Daily Current Affairs Quiz 19th 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:19 February, 2026

Q1. In the Union Budget 2026–27, the share of Gender Budget allocation in the total budget increased to what percentage?(a) 8.25%
(b) 8.86%
(c) 9.10%
(d) 9.37%
(e) 10.00%

Answer: d

Solution:

• The Union Budget 2026–27 was presented by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on 1 February 2026.
• The share of Gender Budget allocation in the total Union Budget increased to 37% in FY 2026–27, up from 8.86% in FY 2025–26.
• A total allocation of ₹5.01 lakh crore has been made for the welfare of women and girls under the Gender Budget Statement (GBS) for FY 2026–27.
• This represents an increase of 11.55% over the ₹4.49 lakh crore allocated in FY 2025–26.
• In FY 2026–27, a total of 53 Ministries/Departments and 5 Union Territories reported allocations under the Gender Budget.
• In FY 2025–26, the number was 49 Ministries/Departments and 5 Union Territories.
• This marks the highest number of reporting Ministries/Departments since the inception of the Gender Budget Statement.
• Four new Ministries/Departments reported allocations in the GBS for FY 2026–27.

Top Ministries/Departments with More Than 30% Allocation in Gender Budget

• Ministry of Women & Child Development – 81.73%
• Department of Rural Development – 69.92%
• Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region – 48.60%
• Department of Drinking Water & Sanitation – 48.04%
• Department of Food and Public Distribution – 46.34%
• Department of Health and Family Welfare – 40.44%
• Ministry of New & Renewable Energy – 39.05%
• Department of Higher Education – 32.25%
• Ministry of Panchayati Raj – 30.93%
• Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas – 30.22%
• Department of School Education and Literacy – 30.10%

Q2. During French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to India in February 2026, to which partnership level did the two countries agree to elevate their bilateral relations?
(a) Comprehensive Strategic Partnership
(b) Global Development Partnership
(c) Special Global Strategic Partnership
(d) Advanced Defence Partnership
(e) Indo-Pacific Strategic Alliance

Answer: c

Solution:

During French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to India in February 2026, both countries agreed to elevate their bilateral relationship to a “Special Global Strategic Partnership.” This upgraded status reflects the deepening cooperation between India and France across defence, space, nuclear energy, artificial intelligence, trade, and global governance, and will guide their collaboration in the coming decades.

Q3. During the India AI Impact Summit 2026, Union Health Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda launched SAHI and BODH to strengthen which sector through AI-based initiatives?
(a) Agriculture
(b) Education
(c) tourism
(d) Banking
(e) Healthcare

Answer: e

Solution:

• On 17 February 2026, Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda launched two digital health initiatives—SAHI and BODH—during the India AI Impact Summit 2026.
• These initiatives aim to strengthen the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in India’s healthcare ecosystem.

SAHI (Secure AI for Health Initiative)

• SAHI is a national guidance framework for the safe, ethical, evidence-based, and inclusive use of AI in healthcare.
• It provides direction on:
  1. Governance and data stewardship
  2. Validation and deployment of AI tools
  3. Monitoring and evaluation of AI solutions
• It will support States and healthcare institutions in adopting AI aligned with public health priorities.

BODH (Benchmarking Open Data Platform for Health AI)

• BODH is a privacy-preserving benchmarking platform for evaluating AI models.
• It was developed by IIT Kanpur in collaboration with the National Health Authority (NHA).
• The platform allows evaluation using real-world health data without sharing the underlying datasets.
• It functions as a digital public good under the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission.
• Its objective is to enhance trust, transparency, and quality assurance in health AI deployment.

Q4. The Indian Navy established a dedicated MILAN Village in which city for delegates participating in the 13th Exercise MILAN 2026?
(a) Kochi
(b) Mumbai
(c) Visakhapatnam
(d) Chennai
(e) Port Blair

Answer: c

Solution:

• The Indian Navy has set up a dedicated MILAN Village in Visakhapatnam to facilitate cultural and social interactions among delegates of the 13th Exercise MILAN 2026.
• The exercise is being conducted from 15 to 25 February 2026.
• More than 70 countries are participating in the exercise.
• Germany, the Philippines, and the UAE are participating for the first time.

About Exercise MILAN

• MILAN is a biennial multilateral naval exercise hosted by the Indian Navy.
• It was first launched in 1995 under the Andaman and Nicobar Command.
• The inaugural edition had participation from four foreign navies: Indonesia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, and Thailand.
• Over the years, it has evolved into one of the largest maritime engagements in the Indo-Pacific region.

Core Objectives

• To promote mutual understanding, trust, and professional cooperation among maritime partners.
• To support a free, open, inclusive, and rules-based maritime order.

Structure of the Exercise

• The exercise is conducted in two main phases:
  • Harbour Phase: Seminars, subject-matter expert exchanges, and professional interactions.
  • Sea Phase: Focuses on interoperability, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR), anti-submarine warfare, and tactical manoeuvres.

Q5. Exercise Vajra Ghaat, held at the Pokhran Field Firing Range in February 2026 to demonstrate the K9 Vajra artillery system in desert conditions, was conducted by which defence force?(a) Indian Navy
(b) Indian Air Force
(c) Indian Army
(d) Indian Coast Guard
(e) National Security Guard

Answer: c

Solution:

• The Indian Army’s Southern Command conducted Exercise Vajra Ghaat on 16 February 2026 at the Pokhran Field Firing Range in Jaisalmer district, Rajasthan.
• The exercise demonstrated the combat capabilities and operational readiness of the K9 Vajra self-propelled artillery gun system in desert warfare conditions.
• The primary objective was to validate refined Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures (TTPs) to enhance battlefield survivability and operational effectiveness.
• The exercise was spearheaded by the White Tiger Division.
• It showcased the Army’s ability to rapidly deploy heavy artillery assets in the harsh terrain of the Thar Desert.
• The successful validation of refined TTPs is expected to strengthen the Army’s combat posture in the western sector.