Current Affairs One-liners — 17 February 2026
Daily news by your exam, state and topic — each with a short summary, key facts and MCQs.
Tue, 17 Feb 2026
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron elevated India–France relations to a 'Special Global Strategic Partnership' and jointly inaugurated the 2026 India–France Year of Innovation in Mumbai on 17 February 2026.
- The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) announced on 17 February 2026 a first-of-its-kind initiative to develop pollinator or 'Bee Corridors' along National Highways.
- Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla represented India at the swearing-in ceremony of the new Government of Bangladesh led by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman in Dhaka on 17 February 2026.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a National Centre of Excellence for Skilling in Aeronautics and Defence at the National Skill Training Institute (NSTI), Kanpur, with France, during the joint press statement with President Macron in Mumbai on 17 February 2026.
- Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan launched Phase 1 of the AI-based 'Bharat-VISTAAR' scheme for farmers in Jaipur, Rajasthan, on 17 February 2026.
- Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and French Armed Forces Minister Catherine Vautrin co-chaired the 6th India–France Annual Defence Dialogue in Bengaluru, Karnataka, on 17 February 2026.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron virtually inaugurated, from Mumbai, the Tata Advanced Systems final assembly line of the Airbus H125 light utility helicopter at Vemagal, Karnataka, on 17 February 2026.
- Health Minister J. P. Nadda launched two digital health initiatives, SAHI and BODH, at the India AI Impact Summit 2026 in New Delhi on 17 February 2026.
- Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah chaired a Manthan Meeting with the Cooperation Ministers of all States and Union Territories in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, on 17 February 2026, under the theme 'Sahkar se Samriddhi'.
- Electronics and IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced on 17 February 2026, the second day of the India AI Impact Summit in New Delhi, that India will add 20,000 GPUs to its existing 38,000 in the coming weeks.
- Vice President C. P. Radhakrishnan paid floral tributes to Bharat Ratna Karpoori Thakur on his death anniversary at Uparashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi, on 17 February 2026.