Current Affairs 17 February 2026

India Ranked 75th in Henley Passport Index 2026.

• India’s passport climbed 10 spots to 75th place (from 85th in 2025) in the 2026 Henley Passport Index, its best performance in years.
• Indian citizens now enjoy visa-free, visa-on-arrival, or e-visa access to 56 countries from 52 countries in 2025, enhancing global travel convenience for holidays and business.
• India at its best historical position ranked 71st in 2006.

UPI Tops as Preferred Transaction Mode at 57%: DFS Survey.

• UPI is now the most preferred payment method in India (57%), overtaking cash (38%), driven by instant transfer, per Department of Financial Services latest survey.
• 65% of UPI users, especially aged 18–25, make multiple digital transactions daily; 94% of small merchants accept UPI.
• Cashback and speed were key user motivators; government incentives helped expand UPI QR deployment.

Cabinet Approves ₹10,000 Cr Startup India Fund of Funds 2.0 Scheme.

• The Union Cabinet approved Startup India Fund of Funds 2.0, with a ₹10,000 crore corpus, to mobilize long-term domestic venture capital for startups.
• Aims to accelerate India’s innovation-driven economy & Venture Capital ecosystem, building on the success of the Startup India.
• Startup India: Launched on 16th Jan 2016 to transform India into a country of job creators instead of job seekers.

DRDO Awards ₹30 Crore Electronic Warfare Project to Unistring Tech Solutions.

• Unistring Tech Solutions, part of Zen Technologies, won a ₹30.01 crore Defence Research and Development Organisation contract to develop an advanced Electronic Warfare (EW) system.
• Support Atmanirbhar Bharat & feature RF signal sensing and processing tech for Indian Armed Forces needs.
• The project will be executed in Hyderabad in technical coordination with DRDO labs, boosting EW readiness.

Indian Navy Inaugurates MILAN Village at Exercise MILAN 2026.

• Indian Navy opened MILAN Village at Eastern Naval Command, Visakhapatnam, as part of the flagship international naval Exercise MILAN 2026.
• MILAN Village brings together delegates/naval personnel from 70+ countries, promoting camaraderie, cultural exchange, and maritime cooperation.
• Features live Indian cultural performances, regional cuisine, and stalls for naval souvenirs ETC.