9 February 2026 Current Affairs (With PDF)

We bring you the most relevant and important news updates from around the world and India, specially curated for competitive exams and different entrance exams. Today's Current Affairs cover all significant national and international headlines, legal updates, economic news, and environmental highlights to boost your preparation. With our crisp, to-the-point coverage, you can confidently tackle current affairs questions in your exams

Kavach: Strengthening Railway Safety in India

Why in News?

• Kavach, India’s indigenous Automated Train Protection (ATP) system, has been implemented on over 2,200 route kilometres.
• Railway accidents have declined sharply: 135 (2014–15) → 31 (2024–25) → 11 (2025–26)
• Demonstrates the impact of technology-driven safety reforms in Indian Railways.

About Kavach

1. Nature:

• Indigenous Automated Train Protection (ATP) system

2. Objective:

• Prevent train collisions, Avoid Signal Passing at Danger, Enhance situational awareness for loco pilots

3. Developed by:

• Research Designs & Standards Organisation (RDSO), Indian Railways

4. Status:

• Adopted as National ATP System in 2020
• Kavach Version 4.0 approved in 2024
• Kavach 5.0 envisaged for Vande Bharat 4.0

Key Safety Features of Kavach

1. Collision Prevention:

• Prevents Head-on collisions, Rear-end collisions, Side-on collisions

2. Signal Passing at Danger (SPAD) Protection:

• Automatically applies brakes if the train crosses a red signal.

3. Cab Signalling:

• Displays real-time information to the loco pilot: Movement authority, Target distance, Permissible speed, Signal aspects

4. Level Crossing Safety:

• Automatic horn activation when approaching level crossing gates.

5. Emergency Safety:

• Stop-on-Sight (SoS) messages transmitted in critical situations.
• Enables emergency braking across connected trains.

6. Centralised Monitoring:

• Network Management System (NMS) enables Live monitoring of train movement & Central supervision and analytics

Working Principle of Kavach

• Continuous real-time communication between Trackside equipment and Locomotive systems
• Uses Secure Ultra High Frequency (UHF) radio and Track-mounted Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags
• Automatically intervenes if Speed exceeds limits, Signal violations occur, Collision risk is detected

Significance of Kavach

1. Railway Safety:

• Substantial reduction in accidents
• Moves Indian Railways towards zero-fatality goal

2. Technological Self-Reliance:

• Fully indigenously developed
• Reduces dependence on expensive imported ATP systems

3. Alignment with National Goals:

• Supports Make in India, Atmanirbhar Bharat, Smart infrastructure development

Reproductive Autonomy of Women in India

Why in News?

• In a landmark decision, the Supreme Court permitted termination of a 30-week pregnancy of a minor, exceeding the 24-week ceiling prescribed under the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act.
• The ruling reaffirms women’s reproductive choice as a constitutional right, prioritising bodily autonomy over rigid statutory limits.

Legal Framework Governing Abortion in India

1. Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act:

• MTP Act, 1971 (amended in 2021) regulates access to safe abortion services.

2. Gestational Limits under the MTP (Amendment) Act, 2021:

• Up to 20 weeks: Termination allowed with the opinion of one registered medical practitioner.
• 20–24 weeks: Requires approval from two medical practitioners.
• Beyond 24 weeks:
  - Permitted only for specified categories of women
  - Requires approval of a State-level Medical Board

Constitutional Recognition of Reproductive Autonomy

Judicial Interpretation: Justice K.S. Puttaswamy v. Union of India (2017)

• The Supreme Court recognised reproductive choice as part of the right to personal liberty under Article 21.
• Affirmed that decisions related to pregnancy lie within the private domain of the individual.

What is Reproductive Autonomy?

Definition: Reproductive autonomy refers to a woman’s right to make informed and independent decisions regarding Her body, Fertility, Pregnancy, Motherhood

Key Challenges to Reproductive Autonomy in India

1. Limited Decision-Making Power:

• NFHS-5 highlights that only about one in ten women can independently take decisions concerning their own health.
• Institutional barriers: Hospitals often insist on spousal or family consent for abortion, despite no legal requirement.

2. Patriarchal Norms and Gender Bias:

• Deep-rooted social attitudes continue to Treat women as reproductive instruments & Undermine their agency in matters of sexuality and reproduction

3. Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health Gaps:

• Sex education remains Socially taboo and Restricted or inconsistently implemented in schools
• Adolescents often face Mandatory parental consent and Limited access to confidential reproductive healthcare

4. Healthcare Infrastructure Deficits:

• Acute shortage of Trained medical professionals & Abortion services in rural and remote areas
• Inadequate availability of Contraceptives & Safe and affordable reproductive healthcare facilities

Significance of Reproductive Autonomy

• Upholds Human dignity, Bodily integrity, Personal liberty
• Positively impacts Women’s health outcomes, Gender equality, Social and economic development
• Contributes to Lower maternal mortality, Better family welfare and child health

Illegal Rat-Hole Mining in Meghalaya

Why in News?

Illegal rat-hole coal mining in Meghalaya has claimed over 20 lives, once again highlighting the deadly risks of unscientific mining practices and weak enforcement despite a judicial ban.

What is Rat-Hole Mining?

• Rat-hole mining is a primitive, unscientific and hazardous method of coal extraction.
• It involves Clearing surface vegetation, Digging small vertical pits (often 3–4 feet wide) to reach thin coal seams, Excavating horizontal tunnels from hill slopes where workers crawl inside to extract coal.

Common Techniques

• Side-cutting: Horizontal extraction from hill slopes.
• Box-cutting: Vertical pits followed by lateral tunnelling.

Safety Concern: These tunnels lack engineered roofs and side-wall supports, making them highly prone to collapse, flooding, and suffocation.

Why Does Illegal Rat-Hole Mining Persist?

1. Geological Factors:

• Coal seams in Meghalaya are thin and discontinuous, making mechanised or open-cast mining economically unviable.
• Rat-hole mining becomes the cheapest extraction method.

2. Livelihood Dependence and Lack of Alternatives:

• Mining provides immediate income in regions with Limited industrial development and Few employment opportunities in horticulture, manufacturing or services

3. Complex Land Ownership Patterns:

• Meghalaya follows community-based and private land ownership systems.
• Fragmented landholdings complicate State regulation & Monitoring and enforcement of mining laws

4. Weak Enforcement and Informal Networks:

• Poor ground-level enforcement, coupled with illegal coal transport and storage networks, allows mining to continue underground.

Legal and Regulatory Framework

1. Judicial Interventions:

• National Green Tribunal (NGT), 2014:
  - Banned rat-hole mining in Meghalaya
  - Declared it unscientific, unsafe, and environmentally destructive
• Supreme Court: Upheld the NGT ban and Allowed limited mining only under strict scientific and environmental safeguards

2. Statutory Provisions:

• Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957 (MMDR Act): Regulates mining operations, transport and storage of minerals
• Meghalaya has framed state-specific regulations to curb illegal mining, though enforcement remains weak.

Consequences of Rat-Hole Mining

1. Human Cost:

• Frequent deaths due to Tunnel collapse, Flooding, Oxygen deprivation
• Victims often include poor, informal workers, including minors.

2. Environmental Impact:

• Acid mine drainage contaminating rivers, Deforestation and land degradation, Destruction of fragile hill ecosystems

Technology-Driven Border Management: India’s Evolving Security Imperatives

Why in News

The Union Home Minister has emphasized that emerging, technology-enabled border threats require the adoption of advanced technological solutions to achieve the objective of zero infiltration, alongside the ongoing modernization of India’s defence and security forces.

Emerging Challenges in Border Management

1. Technology-Enabled Asymmetric Threats:

• Increased use of drones for cross-border smuggling of Narcotics, Arms and ammunition
• Particularly acute along the western borders.

2. Cyber and Electronic Warfare Risks:

• Targeting of Border surveillance systems & Communication and command networks
• Raises concerns over digital vulnerability of border infrastructure.

3. Geographical and Terrain Constraints:

• Presence of unfenced and hard-to-monitor stretches, such as Riverine and shifting borders in the eastern sector & Marshy and saline terrains of Gujarat
• Physical fencing often impractical in these regions.

Role of Advanced Technology in Border Security

1. Smart Fencing and Surveillance:

• Comprehensive Integrated Border Management System (CIBMS): Deploys sensors, cameras, radars, and command systems & Addresses gaps where conventional fencing is not feasible
• Example: BOLD-QIT (Border Electronically Dominated Quick Reaction Interception Technique) along the India–Bangladesh border.

2. Anti-Drone Capabilities:

• Deployment of integrated systems combining Detection, Tracking, Signal jamming
• Example: IG T-Shul Pulse Anti-Drone System
• Notable development: V.O. Chidambaranar Port, Tamil Nadu became India’s first port to initiate installation of an advanced anti-drone system.

3. Communication and Data Integration:

• Secure satellite-based and digital communication networks.
• Establishment of Real-time command and control centres & AI-enabled data analytics platforms
• Enhances inter-agency coordination and rapid response.

4. Vibrant Village Programme (VVP):

• Focuses on Digital connectivity & Physical infrastructure development
• Objective: Transform border villages into India’s “first villages”, strengthening both security and socio-economic resilience.

Border Management Framework in India

1. Scale and Extent:

• Land borders: 15,106.7 km shared with seven countries.
• Coastline: 11,098.89 km, adding to maritime security challenges.

2. Institutional Framework:

• Managed by the Department of Border Management, Ministry of Home Affairs.
• Operates under the principle of “One Border, One Force”.

3. Key Border Guarding Forces:

• Border Security Force (BSF) – Pakistan and Bangladesh borders
• Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) – China border
• Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) – Nepal and Bhutan borders
• Assam Rifles – Myanmar border

Chabahar Port

Why in News

Iran has reiterated its commitment to the Chabahar Port project and strategic cooperation with India, even amid uncertainties arising from U.S. sanctions on Iran.

About Chabahar Port

1. Location:

• Situated in Sistan–Balochistan province on Iran’s southern coast, along the Gulf of Oman.
• Provides direct access to the Indian Ocean, unlike Iran’s Persian Gulf ports.

2. Genesis and Indian Involvement:

• India Ports Global Limited (IPGL) began port operations in 2018.
• In 2024, IPGL signed a 10-year long-term contract with Iran’s Ports and Maritime Organisation for: Equipping and Operating the Shahid Beheshti Terminal of Chabahar Port.

3. Financial Commitment:

• India has fulfilled its commitment of USD 120 million for procurement of port equipment.

Strategic Significance for India

• Bypasses Pakistan to access Afghanistan and Central Asia
• Acts as a critical node of the International North–South Transport Corridor (INSTC), linking: India → Iran → Central Asia → Russia → Europe
• Enhances India’s Regional connectivity, Strategic presence in West Asia, Economic and geopolitical outreach to the Eurasian region

Geopolitical Importance

• Provides a strategic counterbalance to China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and Gwadar Port.
• Supports India’s vision of connectivity-led diplomacy without political conditionalities.

New ‘Bio-Warrior’ Marine Worm Species

Why in News

Researchers from the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) have discovered two new species of marine polychaete worms from the coasts of West Bengal, noted for their ability to survive in extreme and polluted environments.

Why Called “Bio-Warriors”?

• These species thrive where most marine life cannot survive
• Capable of living in Sulfide-rich, oxygen-poor mudflats, Decaying mangrove wood, Polluted coastal ecosystems
• Act as indicators of ecological resilience and adaptation

About the Newly Discovered Species

1. Namalycastis solenotognatha:

• Etymology: Named for its distinctive “channeled jaw” (solenotognatha)
• Habitat: Sulfide-rich, foul-smelling mudflats, Decaying mangrove wood
• Key Feature: Highly adapted to toxic and low-oxygen environments

2. Nereis dhritiae:

• Named after: Dr. Dhriti Banerjee, first woman Director of ZSI
• Habitat: Inside wooden dock piles, Sandy beaches, periodically submerged during high tide
• Adaptation: Survives alternating submerged and exposed coastal conditions

Moltbook

Why in News

A recent analytical report has flagged emerging security and governance risks associated with Moltbook, a platform where autonomous artificial intelligence (AI) agents interact without direct human participation.

About Moltbook

1. Concept and Design:

Moltbook is a digital social forum designed exclusively for autonomous AI agents

Functions on lines similar to human social platforms like Reddit, but:

• AI agents generate content
• AI agents debate, interact, and upvote
• Humans are limited to passive observation

2. Technical Background:

• A significant number of AI agents on Moltbook are built using OpenClaw, an open-source AI agent framework
• Agents are capable of Independent posting, Argumentation and consensus formation, Social interaction without real-time human prompts

3. Launch and Development:

• Launched: January 2026
• Founder: Matt Schlicht
• Designed as an experimental space to study machine autonomy and emergent social behavior

eSankhyiki Portal

Why in News

The National Statistics Office (NSO) under the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) has launched the beta version of a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for the eSankhyiki portal, enabling AI-based access to official statistical datasets.

Model Context Protocol (MCP)

1. What is MCP?

• MCP is a data-access technology that allows users to:
  - Directly connect AI tools and applications to structured datasets
  - Query, analyze, and contextualize data using their own AI systems
• Enables machine-readable and interoperable access to official statistics

2. Significance of MCP Integration

• Reduces dependency on manual data extraction
• Facilitates AI-driven analytics, research, and policy simulations
• Supports open-data and digital governance objectives

About eSankhyiki Portal

1. Overview:

• A centralized digital platform developed by MoSPI
• Designed to provide single-window access to India’s official statistical data

2. Objectives:

• Ensure timely, transparent, and reliable dissemination of official statistics
• Serve as a data backbone for Policymakers, Researchers and analysts, Academic institutions, General public

Agni-III Intermediate-Range Ballistic Missile

Why in News

India has successfully conducted a test launch of the Agni-III missile from the Integrated Test Range (ITR), Odisha, reinforcing the credibility of its strategic deterrence and long-range strike capabilities.

About Agni-III Missile

1. Development Agency:

• Designed and developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).

2. Missile Category:

• Intermediate-Range Ballistic Missile (IRBM).
• Forms a key component of India’s strategic missile forces.

3. Technical Specifications:

• Propulsion:
  - Two-stage missile system.
  - Powered by solid-fuel propulsion, enabling rapid launch readiness and ease of storage.
• Range: Capable of striking targets beyond 3,000 kilometres, covering a wide strategic arc.
• Payload Capability: Can be armed with Conventional warheads and Nuclear warheads

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