1. PARLIAMENTARY NOTICE FILED AGAINST OPPOSITION LEADER OVER ETHICAL CONDUCT
SUBJECT: POLITY
- A formal notice for a Substantive Motion was filed in Parliament against the Leader of the Opposition (LoP), alleging unethical conduct during recent parliamentary debates.
- The motion aims to address specific grievances regarding the dignity of the House, asserting that high-ranking officials must adhere to strict procedural decorum.
- Legislative records show that the Winter Session has seen increased friction, with the government pushing for 14 key bills while the Opposition demands transparency on electoral rolls.
- The Ministry of Home Affairs issued a new directive for the nationwide enforcement of the complete rendition of Vande Mataram (all six stanzas) in educational and government institutions.
- Discussions on Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls continue to dominate the Rajya Sabha, with calls for a more inclusive digital voter verification system.
- Concepts: Substantive Motion – A self-contained independent proposal submitted for the House’s approval, used to discuss the conduct of persons in high authority (President, Judges, CAG, etc.); Article 118 – Rules of Procedure for the Houses of Parliament.
2. TAMIL NADU RELEASES ₹9,000 CRORE DIRECT BENEFIT TRANSFER TO WOMEN
SUBJECT: NATIONAL / TAMIL NADU
- The Tamil Nadu government completed the advance transfer of the Magalir Urimai Thogai (Women’s Entitlement Scheme), crediting ₹5,000 to over 1.31 crore women’s bank accounts.
- Chief Minister M.K. Stalin announced that if re-elected in 2026, the monthly entitlement would be increased to ₹2,000, framing it as a shield against “schemes to block social welfare.”
- The Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) in Chennai has predicted a new low-pressure area forming in the Bay of Bengal within 48 hours, threatening the coastal districts with fresh rain.
- Killai village in Cuddalore district was officially designated as Tamil Nadu’s first Climate Resilient Village, featuring infrastructure adapted for sea-level rise and storm surges.
- The Mumbai Coastal Road inaugurated India’s first “Musical Highway” stretch, an engineering feat designed to alert drivers through sound vibrations on the pavement.
- Concepts: TN-SHORE Project – A ₹1,675-crore mission funded by the World Bank for coastal restoration; Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) – Mechanism to ensure social security without intermediaries.
3. BRAZILIAN AND FRENCH PRESIDENTS TO ATTEND INDIA-AI IMPACT SUMMIT
SUBJECT: INTERNATIONAL
- The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) confirmed that Brazilian President Lula da Silva and French President Emmanuel Macron will attend the India-AI Impact Summit in New Delhi on February 18-22.
- The summit aims to establish international norms for Artificial Intelligence in security and military contexts, countering Western-led frameworks that BRICS nations view as restrictive.
- India’s crude oil imports from Russia have seen a strategic shift, with private refiners pausing spot purchases following a new India-US executive order linked to a bilateral trade deal.
- The US approved a $92.8 million arms sale to India, focusing on enhancing the Indo-Pacific defense interoperability through advanced tech sharing.
- Mauritius has hailed India’s leadership in the Global South, confirming participation in the AI Summit to discuss “responsible commerce” and digital public infrastructure.
- Concepts: Multipolarity – India’s pursuit of a balanced global order; Indo-US Interim Trade Agreement – The February 6 framework reducing reciprocal tariffs from 25% to 18%.
4. RBI RAISES FY26 GDP GROWTH FORECAST TO 7.4% AMID DOMESTIC STRENGTH
SUBJECT: ECONOMY
- The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) upgraded its real GDP growth projection for the financial year 2025-26 to 7.4%, citing robust domestic demand and steady private consumption.
- Goldman Sachs also upgraded India’s outlook to 6.9% for 2026, noting that the recent India-US trade deal could provide a 0.2 percentage point boost to the economy.
- The Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) 1.2 scheme was expanded to include Specialty Steel Manufacturing, aiming to reduce high-value imports in the infrastructure sector.
- India’s Current Account Deficit (CAD) narrowed significantly in early 2026, supported by an 11% rise in services exports despite global merchandise trade volatility.
- Rural consumption has outpaced urban growth at 7.9%, driven by increased Minimum Support Price (MSP) allocations and stabilized agricultural input costs.
- Concepts: Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) – Responsible for setting the benchmark interest rate (currently steady at 5.25%); Viksit Bharat @2047 – The national vision for becoming a developed economy.
5. DEFENCE MINISTRY UNVEILS DRAFT DEFENCE ACQUISITION PROCEDURE (DAP) 2026
SUBJECT: DEFENCE
- The Ministry of Defence (MoD) released the Draft DAP 2026, proposing transformative reforms to prioritize the “Buy Indian-IDDM” (Indigenously Designed, Developed, and Manufactured) category.
- The draft outlines a capital procurement budget of ₹2.19 lakh crore for FY 2026-27, with the new procedures set to take effect from April 1, 2026.
- Prime Minister Modi inaugurated the Northeast’s first Emergency Landing Facility (ELF) at Moran, Dibrugarh, during a high-profile airshow by the Indian Air Force.
- The MoD has institutionalized “Spiral Development,” allowing for the continuous upgrading of military platforms like the Tejas Mk2 and indigenous drone swarms.
- New reforms in Quality Assurance (QA) and trials were proposed to reduce the time-to-market for defense startups under the INDUS-X framework.
- Concepts: Strategic Autonomy – The core philosophy driving the shift from defense imports to exports; Atmanirbhar Bharat – The initiative targeting 100% domestic production of key defense equipment by the end of 2025.
