Daily Current Affairs and GK Updates (18th February 2026)

State News

MP Budget 2026-27: Big Money, Bigger Impact for Women and Rural Communities

• Madhya Pradesh Finance Minister Jagdish Devda presented the ₹4.38 lakh crore Budget 2026-27 in the state assembly on February 18, 2026, emphasizing women-centric welfare, rural development, youth employment, and infrastructure.
• About ₹1.27 lakh crore has been earmarked for women’s schemes, including 5,700 working women hostels and continued support for Ladli Behna Yojana, benefiting over 1.25 crore women.
• The budget allocates ₹3,600 crore for Simhastha Kumbh 2028 in Ujjain, alongside rural employment, solar pumps for 1 lakh farmers, and investments in roads, water, and education, while imposing no new taxes.
• Despite these initiatives, the Opposition raised concerns over rising state debt, including ₹5,600 crore borrowing even before the session.

Gujarat’s Biggest-Ever Budget 2026-27: AI, Tourism, and Olympic Dreams in Focus

• The Gujarat Budget 2026-27, with a record ₹4.08 lakh crore outlay, focuses on tourism, AI policing, sports, transport, and social welfare.
• It declares 2026 as Gujarat Tourism Year, allocating ₹5,096 crore for heritage sites, pilgrimage hubs, and infrastructure.
• AI-driven policing and 20,444 new police houses aim to enhance law enforcement efficiency.
• Ahmedabad is being prepared as an Olympic-ready city with ₹1,278 crore for sports complexes, while 2,463 upgraded buses and 1,155 km of high-speed roads boost connectivity and green mobility.
• Health coverage up to ₹10 lakh for employees ensures financial protection and inclusive growth.

Gujarat Paves the Way for Women’s Workforce Expansion with Landmark Bill

• The Gujarat Assembly passed the Shops and Establishments (Amendment) Bill, 2026, allowing women to work night shifts with safety safeguards, including creches, transport, and harassment protections.
• Daily working hours rise from 9 to 10, with weekly limits unchanged at 48 hours and mandatory breaks maintained.
• Overtime limits increase from 125 to 144 hours per three months, with double wage compensation.
• Introduced by Labour Minister Kunvarji Bavaliya, the law replaces a December 2025 ordinance, balancing expanded work flexibility for employers with enhanced safety, welfare, and dignity measures for women employees.

International News

India Gifts Maldives Its First High-Speed Ferry, Strengthening Maritime Ties

• India has gifted the Maldives its first high-speed ferry, inaugurating the Raajje Transport Link (RTL) services between Faafu and Dhaalu Atolls under the High Impact Community Development Project (HICDP) Phase III.
• The ferry, the first of 12 planned, aims to enhance inter-island connectivity, support local mobility, boost tourism, fisheries, and provide better access to healthcare and education.
• With a grant of approximately ₹55 crore, the initiative strengthens India-Maldives maritime cooperation and reflects India’s Neighbourhood First policy and Vision MAHASAGAR for regional security and growth.
• High-level exchanges between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Mohamed Muizzu underscore the strategic importance of these connectivity and development projects.

India & UK Launch Offshore Wind Taskforce Under Vision 2035

• India and the UK launched the India-UK Offshore Wind Taskforce under Vision 2035 during the Fourth India-UK Energy Dialogue to accelerate clean energy cooperation.
• Backed by ₹7,453 crore in Viability Gap Funding, the initiative targets offshore wind development in Gujarat and Tamil Nadu, combining UK expertise with India’s renewable scale.
• The taskforce focuses on ecosystem planning, infrastructure and supply chains, and financing frameworks to create bankable projects.
• Aligned with India’s National Green Hydrogen Mission, offshore wind will support coastal hydrogen clusters, strengthen energy security, and advance long-term industrial decarbonisation goals.

India & France Launch Game-Changing AI Centre at AIIMS Delhi

• India and France inaugurated the Indo-French Centre for AI in Health (IF-CAIH) at AIIMS New Delhi during the RUSH 2026 meetings, led by J. P. Nadda and Emmanuel Macron.
• The centre will advance AI-driven healthcare research, brain health, and clinical decision systems through collaboration between IIT Delhi and Sorbonne University.
• Focus areas include responsible health data use, innovation, and academic exchange.
• The initiative strengthens bilateral cooperation in digital health, sovereign AI development, and youth-led innovation.

Japan Reappoints Sanae Takaichi as PM After Historic Landslide Victory

• Sanae Takaichi was formally reappointed Prime Minister of Japan on February 18, 2026, after securing a two-thirds majority in the February 8 snap election for the Liberal Democratic Party.
• Her strong mandate enables constitutional and security reforms, including expanded defence capabilities and a potential National Intelligence Agency.
• Takaichi signaled updates to the Free and Open Indo-Pacific strategy and reaffirmed Japan’s role in the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership.
• Her agenda prioritizes fiscal reform, intelligence expansion, and a tougher national security posture amid rising regional tensions.

PM Modi Inaugurated India AI Impact Summit 2026 & Unveils M.A.N.A.V Vision

• Narendra Modi inaugurated the India AI Impact Summit 2026 at Bharat Mandapam, calling AI a transformative chapter in human history.
• Addressing delegates from 100+ countries, he unveiled the M.A.N.A.V framework promoting ethical, accountable, sovereign, inclusive, and legitimate AI governance.
• Emphasizing “Sarvajan Hitaya, Sarvajan Sukhaya,” Modi urged democratized, human-centric AI for the Global South.
• He highlighted skilling, transparency against deepfakes, and global standards for trusted AI, while positioning India as a hub for responsible AI innovation and global collaboration.

Banking News

RBI’s New Rulebook: UTI Required for All OTC Derivative Deals by 2027

• The Reserve Bank of India has mandated a Unique Transaction Identifier (UTI) for all OTC derivatives trades from January 1, 2027.
• The rule covers rupee interest rate, foreign currency, credit derivatives, and government securities forwards.
• Each trade will carry a globally compatible 52-character UTI, including the Legal Entity Identifier of the generating entity.
• Transactions will continue to be reported to the Clearing Corporation of India Limited Trade Repository.
• The move enhances transparency, prevents duplication, strengthens regulatory oversight, and improves systemic risk monitoring in India’s OTC derivatives market.

Awards News

Mumbai to Host Prince William’s Earthshot Prize 2026 During Climate Week

• Mumbai will host The Earthshot Prize 2026, founded by Prince William, marking a milestone in India’s climate leadership.
• Launched in 2020, the prize awards £1 million each to five global innovators annually for scalable solutions in climate, biodiversity, air, oceans, and waste.
• The announcement coincided with Mumbai Climate Week, highlighting India’s growing green innovation ecosystem and net-zero 2070 commitment.
• Hosting the event strengthens India’s global environmental role and spotlights climate solutions emerging from the Global South.

Ranks & Reports News

Top 10 Under 40 Billionaires: This Fellow Leads India’s Charge To World Level

• Nikhil Kamath ranks 20th on Forbes 2025 list of richest self-made billionaires under 40 with $3.3 billion, the only India-based name in the top 20.
• The list highlights 71 young entrepreneurs with a combined wealth of $218 billion, led by Edwin Chen at $18 billion, driven largely by AI and technology.
• Kamath co-founded Zerodha, revolutionizing retail trading in India, showcasing the country’s fintech growth.
• Globally, technology dominates young wealth creation, with 48 out of 71 billionaires from tech, followed by finance and investments, while the overall combined wealth remains lower than the 2021 pandemic peak.

Science & Technology News

L&T & NVIDIA Join Forces to Build India’s First Gigawatt-Scale AI Factory

• Larsen & Toubro has partnered with NVIDIA to develop sovereign gigawatt-scale AI factory infrastructure in India, unveiled at the AI Impact Summit.
• The collaboration focuses on high-density GPU clusters, AI model training, and enterprise-grade AI services, enabling scalable and secure AI computing for national and global workloads.
• Planned expansions include a 30 MW facility in Chennai and a 40 MW data centre in Mumbai, forming part of India’s largest AI infrastructure initiative.
• The venture leverages L&T’s engineering expertise and NVIDIA’s AI hardware-software stack, signaling a $9–10 billion investment and a long-term push for next-generation AI capabilities.

Historic Moment! India Sets Guinness Record for Most AI Pledges in 24 Hours

• India set a Guinness World Record by collecting 2,50,946 pledges for responsible AI use within 24 hours at the India AI Impact Summit 2026 in New Delhi, announced by Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw.
• Launched under the IndiaAI Mission with Intel India, the pledge promoted ethical, transparent, and accountable AI practices, emphasizing data privacy and combating misinformation.
• Students and educational institutions played a key role, making it a student-driven digital movement.
• The record underscores India’s leadership in ethical AI, citizen engagement, and trust-building, demonstrating a nationwide commitment to inclusive and responsible artificial intelligence adoption.

Open-Source & Made for India: VoicERA AI Stack Debuts on BHASHINI

• India launched VoicERA, an open-source Voice AI stack, at the India AI Impact Summit 2026 to advance multilingual digital empowerment.
• Introduced by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology on the BHASHINI infrastructure, the platform enables secure, scalable, and real-time voice services across sectors.
• Developed with support from EkStep Foundation, IIIT Bangalore, and AI4Bharat, VoicERA supports speech recognition, conversational AI, and multilingual telephony.
• The initiative strengthens Digital Public Infrastructure, promotes sovereign AI capabilities, and expands inclusive, voice-based citizen access to government services nationwide.

Google’s $15 Billion ‘America-India Connect’ Cable Plan to Power AI Future

• At the India AI Impact Summit 2026, Google announced a $15 billion, five-year investment under the America-India Connect initiative to boost digital and AI connectivity between India and the United States.
• The project includes a new subsea gateway in Visakhapatnam and multiple cable routes linking Singapore, South Africa, and Australia, strengthening bandwidth and resilience.
• CEO Sundar Pichai highlighted AI-driven growth and healthcare collaboration with AIIMS New Delhi, reinforcing India’s role as a global AI and digital infrastructure hub.

GalaxEye Partners with NSIL to Sell Satellite Imagery Globally

• In a boost to India’s New Space ecosystem, GalaxEye signed a data reseller partnership with NewSpace India Limited, the commercial arm of Indian Space Research Organisation.
• NSIL will resell GalaxEye’s SyncFused OptoSAR imagery solutions globally, marking the first such collaboration with a private Indian satellite operator.
• The technology combines optical and SAR data for all-weather, day-night Earth observation.
• The partnership advances space commercialisation, supports Aatmanirbhar Bharat, and expands applications in agriculture, disaster management, infrastructure planning, and environmental monitoring.

Sports News

Historic Moment for J&K Cricket: First Ranji Final in 66 Years

• Jammu & Kashmir created history by reaching their first-ever Ranji Trophy final, defeating Bengal by six wickets at Kalyani.
• Chasing a modest target, J&K overcame early jitters with key contributions from Abdul Samad, who scored 82 in the first innings and a quick 30 in the chase, and Vanshaj Sharma, who sealed victory with a straight six.
• The win ends a 66-year wait for a final appearance, highlighting J&K’s consistent rise in domestic cricket, marked by previous wins against Mumbai, MP, Delhi, and Kerala.
• Samad’s fearless innings under pressure proved decisive in this landmark achievement.

Important Days News

Shivaji Maharaj Jayanti 2026: Why 19 February Is a Day of Pride, Courage and Swarajya

• Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Jayanti 2026 will be celebrated on 19 February across India, especially in Maharashtra, to honour the founder of the Maratha Empire and his vision of Swarajya.
• Born at Shivneri Fort and crowned at Raigad Fort in 1674, he was known for guerrilla warfare, strong naval power, and people-centric governance.
• He promoted merit-based administration, religious harmony, and cultural pride.
• The celebration, popularised by Bal Gangadhar Tilak, includes rallies, cultural programs, and educational events to inspire patriotism, bravery, and leadership among younger generations.

Current Affairs Today | 19 February 2026 Current Affairs | Daily Current Affairs By Ashish Gautam