News in Shorts: 13 February 2026

About ‘Kaushal Rath’

Context: The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, has launched ‘Kaushal Rath’ under the ‘Yuva AI for All’ initiative to promote foundational AI literacy among youth.

About ‘Kaushal Rath’

• It is a mobile Artificial Intelligence (AI) awareness unit under the National AI Literacy programme “Yuva AI for All.”
• It is designed as a fully equipped computer lab with internet-enabled systems, audio-visual tools and structured training modules.
• It will travel to schools, colleges, Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) and community spaces to provide hands-on exposure to AI and Generative AI tools, supported by trained facilitators and India-specific use cases.
• Objective:
  • Democratise access to foundational AI education across India.
  • Reach students, youth, educators and learners in semi-urban and underserved regions.
  • Build an AI-ready youth workforce by enhancing understanding of Artificial Intelligence and generative AI tools
• It is a mobile AI awareness and literacy unit launched by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) in partnership with All India Society for Electronics and Computer Technology (AISECT).

About “Yuva AI for All”

• Yuva AI for All course is structured as a four-hour, self-paced programme comprising six modules.
• It requires no prior coding knowledge.
• Focus areas: AI fundamentals, ethics, real world applications
• Objective: To create a future-ready workforce.
• The programme has been launched in collaboration with partners such as Future Skills Prime, iGOT Karmayogi, Coursera and TCS iON.

UN Security Council 1267 Sanctions Committee

Context: The UN Security Council 1267 monitoring report linked Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed to the Delhi Red Fort terror attack and noted plans for a women-only wing.

About UN Security Council 1267 Sanctions Committee

• The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) 1267 Committee was established in 1999.
  • Later, it was strengthened after the 9/11 attacks, with updates in 2011 and 2015.
• Official Name: It is officially known as the Da’esh and Al-Qaida Sanctions Committee.
• Composition: It includes all permanent and non-permanent UNSC members.
  • All 15 members of the UNSC are members of the 1267 Committee
• Decision Making: Decisions on listing and de-listing are adopted by consensus.
• Mechanism: Any member state can submit a proposal for listing an individual, group, or entity
• Role:
  • It maintains a global list of designated terrorists and terror entities, particularly those linked to Al-Qaida and the Islamic State.
  • It imposes measures such as travel bans, asset freezes, and arms embargoes to curb terrorism.

NATO’s Arctic Sentry Mission

Context: NATO has launched a new Arctic security initiative called “Arctic Sentry,” consolidating allied military activities in the High North under a single operational framework.

About Arctic Sentry Mission

• It is an integrated, multi-domain initiative aimed at enhancing collective security, improving coordination among allies, and maintaining stability in the strategically important Arctic region.
• Objective:
  • To utilize NATO’s combined capabilities to safeguard its territories and ensure security and stability in the Arctic and the High North region.
  • to strengthen monitoring and defensive measures in the region, drawing inspiration from existing NATO operations like Baltic Sentry and Eastern Sentry.
• Military Exercises & Infrastructure Protection: The mission includes major drills like Exercise Cold Response and the UK-led Lion Protector to train forces for Arctic operations, protect critical infrastructure, and counter sabotage threats across Norway, Iceland, and the Danish Straits.

Arctic

• The Arctic refers to the polar region surrounding the North Pole, including the Arctic Ocean and parts of countries like Russia, Canada, Norway, Denmark (via Greenland), and the United States (Alaska).

High North

• The High North is a broader strategic term mainly used in European security discourse to describe the northernmost areas of Europe—especially northern Norway and surrounding seas—highlighting their geopolitical and military importance.

Proposed Guidelines for Publication by Armed Forces Personnel

Context: Amid the controversy surrounding General (retired) M.M. Naravane’s unpublished memoir, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) is working on detailed guidelines for serving and retired armed forces personnel who wish to publish books in future.

The Proposed Guidelines

• The proposed guidelines aim to create a clear, standardized pre-publication clearance process for both serving and retired personnel.
• They will incorporate existing service regulations and key provisions of the Official Secrets Act, 1923.
• The focus is on closing “procedural gaps,” preventing unauthorized disclosure of classified/sensitive information and making prior MoD permission mandatory in cases involving such content.
• The rules are still in the planning/drafting stage; no official notification, gazette publication, or implementation has occurred yet.

Current Applicable Rules

• Currently there is no single consolidated law dedicated to book-writing by armed forces personnel (especially retirees).
• For Serving Personnel:
  • Prior written permission is required for any literary, remunerative, or outside activity (including publishing books).
  • It is strict and mandatory under Defence Service Regulations, Army Act, 1950, and Army Rules, 1954.
  • Content restrictions: No disclosure of classified info, operational details, internal procedures, equipment capabilities, intelligence, or anything prejudicial to national security/foreign relations.
• For Retired Personnel:
  • No specific service rules (e.g., Army Act/Rules) bar publication after retirement, they are largely treated as civilians.
  • Official Secrets Act, 1923 applies permanently (for life): Criminal offence to disclose/communicate classified information, sensitive operational details, or material prejudicial to India’s sovereignty/security.
  • Authors are expected to submit manuscripts containing operational/sensitive details to the MoD for voluntary clearance/verification.

Shorter All-Oral Regimens for Drug-Resistant TB

Context: A recent study by the ICMR–National Institute for Research in Tuberculosis (ICMR-NIRT), shows that shorter, six-month all-oral treatment regimens are cost-effective and provide better health outcomes against multidrug-resistant and rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis (MDR/RR-TB).

About Multidrug-Resistant/Rifampicin-Resistant Tuberculosis (MDR/RR-TB)

• MDR/RR-TB is one of the most serious forms of tuberculosis and a major public health challenge, especially in high-burden countries like India.
• MDR-TB: TB caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis resistant to at least isoniazid and rifampicin (the two most effective first-line drugs).
• RR-TB: Resistance to rifampicin (with or without other resistances); often grouped with MDR-TB as MDR/RR-TB.
• It is largely a human-made problem resulting from poor TB management, incomplete treatment, or improper drug use.
• MDR/RR-TB is difficult to treat due to long treatment durations (9–11 months for shorter regimens or 18–20 months for longer ones).

Treatment Compared in the Study

• The study evaluated two newer bedaquiline-based, all-oral regimens against the existing regimens:
  • BPaL: Bedaquiline + Pretomanid + Linezolid (6 months).
  • BPaLM: BPaL + Moxifloxacin (6 months).
• These shorter regimens aim to simplify treatment by being fully oral (no injections) and much briefer

Key Findings of the ICMR–NIRT Study

• Six-month all-oral regimens are cost-effective: BPaL and BPaLM regimens (6 months) are more cost-effective than existing 9–11 month and 18–20 month regimens under National TB Elimination Programme.
• Better patient outcomes: Improved treatment adherence, Reduced morbidity and adverse effects, Faster return to normal life.
• Supports TB elimination goals: Shorter duration (6 months vs. 9–20 months) aligns with National TB Elimination Programme (NTEP) objectives.

Maharishi Dayanand Saraswati

Context: The President and Vice President of India paid tributes to Maharishi Dayanand Saraswati on his birth anniversary.

About Maharishi Dayanand Saraswati (1824–1883)

• Maharishi Dayanand Saraswati was a 19th-century Hindu reformer and founder of the Arya Samaj who advocated a return to Vedic principles and social reform.
• Early Life: Born as Mool Shankar on February 12, 1824, in Tankara, Gujarat.
  • He questioned idol worship in adolescence, renounced home at 22, and later studied under Swami Virjanand, shaping his Vedic philosophy.
• Philosophy: He propagated the slogan “Back to the Vedas,” emphasizing monotheism, rational interpretation of scriptures, rejection of idolatry, and the pursuit of Swaraj (self-rule).
• Key Contributions
  • Religious Reform: He founded the Arya Samaj in 1875 to purify Hinduism by eliminating superstition, ritualism, and social evils.
  • Social Equality: He opposed caste discrimination and untouchability, advocating a varna system based on merit and occupation rather than birth.
  • Women’s Empowerment: He championed women’s education, opposed child marriage and sati.
  • Literary Works: His seminal text Satyarth Prakash articulated Vedic teachings and critiqued social and religious orthodoxy.
• Death: He passed away on October 30, 1883, in Ajmer, Rajasthan.
• Legacy: The Dayanand Anglo-Vedic (DAV) movement was founded in 1886 to realize the vision of Swami Dayanand Saraswati.
  • Currently DAV College Managing Committee (DAVCMC) manages over 900 educational institutions, including public schools, grants-in-aid schools, and colleges across India and internationally.

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