Current Affairs 23 February 2026

Vasai’s 475-Year-Old Cathedral Wins UNESCO Heritage Award.

• The 475-year-old Our Lady of Grace Cathedral in Vasai won the 2025 UNESCO Award of Merit for its cultural conservation.
• Restored with a Rs 4.5 crore community budget, the sixteenth-century stone structure reflects Portuguese colonial legacy.
• Architect Ainsley Lewis used traditional craftsmanship to revive this historic site as a vital living place of worship.

Bihar Declared Naxal-Free After Last Surrender.

• Bihar is officially Naxal-free after the last armed Maoist, Suresh Koda, surrendered in Munger.
• This ends a massive insurgency that began in the 1970s and impacted 23 districts in 2012.
• Strong rehabilitation efforts led to 220 arrests and zero Naxal incidents during 2025.

The CAQM issued statutory directions to curb wheat stubble burning.

• Statutory body created under the Commission for Air Quality Management in NCR & Adjoining Areas Act 2021.
• Aims to regulate and coordinate air quality in NCR and states of Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan & UP.
• Has binding, quasi-judicial powers to issue directions and enforce anti-pollution measures.
• Headed by Chairperson; members from Centre, states, NITI Aayog, ISRO, NGOs; appeals lie with NGT.

Sameer Kanodia Wins CEO of the Year for Second Straight Year.

• Sameer Kanodia was honored with the CEO of the Year award at Taj Lands' End, Mumbai, for the second year running.
• The recognition highlights his leadership at Lumina Datamatics and TNQTech in the global publishing and retail sectors.
• Winners were evaluated on business competence, CSR commitment, and societal impact by a distinguished jury.

VP Launches Coffee Table Book on Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

• VP CP Radhakrishnan launched Vijay Goel's book, Atal Bihari Vajpayee: The Eternal Statesman, in Delhi.
• The work captures the former Prime Minister's life journey through rare photographs and personal recollections.
• The publication includes references to major political developments, such as the NDA’s political crisis in 1999, the Kargil conflict, and Vajpayee’s return to power.