World Current Affairs One-liners — Last 12 months

Tue, 03 Feb 2026

• Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya virtually laid foundation stones for six sports infrastructure projects and inaugurated two athlete facilities at NS NIS Patiala on 3 February 2026, involving ₹120 crore in all.
• Scientists of the Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences used pollen and dung-fungal spores in a sediment core from the Sohola swamp to build the first long-term palaeoecological record of Kaziranga National Park, the DST said on 3 February 2026.

Mon, 02 Feb 2026

• The Central Government notified the Baggage Rules, 2026 on 2 February 2026, raising the general duty-free allowance for residents to ₹75,000 and adding a weight-based jewellery allowance.
• US President Donald Trump announced on 2 February 2026 that the US tariff on Indian goods would fall to 18% from 25%, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi thanked him in a phone call the same day.
• Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma launched the Swagat Satirtha Portal 2.0 for mutual transfers of Grade III and IV state employees at Lok Sewa Bhawan, Guwahati, on 2 February 2026.
• The Environment Ministry marked World Wetlands Day on 2 February 2026 with an event at Asola Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary, Delhi, on the theme 'Wetlands and Traditional Knowledge: Celebrating Cultural Heritage'.
• Defence Minister Rajnath Singh approved Miniratna Category-I status for the defence PSU Yantra India Limited (YIL) on 2 February 2026.
• The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) on 2 February 2026 sought feedback on the draft questionnaire for its Rapid Survey on Functional Cooperatives (RSFC), proposed to start in April 2026.
• Hari Shankar Verma, a 1987-batch IRTS officer, took charge as Member (Operations and Business Development), Railway Board, on 2 February 2026.
• Food Processing Industries Minister Chirag Paswan chaired the second meeting of the committee to counter misleading publicity on processed foods at Dr Ambedkar International Centre, New Delhi, on 2 February 2026.
• Indian Highways Management Company Limited (IHMCL), promoted by NHAI, signed an MoU on 2 February 2026 with the Gandhinagar-headquartered National Forensic Sciences University (NFSU) on cyber forensics and digital security.
• Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant inaugurated the Government Hospital and Research Centre (GMC Link) at Tuem in Pernem taluka, North Goa, on 2 February 2026.
• Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) signed an MoU with RITES on 2 February 2026 for leasing and maintenance of diesel locomotives at its plants and mines.
• The Secretary, Department of Financial Services launched the BAANKNET (Bank Assets Auction Network) mobile app and the Digital Balance Confirmation Platform at the PSB Alliance Annual Strategy Meet 2026 in New Delhi on 2 February 2026.
• Youth Affairs Minister Mansukh Mandaviya launched MY Bharat Budget Quest 2026, a national quiz and essay competition on the Union Budget for youth, on 2 February 2026.

Sun, 01 Feb 2026

• The Ministry of Defence was allocated a record ₹7.85 lakh crore in the Union Budget 2026-27 on 1 February 2026, 15.19% higher than the 2025-26 Budget estimate.
• The Union Budget 2026-27, presented on 1 February 2026, confirmed that the new Income Tax Act, 2025 takes effect from April 2026 and cut TCS on overseas tour packages and on LRS remittances for education and medical treatment to 2%.
• The Union Budget 2026-27, presented on 1 February 2026, announced Biopharma SHAKTI with ₹10,000 crore over five years, India Semiconductor Mission 2.0, dedicated Rare Earth Corridors in four states and a ₹10,000 crore container manufacturing scheme.
• Presenting the Union Budget 2026-27 on 1 February 2026, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the government had accepted the 16th Finance Commission's recommendation to retain the states' vertical share of devolution at 41%.
• The Union Budget 2026-27, presented on 1 February 2026, raised public capital expenditure to ₹12.2 lakh crore and announced an Infrastructure Risk Guarantee Fund and CPSE REITs.
• The Union Budget 2026-27, presented on 1 February 2026, gave Indian Railways a record capital expenditure of ₹2,93,030 crore and announced seven high-speed rail corridors and a new Dankuni–Surat dedicated freight corridor.
• The Union Budget 2026-27, presented on 1 February 2026, proposed cutting the tariff on all dutiable goods imported for personal use from 20% to 10% and exempting 17 drugs, mainly for cancer, from basic customs duty.
• Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the Union Budget 2026-27 in Parliament on 1 February 2026, estimating the fiscal deficit at 4.3% of GDP and total expenditure at ₹53.5 lakh crore.
• Carlos Alcaraz beat Novak Djokovic 2-6, 6-2, 6-3, 7-5 in the Australian Open men's singles final in Melbourne on 1 February 2026, becoming the youngest man to complete a career Grand Slam.
• Defence Minister Rajnath Singh attended the Indian Coast Guard's 50th Raising Day celebrations in New Delhi on 1 February 2026 and asked the force to prepare a roadmap for the next 25 years.
• The Union Budget 2026-27, presented on 1 February 2026, proposed Bharat-VISTAAR, a multilingual AI tool integrating AgriStack and ICAR advisories, and a Coconut Promotion Scheme.
• The Union Budget 2026-27, presented on 1 February 2026, announced five Regional Medical Hubs for medical tourism, NIMHANS-2 in north India, three new All India Institutes of Ayurveda and a girls' hostel in every district.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated a terminal building at Halwara Airport near Ludhiana, Punjab, on 1 February 2026, the day Adampur Airport was renamed Shri Guru Ravidass Maharaj Ji Airport on Sant Ravidass Jayanti.
• The Union Budget 2026-27, presented on 1 February 2026, announced that 15 archaeological sites including Lothal, Dholavira and Rakhigarhi will be developed as experiential cultural destinations, and launched a Khelo India Mission for the next decade.
• The Union Budget 2026-27, presented on 1 February 2026, announced a ₹10,000 crore SME Growth Fund to create 'Champion SMEs' and a High Level Committee on Banking for Viksit Bharat.