Current Affairs One-liners — 24 February 2026

Tue, 24 Feb 2026

• Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal and Gulf Cooperation Council Secretary General Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi signed the Joint Statement on the India–GCC Free Trade Agreement in New Delhi on 24 February 2026, formally launching negotiations.
• The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved the proposal to alter the name of the State of Kerala to 'Keralam' on 24 February 2026.
• The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs fixed the Minimum Support Price of raw jute (TD-3 grade) at ₹5,925 per quintal for the 2026-27 season on 24 February 2026.
• The 16th edition of the India–US Joint Special Forces Exercise Vajra Prahar began at the Special Forces Training School, Bakloh, Himachal Pradesh, on 24 February 2026 and runs until 16 March.
• The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved the development of the Civil Enclave at Srinagar International Airport at an estimated cost of ₹1,677 crore on 24 February 2026.
• The Union Cabinet approved a 3.33-km extension of the Gujarat Metro's North-South corridor from GIFT City to Shahpur, with three elevated stations, at a cost of ₹1,067.35 crore on 24 February 2026.
• The Election Commission of India held a National Round Table Conference with State Election Commissioners at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, on 24 February 2026, the first such conference in 27 years.
• The 7th edition of the India–Japan joint military exercise 'Dharma Guardian' began at the Foreign Training Node, Chaubattia, Uttarakhand, on 24 February 2026 and runs until 9 March.
• The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved three railway multitracking projects worth about ₹9,072 crore across Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand on 24 February 2026, adding about 307 km to the network.
• The Employees' State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) began celebrations of its 75th year of service at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, on 24 February 2026.
• The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India released its recommendations on the auction of radio frequency spectrum in bands identified for International Mobile Telecommunications (IMT) on 24 February 2026.
• Union Minister Jitendra Singh launched 'SUJVIKA', an AI-driven biotech product data portal developed with industry partner ABLE, at the Department of Biotechnology's 40th Foundation Day on 24 February 2026.