Current Affairs 05 February 2026
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Current Affairs 05 February 2026

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Turtle Trails Proposal announced in Union Budget 2026

The Union Budget 2026–27 proposed ‘turtle trails’ at major sea turtle nesting sites in Odisha, Karnataka, and Kerala to promote eco-tourism. Wildlife conservationists and researchers have expressed serious concerns, that such tourism activities may disturb mass nesting (arribada) of Olive Ridley sea turtles.

Key Facts:

  • Olive Ridley turtles IUCN Status: Vulnerable (VU)
  • Mass nesting (arribada) of Olive Ridley turtles occurs only in India, Cost Rica and very few beaches worldwide.
  • World’s largest nesting sites is located in Gahirmatha in Kendrapara district and Rushikulya mouth in Ganjam district in Odisha.

First Statewide RRTS proposal in South India

Kerala has granted in-principle approval for a 583-km Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) corridor to improve high-speed intercity travel across the State. The route covered in this RRTS will be form Thiruvananthapuram to Kasaragod covering a total distance of 583 km. Total estimated cost of this project is ₹1,92,780 crore expecting to complete in 12 years.

📌 Did You Know?
Kerala approved the first statewide Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) proposal in South India. This project is inspired by the Delhi RRTS model of intercity travel. It will use an elevated viaduct (pillar-based) design to reduce land acquisition, protect natural drainage, and minimise public disruption.

Solid Fuel Ducted Ramjet (SFDR) missile technology

The DRDO successfully conducted the flight demonstration of Solid Fuel Ducted Ramjet (SFDR) technology. With this achievement, our country joined an elite group of nations having SFDR technology, which is crucial for developing long-range air-to-air missiles.

📌 Did You Know?
SFDR is an advanced air-breathing missile propulsion technology developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation. it combines Solid fuel (like a rocket) and Ramjet engine (uses air from atmosphere) to provide sustained high-speed thrust and longer strike range. Most commonly used Solid Fuel is the mixture of Ammonium Perchlorate (oxidizer) + Aluminium powder (fuel) + HTPB rubber (binder)

NAMASTE Scheme

Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment in convergence with Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs have launched National Action for Mechanised Sanitation Ecosystem (NAMASTE) scheme in July 2023 to ensure safety and dignity of sanitation workers. The focus is on prevention of hazardous cleaning and promotion of safe cleaning practices through training. The objective of the scheme is to formalize and rehabilitate the persons engaged in hazardous cleaning of sewer and septic tanks.

The Union Government has released the first nationwide enumeration data of waste-pickers under the NAMASTE scheme. The data is saying that 84% Waste-Pickers from SC, ST, OBC Groups.

Affordable Dipstick Test to Track Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) in Sewage

Scientists from Translational Health Science and Technology Institute (THSTI), Faridabad have developed a low-cost dipstick-based diagnostic assay to detect antimicrobial resistance (AMR) genes in sewage. Cost of this Dipstick is around ₹500 per test much cheaper than Shotgun sequencing (₹9000). AMR testing helps detect drug-resistant microbes early, guides correct treatment, and prevents the spread of dangerous infections in the community. Testing in sewage/wastewater shows resistance trends in entire populations.

📌 Did You Know?
Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) is a condition in which microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites develop the ability to survive drugs that are meant to kill them, making medicines ineffective.

16th Finance Commission recommended 41% tax devolution

The 16th Finance Commission has retained the vertical tax devolution rate at 41%, keeping the States’ share of the divisible tax pool unchanged. The divisible pool excludes cesses and surcharges. The centre has increasingly relied on cess & surcharges, which are non-sharable with States. As a result, even though the rate remains 41%, the actual money transferred to States reduces.

Earlier (2013–19) 93–95% revenue shareable From 2013 to 2019 the sharable revenue between centre and states is 93-95%, now this is reduced to 86-89% due to rise in the cess and surcharges which are non-sharable with States.

📌 Did You Know?

Article 270: Taxes collected by the Union Government are shared with States through the divisible pool, based on Finance Commission recommendations.
Article 271: The Union Government can impose cesses and surcharges, and these are NOT shared with States and go directly into the consolidated fund of India.

India Joins BRICS Centre for Industrial Competencies (BCIC)

India recently joined the BRICS Centre for Industrial Competencies (BCIC) at an event organised by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT). BCIC is launched in partnership with the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO). It acts as a one-stop centre providing integrated support services to manufacturing companies and MSMEs across BRICS nations. This will focus on Industry 4.0 competencies, advanced manufacturing, productivity enhancement, and capacity building.

National Productivity Council (NPC) has been designated as the India Centre for BRICS Industrial Competencies.

Exercise KHANJAR 2026

The 13th edition of the India–Kyrgyzstan Joint Special Forces Exercise KHANJAR commenced from 04–17 February 2026 in Assam. Exercise KHANJAR is an annual bilateral military exercise conducted alternately between India and Kyrgyzstan.

New Semiconductor Facility in Andhra Pradesh

India is accelerating its semiconductor ecosystem under the ‘Semicon India Programme’, aligned with the vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat and Make in India, Make for the World. The Government has launched the programme with a ₹76,000 crore outlay to strengthen domestic semiconductor and display manufacturing.

  • Recently, Union Government has approved 10 semiconductor projects with total planned investment of ₹1.6 lakh crore which includes 2 fabrication units (fabs) and 8 packaging/testing units.
  • Advanced System in Package Technologies Private Limited (ASIP) to set up a semiconductor manufacturing unit in Andhra Pradesh with an investment of ₹480 crore.

Monetisation of Enemy Properties in India

The Ministry of Home Affairs has accelerated the monetisation and disposal of Enemy Properties under the provisions of the Enemy Property Act, 1968 to unlock idle public assets and generate government revenue.

What are Enemy Properties?

Enemy properties are:

  • Properties left behind in India by people who migrated to Pakistan or China during wars or partition periods.
  • These assets are legally vested in the Custodian of Enemy Property for India (CEPI).
  • The Government manages, maintains, and disposes of these properties.

They include:

  • Land & buildings (immovable assets)
  • Shares, securities & movable assets

Note: District Magistrates designated as ex-officio Deputy Custodians.

SabhaSaar – AI Tool for Gram Sabha Meetings

The Ministry of Panchayati Raj launched SabhaSaar, an AI-enabled voice-to-text meeting summarisation tool, on 14 August 2025 to strengthen digital governance at the grassroots level. As on 29.01.2026, a total of 1,11,486 Gram Panchayats have used the SabhaSaar tool for automated meeting summarisation across States/UTs.

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05 February 2026

Disclaimer: This article is prepared for competitive exam preparation using publicly available information.

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