National Affairs
- West Bengal has recorded the highest number of bird species during the Great Backyard Bird Count. The Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) is a major global birding event where birdwatchers count species. Bengal led India in bird species recorded for the third consecutive year. The event took place from February 14 to 17, 2025, with India documenting 1,068 species. Bengal recorded 543 species, showcasing its rich bird diversity. Rare species like the Ibisbill and Common Starling were spotted.
- Tuhin Kanta Pandey, currently Finance and Revenue Secretary, replaces Madhabi Puri Buch as SEBI Chairman after her term ends on February 28, 2025. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet, chaired by PM Modi, approved his appointment for three years or until further orders. A 1987-batch IAS officer from Odisha cadre, Pandey served as Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM) Secretary from 2019 and became Finance Secretary in September 2024. He played a key role in Air India’s sale and LIC’s public listing.
- India became the second country after China to launch an Electronic Personnel License (EPL) for pilots. Union Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu launched the EPL on 20 February 2025 at Udaan Bhawan, New Delhi. The EPL is part of the Digital India initiative and aims to improve Ease of Doing Business. It replaces the existing smart card with a digital license accessible through the eGCA Mobile App.
- The first breeding site of the Blue-Cheeked Bee-eater in peninsular India was discovered in saltpans of Aandivilai near the Manakudy Mangroves, Kanniyakumari, Tamil Nadu. This bird belongs to the bee-eater family (Meropidae) and was previously known as a migrant and winter visitor in India. It prefers sub-tropical semi-desert regions with sparse trees like acacias for breeding. It nests alone or in small colonies and sometimes shares colonies with European bee-eaters. Its breeding range includes the Nile Delta, Pakistan, and Iran, while it winters in Africa. It breeds in sandy deserts near water bodies.
- A two-day conference on women peacekeepers in UN missions began in New Delhi, titled “Women in Peacekeeping: A Global South Perspective.” The event is organized by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Ministry of Defence, and the Centre for UN Peacekeeping. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar delivered the keynote address. The UN was represented by Jean-Pierre Lacroix and Christian Saunders. Women peacekeepers also met with President Droupadi Murmu. The conference focused on peacekeeping technology, training, and regional collaboration from the Global South’s viewpoint.
- On 22 February 2025, the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister laid the foundation stone for India’s first biopolymer plant in Kumbhi, Lakhimpur Kheri. The plant will be built by Balrampur Sugar Mills Limited at a cost of ₹2,850 crore. It will produce biopolymers using biological methods, supporting eco-friendly industrial growth. The project aims to replace plastic with sustainable biopolymers, promoting environmental protection. This initiative aligns with India’s goal of self-reliance and sustainability.
- The Government e Marketplace (GeM) celebrated six years of the Startups, Women & Youth Advantage through eTransactions (SWAYATT) initiative in New Delhi. SWAYATT was launched on 19th February 2019 to boost participation of women-led enterprises and youth in public procurement. It is based on GeM’s principle of social inclusion and aims to improve ease of doing business. The initiative connects startups, women entrepreneurs, MSEs, SHGs, and youth to government procurement. It focuses on training last-mile sellers, promoting women entrepreneurship, and supporting small-scale businesses in public procurement.
- The first International Conference on Carbon Markets-Prakriti was held in New Delhi on 24-25 February 2025. It brought together experts, policymakers, industry leaders, researchers, and practitioners in carbon credit trading. The conference aims to understand and expand the Indian carbon market while discussing global carbon credit trends. It was organized by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) under the Union Ministry of Power. The event was inaugurated by Union Minister for Power and Housing & Urban Affairs, Manohar Lal Khattar.
- Rajasthan government launched Shiksha Sanjeevani Bima Yojana to provide accidental insurance to schoolchildren. It offers personal accident insurance coverage of Rs 1 lakh to 1.3 lakh for children and parents in state government schools. Initially, the scheme covers schools in the Udaipur Division. State Education and Panchayati Raj Minister Madan Dilawar launched the scheme on 26th February 2025 at Residency School, Udaipur. The scheme will be gradually expanded to all schools in Rajasthan, benefiting around 1 crore students.
International Affairs
- The US President signed an Executive Order to develop an Iron Dome-style missile defense system to protect against ballistic, hypersonic, and cruise missiles. Iron Dome is Israel’s short-range air defense system that intercepts rockets in the air. It is developed by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and Israel Aerospace Industries. It functions in all weather conditions, day and night.
- Russia deployed RS-24 Yars intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) on combat patrol routes with nuclear warheads. RS-24 Yars (NATO: SS-29) is a Russian ICBM system that entered service in February 2010. It is similar in design to Russia’s SS-27 (Topol M) and Bulava (SS-NX-32) missiles. It is a three-stage, solid-fueled missile, launched from silos or mobile launchers. It has a range of 2,000–10,500 km and carries up to 10 nuclear warheads.
Sports
- China is the host of 34th ITTF-ATTU Asian Cup table tennis tournament. The 34th International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF)- Asian Table Tennis Union (ATTU) Asian Cup table tennis tournament is held from February 19–23, 2025 at the Shenzhen Universiade Sports Center in Shenzhen, China. Athletes from various countries are participating in the event. India’s men’s team is led by veteran player Sharath Kamal. The tournament’s mascot was “Peng Peng”, named after Shenzhen’s nickname “Pengcheng”.
- The Indian senior women’s basketball team won the 3rd SABA Women’s Basketball Championship 2025, defeating Maldives 107-32 in the final. This was India’s first participation in the SABA Women’s Championship. The tournament was organised by the South Asian Basketball Association and hosted by the Basketball Federation of India. It took place at KD Jadhav Indoor Stadium, New Delhi, from 23-26 February 2025. The SABA Women’s Championship includes eight eligible countries: India, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Nepal, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Bhutan.
Defense and Security
- The Indian Navy and DRDO successfully tested the Naval Anti-Ship Missile – Short Range (NASM-SR) on 25 February 2025. The missile was launched from the Indian Navy’s Sea King Mk 42B helicopter at the Integrated Test Range in Chandipur, Odisha. NASM-SR is India’s first indigenously developed air-launched anti-ship missile with a sea-skimming capability. DRDO confirmed the successful validation of the missile’s Man-in-Loop feature, allowing real-time target selection and in-flight retargeting.
Science and Technology
- Microsoft unveiled Majorana 1, its first quantum computing chip, to improve stability, speed, and practicality in quantum computing. The chip utilizes Majorana particles, an exotic quantum state, to minimize computational errors and enhance reliability. It is developed by Microsoft, with validation from Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), U.S.
- NASA is preparing for the PUNCH mission, a first-of-its-kind solar mission to study the solar atmosphere. PUNCH (Polarimetry to Unify the Corona and Heliosphere) will be launched by SpaceX. It consists of four suitcase-sized satellites, each weighing 64 kg, placed in Low Earth Orbit (LEO). The mission will use three Wide Field Imagers and one Narrow Field Imager to capture polarised and unpolarised images. It will provide 3D measurements of the corona and solar wind using light polarisation. The data will help improve space weather predictions and protect space missions. The mission is expected to last two years.
- NASA plans to launch the SPHEREx telescope aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base, California. SPHEREx (Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization, and Ices Explorer) is a megaphone-shaped space telescope with a 2-year mission. It will map the universe using optical and infrared cosmic light. It will study cosmic inflation, which occurred 14 billion years ago when the universe expanded faster than light. It will analyze galaxy formation, cosmic evolution, and life-forming molecules in the Milky Way. It will use spectroscopic imaging to map 450 million galaxies in 3D. It will complement the work of the James Webb and Hubble telescopes.
- Researchers from western Maharashtra discovered a new endemic frog species named Minervarya ghatiborealis. It was found in Mahabaleshwar, in the north-western Ghats of Sahyadri, Maharashtra. The name comes from ‘Ghati’ (Sanskrit for western) and ‘Borealis’ (Latin for northern), meaning ‘from the north-western Ghats’. It belongs to the Minervarya genus, commonly known as ‘Cricket frogs’. These frogs have parallel lines on their abdomens and nest near standing water or small springs. Their calls resemble nightingales, and the male’s breeding vocalisation is unique within the genus.
Current Affairs: 11 February- 20 February
