Current Affairs Quiz 19th February 2026 Quiz

Exp. Tarique Rahman Sworn in as Bangladesh Prime Minister

Tarique Rahman, Chairman of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, was sworn in as the new Prime Minister of Bangladesh, ending nearly 18 months of political uncertainty under the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus.

The oath of office was administered by President Mohammed Shahabuddin at the South Plaza of Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban in Dhaka; subsequently, 25 cabinet ministers and 24 state ministers were also sworn in.

India was represented at the ceremony by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri.

About Bangladesh

• Capital– Dhaka
• Currency – Taka
• President – Mohammed Shahabuddin Chuppu
• Prime Minister – Tarique Rahman

Exp. India, France elevate ties to ‘Special Global Strategic Partnership’

India and France elevated their ties to a “Special Global Strategic Partnership” after talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Emmanuel Macron, expanding cooperation across defence, advanced technologies, critical minerals, climate action, health, education, and economic security.

The upgrade builds on the 1998 Strategic Partnership and the Horizon 2047 Roadmap, with both sides agreeing to launch an annual Foreign Ministers Comprehensive Dialogue and reaffirming support for a rules-based international order and India’s permanent membership in a reformed United Nations Security Council.

Defence cooperation was deepened through renewal of the 10-year defence agreement, MoUs under the 6th India–France Defence Dialogue, progress on Rafale-Marine jets, joint production of HAMMER missiles, and new initiatives in co-design, co-development, and “Make in India” manufacturing.

The two countries also launched the 2026 India–France Year of Innovation, enhanced collaboration in AI, startups, and critical minerals, agreed to amend the DTAA to boost trade and investment, and strengthened cooperation in climate action, nuclear energy, and the Indo-Pacific region.

Exp. Govt Launches First National Call for BIRAC-RDI Fund to Boost High-Impact Biotechnology Innovation

Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh announced the first national call for the BIRAC-RDI Fund, aimed at scaling high-impact biotechnology innovations under the Government of India’s ₹1 lakh crore Research, Development and Innovation (RDI) initiative.

The Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) has been appointed as a second-level fund manager and will deploy ₹2,000 crore over up to five years, with provisions for future expansion.

The BIRAC-RDI Fund is part of the national RDI initiative approved by the Union Cabinet in July 2025 and launched in November 2025 under the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF), anchored by the Department of Science and Technology.

The fund will provide long-term, low-interest financing for high-risk and long-gestation research projects in sunrise sectors such as biotechnology, deep-tech, and artificial intelligence.

Exp. JP Nadda Launched SAHI and BODH to Strengthen AI Use in India’s Healthcare System

Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda has launched two national AI-driven healthcare initiatives—SAHI and BODH—at the India AI Summit being held at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi.

The Strategy for Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare for India (SAHI) has been introduced as a national guidance framework to ensure safe, ethical, evidence-based and inclusive adoption of AI across India’s healthcare system.

The Benchmarking Open Data Platform for Health AI (BODH), developed by the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur in collaboration with the National Health Authority, will enable privacy-preserving evaluation of AI models using real-world health data.

Positioned as a digital public good under the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission, SAHI and BODH together aim to strengthen trust, transparency and global competitiveness of India’s health AI ecosystem.

Exp. Kerala Approves India’s First Graphene Policy

Kerala has approved India’s first comprehensive Graphene Policy, aiming to position the state as a global hub for graphene research, development, and manufacturing, integrating advanced materials into its long-term economic growth strategy.

As part of the initiative, the Union Cabinet approved the establishment of Grefine Park, and the state will set up a dedicated graphene industrial park in Palakkad along with a ₹200 crore Digital Innovation Centre to promote graphene-based innovation.

To attract domestic and global investors, Kerala will offer a 50% subsidy on lease payments for manufacturing units established in government-managed parks, creating a competitive ecosystem for advanced material production.

About Kerala

• Capital – Thiruvananthapuram
• Chief Minister – Pinarayi Vijayan
• Governor – Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar

Exp. First Indigenous Cadet Training Ship Launched at L&T Kattupalli in Chennai

The first indigenous Cadet Training Ship (CTS), built by M/s L&T Shipyard for the Indian Navy, was launched at Kattupalli, Chennai, in the presence of Chief of Defence Staff Anil Chauhan.

The ship, named ‘Krishna’, pays tribute to the Krishna River, the third longest river in India, and was launched by Anupama, President of DWWA, following maritime traditions.

The contract for building three Cadet Training Ships was signed on 07 March 2023 between the Ministry of Defence and Larsen & Toubro (L&T Shipyard).

The ship will accommodate 20 Officers, 150 Sailors, and 200 Cadets, primarily for basic sea training, while also capable of roles like Hospital Ship, Humanitarian Assistance & Disaster Relief (HADR), Search and Rescue (SAR), and Non-Combatant Evacuation Operations (NEO).

Exp. Balaghat Chosen as Pilot District Under World’s Largest Cooperative Grain Storage Plan

Balaghat district in Madhya Pradesh has been selected as a pilot region under the World’s Largest Grain Storage Plan in the Cooperative Sector, with a 500-metric-tonne godown constructed at Parswada and inaugurated by Narendra Modi on 24 February 2024.

The modern storage facility is operated by the Madhya Pradesh Warehousing and Logistics Corporation and aims to strengthen rural storage capacity, promote scientific warehousing, and support decentralised agricultural infrastructure at the grassroots level.

The initiative focuses on empowering Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) by integrating schemes like AIF, AMI, SMAM, and PMFME, enabling PACS to become multi-functional service centres while reducing farmers’ dependence on distant warehouses.

About Madhya Pradesh

• Capital – Bhopal
• Chief Minister – Dr Mohan Yadav (replace Shivraj Singh Chauhan)
• Deputy CM – Jagdish Devda & Rajendra Shukla
• Speaker of Madhya Pradesh Assembly – Narendra Singh Tomar
• Governor – Mangubhai C. Patel

Exp. Madras High Court Launches AI-Assisted ‘Superlaw Courts’ System to Boost Judicial Efficiency

The Madras High Court has launched an AI-assisted system called Superlaw Courts, aimed at enhancing judicial efficiency by helping judges and legal professionals manage large volumes of case records and reduce delays in proceedings.

The system acts as an intelligent record assistant, creating a secure digital workspace, converting scanned documents into searchable text using OCR (Optical Character Recognition) technology, and enabling faster retrieval of relevant case information.

Established in 1862, the Madras High Court is one of India’s three oldest High Courts, along with the Bombay High Court and the Calcutta High Court, and this initiative reflects the growing role of technology in strengthening India’s justice delivery system.

Exp. Lucas Pinheiro Braathen Creates History, Wins Giant Slalom Gold for Brazil at Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics

Lucas Pinheiro Braathen won gold in the Giant Slalom at the Winter Olympics Milano Cortina 2026, securing Brazil’s and South America’s first-ever Winter Olympics medal.

The 25-year-old clocked a combined time of 2 minutes 25 seconds, defeating Switzerland’s defending champion Marco Odermatt by 0.58 seconds on the challenging Stelvio course amid snow and fog.

In the overall medal standings, Norway leads with 20 medals (10 gold), followed by Italy (18) and the United States (17), while India’s Arif Mohammad Khan is set to compete in the slalom event.

Exp. Norway’s Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo wins ninth gold medal in cross-country skiing

Norway’s Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo won his ninth gold medal in cross-country skiing, setting a Winter Games record, at the Milan Cortina Olympics.

The 29-year-old anchored the 4 x 7.5-kilometre relay in the men’s competition for his fourth gold of the 2026 Games. He had shared the record with three retired Norwegian athletes.

Exp. PM Modi Launches PM RAHAT Scheme for Cashless Road Accident Treatment

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved the PM RAHAT (Road Accident Victim Hospitalization and Assured Treatment) Scheme, providing cashless treatment up to ₹1.5 lakh per eligible road accident victim for seven days from the date of the accident.

The Road, Transport and Highways Ministry emphasized that the scheme reflects the government’s commitment to ensuring no life is lost due to delayed medical assistance.

Reimbursement to hospitals under PM RAHAT will be facilitated through the Motor Vehicle Accident Fund, ensuring smooth implementation of cashless treatment.

The launch of PM RAHAT from Seva Teerth, New Delhi, highlights a citizen-first approach, aiming to reduce preventable road accident fatalities through timely medical intervention.

Exp. Rashid Khan Makes History as First Asian Bowler with 150+ T20I and 200+ ODI Wickets

Rashid Khan becomes the first Asian bowler to take over 150 wickets in T20Is and more than 200 wickets in ODIs.

He is the first Afghan bowler to achieve 200 ODI wickets, reaching the milestone during the first ODI against Bangladesh in Abu Dhabi.

In 115 ODIs, Rashid has 202 wickets at an average of 20.28 and an economy rate of 4.23, including six four-wicket hauls and five five-wicket hauls, with best figures of 7/18.

Exp. President Murmu Inaugurates Centenary Celebrations of Ol Chiki Script, Honours Santal Achievers

The President of India inaugurated the 100-year celebrations of the Ol Chiki script, organised by the Ministry of Culture in New Delhi.

The script, invented by Pandit Raghunath Murmu in 1925, preserves the Santhali language and serves as a symbol of Santal identity worldwide.

Before Ol Chiki, the Santhali language was written in Roman, Devanagari, Oriya, and Bengali scripts, which could not capture the original pronunciation accurately.

The President released a special coin and postage stamp and felicitated 10 achievers for promoting the use of Ol Chiki among the Santhali people.

Exp. Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy to Inaugurate BioAsia 2026 Summit Highlighting TechBio Innovations

The 23rd edition of the international summit begins at Hyderabad International Convention Centre (HICC) with the theme ‘TechBio Unleashed – AI, Automation, and the Revolutionary Changes in Life Sciences.’

1. Revanth Reddy will officially launch the international exhibition featuring renowned life sciences organisations before delivering the keynote address.

Telangana Chief Minister highlights future of healthcare and biotech – Delegates will discuss next-generation biologics, AI-driven R&D, digital transformation, and strategies under the theme ‘Telangana Rising 2047 – World-Class Life Sciences Ecosystem.’

Exp. NLCIL Signs MoU with NALCO to Boost Thermal and Renewable Energy Collaboration

NLC India Ltd. signed an MoU with National Aluminium Company to collaborate on thermal and renewable energy initiatives.

The MoU covers a 1,200 MW Thermal Captive Power Project and renewable energy development to meet NALCO’s long-term and captive power needs efficiently.

The collaboration includes potential joint project development, long-term power arrangements, and coal supply agreements to ensure energy and fuel security.