🔆 CURRENT AFFAIRS – 19 FEB 2026

🔆 NATIONAL

📍 VoicERA – Open Source Voice AI Stack
✅ Launched by MeitY
✅ Deployed on BHASHINI platform
✅ Multilingual AI speech ecosystem

📍 Indo-French Centre on AI in Global Health
✅ Inaugurated at AIIMS New Delhi
✅ Collaboration: AIIMS + Sorbonne University + Paris Brain Institute + IIT Delhi

📍 AI Governance Framework (IndiaAI Mission)
✅ Seven AI Sutras: Trust, People First, Innovation, Fairness, Accountability, Understandable by Design, Safety & Sustainability

📍 Gender Budget 2026–27
✅ Allocation: ₹5.01 lakh crore
✅ 9.37% of total Union Budget
✅ Focus: Women & girl-centric schemes

📍 Tamil-Brahmi Inscriptions in Egypt
✅ Found in Valley of the Kings (UNESCO Site)
✅ Dating: 1st–3rd century CE
✅ Indicates early India–Egypt contact

📍 India’s First National Biobank for LSDs
✅ Location: Ahmedabad (FRIGE)
✅ Focus: Lysosomal Storage Disorders

📍 IICA Advisory Group – Ease of Doing Business
✅ Constituted under MCA
✅ Chair: Gyaneshwar Kumar Singh

📍 Loggerhead Turtles
✅ IUCN Status: Vulnerable
✅ Protected under Schedule I (WPA 1972)

📍 European Legal Gateway Office
✅ First EU legal hub launched in India

🔆 DEFENCE
📍 UN Fellowship on SALW Control
✅ Hosted by Indian Army
✅ Venue: MCMM, Jabalpur
✅ Organised by UNODA
✅ Focus: Small Arms & Light Weapons control

🔆 MoUs

📍 FCI–World Food Programme
✅ 2 lakh MT rice supply for humanitarian operations
✅ WFP HQ: Rome | Nobel Peace Prize 2020

📍 India–Nepal Mutual Legal Assistance Agreement
✅ Strengthens cooperation in criminal investigations

📍 GIFT City–AJNIFM MoU
✅ Collaboration in financial management & fintech

📍 IICA–NALSAR MoU
✅ Academic partnership for 5 years

🔆 STATES

📍 UP – Gyan Bharatam Mission
✅ District-level manuscript digitisation
✅ Covers 75+ year-old handwritten texts

📍 Tamil Nadu – Anti-Fire Measures
✅ Protection plan for Nilgiris forests

📍 Demwe Lower Hydel Project (Arunachal Pradesh)
✅ 1,750 MW on Lohit River
✅ Environmental clearance extended till 2037

📍 Maharashtra – Beat the Heat Programme
✅ 30 cities joined
✅ Backed by UNEP Cool Coalition
✅ Focus: Sustainable cooling & urban resilience

🔆 IMPORTANT DAYS
📍 80th Anniversary – 1946 Royal Indian Navy Revolt
✅ Observed on 18 February 2026

🔆 AWARDS
📍 Earthshot Prize 2026
✅ Host city: Mumbai
✅ Founded by Prince William (2020)

🔆 BOOKS
📍 AI Impact Startup Book
✅ Launched by MeitY at India Impact Summit

🔆 SPORTS
📍 Tejaswin Shankar – Gold (Heptathlon)
✅ Asian Indoor Athletics Championships, Tianjin
✅ Points: 5,993
✅ India finished 6th overall (5 medals)

#CurrentAffairs

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🔆 1st Carnatic War (1740-1748)
📍 Place: Madras, on the bank of river Adyar
📍 Fought Between:
✅ French and forces of Anwar-ud-din, the Nawab of Carnatic (Supported by EIC)
📍 Victor: Inconclusive
📍 Causes:
✅ Extension of Anglo-French rivalry during the War of the Austrian Succession.
✅ British navy seized French ships to provoke France.
✅ France retaliated by seizing Madras.
📍 Details:
✅ Treaty of Aix-La Chapelle:
- Ended the War of the Austrian Succession.
- Madras returned to the English in exchange for the French fortress of Louisbourg in North America.

🔆 2nd Carnatic War (1749-1754)
📍 Place: Vellore
📍 Fought Between:
✅ Nasir Jung, the Nizam and his protege Muhammad Ali, supported by the British, vs. Chanda Sahib and Muzaffar Jung, supported by the French
📍 Victor: EIC had the edge
📍 Causes:
✅ Struggles for succession to the Nizam of Hyderabad and Nawab of the Carnatic.
📍 Details:
✅ Battle of Ambur:
- Muzaffar Jung and Chanda Sahib (supported by Dupleix) overthrew Anwaruddin Muhammad Khan, the Nawab of Carnatic.
- Chanda Sahib became the next Nawab of the Carnatic.
✅ Eventually in 1751, Robert Clive led British troops to capture Arcot, the capital of Carnatic, and successfully defended it.
✅ Treaty of Pondicherry:
- The favored British candidate Mohamed Ali Khan Walajan was recognized as the Nawab of Carnatic.

#history

🔆 Mahabalipuram (UPSC 2014, 2015, 2016)

📍 Overview
✅ 7th-century Pallava site
✅ Declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site

📍 Important Monuments at Mahabalipuram

1️⃣ Pancha Pandava Rathas

✅ Earliest rock-cut temples
✅ Built under Narasimhavarman I (630–668 AD)
✅ Comprise:
➤ Dharmaraja Ratha
➤ Bhima Ratha
➤ Arjuna Ratha
➤ Nakul Ratha
➤ Sahadeva Ratha

2️⃣ Rock-cut Cave Temples

✅ Varaha Cave Temple
✅ Krishna Cave Temple
✅ Pancha Pandava Cave Temple
✅ Mahishasuramardini Mandapa

3️⃣ Open Air Rock Reliefs

✅ Descent of Ganges
✅ Also known as Arjuna’s Penance / Bhagiratha’s Penance

4️⃣ Shore Temple Complex

✅ Consists of two small and one large temple
✅ Predominantly dedicated to Lord Shiva
✅ Contains sculpture of Anantashayana (Vishnu) in one of the temples

#prelims
#art_and_culture

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🔆 Export Promotion Mission (EPM)
Launched by Ministry of Commerce & Industry

📍 About EPM

✅ Flagship initiative to empower MSMEs for global exports 🌍
✅ Operates through two sub-schemes:
🔹 Niryat Protsahan (Financial Support)
🔹 Niryat Disha (Non-Financial Support)

✅ Vision: Comprehensive, flexible & digitally driven export framework
✅ Financial Outlay: ₹25,060 crore
✅ Timeline: FY 2025–26 to FY 2030–31 (6 Years)
✅ Implementing Agency: Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT)

📍 New Interventions Announced

🔹 Under Niryat Protsahan (Financial Support) 💰

✅ Export Factoring Support
➤ Promotes export factoring as working capital solution
➤ Digital claim mechanism for transparency

✅ Credit Assistance for E-Commerce Exporters
➤ Direct E-Commerce Credit Facility up to ₹50 lakh (90% guarantee cover)
➤ Overseas Inventory Credit Facility up to ₹5 crore (75% guarantee cover)

✅ Support for Emerging Export Opportunities
➤ Enables MSMEs to access new & high-risk global markets

🔹 Under Niryat Disha (Non-Financial Support) 📊

✅ TRACE (Trade Regulations, Accreditation & Compliance Enablement)
➤ Supports Testing, Inspection & Certification (TIC) requirements

✅ FLOW (Facilitating Logistics, Overseas Warehousing & Fulfilment)
➤ Promotes overseas warehousing & e-commerce export hubs

✅ LIFT (Logistics Interventions for Freight & Transport)
➤ Addresses geographical disadvantages in low export intensity districts

✅ INSIGHT (Integrated Support for Trade Intelligence & Facilitation)
➤ Strengthens capacity-building under Districts as Export Hubs
➤ Develops trade intelligence systems

📌 Objective: Improve access to affordable trade finance, enhance competitiveness & diversify India’s export markets.

#goverment_schemes

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Day 66: 22 February target:

Backlogs+ pyq

Current Affairs:
Backlogs


#UpscRevisionProgram

After completion of target post 'DONE'
In comment section. Targets are decided as per practical approach. In remaining time, you can study whatever you want.
Thank you.


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🔆 CHaracterising ExOPlanet Satellite (CHEOPS)

📍 Why in News?
✅ European Space Agency’s CHEOPS has discovered a four-planet system around the red dwarf star LHS 1903.
✅ The outermost planet is small and rocky, challenging existing theories that rocky planets form close to stars while gaseous planets form farther away.

📍 About CHEOPS

✅ Launched: 2019
✅ Mission of the European Space Agency (ESA)

🎯 Objectives

✅ Study the structure and composition of exoplanets
✅ Focus on planets in the size range of Super-Earths to Neptunes
✅ Target planets orbiting bright stars with revolution periods below 50 days

🔎 Key Focus

✅ Observes bright, nearby stars already known to host exoplanets
✅ Special emphasis on Earth- to Neptune-sized planets

📌 Helps refine understanding of planet formation theories and planetary system architecture.

#GS3
#prelims
#science_technology
#science_and_technology

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🔆 CURRENT AFFAIRS – 21 FEB 2026

🔆 BANKING & FINANCE

📍 Forex Reserves Hit All-Time High
✅ Forex reserves: $725.727 billion
✅ Weekly rise: $8.663 billion
📍 Components
✅ Foreign Currency Assets (largest share)
✅ Gold Reserves
✅ SDRs
✅ IMF Reserve Position

🔆 INTERNATIONAL

📍 US Launches $200M Edge AI Package
✅ Target: Indo-Pacific
✅ Aim: Secure AI-enabled smartphones ecosystem
✅ Edge AI: AI processing on devices (low latency, better privacy)

📍 India Joins Trump’s Gaza Peace Board (Observer)
✅ Focus: Gaza reconstruction & stabilisation
✅ India represented by Deputy Chief of Mission

📍 India Joins Pax Silica (US-led Initiative)
✅ Focus: Secure semiconductor & AI supply chains
✅ India’s strength: 2nm chip design capability & skilled workforce

📍 IEA – State of Energy Innovation 2026
✅ Innovation driven by geopolitics & supply chain security
✅ “Valley of Death” in scaling energy tech
📍 About IEA
✅ HQ: Paris
✅ Founded: 1974
✅ India: Associate member

🔆 NATIONAL

📍 MoP Sets Panels for PFC–REC Merger
✅ High-Level Committee formed
✅ Aim: Monitor & align merger process

📍 Reliance Announces ₹10 Trillion AI Investment
✅ Timeline: 7 years
✅ Focus: Sovereign AI compute infra
📍 Jamnagar AI Data Centre
✅ 120 MW by 2026
✅ Long-term gigawatt scale
➡ Ensures national data security

📍 New Delhi Frontier AI Impact Commitments
✅ Inclusive, multilingual & responsible AI
📍 3 Pillars
✅ Democratisation
✅ Population-scale deployment
✅ AI Sovereignty

📍 Bio-AI Mulankur Hubs
✅ AI + Genomics + Synthetic Biology
✅ Under DBT & BIRAC

📍 Bharat GI Initiative
✅ Launched by DPIIT
✅ Promotes India’s GI products globally

📍 Eight Core Industries
✅ Growth (Jan 2026): 4% YoY
📍 Base Year: 2011–12
📍 Covers: Coal, Crude Oil, Natural Gas, Refinery, Fertilisers, Steel, Cement, Electricity

📍 PLI Scheme Update
✅ Total Outlay: ₹1.91 lakh crore
✅ Investment: ₹2.16 lakh crore+
✅ Employment: 14.39 lakh+

📍 NITI Aayog Report – Apprenticeship Ecosystem
✅ Strengthening skilling & employability
✅ Aligning industry needs

📍 Cash Toll Payments to End (1 April 2026)
✅ Only FASTag & UPI
✅ FASTag penetration: 98%+

🔆 MoUs

📍 India–Israel Defence MoU
✅ Tech collaboration & co-development

📍 Tata–OpenAI AI Data Centre
✅ 100 MW initial
✅ Scalable to 1 GW
✅ Investment: $7 billion

🔆 STATES

📍 Mizoram
✅ CM Lalduhoma inaugurates Lengtekai Bridge
✅ Load capacity: 385 MT
📍 Foundation Day: 20 Feb 1987

📍 Assam
✅ ‘PMS Portal’ launched for venture schools
📍 CM: Himanta Biswa Sarma

🔆 IMPORTANT DAYS

📍 World Day of Social Justice – 20 Feb 2026
✅ Theme: Renewed Commitment to Social Development and Social Justice

📍 Arunachal Pradesh & Mizoram Foundation Day
✅ 20 February

🔆 SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

📍 GalaxEye’s Mission Drishti
✅ AI-powered OptoSAR satellite
✅ Real-time in-space data processing
✅ Uses NVIDIA Jetson Orin module

🔆 SPORTS

📍 Pankaj Advani
✅ Wins inaugural Liber Win Champions Cup 2026

📍 IPC Lifts Ban on Russia & Belarus
✅ Can compete under national flags at Milano-Cortina 2026

📍 USA Wins Women’s Ice Hockey Gold
✅ Defeats Canada 2–1 (OT)
✅ 3rd Olympic gold

#CurrentAffairs

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निष्काम कर्म का अर्थ
Nishkam Karma means

https://youtube.com/shorts/ezpRvLnMWgA?si=mqv23yS4NPxjL1cO

✅Mitochondrial disease :only passed by mother, not father.
✅Mitochondrial replacement therapy (3-parent baby) : removal of mitochondria from egg cell. Can be done before fertilisation (in-vitro) and after fertilisation (pronuclear transfer)

✅Cloning : Nucleus to be cloned, so the process is also called somatic cell nuclear transfer.
(Nucleus of somatic cell to be cloned + donor's egg cell without nucleus + womb)

✅Somatic cell : Any of the body cells except the reproductive (germ) cells and they can not produce other cell. e.g, Hair cell, Skin cell etc.

✅DNA barcoding : identification of diff species.
✅DNA fingerprinting : differentiation between the same species.

🔆Buddhist Terminology

✅Pratyeka Buddhas: Beings who have attained enlightenment without guidance but have not taught it to the world.
✅Arhat: Who have achieved Nirvana.
✅Bodhisattva: Abeing about to become Buddha shows charity and helper of man.
✅Sramanas/Bhikshu: Buddhist monks.
✅Upasakas: Lay followers.
✅Mahaparinirvana: Final blowing out, death.
✅Arya-Atthangikamagga: Noble eight-fold path.
✅Ashtamahasthanas: Eight holy places.
✅Tathagata: One of the titles of Buddha.
✅Prajna Parimita : Female deity of perfection and insight associated with Mahayana.
✅Anatta: Soullessness.
✅Samnera: Buddhist monks before being introduced into sangha as full-fledged member.
✅Paramita: 10 percepts (vows) observed by monks.
✅Pratimoksa: Rules of 150 articles (a part of Vinay Pitaka).
✅Skandhakas: Monastic rules.
✅Poshadha: Fortnightly meeting in Sanghas.
✅Siddha: Perfected being in Vajrayana.
✅Sakra: Gold identical with Indra used by the monks.
✅Sangha: Buddhist order.
✅Vassa: Retreat during rainy season by the monks.
✅Sangharam: Resting place for monks.
✅Vihara: Buddhist monastery.
✅Pravajya: Initial ordination for old and experienced monks.
✅Sramanas: Buddhist monks, in general.
✅Upajjhaya: Spiritual leader.
✅Sanketas: Four noble truths.
✅Upasotha/Roya: Days of fast on full moon, new moon and two quarter moon days in a month.
✅Chaitya: Temples of Buddhists.

#pre_revision

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🔆 Preah Vihear Temple

📍 Why in News?
✅ India urges protection amid Thailand–Cambodia border clashes

📍 About Preah Vihear Temple
✅ Location: Cambodia (near Thailand border)
✅ Deity: Lord Shiva
✅ Built under:
• King Yashovarman I (9th–10th C)
• Completed by Suryavarman II (12th C), Khmer dynasty
✅ Status: UNESCO World Heritage Site

#prelims
#art_and_culture

@studytoday1
@upsc_art_and_culture
#cse

#Goodmorning 

⏳90 days  left CSP26[ 24-05-26]
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⏳286 days left UPPSC prelims 6 December
⏳153 days left 72nd BPSC PRELIMS 26 July
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⏳105 days Left OPSC prelims 07 June
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⏳98 days  left MPSC (MH) prelims [ 31-05-26]
⏳RAS PRELIMS may
⏳62 days Left MPPSC (MP) Prelims 26 April
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⏳61 days Left bpsc mains 25 April
⏳48 days Left CDS1 /NDA 12 April
⏳36 days Left PPSC mains 1 April
⏳33 days left UPPSC mains 29 March
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🔆 Folk Theatre of India

📍 Bhand Pather (Kashmir)
✅ Humour through satire, wit & parody
✅ Musical elements – surnai, nagara, dhol

📍 Bhaona (Assam)
✅ Presentation of Ankia Naat
✅ Cultural glimpses of Assam, Bengal, Orissa, Mathura & Brindavan
✅ Sutradhar begins in Sanskrit → transitions to Brajboli/Assamese

📍 Bhavai (Gujarat)
✅ Found in Kutch & Kathiawar
✅ Blends devotional & romantic themes

📍 Burra Katha (Andhra Pradesh)
✅ Oral storytelling with main narrator + two vanthas
✅ Uses Burra percussion instrument

📍 Chavittu Natakam (Kerala)
✅ Christian art form (17th century)
✅ Also called “stamping drama”

📍 Dashavatar (Konkan & Goa)
✅ Depicts ten incarnations of Lord Vishnu
✅ Stylised make-up; wooden & papier-mâché masks

📍 Daskathia (Odisha)
✅ Two narrators – Gayaka & Palia
✅ Accompanied by wooden instrument kathia

📍 Garodas (Gujarat)
✅ Art of ‘Garoda’ community
✅ Uses painted pictures to narrate romance & valour

📍 Kariyila (Himachal Pradesh)
✅ Open-air night theatre
✅ Series of small plays & skits

📍 Krishnattam (Kerala)
✅ Origin – 17th century under King Manavada (Calicut)
✅ Eight plays over eight consecutive days

📍 Kuravanji (Tamil Nadu)
✅ First composed by Thirukutarajappa Kaviyar
✅ Love-struck heroine theme
✅ Dance ballet in Bharatanatyam style

📍 Mudiyettu (Kerala)
✅ Performed during Vrischikam
✅ In Kali temples
✅ Portrays triumph of Goddess Bhadrakali over Darika

📍 Oja-Pali (Assam)
✅ Linked to Manasa (serpent goddess)
✅ Oja – main narrator; Pali – chorus

📍 Powada (Maharashtra)
✅ Heroic deeds of Shivaji (e.g., Afzal Khan episode)
✅ Sung by Gondhalis & Shahirs

📍 Raasleela (Uttar Pradesh)
✅ Based on Lord Krishna’s legends
✅ Combines prose dialogues with songs

📍 Swang (Punjab & Haryana)
✅ Initially music-based, later prose dialogues
✅ Styles: Rohtak (Haryanvi) & Hathras (Brajbhasha)

📍 Tamasha (Maharashtra)
✅ Female actress (Murki) is chief performer
✅ Classical music, rapid footwork & expressive gestures

🔹 Additional Theatre Forms

📍 Therukoothu (Tamil Nadu)
✅ Cycle of eight plays on Draupadi
✅ Linked to harvest rituals

📍 Villu Pattu (Deccan)
✅ Musical theatre narrating Ramayana stories

📍 Yakshagana (Karnataka)
✅ Open theatre
✅ Episodes from Mahabharata & Ramayana

📍 Other Forms:
✅ MAACH (MP)
✅ NAQAL/BHAND (Punjab)
✅ NAUTANKI (UP)
✅ PAGATI VESHALU (Telangana & AP)
✅ PADAYANI (Kerala)
✅ TAL-MADDale (Karnataka)
✅ BAYALATA (Karnataka)

#prelims
#art_and_culture

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🔆 Encryption

📍 What is Encryption?
✅ Process of scrambling data to make it unreadable to unauthorized parties
✅ Uses a cryptographic key – a set of mathematical values shared between sender and recipient

📍 Types of Encryption

🔹 Symmetric Encryption
✅ Uses a single shared key
✅ Same key for encryption and decryption

🔹 Asymmetric Encryption (Public Key Encryption)
✅ Uses two separate keys
➤ Public key – for encryption
➤ Private key – for decryption

📍 End-to-End Encryption (E2EE)**

✅ Ensures data shared between two devices remains confidential
✅ Prevents third parties (cloud providers, ISPs, cybercriminals) from intercepting data during transmission

📌 Examples:
✅ Messaging apps – WhatsApp, Signal, Telegram
✅ Email services supporting E2EE
✅ VPNs securing internet traffic

📍 How It Works

🔹 Cryptographic Keys
✅ Unique keys generated and stored on sender’s & recipient’s devices

🔹 Encryption
✅ Data converted into unreadable form using complex algorithms

🔹 Decryption
✅ Only devices with the correct key can decode the data

#Science_Technology