Daily Current Affairs – 25-02-2026

International News

PM Modi’s Visit to Israel

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi is undertaking a two-day visit to Israel from February 25. During the visit, he will meet Israeli President Isaac Herzog and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and address the Israeli Parliament. Discussions will focus on security cooperation and trade relations between India and Israel. The visit takes place amid tensions in the Middle East linked to the US–Iran conflict. Over the past nine months, Prime Minister Modi held two telephonic conversations with Benjamin Netanyahu during the Israel–Saudi Arabia conflict, and again in October following a peace agreement. This is Modi’s second visit to Israel in nine years, the first being in July 2017. Since 2017, bilateral cooperation has expanded in sectors such as defence equipment, key technologies, science and technology, military affairs, national security, trade, investment, agriculture, and water management. Some features of Israel’s Iron Dome air defence system are to be used in India’s advanced air defence project ‘Sudarshan Chakra’.

National News

Kerala to be Renamed as Keralam

• The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved the proposal to rename the state of Kerala as Keralam at its meeting held in New Delhi on February 24. The decision follows a unanimous resolution passed by the Kerala Legislative Assembly in June 2024, recommending the change under Article 3 of the Constitution of India, which empowers Parliament to alter the name of a state by law. Under Article 3, a bill for renaming a state can be initiated by Parliament or the State Legislature, but it must be introduced in Parliament on the recommendation of the President, who refers it to the concerned State Legislature for its views. The bill is passed in both Houses of Parliament by a simple majority, and after receiving the President’s assent, the new name is reflected in the First Schedule and Fourth Schedule of the Constitution. The proposal will be introduced as the Kerala (Name Change) Bill, 2026. The Cabinet also approved three railway projects worth ₹9,072 crore covering 307 km across Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Karnataka, benefiting about 98 lakh people in 5,047 villages, including doubling of the Goa–Hubballi railway line and works on the Pune–Sholapur and Mangaluru–Chandigarh railway lines. An allocation of ₹1,677 crore was approved for upgrading the Shirdi Airport. The investment limit of the public sector New India Financial Group was increased from ₹5,000 crore to ₹7,500 crore. The Minimum Support Price (MSP) for raw jute was increased to ₹5,925 per quintal for the 2026–27 marketing season, up from ₹5,650 in 2025–26, marking an increase of ₹275, compared to ₹2,400 in 2014–15.

MSP for Raw Jute Increased for 2026–27

• The Union Cabinet has approved an increase in the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for raw jute to Rs. 5,925 per quintal for the 2026–27 marketing season. In the previous 2025–26 marketing season, the MSP was Rs. 5,650 per quintal, and it has now been increased by Rs. 275. In 2014–15, the MSP for raw jute was Rs. 2,400 per quintal, and over a period of 11 years, it has risen by Rs. 3,525, marking a 2.5-fold increase.

Free HPV Vaccination Programme for Girls Under 14

• The Central Government has announced that it will soon launch a free cervical cancer vaccination programme for girls under 14 years of age across India. Under this scheme, a single dose of the Gardasil vaccine will be administered free of cost to protect against Human Papillomavirus (HPV) types 16 and 18, as well as types 6 and 11. In the open market, Gardasil-4 is priced at Rs. 3,927 for girls under 15 years and requires two doses, while girls aged 15 and above require three doses. Under the nationwide programme, only a single dose will be given. The HPV vaccination programme has been implemented in over 160 countries, and more than 90 countries have adopted a single-dose regimen. In India, about 80,000 cases of cervical cancer are reported annually, leading to 42,000 deaths. India’s first free HPV vaccination programme for girls under 14 was launched in Tamil Nadu on January 27.

Iran–China Missile Deal and Regional Developments

• Iran has confirmed negotiations with China to purchase the CM-302 supersonic missiles, with talks ongoing for the past two years and gaining momentum after the 12-day conflict with Israel in July last year. Senior Iranian officials, including Deputy Minister of Defence Makroup Hussein, visited China for discussions. The CM-302 missiles are capable of striking targets up to 290 kilometres and travel at supersonic speed, making interception by ship-borne defence radars difficult. Iran is also seeking to acquire anti-aircraft missiles and anti-satellite weapons from China. The United States has imposed sanctions on Iran to restrict its nuclear programme and missile tests. Meanwhile, the Lebanese government appealed to Hezbollah not to intervene in a potential Iran–US conflict, and Lebanese Foreign Minister Yusuf Raji stated that any escalation could lead to renewed attacks involving Israel and Lebanon.

Tamil Nadu News

Adani Power to Supply 558 MW to Tamil Nadu for Five Years

• Adani Power has received an official contract to supply 558 MW of electricity to Tamil Nadu for a period of five years through its subsidiary Mahali Power Generation. Mahali Power operates a 1,200 MW power plant at Thoothukudi in Tamil Nadu. The company secured the contract by offering to supply power at Rs. 5.91 per unit through a competitive bidding process. The power supply will commence from April 1. With this agreement, both units of the Thoothukudi power plant are covered under power supply contracts. Adani Power has a total generation capacity of approximately 18.15 GW, and more than 95% of its capacity is secured under medium- and long-term agreements.

Chennai Startup Partners with Nvidia for India’s First Electric Air Taxi

• A Chennai-based aviation startup, The-Drone, has entered into an agreement with global technology company Nvidia to develop India’s first electric air taxi, named T200S. The partnership will support the design, testing, and manufacturing of the air taxi using Nvidia’s Omniverse software to create a precise virtual model. Through computer simulation, key aspects such as aerodynamics, sensor performance, and emergency safety features will be tested before flight. The air taxi will integrate Nvidia’s high-speed computing systems, enabling real-time analysis of data from cameras and radars for autonomous decision-making. The system also includes predictive maintenance technology to detect and warn about potential mechanical failures in advance.

IIT Madras Professor Appointed to UN AI Scientific Panel

• B. Ravindran, Professor at Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras), has been appointed to the United Nations’ Independent International Scientific Panel on Artificial Intelligence. The panel was established through a resolution of the United Nations General Assembly in August 2025 and is the first global scientific body dedicated exclusively to Artificial Intelligence. It comprises 40 leading experts from different regions and disciplines and will examine the impact of AI on economies, governance, and everyday life, and provide evidence-based inputs for international policy discussions. The formation of the panel follows commitments under the Global Digital Compact adopted at the 2024 Summit of the Future. B. Ravindran is the head of the Wadhwani School of Data Science and AI and the founding head of the Centre for Responsible AI at IIT Madras, with more than three decades of experience in Artificial Intelligence research.

Jio Launches AI Education Initiative in Tamil Nadu Schools

• Reliance Jio has launched a State-wide Artificial Intelligence (AI) education initiative in Tamil Nadu as part of its national “AI for Everyone” mission to promote AI literacy among school students and teachers. The initiative has reached over 1,000 schools across the State and has trained more than 5,000 teachers and over 10,000 students. Participants are provided training sessions on the use of Google Gemini Pro. The company has also introduced the Jio AI Classroom, an online free certification course for students from Classes VI to XII. The programme is being implemented in schools including the Government High School, Mannarkovil, where Principal A. Xavier Arokiya Swamy is serving.

Union Cabinet Holds First Meeting at Seva Teerth Complex

• The Union Cabinet, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, held its first meeting at the newly inaugurated Seva Teerth complex, the new Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) complex, in New Delhi. During the meeting, the Cabinet adopted a resolution to achieve the government’s goal of placing India among the world’s top three economies and to realise the vision of “Developed India 2047”. The panel was formed as part of the government’s reform agenda, and the resolution stated that the decisions taken at Seva Teerth would contribute to long-term national development. The formation of Seva Teerth follows the commitments linked to governance reforms and aims to promote efficient use of resources and accelerate the process of reforms

Cabinet Approves Extension of Gujarat Metro North–South Corridor

• The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved the extension of the existing North–South Corridor of the Gujarat Metro Rail from GIFT City to Shahpur, covering a distance of 3.33 kilometres with three elevated stations. The project is estimated to cost Rs. 1,067.35 crore and is scheduled for completion in approximately four years. The corridor is expected to serve around 23,702 passengers in 2029 and 58,059 passengers in 2041. The project will be implemented by Gujarat Metro Rail Corporation Limited (GMRC), a 50:50 joint venture between the Government of India and the Government of Gujarat. The extension will strengthen connectivity between Ahmedabad and GIFT region and generate approximately 1,000 jobs during construction and 250 jobs during the operation and maintenance phase. At present, the 68.28-km Ahmedabad Metro Phase-I and Phase-II, with 53 stations, have been operational since September 2022 (Phase-I) and January 2026 (Phase-II), with an average daily ridership of 1,60,000 passengers.

Cabinet Approves Expansion of Civil Enclave at Srinagar International Airport

• The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved the development of the Civil Enclave at Srinagar International Airport at an estimated cost of Rs. 1,677 crore. The airport, designated as an International Airport in 2005, is operated by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) within the Budgam Airbase of the Indian Air Force (IAF) and is located about 12 km from Srinagar city. The new Civil Enclave project will be developed over 73.18 acres and will include a new terminal building of 71,500 square metres, designed to handle 2,900 passengers during peak hours with an annual capacity of 10 million passengers per annum (MPPA). The expanded apron will provide 15 aircraft parking bays, including 1 widebody (Code E) aircraft bay, while the existing 3,658 m x 45 m runway will continue to be operated by the IAF. The project also includes a multi-level car parking facility for 1,000 cars and construction of barracks for security personnel, and is targeted to achieve a 5-star GRIHA rating.

India–Kenya First Joint Working Group Meeting on Agriculture

• The 1st Joint Working Group (JWG) Meeting on Agriculture between India and Kenya was held in virtual mode. The meeting was co-chaired by Shri Ajeet Kumar Sahu, Joint Secretary (IC), Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Government of India, and Mr. Stephen Rono, Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs, Kenya. Both sides discussed priorities and challenges in their agricultural sectors and deliberated on cooperation in areas such as agricultural research, market access, farm mechanization, capacity building and training initiatives. The meeting was attended by senior officials from the Crops Division, M&T Division, NRM Division, PP Division and Extension Division of the Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, along with representatives from the High Commission of India in Kenya and the Ministry of External Affairs.

India–GCC Joint Statement on Free Trade Agreement Signed

• The Joint Statement on the India–Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Free Trade Agreement (FTA) was signed on 24 February 2026 in New Delhi by Shri Piyush Goyal, Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, and His Excellency Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi, Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council, formally launching negotiations for a comprehensive agreement. The Terms of Reference (ToR) for the FTA were earlier signed on 5 February 2026. The GCC is India’s largest trading partner bloc, with bilateral trade reaching USD 178.56 billion in FY 2024–25 (Exports: USD 56.87 billion; Imports: USD 121.68 billion), accounting for 15.42% of India’s global trade, and registering an annual average growth rate of 15.3% over the last five years. Key Indian exports to GCC include engineering goods, rice, textiles, machinery, gems and jewellery, while major imports comprise crude oil, LNG, petrochemicals and gold. The GCC represents a market of 61.5 million people (2024) with a GDP of USD 2.3 trillion, ranking 9th globally, and cumulative FDI investments from GCC to India exceeded USD 31.14 billion as of September 2025. Nearly 10 million Indians reside in GCC countries.

7th India–Japan Joint Military Exercise ‘Dharma Guardian’ Begins in Uttarakhand

• The 7th edition of the India–Japan Joint Military Exercise ‘DHARMA GUARDIAN’ commenced on 24 February 2026 at the Foreign Training Node, Chaubattia, Uttarakhand, and will continue until 9 March 2026. The exercise is conducted between the Indian Army and the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) and is held alternately in India and Japan as part of bilateral defence cooperation. This edition involves 120 personnel from each side, with the JGSDF contingent drawn from the 32nd Infantry Regiment and the Indian Army contingent from the Ladakh Scouts. The exercise focuses on enhancing joint operational capabilities in a semi-urban environment and includes activities such as establishing a Temporary Operating Base, developing an Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) grid, setting up Mobile Vehicle Check Posts, conducting Cordon and Search Operations, executing Heliborne Operations, and undertaking House Intervention Drills.

16th India–US Joint Special Forces Exercise ‘Vajra Prahar’ in Himachal Pradesh

• The 16th edition of the India–US Joint Special Forces Exercise ‘VAJRA PRAHAR’ is being conducted at the Special Forces Training School, Bakloh, Himachal Pradesh, from 24 February to 16 March 2026. The previous edition was held at the Orchard Combat Training Centre, Idaho, USA, in November 2024. The Indian Army Special Forces contingent comprises 45 personnel, while the United States Army is represented by 12 personnel from the Green Berets of the US Special Forces. The exercise aims to enhance interoperability and joint operational capabilities for conducting Special Forces operations in mountainous terrain, with focus on joint mission planning and tactical drills, as part of defence cooperation between India and the United States.