UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 21 February 2026
Kartavya Desk Staff
UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 21 February 2026 covers important current affairs of the day, their backward linkages, their relevance for Prelims exam and MCQs on main articles
InstaLinks : Insta Links help you think beyond the current affairs issue and help you think multidimensionally to develop depth in your understanding of these issues. These linkages provided in this ‘hint’ format help you frame possible questions in your mind that might arise(or an examiner might imagine) from each current event. InstaLinks also connect every issue to their static or theoretical background.
Table of Contents
GS Paper 2:
• NITI Aayog Releases Report on Revitalizing Apprenticeship Ecosystem
NITI Aayog Releases Report on Revitalizing Apprenticeship Ecosystem
GS Paper 3:
• Cybercrime in India
Cybercrime in India
Content for Mains Enrichment (CME):
• One Plant Per Day resolution
One Plant Per Day resolution
Facts for Prelims (FFP):
• Export Promotion Mission
Export Promotion Mission
• Tetanus and Diphtheria (Td) Vaccine
Tetanus and Diphtheria (Td) Vaccine
• SANKALP scheme
SANKALP scheme
• Pax Silica initiative
Pax Silica initiative
• Operation Chivalrous Knight 3
Operation Chivalrous Knight 3
• INS Krishna
INS Krishna
Mapping:
• Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS)
Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS)
UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 21 February 2026
GS Paper 2 :
NITI Aayog Releases Report on Revitalizing Apprenticeship Ecosystem
Source: PIB
Subject: Human resource development
Context: NITI Aayog launched a seminal policy report, titled “Revitalizing Apprenticeship Ecosystem: Insights, Challenges, Recommendations and Best Practices.”
• The report aims to position apprenticeships as a strategic pillar for India’s human capital development and the vision of Viksit Bharat @2047.
About NITI Aayog Releases Report on ‘Revitalizing Apprenticeship Ecosystem:
What it is?
• Released by NITI Aayog, this report provides a comprehensive analysis of India’s apprenticeship landscape.
• It outlines 20 action-oriented recommendations across five interlinked pillars: policy reforms, structural strengthening, state-district interventions, industry engagement, and aspirant support.
• It also introduces a framework for an Apprenticeship Engagement Index to benchmark performance and streamline processes via a common platform
Key Data/Stats on Apprenticeship Ecosystem:
• State Disparities: Apprenticeship engagement is highly concentrated, with Gujarat dominating at 24.18% of total engagements under the National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS) in FY 2024-25.
• Top Five States: Industrially advanced states like Gujarat, Maharashtra, Haryana, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka collectively hold the bulk of apprenticeship engagements.
• Regional Lags: Many states and UTs contribute less than 0.001% to the national pool, highlighting persistent regional disparities.
• Growth Potential: The report identifies that revitalizing the system is essential to utilize India’s demographic advantage, where a large share of the unemployed currently hold higher education levels.
• Power Potential: While primarily a skilling report, it notes that integrated agricultural residues (often a focus for rural apprenticeships) could generate 18,000 MW of power annually if linked to bio-energy sectors.
Importance of Apprenticeship Ecosystem:
• Bridging the Skill Gap: It facilitates the transition from academic learning to practical industrial requirements.
E.g. The NEP 2020 integration of vocational training allows students to gain hands-on experience while pursuing formal degrees.
• Enhancing Employability: Apprenticeships provide a learning-by-doing model that makes youth job-ready.
E.g. Under NAPS, thousands of youth in industrially advanced states like Gujarat have gained direct entry into manufacturing roles after training.
• Driving Enterprise Productivity: Businesses benefit from a pool of pre-trained, skilled talent that understands specific operational workflows.
E.g. The MSME cluster-based consortia model mentioned in the report allows small units to share training costs while improving local innovation.
• Promoting Social Mobility: It offers an alternate career path for those from marginalized or rural backgrounds.
E.g. Empowering District Skill Committees as implementation anchors ensures that localized skill needs in remote districts are met.
• International Competitiveness: Aligns Indian labour standards with global best practices, making Indian youth ready for global markets.
E.g. The report’s focus on recognition and portability of certifications helps Indian apprentices seek opportunities in international cross-cultural work environments.
Challenges in the Apprenticeship Ecosystem
• Aspirational Bias: There is a deep-seated cultural preference for traditional academic degrees over vocational training.
E.g. Recent data indicates a higher share of unemployed individuals among those with higher education compared to those with technical skills.
• Inter-State Disparities: Industrial concentration in a few states leaves vast regions of India under-represented in skilling.
E.g. While Gujarat has over 24% engagement, many states like Assam or Madhya Pradesh struggle with significantly lower participation rates.
• Complex Regulatory Framework: Overlapping laws and multiple portals can deter MSMEs from participating.
E.g. Small enterprises often find the documentation requirements of NAPS vs. NATS confusing, leading to lower-than-potential uptake.
• Inadequate Infrastructure: Lack of training facilities in remote districts hinders the nodal implementation of programs.
E.g. In many districts, District Skill Committees lack the technical capacity or funding to act as effective nodal anchors as envisioned.
• Lack of Industry-Aspiration Alignment: What students want to learn sometimes differs from the actual technological needs of the local industry.
E.g. The rapid shift toward AI and digital sciences in the economy is currently outpacing the revision of apprenticeship curriculum in traditional ITIs.
Initiatives Taken So Far:
• NEP 2020 Integration: Aligning vocational education and apprenticeships within the formal school and higher education system.
• National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS): Providing financial incentives to employers to engage apprentices and sharing the cost of stipends.
• National Apprentice Training Scheme (NATS): A specialized dashboard and program focused on graduate and diploma holders.
• District Skill Committees (DSCs): Decentralizing implementation to allow districts to identify and address their specific skill gaps.
Way Ahead:
• Common Digital Platform: Streamline all apprenticeship registrations and tracking through a single, user-friendly interface to reduce MSME burden.
• Apprenticeship Engagement Index: Use the proposed index to create healthy competition between states to improve their skilling infrastructure.
• Deepening MSME Participation: Use cluster-based consortia to allow small industries to collectively hire and train apprentices.
• Global Portability: Ensure certifications are mapped to international standards to facilitate the global mobility of the Indian workforce.
• Awareness Campaigns: Launch national-level campaigns to elevate the status of vocational training as a preferred rather than alternate career choice.
Conclusion:
The NITI Aayog report serves as a vital blueprint for transforming India’s demographic burden into a demographic dividend through a robust apprenticeship system. By addressing regional disparities and empowering local districts, India can build a future-ready workforce that drives both industrial productivity and social inclusion. This strategic investment in human capital is essential for India to emerge as a global hub for skilling and innovation by 2047.
Q. “India’s skilling challenge is a failure of accountability, not intent”. Analyse the institutional weaknesses in India’s skilling ecosystem. Assess their implications for labour-market efficiency. Suggest reforms to restore accountability. (15 M)
#### UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 21 February 2026 GS Paper 3:
Cybercrime in India
Source: TP
Subject: Cyber security
Context: Data from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) revealed a 24% spike in cybercrime cases during 2025, with Indians losing ₹22,495 crore.
• The report highlights a shift toward highly organized investment scams, which accounted for over 75% of total financial losses.
About Cybercrime in India:
What it is?
• Cybercrime refers to criminal activities carried out using computers, networks, or digital devices. In the Indian context, it has evolved from simple phishing to sophisticated digital arrests, sextortion, and AI-driven fraud.
• It targets individuals, businesses, and critical infrastructure, threatening both economic stability and personal privacy.
Data/Stats on Cybercrime in India:
• Case Volume: A total of 28.15 lakh cases were recorded in 2025, a significant rise from 22.68 lakh in 2024.
• Financial Toll: Despite the volume increase, total losses marginally dipped to ₹22,495 crore (from ₹22,845 crore), thanks to real-time police intervention.
• Investment Scams: These are the leading threat, accounting for 76% of total money lost and 35% of all reported cases.
• Recovery Rates: Government initiatives like I4C have blocked fraudulent transactions worth over ₹8,031 crore since their inception.
• New Threats: Digital arrests (9% of losses) and sextortion (4% of losses) have emerged as the fastest-growing psychological-based cybercrimes.
Reasons for the Rise in Cybercrime:
• Increased Internet Penetration: With over 86% of households connected by 2025, the attack surface for criminals has expanded into rural India.
E.g. Fraudsters are now targeting first-time digital users in Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities who are less familiar with digital hygiene.
• Desire for Easy Money: High inflation and the allure of quick wealth drive people toward fraudulent high-return schemes.
E.g. The massive rise in fake stock market trading scams in 2025 was fueled by citizens seeking to replicate legitimate market gains through unverified expert apps.
• Adoption of AI and Deepfakes: Criminals are using Generative AI to create hyper-realistic voices and videos for impersonation.
E.g. In 2025, Digital Arrest scams spiked as fraudsters used AI-generated uniforms and background noise to simulate real police stations during video calls.
• Cross-Border Scam Centers: Southeast Asian cyber-slave compounds operate large-scale operations targeting Indians.
E.g. MHA reports indicate that over 50% of cyber frauds targeting Indians in 2025 originated from high-security compounds in Cambodia, Myanmar, and Laos.
• Loopholes in Digital Banking: Rapid UPI adoption has outpaced user awareness regarding security features like collect requests.
E.g. Many victims in 2025 lost money by entering their UPI PIN thinking they were receiving a payment, a common tactic in task-based scams.
Challenges Associated with Cybercrime:
• Low FIR Conversion: Many victims report to portals, but very few cases translate into formal police investigations.
E.g. In 2025, while 28 lakh cases were reported, only 55,484 FIRs were filed, often due to the jurisdictional complexity of the crimes.
• Anonymity and Technical Sophistication: Cybercriminals use VPNs and encrypted layers, making it difficult for local police to trace them.
E.g. Investigating ransomware attacks on Indian hospitals in 2025 was stalled because the attackers operated through decentralised Ransomware-as-a-Service models.
• Jurisdictional Hurdles: Crime committed in one state often uses bank accounts in a second state and mobile numbers from a third.
E.g. A 2025 scam in Delhi was found to be linked to mule accounts in Kerala and SIM cards issued in West Bengal, complicating the arrest process.
• Forensic Talent Gap: There is a shortage of trained cyber forensic experts at the station level to handle digital evidence.
E.g. While India now has 459 dedicated cyber police stations, many in states like Uttar Pradesh report a backlog in mirroring and analyzing seized digital devices.
• Social Stigma: Victims of sextortion or digital arrests often delay reporting due to fear of social embarrassment.
E.g. The sextortion spike in late 2025 saw victims losing lakhs over several weeks because they were too ashamed to approach the 1930 helpline immediately.
Way Ahead:
• Mandatory e-FIRs: Scaling the e-FIR system (currently in states like Delhi and Goa) to all states to ensure every digital complaint is legally recorded.
• AI-Powered Defense: Utilizing Machine Learning to flag mule accounts (suspect bank accounts) before they can siphon off stolen funds.
• International Cooperation: Strengthening the I4C’s collaboration with Interpol and Southeast Asian nations to dismantle physical scam factories.
• Cyber Hygiene Education: Incorporating mandatory digital literacy modules in schools and for senior citizens to identify red flags in investment offers.
• Strengthening NCIIPC: Enhancing the protection of Critical Information Infrastructure (like power grids and banks) to prevent large-scale data breaches.
Conclusion:
India’s cybercrime challenge is transitioning from a technical issue to a socio-economic crisis driven by psychological manipulation. While real-time intervention by agencies has saved thousands of crores, the sheer volume of cases demands a shift from reactive recovery to proactive prevention. Achieving a Cyber-Surakshit Bharat will require a unified front involving vigilant citizens, tech-savvy police, and stringent international diplomacy.
Q What is cyber-crime? what types of cyber security threats are being witnessed by the world today? Explain India’s attempts to tackle these issues. (250 words)
#### UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 21 February 2026 Content for Mains Enrichment (CME)
One Plant Per Day resolution
Context: Union Minister marked the completion of five years of the “One Plant Per Day” resolution, transforming a personal environmental pledge into a proposed nationwide green movement.
About One Plant Per Day resolution:
What it is?
• The One Plant Per Day Resolution is an environmental initiative launched by Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan in 2021, under which he pledged to plant at least one sapling daily.
• The initiative promotes individual and community participation in afforestation and aims to convert personal environmental responsibility into a large-scale mass movement.
Organisation: Led by the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare and Ministry of Rural Development.
Key Features:
• Daily Plantation Commitment: A continuous pledge to plant one tree every day, promoting long-term environmental responsibility.
• Institutional Integration: All official programmes under agriculture-related institutions to begin with tree plantation activities.
• Digital Participation Model: Platforms like Ankur and the proposed Tree Bank enable citizens to plant or sponsor trees and track them digitally.
Significance:
• Mass Environmental Awareness: Converts individual action into collective climate consciousness and public participation.
• Afforestation & Ecological Restoration: Helps improve green cover, biodiversity conservation, and climate resilience.
• Behavioural Change Model: Encourages sustainable social traditions such as gifting trees instead of mementos, promoting eco-friendly practices.
Relevance in UPSC Exam Syllabus
• GS Paper III – Environment & Ecology
• Afforestation, climate change mitigation, and community-based conservation initiatives. Sustainable development and ecosystem restoration.
• Afforestation, climate change mitigation, and community-based conservation initiatives.
• Sustainable development and ecosystem restoration.
• GS Paper II – Governance
• Public participation in policy implementation. Government-led environmental campaigns and behavioural change strategies.
• Public participation in policy implementation.
• Government-led environmental campaigns and behavioural change strategies.
UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS –21 February 2026 Facts for Prelims (FFP)
Export Promotion Mission
Source: ET
Subject: Economy/ Government Scheme
Context: Union Commerce and Industry Minister launched seven new interventions under the Export Promotion Mission (EPM) to strengthen MSME exports and global competitiveness.
About Export Promotion Mission:
What it is?
• The Export Promotion Mission (EPM) is a flagship initiative of the Department of Commerce aimed at empowering Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) to participate effectively in global trade.
• It adopts a holistic ecosystem approach by combining financial assistance, trade facilitation and export infrastructure support to boost India’s exports.
Implementing Agencies: The Mission is implemented by the Department of Commerce.
• To enhance global market access and export competitiveness of Indian MSMEs.
• To reduce structural barriers such as high cost of capital, logistics disadvantages and compliance challenges.
• To promote inclusive, broad-based export growth aligned with India’s global trade ambitions.
Key Features:
• Dual framework – Niryat Protsahan & Niryat Disha: Combines financial enablers with trade ecosystem support under a digitally monitored system.
• Trade Finance Support: Includes export factoring, e-commerce credit facilities, interest subvention (2.75%) and credit guarantees for MSMEs.
• Compliance & Certification Support (TRACE): Partial reimbursement for testing, inspection and certification to meet international standards.
• Logistics & Overseas Warehousing (FLOW & LIFT): Support for overseas warehousing, e-commerce export hubs and freight cost reimbursement.
• Trade Intelligence & Capacity Building (INSIGHT): Strengthens district-level export hubs and market intelligence systems.
• MSME-focused Financial Assistance: Credit support up to ₹5 crore, interest subvention, and guarantee coverage for digital exporters.
• Market Integration: Supports initiatives like Bharat Mart in Dubai to connect exporters with GCC, Africa and European markets.
Significance:
• Strengthens MSMEs as drivers of India’s export-led growth.
• Improves access to global markets through FTAs and trade facilitation.
Tetanus and Diphtheria (Td) Vaccine
Source: News on Air
Subject: Science and technology
Context: Union Health Minister launched the Tetanus and Diphtheria (Td) vaccine at the Central Research Institute, Kasauli, to strengthen India’s national immunization programme.
About Tetanus and Diphtheria (Td) Vaccine:
What it is?
• The Tetanus and Diphtheria (Td) vaccine is a booster immunization that protects individuals against tetanus and diphtheria, two potentially life-threatening bacterial infections.
• It is generally administered after childhood immunization to maintain long-term immunity.
Types:
• Td Vaccine – Protects against tetanus and diphtheria only.
• Tdap Vaccine – Protects against tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis (whooping cough); recommended especially for pregnant women and caregivers of infants.
Key Features:
• Booster dose usually recommended every 10 years: The Td vaccine is given periodically to maintain long-term immunity as protection from childhood vaccination gradually declines over time.
• Can be administered along with other vaccines: It can be safely given during the same visit as other immunizations, improving convenience and overall vaccination coverage.
• Provides continued immunity after childhood vaccination: Acts as a booster to reinforce protection against tetanus and diphtheria during adolescence and adulthood.
• Helps prevent severe complications such as respiratory failure: By preventing infection, the vaccine reduces the risk of life-threatening outcomes linked to toxin-producing bacteria.
• Generally safe with mild side effects: Most reactions are minor and short-lived, making the vaccine suitable for routine preventive use.
• Strengthens community immunity: Higher vaccination coverage lowers infection spread, indirectly protecting vulnerable populations.
About the Tetanus and Diphtheria Diseases:
Tetanus:
• Cause and infection source: Tetanus is a bacterial disease caused by Clostridium tetani, whose spores are commonly found in soil, dust and animal waste.
• Mode of entry and symptoms: The bacteria enter through cuts or wounds and release toxins that cause severe muscle stiffness, spasms and “lockjaw.”
• Severity and prevention: Serious cases can lead to breathing failure and death, but the disease is effectively preventable through timely vaccination and booster doses.
Diphtheria:
• Cause and transmission: Diphtheria is a highly contagious infection caused by Corynebacterium diphtheriae, spreading mainly through respiratory droplets.
• Major health effects: It forms a thick grey coating in the throat, which can block airways and cause serious breathing difficulties.
• Complications and control: If untreated, it may lead to heart and nerve damage, but widespread immunization has significantly reduced its incidence worldwide.
SANKALP scheme
Source: TH
Subject: Government Scheme
Context: The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) criticised the government over the slow implementation of the SANKALP scheme, citing delays and weak monitoring mechanisms.
About SANKALP scheme:
What it is?
• SANKALP (Skill Acquisition and Knowledge Awareness for Livelihood Promotion) is a flagship skill development programme aimed at improving the quality and effectiveness of short-term skill training in India.
• It focuses on strengthening institutional capacity, industry linkage and inclusion of marginalized groups through systemic reforms.
Launched in
• Launched: 19 January 2018
• Initially planned till March 2023, later extended.
Implementing Agency:
• Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE)
• Implemented with World Bank loan assistance and support from States and industry stakeholders.
• Improve quality and scale of skill training: To strengthen short-term skill development through better institutional frameworks and quality assurance mechanisms.
• Promote inclusive livelihood opportunities: To enhance participation of marginalized and disadvantaged groups through targeted skilling interventions.
Key Features:
• Financial support: The scheme has a total outlay of ₹4,455 crore, supported by World Bank funding to strengthen India’s skill development infrastructure and reforms.
• Institutional strengthening: Focuses on improving capacity and coordination of skill institutions at Central, State and District levels for better implementation.
• Quality assurance: Introduces standards and monitoring mechanisms to ensure training programmes meet industry-relevant quality benchmarks.
• Industry linkage: Promotes partnerships with industries so that training remains demand-driven and improves job placement opportunities.
• Inclusion focus: Targets participation of marginalized and disadvantaged groups to ensure equitable access to skill development programmes.
• Performance monitoring: Uses Results Framework and Disbursement Linked Indicators (DLIs) to track outcomes and link funding with performance.
Pax Silica initiative
Source: IT
Subject: International Relations
Context: India has joined the U.S.-led Pax Silica initiative, aimed at building resilient supply chains for electronics, artificial intelligence and critical minerals.
About Pax Silica initiative:
What it is?
• Pax Silica is a strategic international initiative led by the United States Department of State to strengthen secure, resilient and trusted supply chains for critical minerals, semiconductors, electronics and AI technologies.
History:
• Conceptualised as a response to growing concerns over supply-chain vulnerabilities and concentration of rare-earth processing.
• Held its inaugural summit in Washington D.C. in December 2025.
• To create resilient and diversified global supply chains for critical minerals, semiconductors and AI-related technologies.
• To deepen economic partnerships among like-minded countries and reduce risks from coercive or monopolistic supply
Participants:
• Signatories include: Australia, Greece, Israel, Japan, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Singapore, UAE, United Kingdom, India (new entrant).
• Non-signatory participants: Canada, European Union, Netherlands, OECD, Taiwan.
Key Features:
• Supply chain security focus: Promotes diversification of electronics and critical mineral supply chains to reduce excessive concentration risks.
• AI and technology collaboration: Encourages cooperation across AI systems, semiconductors, data infrastructure and advanced manufacturing ecosystems.
• Critical minerals partnership: Supports coordinated refining, processing and access to rare-earth and strategic minerals needed for future technologies.
• Investment and infrastructure cooperation: Promotes shared investments and incentives to strengthen trusted industrial and technology networks.
• Trusted innovation ecosystem: Builds collaboration among governments, industries and innovators to create secure and reliable technology stacks.
• Fair market and security framework: Addresses non-market practices, unfair dumping and protects sensitive technologies and critical infrastructure.
• Private sector participation: Mobilises entrepreneurship and industry capabilities to scale innovation and strengthen economic security.
• Strategic economic alignment: Aims to align partner countries on long-term technology governance and resilient global economic architecture.
Operation Chivalrous Knight 3
Source: DD News
Subject: Miscellaneous
Context: The Ruler of Ajman has launched a humanitarian air bridge to Gaza for Ramadan under Operation Chivalrous Knight 3, while the UAE pledged an additional billion at the inaugural Board of Peace meeting in Washington.
About Operation Chivalrous Knight 3:
What it is?
• A comprehensive, multi-phased international humanitarian mission led by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to provide emergency relief and infrastructure support to the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip.
Launched by: The operation was initiated under the directives of President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
Aim: To alleviate the humanitarian crisis in Gaza by ensuring a steady flow of food, medical supplies, and essential services to displaced families and vulnerable groups, especially during the Holy Month of Ramadan.
Key Features:
• Strategic Logistics: Operates via a dedicated sea and air bridge, utilizing hundreds of flights, several transport ships, and over 300 land convoys.
• Medical Infrastructure: Includes the establishment of a field hospital within Gaza and a floating hospital in Al Arish, Egypt, to perform specialized surgeries.
• Basic Needs: Development of desalination plants in Rafah and large-scale distribution of winter clothing and Warmth and Safety kits.
• Birds of Goodness: A specific initiative within the operation focused on airdropping aid to inaccessible areas in northern Gaza.
Significance:
• It represents one of the most sustained and high-volume humanitarian responses in the region, positioning the UAE as a leading donor.
• The recent billion pledge (bringing total UAE aid to nearly billion) reinforces the shift from immediate relief toward long-term stabilization through international cooperation frameworks like the Board of Peace.
INS Krishna
Source: TOI
Subject: Security
Context: The Indian Navy launched INS Krishna, the first of three indigenous Cadet Training Ships (CTS), at the L&T Shipyard in Kattupalli, Chennai.
About INS Krishna:
What it is?
• The lead ship of a new class of three Cadet Training Ships (CTS) indigenously designed and built by Larsen & Toubro (L&T). It is a dedicated platform for transitioning officer cadets from theoretical shore training to practical sea operations.
Aim: To strengthen the Navy’s training infrastructure by providing a dedicated environment for cadets to gain hands-on experience in navigation, seamanship, and ship-handling without diverting frontline warships from active duties.
Key Features:
• Classroom Capacity: Equipped with three state-of-the-art classrooms capable of accommodating 70 cadets each.
• Specialized Facilities: Features a dedicated cadet training bridge, a chart house, and integrated simulators for “watch-keeping” drills.
• Specifications: A displacement of approximately 4,700 tonnes, a length of 122 meters, a top speed of 20 knots, and an endurance of 60 days at sea.
• Accommodation: Can host 20 officers, 150 sailors, and 200 cadets (including women cadets) simultaneously.
• Defensive Suite: Armed with a 76mm naval gun, two AK-630M Close-In Weapon Systems (CIWS), and 12.7mm stabilized remote-controlled guns.
Significance:
• Aatmanirbhar Bharat: Built under the Buy (Indian-IDDM) category, it showcases India’s self-reliance in warship design and private-sector shipbuilding.
• Naval Diplomacy: The ship will be used to train cadets from Friendly Foreign Countries (FFCs), enhancing international maritime cooperation.
#### UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 21 February 2026 Mapping:
Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS)
Source: PIB
Subject: Mapping
Context: India assumed the Chairmanship of the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) during the 9th Conclave of Chiefs held in Visakhapatnam in February 2026.
About Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS):
What it is?
• The Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) is a voluntary, inclusive and multilateral maritime forum that promotes cooperation among navies of the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).
Established in:
• Established in 2008.
• Initiated by the Indian Navy to strengthen maritime cooperation among Indian Ocean littoral states.
History:
• India held the inaugural chairmanship (2008–2010).
• Successive chairmanships included UAE, South Africa, Australia, Bangladesh, Iran, France and Thailand.
• In 2026, India reassumed chairmanship, signalling renewed momentum for regional maritime cooperation.
Members:
• Around 25 member nations from the Indian Ocean Region.
• Includes observer countries and other maritime partners, with participation spanning from the Atlantic to the Pacific.
• To enhance collaboration among regional navies for maintaining peace, stability and secure sea lanes in the Indian Ocean.
• To promote interoperability, professional exchanges and coordinated responses to humanitarian and security challenges.
Key Functions:
• Conducts Conclaves of Chiefs of Navies for strategic dialogue: Provides a high-level platform where naval leaders discuss regional maritime challenges, security cooperation and future collaborative strategies.
• Facilitates maritime exercises (IMEX): Organises joint drills and officer interactions to improve interoperability, operational understanding and confidence among participating navies.
• Operates through three specialised Working Groups:
Dedicated groups translate strategic decisions into practical cooperation in key maritime domains.
• Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR): Develops coordination mechanisms and best practices for rapid response during natural disasters and humanitarian crises at sea.
• Maritime Security (MARSEC): Focuses on tackling piracy, terrorism, trafficking and other non-traditional maritime threats through shared experiences and cooperation.
• Information Sharing & Interoperability (IS&I): Enhances real-time information exchange and compatible procedures to improve joint maritime operations and situational awareness.
• Promotes maritime domain awareness: Encourages sharing of maritime data and coordinated surveillance to ensure safer sea lanes and effective monitoring of activities.
• Strengthens institutional collaboration: Uses digital systems, training programmes and workshops to improve continuous engagement and long-term institutional cooperation among navies.
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