Current Affairs MCQs for UPSC Prelims — February 2026

Q1. The nationwide HPV vaccination drive was first launched by the Prime Minister on 28 February 2026 from which single city, with States and UTs holding simultaneous events thereafter?

  • A. Jaipur
  • B. Ajmer
  • C. Udaipur
  • D. Jodhpur

Q2. The establishment of 50,000 new Atal Tinkering Labs in government schools was announced in which one of the following?

  • A. Union Budget 2025-26
  • B. Union Budget 2023-24
  • C. Union Budget 2024-25
  • D. Union Budget 2026-27

Q3. With reference to the announced expansion of Atal Tinkering Labs (ATLs), consider the following statements: 1. The expansion adds 50,000 new ATLs over and above the existing network of about 10,000 labs. 2. The new ATLs are to be set up exclusively in private schools. 3. The 50,000 new ATLs are to be established over a five-year period. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. The expansion adds 50,000 new ATLs over and above the existing network of about 10,000 labs.
  2. The new ATLs are to be set up exclusively in private schools.
  3. The 50,000 new ATLs are to be established over a five-year period.
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 1 and 3 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q4. The district-level Innovation Centres under Tripura's State Innovation Mission, linked to T-NEST, are being designed and supported in partnership with which one of the following?

  • A. Atal Innovation Mission, NITI Aayog
  • B. Startup India, DPIIT
  • C. National Skill Development Corporation
  • D. Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER)

Q5. With reference to Tripura's State Innovation Mission architecture, consider the following statements: 1. TIFT is Tripura's state-level institution analogous to NITI Aayog. 2. T-NEST is the entrepreneurship and startup incubation arm linked to the mission. 3. Innovation Centres are to be established in each of Tripura's 8 districts. 4. TIFT is the acronym for 'Tripura Innovation Fund for Technology'. Which of the above is/are NOT correct?

  1. TIFT is Tripura's state-level institution analogous to NITI Aayog.
  2. T-NEST is the entrepreneurship and startup incubation arm linked to the mission.
  3. Innovation Centres are to be established in each of Tripura's 8 districts.
  4. TIFT is the acronym for 'Tripura Innovation Fund for Technology'.
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1 and 4 only
  • D. 4 only

Q6. Which one of the following became the first State in India to launch a State Innovation Mission (SIM)?

  • A. Tripura
  • B. Assam
  • C. Meghalaya
  • D. Sikkim

Q7. With reference to the launch of India's first State Innovation Mission (SIM), consider the following: 1. Atal Innovation Mission 2.0 — the parent mission under which SIM was rolled out 2. Dr Jitendra Singh — the Union Minister who launched SIM 3. Agartala — the venue of the launch 4. Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises — the nodal body anchoring SIM Which of the above are correctly identified?

  1. Atal Innovation Mission 2.0 — the parent mission under which SIM was rolled out
  2. Dr Jitendra Singh — the Union Minister who launched SIM
  3. Agartala — the venue of the launch
  4. Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises — the nodal body anchoring SIM
  • A. 1, 2 and 3
  • B. 1, 3 and 4
  • C. 2 and 4 only
  • D. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Q8. Among the categories of UNESCO-verified damaged cultural sites in Ukraine (as of June 2026), which one accounts for the single largest number of sites?

  • A. Buildings of historical and/or artistic interest
  • B. Religious sites
  • C. Museums
  • D. Monuments

Q9. As of 10 June 2026, approximately how many cultural sites in Ukraine had UNESCO verified as damaged since the start of the full-scale war?

  • A. Around 230
  • B. Around 360
  • C. Around 540
  • D. Around 820

Q10. Under the authority of which one of the following bodies is a property inscribed on the UNESCO 'List of World Heritage in Danger', as applied to Ukrainian sites such as 'L'viv – the Ensemble of the Historic Centre'?

  • A. The UNESCO World Heritage Committee
  • B. The United Nations Security Council
  • C. The United Nations General Assembly
  • D. The International Court of Justice

Q11. As of 5 March 2026, how many Access Passes had been issued through the ReALCRaft portal?

  • A. 707
  • B. 370
  • C. 37
  • D. 1,707

Q12. With reference to the national launch of the Access Pass for EEZ fishing, consider the following statements. Which of the statements given above is NOT correct?

  1. It was launched from Veraval, Gujarat.
  2. It was launched for all 13 coastal States/UTs of India.
  3. It was launched on World Fisheries Day.
  4. At the launch, Access Passes were handed over to fishermen representing fisheries cooperative societies.
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 2 only
  • C. 3 only
  • D. 4 only

Q13. The national Access Pass for fishing in India's EEZ, launched in February 2026 at Veraval, was launched by which Union Minister?

  • A. Shri Rajiv Ranjan Singh
  • B. Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan
  • C. Shri Bhupender Yadav
  • D. Shri Piyush Goyal

Q14. With reference to the groundbreaking ceremony of the HCL-Foxconn semiconductor unit, which of the following are correctly identified?

  1. It was held on 21 February 2026.
  2. The Prime Minister participated in the ceremony via video conferencing.
  3. The unit for which the ground was broken is located in Uttar Pradesh.
  4. The Prime Minister physically inaugurated commercial production at the site.
  • A. 1, 2 and 3 only
  • B. 1 and 4 only
  • C. 2, 3 and 4 only
  • D. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Q15. Consider the following statements comparing the newly launched Td vaccine with the monovalent Tetanus Toxoid (TT) vaccine it replaces: 1. Unlike TT, the Td vaccine protects against both tetanus and diphtheria. 2. The Td vaccine contains a reduced diphtheria antigen content relative to the paediatric diphtheria formulation. 3. Unlike TT, the Td vaccine additionally contains an acellular pertussis component. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. Unlike TT, the Td vaccine protects against both tetanus and diphtheria.
  2. The Td vaccine contains a reduced diphtheria antigen content relative to the paediatric diphtheria formulation.
  3. Unlike TT, the Td vaccine additionally contains an acellular pertussis component.
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 1 and 2 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q16. With reference to the February 2026 launch of the Td vaccine, consider the following statements: 1. It was launched on 21 February 2026 by the Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare. 2. It is India's first indigenously manufactured Td vaccine, produced by a government PSU. 3. The Central Research Institute is committed to supply 55 lakh doses to the UIP by April 2026. 4. It is the world's first-ever Td vaccine, marking the global replacement of TT for the first time. Which of the statements given above is/are correctly identified?

  1. It was launched on 21 February 2026 by the Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare.
  2. It is India's first indigenously manufactured Td vaccine, produced by a government PSU.
  3. The Central Research Institute is committed to supply 55 lakh doses to the UIP by April 2026.
  4. It is the world's first-ever Td vaccine, marking the global replacement of TT for the first time.
  • A. 1, 2 and 3
  • B. 1 and 4
  • C. 2, 3 and 4
  • D. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Q17. Ankur Vohra, who delivered the Gates Foundation's address in place of Bill Gates at the 2026 summit, held which one of the following positions?

  • A. President of the Gates Foundation's India and Africa offices
  • B. Chief Executive Officer of the Gates Foundation
  • C. Co-chair of the Gates Foundation
  • D. Director of the Foundation's Global Health division

Q18. The fresh tranche of Jeffrey Epstein-related files whose release preceded Bill Gates's withdrawal from the 2026 summit keynote was made public by which one of the following?

  • A. The U.S. Department of Justice
  • B. The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation
  • C. The U.S. House Oversight Committee
  • D. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission

Q19. Eastern Coalfields Limited (ECL), the operator of the mines linked to the Bengal coal-smuggling case, functions as a subsidiary of which one of the following public sector undertakings?

  • A. NTPC Limited
  • B. Coal India Limited
  • C. Neyveli Lignite Corporation India Limited
  • D. Steel Authority of India Limited

Q20. The illegal coal pilferage at the heart of the West Bengal coal-smuggling money-laundering case is concentrated primarily in which one of the following coal belts of West Bengal?

  • A. Asansol–Raniganj belt
  • B. Deucha–Pachami block
  • C. Jharia coalfield
  • D. Talcher coalfield

Q21. As officially reported, how many Heads of State or Government participated in the India AI Impact Summit 2026 held at Bharat Mandapam?

  • A. More than 10
  • B. More than 22
  • C. More than 40
  • D. More than 60

Q22. The order of the Jharkhand High Court that the CBI has challenged before the Supreme Court — which the CBI characterised as effectively a grant of 'post-conviction bail' — was passed by the High Court in exercise of its statutory power to suspend a sentence pending appeal. That power is traceable to:

  • A. Section 389 of the CrPC, 1973 (Section 430 of the BNSS, 2023)
  • B. Section 439 of the CrPC, 1973 (Section 483 of the BNSS, 2023)
  • C. Section 482 of the CrPC, 1973 (Section 528 of the BNSS, 2023)
  • D. Section 437 of the CrPC, 1973 (Section 480 of the BNSS, 2023)

Q23. In February 2026 the Supreme Court posted for final hearing (on 22 April 2026) the batch of petitions challenging the Jharkhand High Court's suspension of sentence in the Deoghar fodder scam case. The Bench hearing this batch was headed by which judge?

  • A. Justice M.M. Sundresh
  • B. Justice Bela M. Trivedi
  • C. Justice Ajay Rastogi
  • D. Justice S.V. Raju

Q24. The Bihar fodder scam comprised several treasury sub-cases. Consider the following treasuries: 1. Chaibasa 2. Deoghar 3. Doranda 4. Bhagalpur Which of the above are correctly identified as treasuries whose fraudulent withdrawals led to the conviction of Lalu Prasad Yadav?

  1. Chaibasa
  2. Deoghar
  3. Doranda
  4. Bhagalpur
  • A. 1, 2 and 3
  • B. 1, 2 and 4
  • C. 2, 3 and 4
  • D. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Q25. Lalu Prasad Yadav was first convicted in the fodder scam in 2013, a conviction that attracted his disqualification from Parliament under the Representation of the People Act, 1951. This first conviction related to fraudulent withdrawals from which treasury?

  • A. Chaibasa treasury
  • B. Deoghar treasury
  • C. Dumka treasury
  • D. Doranda treasury

Q26. With reference to President Macron's February 2026 state visit and its associated events, which of the following statements is/are correctly identified?

  1. President Macron's state visit to India took place from 17 to 19 February 2026.
  2. The India–France Year of Innovation 2026 was jointly inaugurated in Mumbai.
  3. The India AI Impact Summit 2026 was held at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi.
  4. The AI Impact Summit 2026 was the first global AI summit to be hosted in the Global North.
  • A. 1, 2 and 3
  • B. 1, 2 and 4
  • C. 2, 3 and 4
  • D. 1, 3 and 4

Q27. How many members constitute the expert committee appointed by the NCLT in February 2026 to assess the progress of construction of Jaypee Infratech projects under the approved resolution plan?

  • A. Two
  • B. Three
  • C. Five
  • D. Seven

Q28. With reference to the launches at the 16 February 2026 BEL, Bengaluru event, consider the following statements: 1. The Missile Integration Facility was inaugurated at BEL, Bengaluru. 2. The Centre of Excellence for Artificial Intelligence is located in Pune. 3. BEL's AI Policy was formally unveiled at the same event. 4. The Centre of Excellence for Artificial Intelligence at Pune was inaugurated physically on-site by the Raksha Mantri. Which of the above is/are NOT correct?

  1. The Missile Integration Facility was inaugurated at BEL, Bengaluru.
  2. The Centre of Excellence for Artificial Intelligence is located in Pune.
  3. BEL's AI Policy was formally unveiled at the same event.
  4. The Centre of Excellence for Artificial Intelligence at Pune was inaugurated physically on-site by the Raksha Mantri.
  • A. 4 only
  • B. 2 and 3
  • C. 1 and 4
  • D. 3 only

Q29. During Operation Sindoor (2025), which one of the following is described as India's fully indigenous, automated Air Defence Control and Reporting System that intercepted and neutralised inbound aerial threats?

  • A. Akashteer
  • B. Akash
  • C. S-400 Triumf
  • D. Barak-8

Q30. The following are cited as systems/facilities unveiled or launched by the Raksha Mantri at the BEL, Bengaluru event of 16 February 2026: 1. Mountain Fire Control Radar 2. Missile Integration Facility 3. BEL's AI Policy 4. High-altitude validation firing of Akash Prime in Ladakh Which of the above is/are NOT correct?

  1. Mountain Fire Control Radar
  2. Missile Integration Facility
  3. BEL's AI Policy
  4. High-altitude validation firing of Akash Prime in Ladakh
  • A. 4 only
  • B. 1 and 2
  • C. 3 and 4
  • D. 2 only