February 17, 2026
83 articles published on this date
Exclusive: Tata, two consortia led by L&T, Bharat Forge shortlisted for making fighter jets
The Ministry of Defence shortlisted three private sector entities for the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) programme: Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TA...
India gets its first private sector helicopter assembly line with inauguration of Tata-Airbus facility in Karnataka
Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) inaugurated India's first private-sector helicopter Final Assembly Line (FAL) in the Vemgal Industrial Area, Kolar distr...
UPI-like AI service for MSMEs on common platform: Vaishnaw
Union IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced at the India AI Impact Summit 2026 that the next phase of the India AI Mission will offer a "UPI of AI" — a comm...
Emmanuel Macron India Visit Live Updates: India an outstanding example of women-led research & innovation, says PM Modi at India-France innovation forum
PM Modi and French President Macron co-chaired the India-France Innovation Forum, where Modi highlighted India as an "outstanding example of women-led resear...
In numbers: How wildlife conflict has dropped across J&K
Jammu and Kashmir's Forest Minister Javed Rana informed the Legislative Assembly that 15,661 human-wildlife conflict (HWC) cases were recorded across J&K bet...
Decision on J&K statehood soon, says Union Minister; Omar cautions: ‘Been waiting for a year and a half’
Union Minister Arjun Meghwal stated in February 2026 that a decision on restoring Jammu & Kashmir's statehood would come "soon," referencing the Centre's ass...
9 senior engineers arrested after early-morning raids in ‘Rs 960-crore Jal Jeevan Mission corruption case’
Rajasthan's Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) conducted early-morning raids and arrested nine senior engineers of the Public Health Engineering Department (PHED) ...
‘World’s only helicopter to fly at Everest heights will be made in India’: Modi on India-France H125 project
PM Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron jointly inaugurated (virtually) the Airbus H125 helicopter Final Assembly Line at Vemagal Industrial Ar...
Bharat-VISTAAR, offering farmers crop support in their languages, goes live today
Bharat-VISTAAR (Virtually Integrated System to Access Agricultural Resources), an AI-powered multilingual agricultural advisory platform announced in Union B...
Bhabha, Cold War, nuclear technology, 1955: Dos and don’t for India in AI
An analytical piece draws parallels between India's approach to nuclear technology development under Homi Jehangir Bhabha during the Cold War (1950s–1960s) a...
Why the new Digital Personal Data Protection Act faces a constitutional challenge in the Supreme Court
On February 16, 2026, the Supreme Court issued notice in The Reporters Collective Trust v. Union of India, admitting a constitutional challenge to the Digita...
Telangana to rollout free HPV vaccination programme for girls aged 14 and 15 at end of February
The Telangana government announced a free Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination programme for girls aged 14 and 15, to be rolled out starting February 28, 2...
Watch: Ashwini Vaishnaw on deepfakes: ‘We need much stronger regulation’
Union Minister for Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw stated that India needs "much stronger regulation" to address the growing threat p...
India’s capacity to scale next-generation biologics draws focus at BioAsia 2026
BioAsia 2026, the 23rd edition of Asia's premier life sciences summit, was held on February 17-18, 2026 at HITEX Exhibition Centre, Hyderabad, under the them...
Bangladesh: The churn and the many challenges ahead
Bangladesh is undergoing a profound political transition: the BNP has returned to power after a landslide election victory, the interim Yunus government has ...
French President Emmanuel Macron lands in Mumbai for his India visit
French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Mumbai on 17 February 2026 for a three-day official visit — his fourth visit to India and first to Mumbai — at th...
Watch: Tarique Rahman takes oath as the new Prime Minister of Bangladesh
Tarique Rahman, leader of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), was sworn in as Prime Minister of Bangladesh on 17 February 2026 at the South Plaza of the ...
Oath taking ceremony of new MPs, ‘Constitution Reform Commission’ and new Bangladesh government on February 17
On February 17, 2026, newly elected Members of Parliament took their oath of office in Bangladesh, alongside a simultaneous oath-taking ceremony for members ...
Cities of debt: On the Urban Challenge Fund
The Union Cabinet approved the Urban Challenge Fund (UCF) with a total Central Assistance outlay of INR 1 lakh crore, expected to leverage an aggregate inves...
Indian Coast Guard seizes three Iran-linked U.S.-sanctioned tankers
The Indian Coast Guard intercepted three oil tankers approximately 100 nautical miles west of Mumbai on February 6-7, 2026, as part of an operation targeting...
Transatlantic strains: On Europe and the U.S.
A growing rift has emerged in transatlantic relations as the United States under the Trump administration has adopted a more transactional approach to NATO a...
India’s solar manufacturing boom turns into a structural glut
India's solar module manufacturing capacity has surged 13-fold since 2020, reaching approximately 154 gigawatts (GW) by end-2025, while domestic solar instal...
What are bio-based chemicals and enzymes? | Explained
India is scaling its bioeconomy with a focus on bio-based chemicals and enzymes — substances produced through biological processes (microbial fermentation, e...
Transitioning to green steel
A detailed analysis argues that India's transition to green steel is now both technically feasible and economically viable, with the "green premium" — the ex...
Trump to decide 'soon' on sending weapons to Taiwan
US President Donald Trump indicated he would decide "soon" on sending weapons to Taiwan, amid ongoing tensions in the Taiwan Strait. The US and Chinese Presi...
Shahpurkandi Dam set for commissioning, Ravi waters to boost irrigation in Jammu and Punjab
The Shahpurkandi Dam on the Ravi River in Pathankot district, Punjab, is set for commissioning after nearly three decades of construction delays, with operat...
AI Impact Summit: Government launches SAHI, BODH to strengthen health AI ecosystem
At the India AI Impact Summit 2026 on February 17, 2026, Union Health Minister JP Nadda launched two landmark digital health AI initiatives: SAHI and BODH. S...
Could Bill Gates and political tussles overshadow AI safety debate in Delhi?
The India AI Impact Summit 2026 was held at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi (16-20 February 2026), organized by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Techno...
India needs to mobilise $500 billion a year to meet Net Zero ambition: Global Energy Alliance
The Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP) released analysis indicating that India needs to mobilise approximately $500 billion per year to mee...
India launches ‘Bharat VISTAAR’ to provide single window information to farmers
The Union Agriculture Minister launched Phase-1 of Bharat-VISTAAR (Virtually Integrated System to Access Agricultural Resources) in Jaipur, Rajasthan, coinci...
Shivraj asks why Congress objects to US trade deal if imports are necessary
Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan addressed concerns over the India-US Bilateral Trade Agreement, reiterating that imports of wheat, rice, mai...
A budgetary signal as banks cannot bear it all
Union Budget 2026-27 proposes a structural shift in India's financial architecture, moving long-term infrastructure financing away from bank balance sheets a...
India aims to build consensus to harness AI for public good, contain harms: Vaishnaw
Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, speaking at the India AI Impact Summit 2026 (held February 16–21 at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi), stated that India's objecti...
US and Iran hold second nuclear talks in Geneva amid Strait of Hormuz tensions
The United States and Iran held their second round of nuclear talks in Geneva in February 2026, with Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi leading the Tehra...
Tamil Nadu to unveil Agroforestry Policy, ease rules on tree cultivation
Tamil Nadu announced it will unveil a state agroforestry policy — aligning with India's National Agroforestry Policy (2014) — to allow farmers to grow high-v...
NPCI extends ‘UPI One World’ wallet service to visitors from 40 countries to AI Summit
The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) extended its UPI One World wallet service to foreign visitors from 40+ countries attending the India AI Imp...
India gets first private-sector helicopter final assembly line
On February 17, 2026, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron virtually inaugurated India's first private-sector helicopter Final A...
Assam environmental activist flags rat-hole coal mining along Arunachal border
A conservationist from Assam submitted a memorandum to Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma flagging alleged rat-hole mining activities in the Jagun, Lekhapani...
Economics will give way to politics and security in how nations make choices, Jaishankar says
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, speaking at the Global Economic Cooperation Conference in Mumbai (February 17, 2026), warned that the global order i...
India-EU trade pact fuels Air India, Lufthansa partnership expansion
Following the conclusion of the India-EU Free Trade Agreement on January 27, 2026, Air India and the Lufthansa Group signed a Memorandum of Understanding (Mo...
India AI Summit 2026 Day 1 highlights: PM Modi inaugurates India AI Impact Summit 2026
The India AI Impact Summit 2026 was held at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, from 16–21 February 2026, inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Delegations fr...
Tata-Airbus helicopter unit showcases strong high-end manufacturing partnership: Rajnath Singh
Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) inaugurated India's first private-sector helicopter Final Assembly Line (FAL) for the Airbus H125 at Vemagal, Karnataka,...
Iran's Revolutionary Guards begin military drills in Strait of Hormuz
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commenced military exercises in the Strait of Hormuz on 16 February 2026, a day before the second round of Ir...
India-US deal: Pulses off the factsheet but on the table
India's Agriculture Minister held discussions with US counterparts on including pulses, cotton, and apples as import items under the India-US interim trade d...
India's permanent contribution to world community’s agenda is of enormous importance to us: Antonio Guterres
UN Secretary-General António Guterres, visiting New Delhi to attend the India AI Impact Summit (16-20 February 2026), praised India's role, stating that Indi...
Amit Shah chairs Manthan meeting to boost cooperative reforms and rural economy
Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah chaired the 'Manthan' meeting of Cooperation Ministers from all States and Union Territories on February 17, 20...
India’s data centre boom raises concerns over power supply and grid capacity
India's data centre capacity reached approximately 1,500 MW by end of 2025 and is projected to expand six-fold to 8–10 GW by 2030, placing enormous and conce...
Isolated surges, broader calm: Decoding the first month of India's CPI reset
India's Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) released the first Consumer Price Index (CPI) data under the new base year 2024, replacin...
Watch: Tarique Rahman to take oath as Bangladesh PM today
Tarique Rahman, Chairman of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), was sworn in as Prime Minister of Bangladesh on 17 February 2026 by President Mohammed Sh...
India’s cotton imports touch $1.79 billion in April-January
India's cotton imports for the April–January period of FY2025-26 reached $1.79 billion (Rs 15,857 crore), an increase of 81% over the corresponding period of...
In final speech as Bangladesh interim govt adviser, Yunus rakes up reference to India’s NE, yet again
In his final televised address before the new BNP government was sworn in, outgoing interim Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus referenced India's northeastern stat...
Bangladesh no longer a ‘submissive country’: Yunus in farewell address
Outgoing Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus delivered a televised farewell address on 17 February 2026, declaring that Bangladesh is "no longer a country with subm...
Human-wildlife conflict cases on the rise in Idukki; tusker ‘Padayappa’ destroys vehicle
The tusker known as Padayappa, a wild elephant in the Munnar area of Idukki district, Kerala, has entered musth — a state of heightened aggression — and dest...
India needs to embrace new tech, AI can save ₹20,000 cr in cargo handling: EAC-PM member
Gourav Vallabh, a member of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM), stated that adopting artificial intelligence in port cargo handling...
India’s spice exporters to meet in Kochi amid tariff uncertainty and stricter residue norms
Indian spice exporters gathered in Kochi for the International Spice Conference 2026, recalibrating their strategies in response to two converging challenges...
U.S. warship in Gulf can be sunk, warns Iran’s Khamenei
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned on 17 February 2026 that US warships deployed to the Persian Gulf "could be sunk to the bottom of the sea...
Gold, silver import surge pushes India’s January trade deficit to 3-month high of $34.68 billion
India's merchandise trade deficit widened to $34.68 billion in January 2026, the highest in three months, up sharply from $25.04 billion in December 2025. Go...
Tamil Nadu FM presents interim budget, attacks Centre for ‘artificially inflating’ state’s debt
Tamil Nadu Finance Minister Thangam Thennarasu presented the state's interim budget on February 17, 2026, using it as a platform to challenge Centre-state fi...
Adani to invest $100 billion in AI data centres by 2035
The Adani Group announced plans to invest $100 billion in AI data centres across India by 2035, with the investment expected to catalyse an additional $150 b...
Russia pummels Ukraine's power grid before talks
Russian forces launched coordinated strikes on energy infrastructure across 12 Ukrainian regions in the overnight hours before the start of US-brokered peace...
Bangladesh oath ceremony highlights: Tarique Rahman sworn in as new Prime Minister of Bangladesh
Tarique Rahman, chairman of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), was sworn in as the new Prime Minister of Bangladesh on 17 February 2026 at the South Pla...
BNP members sworn in as MPs; party says they will not take oath for changing existing constitution
Newly elected BNP Members of Parliament were sworn in as members of the Jatiya Sangsad (Bangladesh's national parliament), but refused to take a second oath ...
Weather extremes continue to hit saffron production despite revival push in J&K
Agriculture experts have flagged that extreme weather events continue to severely impact saffron cultivation in Jammu and Kashmir, undermining government rev...
Moscow, Kyiv meet for U.S.-brokered talks after fresh attacks
Delegations from Russia and Ukraine met in Geneva on 17-18 February 2026 for a second round of US-brokered peace talks, nearly four years after Russia's full...
Kerala CM flags fiscal concerns, calls for fair federalism
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan publicly raised concerns about what he termed unfair intergovernmental fiscal arrangements, highlighting the state's s...
India seeks new steel export markets in Middle East and Asia to offset EU carbon tax impact: Report
India's steel industry — the world's second-largest crude steel producer — is actively targeting new export markets in the Middle East and Southeast Asia to ...
Cash craze: Currency in circulation touches record Rs 40 lakh crore
Currency in circulation (CIC) in India reached an all-time high of Rs 40 lakh crore by end-January 2026, growing 11.1% year-on-year, up from 5.3% growth a ye...
Why Kerala declared tidal flooding a State-specific disaster | Explained
Kerala became the first Indian state to officially declare tidal flooding a "State-specific disaster," making victims eligible for financial assistance from ...
Arjun Meghwal signals imminent call on Jammu & Kashmir statehood
Union Law Minister Arjun Meghwal stated in February 2026 that a decision on restoring statehood to Jammu & Kashmir would come "soon," citing Home Minister Am...
India’s next big power move is set to unfold in the Bay of Bengal
India is set to launch construction on the Great Nicobar Island mega-infrastructure project after the National Green Tribunal (NGT) cleared it, signaling Ind...
‘India offers limited farm quotas in US trade deal’
India has offered tariff-rate quotas for most agricultural products in its proposed interim trade agreement with the United States, with officials stating th...
Indian rice exporter seals 5,000-tonne US deal: IREF
A member company of the Indian Rice Exporters Federation (IREF) finalized a commercial deal to export 5,000 tonnes of premium basmati rice to the United Stat...
Supreme Court says political leaders must foster fraternity, declines plea for speech guidelines
The Supreme Court, while hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking guidelines for political leaders and media on communally sensitive speeches, decl...
Sovereign AI models available at summit, huge response to event: Vaishnaw
At the India AI Impact Summit 2026 (Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, February 16–21, 2026), IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced that India's sovereign AI model...
India's textile and apparel exports down by 3.75% in January, outlook improves now with India US interim deal
India's combined textile and apparel exports fell by 3.75% year-on-year in January 2026, to $3,275.44 million from $3,403.19 million in January 2025. Textile...
Need much stronger regulation on deepfakes, talks on with industry: Vaishnaw
At the AI Impact Summit 2026 (February 16–21, Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi), the Union IT Minister stated that India needs "much stronger regulation on deepfak...
India engaging global partners more intensively, says EAM S Jaishankar; cites recent trade deals
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, speaking at and on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference 2026, stated that India is engaging global partne...
NHAI accepts NHIT's Rs 6,221 cr offer to monetise two highway assets
The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) accepted a Rs 6,220.90 crore offer from National Highways Infra Trust (NHIT) to monetise two operational high...
NHAI gets Rs 12,357 cr towards monetisation for 2025-26; lower than the budgeted and revised estimate of Rs 15,000 cr
The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) received ₹12,357 crore toward asset monetisation for FY 2025-26, falling short of both the original budgeted ...
Macron says France ready to make in India, Modi hails elevation of ties to ‘global strategic partnership’
India and France elevated their bilateral relationship to a "Special Global Strategic Partnership" during French President Emmanuel Macron's three-day visit ...
Who is Darpan Jain, India’s chief negotiator for US trade talks?
Darpan Jain, a 2001-batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of the Karnataka cadre, has been appointed India's chief negotiator for the India-US bi...
NGT clears Great Nicobar infrastructure project, says adequate safeguards provided
A six-member special bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) ruled on February 16, 2026, that it found "no good ground" to interfere with the environmenta...
Adani Group commits USD 100 bn to build AI-ready energy-compute backbone
The Adani Group announced a direct investment of USD 100 billion to develop renewable-energy-powered, hyperscale AI-ready data centres across India by 2035 —...