Daily Current Affairs Quiz 17th February 2026 Check Important Questions Here

Practice Current Affairs Quiz to stay updated with national, international, economic, and banking news. This quiz is based on the previous day’s current affairs and is designed to boost your exam readiness, improve speed and accuracy, strengthen memory, and build confidence for competitive exams and interviews.

Daily Current Affairs:17 February 2026

Q1. The adult male tiger ‘Explorer’ was reintroduced into Papikonda National Park under Operation Stripes in February 2026. Papikonda National Park is situated in which state?

(a) Telangana
(b) Odisha
(c) Andhra Pradesh
(d) Chhattisgarh
(e) Maharashtra

Answer: c

Solution:

• In February 2026, an adult male tiger named ‘Explorer’ was reintroduced into the wild in the Godavari landscape of Papikonda National Park (PNP) in Andhra Pradesh.
• The reintroduction took place on 14 February 2026, under the conservation initiative Operation Stripes.
• The tiger was released eight days after being tranquilised by forest authorities.
• It had travelled more than 650 kilometres through a functional wildlife corridor connecting Central India and the Eastern Ghats.
• After monitoring its behaviour, conservationists classified the tiger as non-aggressive (“innocent”).
• Based on this assessment, authorities decided to reintroduce the tiger into its natural habitat instead of keeping it in captivity.
• The initiative reflects ongoing efforts to protect tiger populations and maintain wildlife corridors for natural movement.

Q2. During FY 2025–26 (up to 31 January 2026), India recorded its highest-ever annual addition in power generation capacity. What was the total capacity added during this period?
(a) 34,054 MW
(b) 39,657 MW
(c) 45,210 MW
(d) 52,537 MW
(e) 60,000 MW

Answer: d

Solution:

• During FY 2025–26 (up to 31 January 2026), India added a record 52,537 MW of total power generation capacity from all sources.
• Out of this, 39,657 MW was added from renewable energy sources.
• The renewable capacity addition includes:
  1. 34,955 MW from solar power
  2. 4,613 MW from wind power
• This represents the highest-ever capacity addition in a single year, surpassing the previous record of 34,054 MW achieved during FY 2024–25.
• The addition in FY 2025–26 (up to 31 January 2026) resulted in an increase of more than 11% in the country’s total installed capacity.

Total Installed Power Capacity (as on 31 January 2026)

• India’s total installed power generation capacity stands at 520,510.95 MW.
• The capacity is divided as follows:
  1. Fossil fuel-based capacity: 248,541.62 MW
  2. Non-fossil fuel capacity: 271,969.33 MW
• The non-fossil fuel capacity includes:
  1. Nuclear power: 8,780 MW
  2. Renewable energy sources: 263,189.33 MW

Q3. In February 2026, the Government of India launched a CBDC-based Digital Food Currency pilot under the Public Distribution System. In which state was this pilot first introduced?(a) Maharashtra
(b) Gujarat
(c) Rajasthan
(d) Tamil Nadu
(e) Karnataka

Answer: b

Solution:

• On 15 February 2026, the Government of India launched a Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC)-based Digital Food Currency pilot in Gujarat.
• Under the CBDC framework, digital coupons generated through the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will be credited directly to beneficiaries as programmable digital currency (e₹).
• Beneficiaries can use these digital coupons or voucher codes to redeem their entitled foodgrains at Fair Price Shops (FPS).
• The system aims to address issues related to: Biometric authentication failures, and e-POS operational challenges
• It ensures secure, traceable, and real-time transactions under the Public Distribution System (PDS).
• The pilot has been launched in four districts of Gujarat: Ahmedabad, Anand, Valsad and Surat
• The initiative is a collaboration between: Government of India, Reserve Bank of India and Government of Gujarat.
• In future phases, the pilot will be expanded to the Union Territories of: Chandigarh, Puducherry and Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu
• Under the system, beneficiaries’ digital wallets will hold programmable digital rupee, enabling: QR code-based transactions and Coupon code-based transactions at FPS
• The system eliminates repeated biometric authentication, improves efficiency, and creates a real-time digital trail for better transparency and accountability.
• Fair Price Shop dealers will also receive their margins in real time, creating a mutually beneficial system.
• The pilot aims to integrate digital technology with welfare delivery and improve last-mile service efficiency.

Q4. India’s retail inflation in January 2026 stood at 2.75% under the revised Consumer Price Index (CPI) series. What is the new base year adopted for this CPI revision?
(a) 2010
(b) 2012
(c) 2015
(d) 2020
(e) 2024

Answer: e

Solution:

• India’s retail inflation stood at 2.75% in January 2026 on an annual basis under the new Consumer Price Index (CPI) series.
• Under the old CPI series, inflation had been 1.33% in December 2025.
• The new release marks the first major revision of India’s retail inflation series in more than a decade.
• The base year has been updated from 2012 to 2024.
• Despite the rise, inflation remained within the Reserve Bank of India’s tolerance band.
• According to the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI):
  • Rural inflation rose to 2.73%.
  • Urban inflation increased to 2.77%.
• The food inflation rate, based on the All India Consumer Food Price Index, stood at 2.13%, compared with a deflation of 2.7% in December 2025.
• A key feature of the revised CPI is the reduced weight of food items in the overall index.

Q5. In February 2026, which Norwegian athlete set a Winter Olympics record by winning his ninth gold medal in cross-country skiing at the Milan–Cortina Games?
(a) Petter Northug
(b) Johannes Høsflot Klæbo
(c) Martin Johnsrud Sundby
(d) Emil Iversen
(e) Pål Golberg

Answer: b

Solution:

• On 15 February 2026, Norway’s Johannes Høsflot Klæbo won his ninth gold medal in cross-country skiing at the Milan–Cortina Winter Olympics.
• With this achievement, he set a new Winter Games record for the most gold medals in the sport.
• The 29-year-old athlete secured the milestone while anchoring the 4 × 7.5 km relay in the men’s competition.
• This victory marked his fourth gold medal at the 2026 Winter Olympics.
• Before this, he shared the record with three retired Norwegian cross-country skiers.