} India Signs MoU with the World Food Programme (WFP)

• Context (PIB | NOA): Food Corporation of India (FCI) and the World Food Programme (WFP) signed an MoU to support global humanitarian efforts against hunger.

• Under the MoU, FCI will supply 2 lakh MT of rice (with up to 25% broken grain) to WFP over five years.
• Significance: The partnership reinforces India’s role as a trusted food supplier and advances its commitment to global food security.

About World Food Programme (WFP)

• The WFP is an international organisation within the United Nations (UN) that provides food assistance.
• It was established in 1961 through a joint initiative of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
• WFP is the largest global humanitarian organisation, headquartered in Rome, Italy.
• Its principal objective is to eliminate hunger & malnutrition to achieve SDG 2 (Zero Hunger) by 2030.
• The organisation provides emergency food assistance to displaced and vulnerable populations in conflict- and disaster-affected regions.
• Flagship Reports: It contributes to assessments, such as the Global Report on Food Crises (GRFC).
• Governance: A 36-member Executive Board provides intergovernmental oversight and policy direction for its programmes.
• Global Recognition: It received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2020 for combating hunger and preventing starvation as a weapon of war.

{GS2 – IR} India and the UK Launched Offshore Wind Taskforce *

• Context (TOI): India and the United Kingdom launched the Offshore Wind Taskforce under the India-UK Vision 2035 and the Fourth Energy Dialogue.

• Objective: The task force aims to accelerate India’s offshore wind sector through coordinated policy, infrastructure, and financing.
• Strategic Synergy: It combines the UK’s mature offshore ecosystem with India’s 71 GW offshore potential and large domestic market.
• Nodal Framework: The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) is the nodal ministry; the National Institute of Wind Energy will handle resource assessment.
• Core Pillars: The collaboration rests on three primary pillars –
  1. Ecosystem Planning: Seabed leasing reforms, revenue-certainty mechanisms.
  2. Infrastructure Development: Port modernisation, local manufacturing, marine logistics.
  3. Financial Mitigation: Blended finance structures, risk mitigation instruments, capital mobilisation.
• Regional Focus: The task force will prioritise identified offshore wind zones along the Gujarat and Tamil Nadu coastlines.
• Financial Catalyst: The Government of India approved ₹7,453 crore as Viability Gap Funding (VGF) to catalyse early offshore wind projects.

Offshore Wind Energy in India

• Offshore wind farms generate electricity through turbines installed in marine bodies, typically at sea.
  • Atmospheric Advantage: Marine environments offer stronger and more consistent winds due to fewer physical obstacles.
• Operational Status: India currently has no operational offshore wind farms but has set a target of 30 GW of capacity by 2030.
• Resource Potential: The MNRE estimates 71 GW of commercially viable capacity, concentrated primarily along the Gujarat and Tamil Nadu coasts.
• Zone Identification: The National Institute of Wind Energy (Chennai) has identified 16 potential offshore development zones.
• Strategic Locations: High-priority areas include the Gulf of Khambhat in Gujarat and the Gulf of Mannar in Tamil Nadu.

Read More > India’s Wind Energy Sector

{GS2 – IR} Google Launches America-India Connect (AIC) Initiative *

• Context (FP): Google CEO Sundar Pichai announced the America-India Connect (AIC) initiative at the India-AI Impact Summit 2026 to strengthen India’s AI-ready digital infrastructure.

About America-India Connect (AIC) initiative

• Investment Plan: It forms part of Google’s $15 billion plan to position India as a global AI infrastructure hub within five years.
• New Gateway: Visakhapatnam will be developed as India’s third international subsea cable landing station, after Mumbai and Chennai.
• Network Architecture: The initiative envisages three dedicated subsea cable corridors to diversify India’s global data connectivity architecture.
  1. India–South Africa Corridor: Connects Visakhapatnam and Chennai to the American East Coast via the Equiano and Nuvem cable systems in Africa.
  2. India–Singapore Corridor: Links Visakhapatnam to the American West Coast through the Bosun and Tabua subsea systems via Singapore.
  3. India–Australia Corridor: Establishes a direct fibre-optic link from Mumbai to Western Australia. It then connects to the American West Coast via the TalayLink and Honomoana subsea systems.

Significance of the AIC Initiative

• System Complementarity: The new corridors are expected to reinforce existing Blue, Raman, and Sol cable systems connecting India with Europe and the U.S.
• Digital Equity: Expanded infrastructure access will reduce the risk of a global “AI divide” by expanding participation in advanced digital ecosystems.
• Geographic Redundancy: Diversified routing is designed to bypass maritime chokepoints such as the Red Sea.
• Technical Capacity: Expanded capacity will support low-latency, high-bandwidth transmission required for data-intensive AI workloads.

{GS3 – IE} Gender Budget 2026-27 **

• Context (PIB | ET): The Union Government released the Gender Budget Statement (GBS) 2026–27, marking its highest-ever allocation.

Key Highlights of GBS 2026–27

• Total Allocation: The allocation for women and girls under various schemes increased by 11.55% to ₹5.01 lakh crore in 2026-27.
• Budget Share: The Gender Budget share in the total Union Budget increased to 9.37% in FY 2026-27 from 8.86% in FY 2025-26.
• Component Shares: Part A (100% women-specific) accounts for 21.50%, Part B (at least 30% women-beneficiaries) constitutes 72.54%, and Part C (less than 30% women allocation) forms about 5%.
• Institutional Coverage: 53 Ministries and 5 Union Territories reported their gender-specific allocations this year, marking the highest participation so far.
• Leading Ministry: The Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD) allocated 81.73% of its budget to gender-responsive initiatives.

About Gender Budgeting

• Gender Budgeting is a public financial management tool that aligns government resource allocation with the constitutional goal of gender equality.
• It is not a separate women’s budget but rather a methodology for integrating a gender perspective across all stages of the budgetary process.
• The framework translates gender-related policy commitments into budgetary targets to reduce structural socio-economic disparities.
• Gender Budgeting was formally introduced into the Indian Union Budget in FY 2005-06 through the publication of Expenditure Statement 13.
• Nodal Authority: The Ministry of Women and Child Development issues guidelines and supports capacity-building for other ministries.
• Indian Framework: It divides allocations into 3 parts — Part A for schemes with 100% women beneficiaries, Part B for 30% to 99%, and Part C for less than 30% (introduced in FY 2024-25).
• Institutional Mechanism: Since 2004-05, the government mandated Gender Budgeting Cells (GBCs) in all ministries to review and shape allocations using a gender lens.

Read More >  Gender Budgeting in India | Highlights of Union Budget 2026-27

{GS3 – IE} RuPay–BHIM UPI Incentives Driving India’s Payment Transformation

• Context (DDN): The Department of Financial Services released an impact analysis showing that the RuPay-BHIM UPI incentive scheme accelerated the digital transition and economic formalisation.

Incentive Scheme for RuPay Debit Cards and Low-Value BHIM-UPI P2M Payments

• This Central Sector Scheme was launched in December 2021 to promote low-value digital transactions under the Zero-MDR regime.
• Administrative Oversight: The Department of Financial Services (DFS) of the Ministry of Finance currently administers the scheme.
• Nodal Agency: The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) is the nodal agency responsible for calculating incentive claims and conducting transaction data due-diligence
• Primary Objective: The scheme subsidises transaction costs for banks to sustain the Zero-MDR regime for domestic payment platforms.
• Eligible Coverage: RuPay Debit Card transactions and low-value BHIM-UPI person-to-merchant (P2M) payments up to ₹2,000 are covered under the scheme.
• UPI Incentives: Acquiring banks receive an incentive of 0.15% of the transaction value for eligible BHIM-UPI P2M transactions made specifically to small merchants.
• RuPay Incentives: Incentives are 0.40% (capped at ₹100) for standard transactions and 0.15% (capped at ₹6) for specific “Industry Programmes” such as fuel and insurance.
• Performance Benchmarks: Acquiring banks must maintain technical decline rates below 0.75% and ensure system uptime of at least 99.5% to qualify for the final 20% disbursement.
• Incentive Transmission: The incentive is distributed among the acquiring bank, the issuing bank, the PSP bank, and the Third-Party Application Providers (TPAPs).

Impact of RuPay–BHIM UPI Incentives

• Transaction Growth: The incentive scheme triggered an 11-fold surge in digital transaction volumes. UPI now accounts for 80% of all digital payments in India.
• Consumer Preference: UPI surpassed cash as the preferred payment mode for 57% of users. Adoption is highest at 66% among users aged 18-25.
• Merchant Adoption: The Zero-MDR (Merchant Discount Rate) policy achieved 94% adoption among small vendors, with 57% reporting an increase in sales.
• Systemic Trust: About 90% of users report high trust in digital payment systems, with 65% performing multiple transactions daily.
• Strategic Pivot: RuPay debit card usage increased at physical PoS terminals and e-commerce. UPI Lite gained priority for micro-payments and micro-credit integration.

Read More > Hidden Cost of Free UPI

{GS3 – Agri} Circular Economy in Agriculture **

• Context (DTE): India’s rising agricultural waste demands sustainable management; the circular economy can convert 350 million tonnes into energy, income, and climate solutions.

Need for Circular Economy in Agriculture

• Rural Economic Growth: Converting waste into bioenergy and biofertilizers can boost farmer incomes and create rural employment opportunities.
• High Waste Generation: India produces nearly 350 million tonnes of agricultural waste annually, much of which is underutilised or burnt.
• Renewable Energy Potential: Agricultural residues can generate over 18,000 MW of power, reducing dependence on coal-based energy.
• Biomass Availability: India has around 228 million tonnes of surplus biomass annually, sufficient for large-scale bioenergy use.
• Climate Concerns: Globally, 1.3 billion tonnes of food are wasted annually, contributing significantly to methane emissions.

Key Government Measures for the Circular Economy in Agriculture

• GOBARdhan Programme: Aims to convert cattle dung, crop residues and food waste into compressed biogas (CBG) and organic manure.
• Crop Residue Management (CRM) Scheme: To prevent stubble burning through subsidised machinery and decentralised residue management systems.
• Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF): To reduce post-harvest losses by financing storage, grading and agro-processing infrastructure.
• Biomass Co-firing Policy: To mandate 5–7% agro-residue use in coal plants to cut emissions and utilise crop waste.
• AHIDF: Animal Husbandry Infrastructure Development Fund to promote scientific livestock waste management and biogas production.
• Mechanisation Support: Over 42,000 Custom Hiring Centres and 3.24 lakh machines like Happy Seeders distributed to enable in-situ residue management and curb stubble burning.

Challenges in Implementation

• Logistical Barriers: With 350 million tonnes of dispersed, seasonal waste, high transport and storage costs hinder efficient aggregation.
• Co-firing Deficit: Only 1.62 MMT biomass used against 38.55 MMT requirement, reflecting weak supply chains and pellet capacity gaps.
• Technology Gaps: Limited biochar deployment and underutilised cold storage despite over ₹66,000 crore AIF investment restrict value addition.
• Coordination Deficit: Multiple ministries involved, yet outcome-based monitoring of schemes like 979 biogas plants remains unclear.
• Market Uncertainty: Weak procurement assurance and fluctuating pellet pricing (₹1.8–2.3 per 1,000 kcal) discourage farmer participation.

Way Forward

• Outcome Monitoring: Shift from fund allocation to measurable indicators like reduction in stubble burning and actual biomass utilisation rates.
• Supply Strengthening: Expand pellet manufacturing capacity (beyond 30,000 tonnes per day) and secure storage to meet 38.55 MMT co-firing demand.
• Regulatory Clarity: Establish national boiler compatibility standards and clearly earmark environmental compensation funds for corrective action.
• Enforcement Consistency: Ensure uniform compliance beyond NCR through strict penalties and coordinated inter-ministerial implementation.

{GS3 – Envi} Thriving Coral Reef Discovery in Lakshadweep *

• Context (DTE): A healthy and continuous coral reef stretch was discovered near Kalpeni Island, Lakshadweep, amid the ongoing fourth global mass coral bleaching event.

Global Coral Crisis Context

• Mass Bleaching Event: Global coral reef ecosystems are facing unprecedented and recurring stress from prolonged marine heatwaves and steadily rising ocean temperatures.
• Thermal Tipping Risk: At ~1.4°C long-term warming, warm-water reefs approach irreversible decline thresholds (Global Tipping Points Report 2025).
• Ecosystem Dependence: Coral reef systems collectively support nearly 25% of global marine biodiversity, despite occupying only a very small fraction of the ocean area.

Ideal Conditions for Coral Growth

• Stable climatic conditions: Corals are highly susceptible to quick changes. They grow in regions where the climate is significantly stable for a long period of time.
• Perpetually warm waters: Corals thrive in tropical waters (30°N and 30°S latitudes, where the temperature of water is around 20°C), where diurnal and annual temperature ranges are very narrow.
• Shallow water: Corals require a fairly good amount of sunlight to survive. The ideal depths for coral growth are 45 m to 55 m below the sea surface, where abundant sunlight is available.
• Abundant Plankton: Adequate supply of oxygen and microscopic marine food, called plankton (phytoplankton), is essential for growth.
• Little or no pollution: Corals are highly fragile and are vulnerable to climate change and pollution, and even a minute increase in marine pollution can be catastrophic.
• Clear salt water: Clear salt water is suitable for coral growth, while both fresh water and highly saline water are harmful.

Reasons for Thriving Coral Reef Discovery in Lakshadweep

• Thermal Buffering Effect: Local oceanographic processes, including currents and vertical mixing, likely reduced prolonged heat stress exposure on corals.
• Hydrodynamic Water Flushing: Strong and continuous water circulation improved nutrient exchange while preventing damaging thermal accumulation.
• Species-Level Heat Resilience: Dominance of relatively heat-tolerant coral species enhanced ecosystem survival under repeated marine heatwave conditions.

Read More > Coral Reef, Coral Bleaching

{GS3 – Envi} Forest Fires in Northeast India **

• Context (DTE): Forest fires persisted for nearly a week across Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland, prompting sustained aerial firefighting missions.

Affected Locations

• Lohit Valley: High-altitude aerial firefighting missions conducted above ~9,500 ft in remote mountainous regions of Arunachal Pradesh.
• Walong Region: Significant fire suppression operations undertaken in eastern Arunachal Pradesh, a strategically sensitive zone near the India–China frontier.
• Dzukou Valley: Forest fire hotspots observed in the ecologically fragile valley spanning the Nagaland–Manipur border, known for recurrent seasonal fires.
• Japfu Peak Area: Fire-affected zones reported near Japfu Peak, one of Nagaland’s highest elevations, where steep slopes intensified fire behaviour.

Operational Response

• Sustained Aerial Suppression: Indian Air Force helicopters carried out continuous precision water-dropping sorties to contain fires in inaccessible mountainous terrain.
• Large-Scale Water Deployment: Extremely high-volume aerial drops reported; E.g., ~139,800 litres released over Walong and ~12,000 litres over Lohit Valley.

Why Northeast is a Fire-Prone Zone?

• Climatic Vulnerability: Extended dry spells and rising temperatures increase fire risks; E.g., Arunachal Pradesh recorded ~200 times more fire incidents compared to the same period last year (FSI data).
• Shifting Cultivation Practices: Slash-and-burn agricultural cycles create seasonal ignition sources across hill landscapes, particularly during pre-monsoon months.
• Topographic Amplification: Steep slopes, narrow valleys, and strong mountain winds accelerate rapid fire spread and complicate ground-based containment efforts.

Read More > Forest Fires

{Prelims – MEITY – Initiatives} VoicERA Launched on BHASHINI National Infrastructure *

• Context (PIB): The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) launched VoicERA on the BHASHINI National Language Infrastructure during the India AI Impact Summit 2026.

About VoicERA

• VoicERA is an open-source, end-to-end Voice AI stack. It serves as a national execution layer for delivering population-scale, multilingual services.
• The platform was developed by the Digital India BHASHINI Division (DIBD) of the Digital India Corporation (DIC), in collaboration with the EkStep Foundation, IIIT Bengaluru, and AI4Bharat.
• It is designed as a digital public good to prevent vendor lock-in and promote seamless integration across innovation ecosystems.
• Key Technologies: It integrates Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR), Neural Text-to-Speech (TTS), and Large Language Models (LLMs).
• Deployment Flexibility: The stack supports both cloud deployments and on-premises installations.
• Significance: It democratises digital governance by enabling low-literate citizens to access government services through voice commands.

About BHASHINI

• The Bhasha Interface for India (BHASHINI) is an AI-powered language translation platform.
• It was launched in 2022 by MeitY as part of the National Language Translation Mission (NLTM).
• The initiative aims to eliminate linguistic barriers and ensure digital inclusion for all citizens.
• BHASHINI operates as a Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) and uses Natural Language Processing (NLP) to deliver scalable language services.
• It supports all 22 Scheduled Languages and is expanding into tribal and low-resource languages.
• It has successfully integrated with national portals, including e-Shram, e-Gram Swaraj, and the digital systems of the Indian Judiciary.

{Prelims – Exercise} Exercise Vajra Ghaat

• Context (TOI): The Southern Command of the Indian Army conducted Exercise Vajra Ghaat at the Pokhran Field Firing Range, Rajasthan.

• The drill validated Tactics, Techniques and Procedures (TTPs) to enhance survivability and operational effectiveness in harsh desert environments.
• It demonstrated the K9 Vajra artillery system’s combat power and battlefield suitability.

About K9 Vajra

• K9 Vajra is a tracked, self-propelled howitzer. It is the indigenous version of South Korea’s K9 Thunder artillery platform.
• Indigenous Production: Larsen & Toubro manufactures the system under the Make in India initiative through a technology transfer with Hanwha Defence.

• Terrain Mobility: It uses a tracked platform that ensures high cross-country mobility and effective deployment on sandy desert terrain.
• Tactical Capability: The system has a “shoot-and-scoot” feature, enabling quick relocation after firing to avoid enemy counter-bombardment.
• Firepower Strength: It delivers artillery strikes up to 40 km and fires three rounds in 15 seconds through automated fire control.
• Ammunition Compatibility: The system supports both Indian and North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) ammunition.