Daily Current Affairs- 17th February 2026

Daily Current Affairs- 17th February 2026

JP Nadda to Launch SAHI & BODH at India AI Summit

In the News: Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Shri Jagat Prakash Nadda, launched two key national initiatives — SAHI (Strategy for Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare for India) and BODH (Benchmarking Open Data Platform for Health AI) — at the India AI Summit 2026 held at Bharat Mandapam. These initiatives mark a significant step in building a safe, ethical, and globally competitive Health AI ecosystem in India.

Key Points:

• Event: The launch took place at the India AI Summit 2026 at Bharat Mandapam, with Union Health Minister JP Nadda unveiling both initiatives aimed at transforming AI adoption in India's healthcare sector.
• SAHI — What it is: SAHI stands for Strategy for Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare for India. It is a national guidance framework to enable the safe, ethical, evidence-based, and inclusive adoption of Artificial Intelligence across India's healthcare system.
• BODH — What it is: BODH stands for Benchmarking Open Data Platform for Health AI. It is a privacy-preserving benchmarking platform that enables rigorous evaluation of AI models using diverse, real-world health data — without sharing the underlying datasets. It was developed by IIT Kanpur in collaboration with the National Health Authority (NHA).
• BODH as a Digital Public Good: BODH functions as a digital public good under the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM). It is designed to strengthen trust, transparency, and quality assurance in Health AI deployment across India.
• AI in Indian Healthcare Context: Artificial Intelligence is being increasingly used globally for diagnostics, disease prediction, medical imaging, and personalized treatment. In India, the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission aims to create an integrated health data ecosystem. Health AI has the potential to improve rural healthcare access, reduce diagnostic errors, and optimize hospital management.

MILAN Village Opens in Visakhapatnam — Indian Navy Kicks Off Exercise MILAN 2026

In the News: The Indian Navy inaugurated the MILAN Village at the Eastern Naval Command, Visakhapatnam, as part of its flagship international naval exercise, MILAN 2026. The inauguration was presided over by Vice Admiral Sanjay Bhalla, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Naval Command, marking the beginning of one of the largest multilateral naval exercises in the Indo-Pacific region.

Key Points:

• MILAN Village Inauguration: The MILAN Village was formally inaugurated on February 15, 2026, at the Eastern Naval Command by Vice Admiral Sanjay Bhalla. It has been conceptualised as an experience zone bringing together delegates and naval personnel from over 70 countries in an atmosphere of camaraderie and friendship, serving as a hub for social and cultural exchanges beyond professional engagement.
• Theme of MILAN Village: The MILAN Village embodies the theme "Camaraderie, Cooperation, Collaboration", symbolizing the shared commitment of participating navies to mutual cultural exchange, building bridges of friendship, and forging collective maritime partnerships.
• Exercise MILAN 2026 — Overview: Exercise MILAN 2026 will be held at Visakhapatnam from February 15 to 25, 2026. It is one of the largest multilateral naval exercises in the Indo-Pacific, bringing together navies from across the globe to strengthen interoperability, maritime domain awareness, and collective response capabilities.
• Harbour and Sea Phases: The exercise will include complex maritime operations such as anti-submarine warfare, air defence, search and rescue, and cooperative security missions, reinforcing a shared commitment to free, open, inclusive, and rules-based seas.
• India's Maritime Convergence: Exercise MILAN 2026 forms a key pillar of India's historic maritime convergence at Visakhapatnam, alongside the International Fleet Review (IFR) 2026 and the IONS (Indian Ocean Naval Symposium) Conclave of Chiefs — a significant moment in India's maritime outreach and cooperative engagement with partner navies.
• MAHASAGAR Vision: MILAN 2026 represents a major operational manifestation of Prime Minister's MAHASAGAR vision, reaffirming India's role as a Preferred Security Partner and a responsible stakeholder in the global maritime commons.

President Droupadi Murmu Flags Off Ol Chiki 100 Year Celebrations in Delhi

In the News:  President of India Smt. Droupadi Murmu inaugurated the Centenary Celebrations of the Ol Chiki Script at Dr. Ambedkar International Centre, New Delhi. The event, organised by the Ministry of Culture in collaboration with Fagun (a monthly Santhali newspaper), marked 100 years of the Ol Chiki script, invented in 1925 by Pandit Raghunath Murmu for the Santhali language.

Key Points:

• Inauguration: President Droupadi Murmu inaugurated the centenary celebrations as Chief Guest. The event was also attended by Union Minister of Tribal Affairs Shri Jual Oram and Union Minister of Culture & Tourism Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat.
• About Ol Chiki Script: The Ol Chiki script was invented in 1925 by Pandit Raghunath Murmu to give the Santhali language its own dedicated, scientifically designed writing system. The script consists of 30 letters, each corresponding directly to a specific sound, and accurately captures the unique phonetic features of Santhali — including glottal stops and distinctive vowel patterns — which borrowed scripts like Roman, Devanagari, Odia, and Bengali could not correctly represent.
• About Pandit Raghunath Murmu: Born in 1905 in Dandbose village of Mayurbhanj district, Odisha, Pandit Raghunath Murmu is the visionary architect of the Ol Chiki script. He authored over 150 works in Santhali, including the first book in Ol Chiki — "High Serena" (1936). He received an honorary doctorate from Ranchi University and honours from the Odisha Sahitya Akademi. His dedication to cultural preservation earned him the honorary title of "Pandit".
• Santhali Language: Santhali belongs to the Munda branch of the Austroasiatic language family and is spoken primarily across Jharkhand, Odisha, West Bengal, Assam, and Bihar in India, as well as in Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, and Mauritius. It was included in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution of India through the 92nd Constitutional Amendment Act, 2003, with Ol Chiki as its official script.
• Commemorative Coin and Postage Stamp: President Murmu released a ₹100 commemorative coin and a special commemorative postage stamp to mark 100 years of the Ol Chiki script (1925–2025). The coin's reverse features the portrait of Pandit Raghunath Murmu set against Ol Chiki characters, while its obverse bears the Lion Capital of Ashoka with the denomination.
• Constitution in Santhali: In a landmark initiative, the Constitution of India was translated into the Santhali language using the Ol Chiki script and released in December 2025 by the Legislative Department — the first time India's foundational legal text became available in Santhali in its own indigenous script, strengthening participatory democracy and constitutional awareness.

Why the new Digital Personal Data Protection Act faces a constitutional challenge in the Supreme Court

In the News: Three separate PIL petitions have been filed in the Supreme Court of India challenging the constitutionality of the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 (DPDP Act). The petitioners argue that the Act — enacted to safeguard digital privacy — paradoxically undermines the fundamental Right to Information (RTI), handicaps investigative journalism, and expands state surveillance powers. The Supreme Court admitted the pleas, issued notice to the Centre, and listed them for hearing by a Constitution Bench of five judges in March, while declining to place an interim stay on the Act.

Key Points:

• Petitioners: The three petitions have been filed by the National Campaign for Peoples' Right to Information (NCPRI) — a civil society network instrumental in enacting the RTI Act; Venkatesh Nayak, a transparency advocate; and The Reporters' Collective Trust, a group of investigative journalists.
• Central Challenge — Amendment to RTI Act: A core grievance of all three petitioners concerns Section 44(3) of the DPDP Act, which amends Section 8(1)(j) of the RTI Act, 2005. The original provision allowed denial of personal information only if it had no relation to public activity or caused an unwarranted privacy invasion — and crucially contained a public interest override allowing PIOs to disclose personal information if larger public interest justified it.
• Impact on RTI and Anti-Corruption Efforts: The NCPRI contends this amendment converts a "carefully calibrated privacy exemption into an absolute bar", shielding corrupt officials from scrutiny. Investigations into corruption rely on records like asset disclosures, tender documents, and file notations — which inevitably contain personal data. Venkatesh Nayak's petition calls this a "death knell for participatory democracy" and ruinous to open governance.
• Proportionality Test — Puttaswamy Judgment: All three petitions invoke the Supreme Court's landmark Puttaswamy judgment of 2017, which mandates that any restriction on fundamental rights must satisfy the "proportionality test" — requiring the state to prove a legitimate aim, use of the least restrictive measure, and procedural safeguards. The petitioners argue the DPDP Act fails this threshold by replacing the RTI Act's public interest override with a blanket ban, which is not the least restrictive method available. The NCPRI also argues the amendment is "manifestly arbitrary" as it creates a class of information that is completely opaque regardless of public interest.
• State Surveillance Concerns — Section 36: Both Nayak and the Reporters' Collective challenge Section 36 of the Act, which empowers the Union government to call for information from any data fiduciary without procedural safeguards, independent authorisation, or any right of appeal or review. The Reporters' Collective warns this could force media organisations to hand over data revealing the identity of anonymous sources, deterring potential informants.
• Supreme Court's Response: The Supreme Court admitted all three petitions and issued notice to the Centre. The matter has been listed for hearing before a Constitution Bench of five judges in March. However, the Court declined to grant an interim stay on the DPDP Act, meaning the law remains in force pending the constitutional hearing.

Tarique Rahman Sworn in as Bangladesh Prime Minister

In the News: Tarique Rahman was sworn in as the new Prime Minister of Bangladesh by President Mohammed Shahabuddin, days after his party, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), secured a landslide victory in the country's first general elections since the 2024 student-led uprising that ousted former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Key Points:

• Swearing-In Ceremony: The oath of office was administered by President Mohammed Shahabuddin at the South Plaza of the Jatiya Sangsad (parliament building) in Dhaka, in a departure from the long-standing tradition of holding such ceremonies at Bangabhaban (the President's official residence). The ceremony was televised, with hundreds of people gathered outside the grounds.
• Parliament Sworn In: New members of the Bangladesh Parliament were sworn in on the same day (February 17, 2026) morning by Chief Election Commissioner A.M.M. Nasir Uddin inside the parliament's oath room.
• BNP's Election Victory: The BNP and its allies won at least 209 seats out of 299 contested constituencies in the 350-seat parliament, securing more than a two-thirds majority. The Jamaat-e-Islami and its allies won 77 seats. Former PM Sheikh Hasina's Awami League was banned from participating in the elections.
• July National Charter: Rahman is tasked with implementing the July National Charter, a sweeping governance reform document containing 80-plus proposed reforms. Over 60% of the electorate voted in favour of the charter in a referendum held simultaneously with the general elections on February 12, 2026. Key reforms include term limits, a two-chamber parliament, and restrictions on unilateral constitutional amendments by the governing party.
• Constitution Reform Commission: As an outcome of the referendum, the entire parliament is set to function as a "Constitution Reform Commission" for 180 days. However, the BNP declined to take a second oath as members of the commission, stating that "no provision of the council is yet to be incorporated in the Constitution," reflecting unease about the process.
• About Tarique Rahman: Rahman is 60 years old and leads the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). He takes charge with a strong democratic mandate and the responsibility of steering Bangladesh through sweeping constitutional and governance reforms.

Smriti Mandhana Wins BBC Indian Sportswoman of the Year 2025

In the News: Indian cricket star Smriti Mandhana was named the BBC Indian Sportswoman of the Year 2025 at a grand ceremony held at the Taj Palace Hotel in New Delhi, recognizing her outstanding contribution to India's historic ICC Women's World Cup 2025 triumph.

Key Points:

• Main Award: Smriti Mandhana (29), India's vice-captain, won the BBC Indian Sportswoman of the Year 2025. She scored 434 runs across the 2025 ICC Women's World Cup tournament, playing a pivotal role in India's historic win. Other nominees included Harmanpreet Kaur, Divya Deshmukh, Suruchi Singh, and Jyothi Yarraji.
• Emerging Player of the Year: Chess prodigy Divya Deshmukh won this award after becoming FIDE Women's World Cup champion at just 20 years of age. She is only the fourth Indian woman to become a chess grandmaster.
• Para Sportswoman of the Year: Preethi Pal was honoured for winning two medals at the 2025 World Para Athletics Championships in New Delhi and two bronze medals at the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games. The BBC ceremony also honoured Anjali Bhagwat with a Lifetime Achievement Award, which the document does not mention.
• Mandhana's Key Achievements: She holds the record for the second-highest centuries in Women's ODIs, is third in total runs among current women cricketers, and clocked the fastest 50-over international century (50 balls) by any Indian — men or women — breaking Virat Kohli's record. She has also won two Women's Premier League titles with Royal Challengers Bengaluru and shares the record of 17 international centuries across formats with Australia's Meg Lanning.
• BBC Star Performers of the Year 2025: India Women's Cricket Team (World Cup), India Women's Cricket Team for the Blind (World Cup), India Women's Kabaddi Team (World Cup), and Ekta Bhyan, Deepthi Jeevanji & Preethi Pal (World Para Athletics Championship).
• BBC Changemakers of the Year 2025: India Women's Ice Hockey Team, Rajbir Kaur, Savita Punia, and Paani Devi — recognised for breaking barriers and contributing to grassroots sport.