UPSC Daily Current Affairs| One Liners 19-02-2026

One Liners 19-02-2026

History, Art and Culture

Rashtranayak Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj

Mera Yuva Bharat to Organise ‘Jai Shivaji, Jai Bharat’ Padyatra at Historic Satara on Shivaji Jayanti.

Geography

Snowball Earth

• Snowball Earth hypothesis – It suggests that during certain periods in Earth’s deep past, the planet’s surface was almost entirely frozen — oceans covered in ice, glaciers reaching the equator, and little or no liquid water exposed.

• Strongly associated with – Cryogenian Period (720–635 million years ago).

• Evidence –

  • Geological records show glacial deposits at tropical latitudes.

  • Ancient rocks preserve magnetic signatures indicating ice-related sediments formed near the equator.

• Implications – Frozen oceans weakened interactions among the ocean, atmosphere, and climate.

• New Findings –

  • Even in this icy state, Earth’s climate wasn’t static.

  • Sediment records and simulations indicate that shorter cycles akin to sunspot, Gleissberg, and El Niño-like variability continued, showing the planet’s climate “pulsed” instead of remaining static.

Economy

UPI One World

NPCI is extending ‘UPI One World’ wallet services to foreign visitors from over 40 countries attending the India AI Impact Summit.

• Developed by – NPCI

• Objectives – To allow international travellers to use UPI for payments in India, typically through a pre-loaded wallet or by linking to international accounts.

• To conduct seamless, secure, and real-time Person-to-Merchant (P2M) UPI payments.

Agriculture

Wheat Stubble Burning

• Issued by – Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM).

• Directive to – Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh to prevent wheat stubble burning in 2026.

• Issues –

• It contributes to the deterioration of air quality in local regions, the National Capital Region (NCR), and adjoining areas.

• Intervention – Satellite monitoring conducted during April and May 2025 identified the necessity for targeted interventions.

• CAQM Directives

  • Map every farm for stubble management.

  • Appoint nodal officers for farmer groups.

  • Include all district farmers in the program.

  • Ensure optimal utilisation and timely availability of Crop Residue Management (CRM) machines.

  • Provide CRM machines free to small and marginal farmers.

Environment

Why Plants Flower More on the Sunlit Side

• Light & Photosynthesis –

  • Sunlit leaves produce more energy, supporting buds and fruits.

  • Shaded leaves make less energy, causing fewer flowers and dropped fruits.

• Signals & Light Quality – Well-lit leaves trigger more flowering, while shade shifts growth to shoots and leaves instead of flowers.

• Temperature & Water Balance – Warmth speeds bud growth but increases water needs. Lack of water limits photosynthesis.

Security

Key Highlights of 6^th India-France Annual Defence Dialogue

• Held in – Bengaluru.

• Agreement renewal – Renewed their defence cooperation agreement for another 10 years.

• Requests by India –

  • Increase indigenous content in Rafale jets up to 50%.

  • Expand maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) facilities in India.

• New Initiatives –

  • Reciprocal deployment of officers at Indian Army and French Land Forces establishments.

  • MoU signed for joint venture to manufacture Hammer missiles in India (BEL & Safran Electronics and Defence).

• Strategic discussions –

  • To focus on co-development and co-production of defence equipment.

  • To emphasis on closer industry partnerships, especially in niche technology.

  • To reaffirmed commitment to military-to-military cooperation as a strategic pillar.

5^th Edition – Goa Maritime Conclave (GMC-26)

• Held at – Naval War College, Goa.

• Participants – 14 IOR nations (Bangladesh, Comoros, Indonesia, Kenya, Madagascar, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritius, Myanmar, Seychelles, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Tanzania).

• Theme – “Common Maritime Security Challenges in the IOR — Progressing Line of Efforts to Mitigate Dynamic Threats such as IUU Fishing and other Illegal Maritime Activities.”

• Focus on –

  • Strengthening cooperation against maritime terrorism, smuggling, piracy, IUU fishing, irregular migration.

  • Addressing emerging risks – Climate change, cyber threats, dark shipping.

  • Enhancing real-time maritime information exchange and capacity building.

• Background – GMC (biennial) and GMS (feeder symposium) instituted in 2016–17 under MAHASAGAR vision for regional security and growth.

Science & Technology

AI Responsibility Pledge Campaign

India Sets Guinness World Record with more than 2.5 lakh AI Responsibility Pledges in 24 Hours at India AI Impact Summit 2026.

• Launched under – IndiaAI Mission in collaboration with Intel India.

• Objective – To mobilise citizens across the country to commit to the ethical, inclusive, and responsible use of Artificial Intelligence through the dedicated portal, aipledge.indiaai.gov.in.

• Focus on key principles – Such as data privacy, accountability, transparency, and combating misinformation through scenario-based questions, thereby reinforcing India’s vision of building a trustworthy and human-centric AI ecosystem.

• Participation & Recognition –

  • Over 250,000 students took the pledge (far exceeding the initial target of 5,000).

  • Participants received a digital badge and access to AI learning pathways.

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Black Box