INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Mia Amor Mottley Wins Third Straight Mandate in Barbados
• Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley achieved a historic third consecutive victory, reinforcing her political dominance in Barbados.
• Her party, the Barbados Labour Party, secured a clean sweep by winning all 30 seats in the House of Assembly.
• This 30–0 result marks the party’s third successive general election triumph.
• Opposition leader Ralph Thorne termed the outcome disappointing but appreciated the peaceful and fair conduct of the campaign.
• Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Mottley; both leaders last interacted at the India-CARICOM Summit in Georgetown, Guyana, in November 2024.
• Barbados is the easternmost nation in the Caribbean, situated in the Atlantic Ocean.
• The country follows a unitary parliamentary republic system, with Bridgetown serving as its capital and largest city.
• The Barbadian dollar is the official currency of the island nation.
RANKING AND INDEX
Reserve Bank of India Digital Payments Index Shows Steady Growth
• The RBI’s Digital Payments Index (RBI-DPI) rose to 516.76 in September 2025, reflecting sustained momentum in digital transactions.
• In comparison, the index stood at 493.22 in March 2025, with the figures officially released on 28 July 2025.
• The latest data highlights a clear upward movement over the six-month period.
• The central bank attributed the rise primarily to stronger Payment Performance indicators.
• Enhanced Payment Enablers, such as infrastructure and system improvements, also supported the growth.
• The RBI-DPI serves as a composite measure to track the extent of digital payment penetration across the country.
• The index has been published by the RBI since 1 January 2021 to monitor trends in India’s digital ecosystem.
• For calculation purposes, March 2018 has been fixed as the base year for the index.
AWARDS
Aravind Eye Hospital Doctors Chosen for Chang-Crandall Humanitarian Award 2026
• Two senior doctors from Aravind Eye Hospital have been selected for the prestigious Chang-Crandall Humanitarian Award for 2026.
• Haripriya Aravind, Chief of Cataract & Intraocular Lens Services at the Chennai unit, has been honoured for her dedicated humanitarian work.
• R. Venkatesh, Chief Medical Officer at the Puducherry centre, has also been recognised for his service in combating cataract blindness.
• The award ceremony will take place on 11 April during the conference of the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery Foundation in Washington, DC.
• Instituted in 2017, the award acknowledges outstanding humanitarian contributions in ophthalmology and carries a grant of $100,000.
• Both awardees have decided to direct the prize amount to the Aravind Eye Care System to support its charitable initiatives.
• Dr Haripriya began her journey in paediatric ophthalmology before specialising in cataract and intraocular lens services.
• Dr Venkatesh, who joined after completing his residency in 1997, has led extensive outreach programmes, later specialising in glaucoma and serving at the Puducherry unit since 2003.
SPORTS
Magnus Carlsen Wins FIDE Freestyle Chess World Championship 2026
• Magnus Carlsen clinched the FIDE Freestyle Chess World Championship 2026 title on 15 February, marking a historic achievement in the freestyle format.
• He defeated American grandmaster Fabiano Caruana in the final held at Weissenhaus, Germany, with a score of 2.5–1.5.
• The tournament was the first official freestyle (Fischer Random) world championship recognised by FIDE.
• With this triumph, Carlsen increased his tally to 21 world titles across various chess formats, adding the freestyle crown to his achievements.
• Nodirbek Abdusattorov secured third place, while Germany’s Vincent Keymer finished fourth.
• The championship featured a total prize pool of $300,000, with $100,000 awarded to the winner.
• The top three players have qualified for the 2027 Freestyle World Championship.
• In a women’s exhibition match, Bibisara Assaubayeva defeated Alexandra Kosteniuk, becoming the first to qualify for the 2026 Women’s Freestyle Chess World Championship.
BBC Indian Sportswoman of the Year 2025: Smriti Mandhana Honoured
• Smriti Mandhana was named BBC Indian Sportswoman of the Year 2025 at a ceremony held on 16 February.
• She received the honour for her crucial contribution to India’s historic 2025 Women’s World Cup victory.
• At just 29, Mandhana is already among the elite in women’s cricket, holding the second-highest number of ODI centuries.
• The winners were chosen by a distinguished jury comprising Leander Paes, Deepa Malik, and Anju Bobby George.
• Divya Deshmukh won Emerging Player of the Year after her landmark FIDE Women’s World Cup triumph at age 20.
• Preethi Pal was named Para-Sportswoman of the Year for securing two bronze medals at the 2024 Paris Paralympics.
• The Lifetime Achievement Award went to Anjali Bhagwat, a pioneering shooter and the first Indian woman to reach an Olympic final.
• The India women's national cricket team was honoured as Star Performer for its World Cup victory, while teams in blind cricket, kabaddi, and para athletics were also recognised.
• The India women's national ice hockey team featured among BBC Changemakers for breaking barriers in a non-traditional sport.
• Hockey stalwarts Rajbir Kaur and Savita Punia were acknowledged for their significant contributions to Indian women’s hockey.
GOVERNMENT SCHEMES
Union Cabinet of India Approves ₹1 Lakh Crore Urban Challenge Fund
• The Union Cabinet has cleared an allocation of ₹1 lakh crore for the Urban Challenge Fund (UCF) to boost urban infrastructure development.
• The scheme, led by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, aims to transform cities into engines of economic growth.
• Designed as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme, the UCF focuses on creating resilient, inclusive, productive, and climate-responsive urban spaces.
• The fund seeks to attract private investment by making projects financially viable and lowering risks for lenders and private partners.
• It will provide support of up to 25% of the project cost, provided at least 50% of funding is mobilised from market sources.
• The scheme will operate from FY 2025–26 to FY 2030–31, with implementation extendable until FY 2033–34.
• The initiative is projected to catalyse nearly ₹4 lakh crore in total urban sector investments over the next five years.
• The move signals a shift from traditional grant-based funding to a market-driven, reform-oriented, and outcome-focused model of urban development.
Amit Shah Launches CBDC-Based Public Distribution System
• Union Minister Amit Shah launched a Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC)-based Public Distribution System (PDS) in Gandhinagar, marking a major reform in food distribution.
• The initiative applies the Digital India vision of Narendra Modi to strengthen transparency in the ration supply chain.
• Shah highlighted that India accounts for nearly half of global digital transactions, showcasing the country’s digital leadership.
• The CBDC-enabled PDS aims to curb corruption and eliminate leakages in the distribution of subsidised food grains.
• By digitising transactions, the system removes intermediaries and ensures direct, accountable delivery to beneficiaries.
• During the event, Shah unveiled the ‘Annapurna’ machine, capable of dispensing 25 kg of food grains in about 35 seconds.
• The technology-driven model is expected to enhance efficiency, security, and transparency in ration distribution.
• The government plans to expand the CBDC-based PDS across the country within the next three to four years.
SUMMIT AND CONFERENCES
3rd International AYUSH Conference & Exhibition 2026 Held in Dubai
• The 3rd International AYUSH Conference and Exhibition 2026 commenced on 15 February at the Dubai World Trade Centre and concluded on 17 February.
• The three-day event aimed to promote traditional Indian medical systems and their relevance in contemporary healthcare.
• The central theme was “Evidence-Based AYUSH Interventions in Mind-Body Health.”
• The conference was inaugurated by Prataprao Jadhav, Minister of State for AYUSH.
• He emphasised the growing global recognition of India’s traditional knowledge systems in public health discourse.
• A draft white paper focusing on AYUSH-based mind-body therapies was presented during the sessions.
• More than 120 exhibitors from across the AYUSH sector participated, alongside events such as a film festival, exhibition, and cultural evening.
• The conference aligned with the World Health Organization’s global strategy on traditional medicine, reinforcing international collaboration in this field.
India-AI Impact Summit 2026: Global Leaders Gather in New Delhi
• The India-AI Impact Summit 2026 is being organised in New Delhi from 16–20 February as a major international technology conclave.
• It marks the first global AI summit to be hosted in the Global South, highlighting India’s growing leadership in emerging technologies.
• Heads of State and Government from nearly 20 countries are attending, including Emmanuel Macron, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Pedro Sánchez, Guy Parmelin, Dick Schoof, and Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
• Ministerial-level delegations from over 45 countries are also expected to participate in the discussions.
• The summit serves as a strategic platform to advance global collaboration on artificial intelligence governance and innovation.
• Its framework is built around three guiding pillars — People, Planet, and Progress.
• Deliberations are structured into seven thematic “Chakras,” focusing on areas such as Safe AI, innovation ecosystems, and human capital development.
• With more than two lakh online registrations and invitations extended to over 100 countries, the event aims to establish India as a central convenor for responsible and inclusive AI cooperation worldwide.
CSR Conclave on PM Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana Held in New Delhi
• The Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare hosted a CSR conclave in New Delhi to strengthen partnerships for agricultural development.
• The event was conducted in collaboration with United Nations Development Programme India and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
• Discussions centred on leveraging the PM Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana (DDKY) to enhance farmers’ income and rural prosperity.
• The conclave brought together policymakers, financial institutions, corporate CSR heads, Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs), and development agencies.
• Around 65 representatives from leading firms such as Unilever, Reliance Foundation, ITC Limited, Axis Bank, Tata Consultancy Services, and JK Cement participated.
• The DDKY scheme, launched on 11 October 2025, has a six-year duration and covers 100 selected districts.
• The programme draws inspiration from the Aspirational Districts Programme aimed at targeted district-level transformation.
• Focused on agriculture and allied sectors, DDKY seeks to raise productivity and encourage crop diversification through convergence of 36 existing schemes across 11 departments.
