News of The Day : 24th February 2026

News of The Day – 24th Feb 2026

The Hindu, Indian Express, Live Mint, Business Standard, Economic Times, PIB and AIR, etc

(with Syllabus Relevance)

• Focus on Hoysala temple architecture (12th–13th century).
• Notable sites: Belur, Halebidu, Somanathapura in Karnataka.
• Vesara style – star-shaped platforms, soapstone carvings, intricate sculptures.
• Recently inscribed as UNESCO World Heritage (2023).
• Important for medieval South Indian temple architecture.

• Regional cinema “Boong”gained international recognition at BAFTA.
• About BAFTA.
• Highlights Northeast India’s cultural storytelling.
• Strengthens India’s soft power & creative industries.

• Identifies low industry participation & MSME constraints.
• Recommends simplified compliance under Apprenticeship Act, 1961.
• Promotes dual vocational training & industry-aligned skilling.
• Linked to Skill India, SANKALP & demographic dividend strategy.
• Enhances employability & formal sector absorption.

• Concerns sub-classification within minority communities.
• Linked to Articles 29 & 30 (cultural & educational rights).
• Debate on equitable distribution of minority welfare benefits.
• Related to Supreme Court jurisprudence on minority status & affirmative action.

• IEA membership requires OECD membership or special arrangement.
  • India is currently an Association country (since 2017).
• Obligations include strategic petroleum reserves & data transparency.
• Membership would strengthen energy security & global energy governance.
• Important for clean energy transition & geopolitical balancing.

(GS-3: Internal Security)

• About PRAHAAR – comprehensive national anti-terror framework.
• Focus: intelligence integration, terror financing crackdown, cyber-radicalisation monitoring, inter-agency coordination.
• Strengthens role of NIA, NATGRID & multi-agency centre (MAC).
• Aligns with UAPA, FATF compliance & counter-terror diplomacy.
• Important for internal security architecture reforms.

• Sound mark registered under Trade Marks Act, 1999.
• Expands scope of non-traditional trademarks (sound, colour, shape).
• Strengthens brand identity & intellectual property regime.
• Reflects evolution of India’s IPR ecosystem under National IPR Policy 2016.
• Important for creative economy & brand monetisation.

• Builds on the National Monetisation Pipeline (2021–25)
• Monetises brownfield public assets (roads, railways, power, telecom).
• Aims to unlock capital for infrastructure creation under National Infrastructure Pipeline (NIP).
• PPP model, asset recycling strategy.
• Important for fiscal consolidation & infrastructure financing.

(GS-3: Economy)

• Launched by the Commerce Ministry under leadership of Piyush Goyal.
• Focus on credit access, logistics efficiency, standards compliance.
• Supports integration into Global Value Chains (GVCs).
• Linked to Foreign Trade Policy 2023 & $1 trillion export target.
• MSMEs contribute ~45% of exports.

• About Tetanus & Adult Diphtheria (Td) vaccine.
• Supports Universal Immunisation Programme (UIP).
• Reduces import dependence.

(GS-3: Science & Tech)

• About Tetrodotoxin (TTX) – potent marine neurotoxin found in pufferfish & some amphibians.
  • Blocks sodium channels which may lead to paralysis, respiratory failure.
  • No specific antidote; supportive treatment required.
• Raises awareness about seafood poisoning & coastal ecosystem risks.

(GS-3: Environment)

• TAT measures cumulative toxicity of industrial effluents discharged into water bodies.
• Used in pollution control compliance & wastewater monitoring.
• Moves beyond single-chemical limits to ecosystem-based regulation.
• Relevant for CPCB/SPCB enforcement & Water Act, 1974.