Current Affairs Quiz - February 2026

Notes:
World Wetlands Day is celebrated every year on 2 February. It marks the adoption of the Convention on Wetlands on 2 February 1971 in Ramsar, Iran, on the Caspian Sea. The 2026 theme is “Wetlands and traditional knowledge: Celebrating cultural heritage.” The theme emphasizes the role of indigenous and local knowledge in protecting wetlands. It highlights the importance of wetlands in preserving cultural identity and guiding conservation and management practices.

Notes:
Union Budget 2026–27 announced the Mahatma Gandhi Gram Swaraj Initiative to strengthen traditional rural industries. It focuses on khadi, handloom, and handicrafts sectors across India. The initiative aims to improve global market access, branding, and strong market linkages. It seeks to make traditional industries more competitive and economically sustainable. The programme ensures stable livelihoods for artisans and weavers. It targets weavers, village industries, rural youth, and beneficiaries of One District One Product (ODOP).

Notes:
Rheumatoid Arthritis Awareness Day is observed every year on 2 February to spread awareness about rheumatoid arthritis. Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease affecting millions of people worldwide. The day was started in 2013 by the Rheumatoid Patient Foundation to educate the public and break myths. The organisation is now inactive, leading to limited global observance of the day. The awareness day highlights the need for early diagnosis and timely treatment. It promotes advocacy, support systems, and research for better care.

Notes:
Galvanizing Organic Bio-Agro Resources Dhan (GOBARdhan) scheme was launched in 2018 under Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen). It focuses on solid waste management in villages by converting bio-waste like cattle dung, kitchen waste, crop residue, and market waste into biogas and bio-slurry. The scheme incentivizes Gram Panchayats to recover biodegradable waste and supports rural cleanliness. State/UT-wise details of functional Compressed Bio-Gas (CBG) and community/cluster biogas projects are available on the GOBARdhan portal as of 27 January 2026. Information provided by Minister of State for Jal Shakti Shri V. Somanna in Rajya Sabha.

Notes:
India will host the Asian Rifle and Pistol Championship 2027 in Delhi, a historic first for Indian shooting. The championship will offer eight Olympic quota places for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. These eight quotas will be in addition to 12 quota places from the World Cup Shooting event. The World Cup (Rifle, Pistol, Shotgun) will be held in Delhi from 21 to 30 April 2027. Hosting rights were confirmed by the Asian Shooting Confederation to the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI).

Notes:
The Indian Air Force (IAF) will conduct its largest day-and-night air power exercise, Vayu Shakti-2026, on 27 February at the Pokaran Field Firing Range in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan. The exercise will test operational strategy, precision strikes, and weapon systems against simulated enemy targets like bunkers, bridges, and operation rooms. It will be held at the Chandan Field Firing Range near Pokaran, with a full dress rehearsal on 24 February. Operations will be showcased during day, dusk, and night phases.

Notes:
Alwar (Rajasthan) becomes first district in India to achieve 100% insurance coverage under ‘Insurance for All by 2047’ roadmap. Roadmap aligns with vision of ‘Secure India–Insured India’ at grassroots level. It is a joint initiative by Government of India and Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) under Ministry of Finance. Achievement covers nine villages: Bhulla Ka Bas, Bichpuri, Palankheda, Antapada, Hanumanta, Kalyanpura, Morodkhurd, Kodalka, Lalpur.

Notes:
PANKHUDI portal is a single-window digital platform by Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD) for structured and transparent participation of individuals, NGOs, Corporates, and NRIs in women and child development initiatives. It enables end-to-end digital workflows for registration, proposal submission, and tracking non-cash contributions. State and UT grassroots institutions can indicate requirements under MWCD’s three missions. As of 03 February 2026, 38 contributors registered.

Notes:
New York and New Jersey filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration for freezing $16 billion in federal funding for a new rail tunnel under the Hudson River. The Hudson River is located mostly in New York State, United States, with its final 34 km forming the boundary between New York and New Jersey. It was named after British explorer Henry Hudson, who sailed up the river in 1609. The river originates from several small postglacial lakes in the Adirondack Mountains near Mount Marcy (1,629 metres), the highest point in New York.

Notes:
NASA’s SPHEREx mission recently observed interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS, the third such object discovered in our solar system. SPHEREx stands for Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization and Ices Explorer. It is a NASA Astrophysics mission launched on March 11, 2025. The telescope has a megaphone-shaped design and will conduct an all-sky spectral survey. It surveys the sky in optical and near-infrared light, which helps study cosmic phenomena invisible to the human eye.