Top 10 Current Affairs February 2026 for UPSC, SSC and Competitive Exams

From Prime Minister Narendra Modi becoming the 1st leader to be conferred the Top Israeli Parliament honour to India hosting the Global AI Summit . Be it a change of the name of Kerala to Keralam or the Conclusion of the 35th Winter Olympics. This month has witnessed events which have a high tendency of being asked in competitive exams. Let's see all the major highlights of the month in our February 2026 current affairs roundup.
This comprehensive current affairs update will boost your General Knowledge and help you stay ahead in UPSC, SSC, Banking, Railways, Defence, State PSC, Teaching Exams, and other competitive exams. Stay informed. Keep reading!

 1. List of new Appointments in February 2026

2. National News February 2026

2.1 Launch of First LNG–Diesel Dual-Fuel DEMU Train

• Launched by Indian Railways
• The train has been operationalised at Sabarmati in Ahmedabad.
• What Is an LNG–Diesel Dual-Fuel DEMU Train?
  • DEMU means Diesel Electric Multiple Unit train is commonly used for short-distance passenger services.
  • This DEMU train has been upgraded to run on a dual-fuel system, using both Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) and diesel.
  • The train has 1,400 horsepower (HP) driving power cars.

2.2 India’s First Namo Bharat RRTS

• Flagged off at Shatabdi Nagar Namo Bharat Station in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh.
• Total length : 82km
• It would be connecting major urban centres such as Sahibabad, Ghaziabad, Modinagar and Meerut with Delhi at a faster pace.

2.3.India’s First Comprehensive Carbon Trading Programme 

• Initially, 490 units across seven sectors have been issued emission targets, as per notifications in October 2025 and January 2026.
• The steel and fertiliser sectors are proposed for inclusion but are not part of the initial phase covering approximately 800 units responsible for nearly all industrial emissions in India.
• The power sector, despite being the largest polluter, is excluded from this scheme

3. International News February 2026

3.1 Operation Ghazab lil-Haq

• Launched by Pakistan
• Pakistan bombed major cities in Afghanistan. including the capital Kabul.
• This attack came after Afghan forces attacked Pakistani border troops.
• Pakistani air ‌strikes hit 22 Afghan ⁠military targets with authorities claiming kill of 300 Afghan Taliban personnel.

3.2 First Indian Leader to Receive Israel’s Top Parliamentary Honour

• Received by Narendra Modi (Prime Minister of India)
• Name of the honour : Speaker of the Knesset Medal
• He also became the first global leader to receive this prestigious recognition from the Israeli Parliament.
• The honour was conferred by Amir Ohana, Speaker of the Knesset.

3.3 India-AI Impact Summit 2026

• It will be the first global AI summit to be hosted in the Global South.
• It's anchored on 3 foundational pillars, or 'Sutras': People, Planet and Progress.
• Location : Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi
• Theme : Sarvajan Hitaya, Sarvajan Sukhaya

4. States/UTs News February 2026

4.1 India’s First ‘Musical Road’ on Coastal Road

• Location : Mumbai (Maharashtra)
• The stretch plays the famous song “Jai Ho” from Slumdog Millionaire as vehicles pass over it at a fixed speed.
• The project was commissioned by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).

4.2 Proposal approved to rename Kerala as “Keralam” 

• Proposal approved by : Union Cabinet
• The decision follows a resolution passed by the Kerala Legislative Assembly on June 24, 2024, requesting the Centre to take steps under Article 3 of the Constitution to officially alter the State’s name.
• According to Condstitution of India, Article 3 empowers Parliament to alter the name, area, or boundaries of a State by law.

5. Defence News February 2026

5.1 Indian Navy Assumes Command of Combined Task Force 154

• The Combined Task Force 154 is under the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF).
• About CTF 154 : 
  • Established in May 2023 as part of the 47-nation Combined Maritime Forces.
  • It's dedicated primarily to training and capacity building.
  • It conducts regular Maritime Security Enhancement Training (MSET) programs.

5.2 Commissioning of INS Anjadip

• It's India fourth ship of the Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft (ASW-SWC) project.
• The INS Anjadip, named after the historical island off the coast of Karwar.
• It's by the collaboration of Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE), Kolkata and Larsen & Toubro Shipbuilding,Kattupali.
• As a 'Dolphin Hunter', the 77-meter-long, 1400-tons vessel is configured for rapid response and sustained operations in coastal environment.

5.3 Exercise MILAN-2026

• Edition : 13th
• It's India’s largest multilateral naval exercise.
• Total participating nationd : 74
• About Exercise MILAN : 
  • Exercise MILAN is a biennial multilateral naval exercise hosted by the Indian Navy.
  • It started in the year 1995.

6. Sports Highlights February 2026

6.1 Winter Olympics 2026

• Edition : 35th
• Host : Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy 🇮🇹
• Top in the medal tally : Norway 🇳🇴 (Total medals : 41 including 18 gold)
• 1st held in the year 1924 in Charmonix (France).
• Next edition to be held in French Alps (France) in 2030.

6.2 Historic Moment for J&K Cricket

• Jammu & Kashmir scripted history by reaching their first-ever Ranji Trophy final.
• It's their First Ranji Trophy final in 66 years.
• Jammu & Kashmir batter Paras Dogra became the fastest batter to reach 10,000 runs in this tournament.
• About Ranji Trophy : 
  • First edition held in the year 1934.
  • Most successful team : Mumbai (won 42 times)

DYK: Bhupinder Singh, the Maharaja of Patiala, donated the trophy for the tournament, and suggested that it should be named after Ranjitsinhji (the first Indian to play international cricket).

6.3 Rashid Khan creates cricketing history

• Rashid Khan becomes the first bowler in history to take 700 T20 wickets during the T20 World Cup 2026.
• Country : Afghanistan 🇦🇫
• This feat was achieved in the match of Afghanistan against UAE .

7. Important Awards February 2026

7.1   BBC Indian Sportswoman of the Year 2025

• Awarded to Smriti Mandhana (Sport : Cricket)
• It recognized her outstanding contribution to India’s historic Women’s World Cup victory.
• The  Emerging Player of the Year award was awarded to Indian Chess prodigy Divya Deshmukh.

7.2  India's First-Ever BAFTA Children’s Film Award

• Won by Boong
• Award was won in the Best Children’s and Family Film category.
• The film is made in Manipuri-language .
• Directed by : Lakshmipriya Devi
• The film follows a young boy named Boong from the valley of Manipur who wants to surprise his mother with a special gift. In his innocence he believes that bringing his father will back home would be the greatest present.

7.3 Swachhata Pakhwada 2025 

• Won by Paradip Port (Odisha)
• Awarded by : Ministry of Ports,Shipping and Waterways
• It recognizes outstanding efforts in sanitation, green initiatives and community participation.

8. Report/Ranking/Portal February 2026

8.1 Women, Peace and Security Index 2025/26

• Published by Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security and the Peace Research Institute Oslo.
• It measures women’s well-being across three key dimensions  inclusion, justice and security .
• Top in the Index : Denmark 🇩🇰
• India’s rank : 131st

8.2 Global Corruption Perceptions Index 2025

• Released by Transparency International.
• It evaluated 182 countries based on perceived public sector corruption.
• The scores range from 0 (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean).
• Top in the index : Denmark 🇩🇰 (Score of 89)
• India's rank : 91st 

9. Obituaries February 2026

9.1 T.K. Oommen

• Renowned sociologist.
• Often regarded as a leading architect of modern Indian sociology.
• Was awarded India’s third highest civilian award Padma Bhushan in 2008.

9.2 David J. Farber

• Also known as the Grandfather of the Internet.
• One of his most notable students was Jonathan Postel, whose work helped define the early development of the Internet Protocol.
• Another student, Paul Mockapetris, helped design the Domain Name System (DNS)  the system that translates website names into IP addresses.

9.3 Pravina Deshpande

• Profession : Acting
• She gained recognition in popular TV shows like Ghar Ek Mandir, Karam Apnaa Apnaa, and Kulfi Kumar Bajewala.

10. Important Books February 2026

10.1 Atal Bihari Vajpayee: The Eternal Statesman

• Released by Vice-President C. P. Radhakrishnan.
• Authored by Shri Vijay Goel.
• It highlights major milestones of Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s political journey.
• One of the major achievements which was mentioned in this book was Pokhran nuclear tests (1998) which strengthened national security.

10.2 Four Stars of Destiny

• It’s an Autobiography by Manoj Mukund Naravane.
• He served as the 28th Chief of the Indian Army.

Here's the BONUS! Special Days in February 2026 List of National & International Important Days

Want to revise the biggest national and international developments from last year as well? Read Top Current Affairs of 2025 to quickly recap the key events, policies, awards, and global shifts that shaped competitive exam questions.
Catch the Latest current affairs from this year 👇

Read: Top 10 Current Affairs January 2026