The next round of airport leasing (divestment) just got a boost, with the Centre setting a monetisation target of ₹27,500 crore for the civil aviation sector under the National Monetisation Pipeline (NMP) 2.0 for FY26 to FY30.

At present, 11 airports have been identified for monetisation (leasing) during the five-year period. The proposal is being considered by the Public Private Partnership Appraisal Committee (PPPAC). These airports include Varanasi, Bhubaneswar, Amritsar, Indore, Raipur, Trichy, Calicut, Coimbatore, Ranchi, Jodhpur and Gaya.

NMP 2.0 framework covers operational, revenue-generating airports and select equity divestments in aviation-related public sector entities. The framework provides for structured private participation, while ownership of core airport assets will remain with the government.

Finally, one of India's great heroes, all-time great cricketer Sachin Tendulkar, has had to intervene. Too many lives have been lost needlessly, too many people disabled, and this hurts not just families but also the national economy - the road safety in India. Tendulkar, focusing on road accidents in India and the increasing number of tragedies, said, "Throughout my career, I have learned that discipline and awareness are essential not just for success but for responsibility," adding "The same is true on our roads. Every day, our actions affect others. Wearing a seat belt or helmet, staying alert, and respecting the rules of the road can save lives... Our road crash fatality rate is 10 times higher than the volume of vehicles we own. But with greater awareness and collective action, we can protect our families and communities."

As Tendulkar rightly said, "Every life matters," he said, hoping that his safety statement for the United Nations (UN) will help to "create safer roads for all of us."

The 7th edition of the annual Joint Military Exercise DHARMA GUARDIAN between India and Japan commenced today in Uttarakhand. The military exercise held between the Indian Army and the Japan Ground Self-Defence Force will continue till the 9th of March.

In a statement, the Defence Ministry said that the 120-member contingent from each side is participating. The Japanese contingent is represented by troops from the 32nd Infantry Regiment, while the Indian Army team comprises soldiers from the Ladakh Scouts.

Held alternately in India and Japan, the exercise remains an important pillar of defence cooperation between the two countries. It aims to strengthen military collaboration and enhance combined capabilities to undertake joint operations in a semi-urban environment.

At Soundala, 60 km from Ahilyanagar in Maharashtra, Class 5 students sit in a circle outside the village temple preparing for their primary scholarship examination. A few steps away is the gram panchayat office, where, on February 5, the village gram sabha passed a unique resolution to make the village ‘caste-free’ and end discrimination on all grounds.

The effects are not just on paper. “We had Hindu religious reading last week. She is Muslim and she also had food at the festival with us,” says one of the students Gauri Bhand, referring to her friend Mahira Sayyad sitting beside her. “Christian, Muslim, Maratha, everyone has the same rights,” she adds.

Led by sarpanch Sharad Argade, the resolution read, “There will be no discrimination on the basis of caste, religion, creed, or race in Mouje Soundala. All residents in the village will be equal and the belief of ‘My religion — humanity’ is being adopted.”

Karnataka government is considering a ban on mobile phones for school children. Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar stated that parents are pressuring the government to act. The government is examining models from other countries. This move aims to address the negative impact of excessive screen time on students' learning and mental health.

Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Monday said the government was actively discussing a ban on use of mobile phones by school children amid growing concerns over the impact of excessive screen time on them.

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Awards 2026 were announced on Sunday, February 22, 2026 at London’s Royal Festival Hall. In one of the night’s major shocks, Timothee Chalamet lost the award for Best Actor for his performance in Marty Supreme to actor Robert Aramayo, who won it for the film I Swear.

On the other hand, Jessie Buckley won the award for Best Actress for her performance in Chloé Zhao’s Hamnet. The biographical drama also bagged the award for Best British Film.

Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another led the awards with over 14 nominations from which it won six. Similarly, Ryan Coogler’s Sinners earned 13 nominations and managed to win three awards, including Best Original Screenplay.

The Netherlands on Monday witnessed history in the making as 38-year-old Rob Jetten was sworn in as the country's youngest prime minister, news agency AP reported.

Jetten was sworn in by Dutch King Willem-Alexander in a new minority Dutch coalition government. The youngest-ever prime minister already has a task ahead, which is to use his bridge-building skills to pass laws and see a full four-year term in office. Further, he would be required to push through his agenda through the country's first minority government in decades, Politico reported.

Jetten succeeds Dick Schoof, whose government collapsed last year, prompting snap elections in the country. His party obtained a narrow victory over the far-right Party for Freedom (PVV), which is led by Geert Wilders. His appointment comes at a time when several countries are witnessing far-right parties winning elections in countries like Germany and France, and comes as a relief in Brussels as he pledges to steer the European Union's fifth-largest economy.

Ministry of Home Affairs today unveiled the country’s new national counter-terrorism policy and strategy titled PRAHAAR. The strategy outlines a comprehensive framework to address evolving terror threats using a proactive approach to prevent and counter terrorist threats.

PRAHAAR stands for Prevention of terror attacks to protect Indian citizens and interests, Responses, which are swift and proportionate to the threat posed, Aggregating internal capacities for achieving synergy in a whole-of-government approach, Human rights and ‘Rule of Law’ based processes for mitigation of threats, Attenuating the conditions enabling terrorism, including radicalisation, Aligning and shaping the international efforts to counter terrorism and Recovery and resilience through a whole-of-society approach.

The Ministry said that while the nature of threats continues to change and present new challenges, the country remains committed to opposing terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. It said that India has always stood by the victims of terrorism and has been steadfast in its belief that there can be no justification for violence in the world. The Ministry noted that this principled approach informs the Indian policy of zero tolerance against terrorism.

A decade-long artificial reef restoration of Vaan Island in the Gulf of Mannar has generated socio-ecological benefits worth Rs 61.67 crore, more than double the project’s inflation-adjusted cost, according to a technical assessment by the Tamil Nadu Coastal Restoration Mission and its partners, Suganthi Devadason Marine Research Foundation and IIT Madras.

The study found that the intervention delivered an adjusted benefit-cost ratio (BCR) of 2.34, confirming that nature-based coastal restoration can produce significant economic returns alongside ecological gains.

Vaan Island, one of 21 uninhabited coral islands, had suffered severe erosion, shrinking by 92% between 1969 and 2015. Its area reduced from about 20 hectares to 1.53 hectares largely due to coral mining, sea-level rise and reef degradation. To arrest the decline, scientists deployed 10,600 specially designed artificial reef modules around the island beginning in 2015. The report termed the outcome “conclusive proof that severe coastal loss is reversible”.

The Ministry of Ayush, in collaboration with the All India Ayurvedic Congress, will organise the four-day National Arogya Fair 2026 in Shegaon in Buldhana district from February 25 to 28.

The event aims to promote various Ayush systems of medicine among the public, provide integrated healthcare services and create livelihood opportunities for farmers through medicinal plant cultivation and agroforestry.

The fair will be inaugurated on February 25 by the President of India, Droupadi Murmu, at Visava Maidan of Sant Gajanan Maharaj Sansthan. The ceremony will also be attended by the Governor of Maharashtra, Union Minister of Ayush Prataprao Jadhav, senior officials and other dignitaries.