Daily Current Affairs – 1 February 2026 | ExamCare
✅ Fact-Checked & Verified🏛️ Sources: PIB, RBI, Ministries📰 10 Topics Analyzed✍️ 10 Practice MCQs🖨️ Print / Save PDF
📌 Important-days Item #1 of 10
Union Budget Presentation & Indian Coast Guard Day Observed Across India and Globally
Union Budget Presentation & Indian Coast Guard Day is observed on 1 February. Union Finance Minister presents the annual financial statement in Parliament; Indian Coast Guard founded 1 Feb 1977.
💡 KEY EXAM TAKEAWAYS & FACTS
Date of Observance: 1 February.
Significance: Union Finance Minister presents the annual financial statement in Parliament; Indian Coast Guard founded 1 Feb 1977.
Celebrated nationwide with seminars, community awareness drives, and official government campaigns.
📌 Science-tech Item #2 of 10
NASA-ISRO SAR (NISAR) Earth Observation Mission Enters Final Launch Integration Phase
The joint NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) satellite completed dual-band antenna tests at the U R Rao Satellite Centre (URSC) in Bengaluru. Operating in both L-band (NASA) and S-band (ISRO), NISAR is the first radar satellite to map Earth every 12 days at high resolution to track ecosystem changes, ice sheet melt, ground deformation, and seismic fault stresses.
India and United States Conduct 20th Edition of Joint Military Exercise 'YUDH ABHYAS'
The 20th edition of the joint military exercise 'YUDH ABHYAS' between the Indian Army and the United States Army was conducted with troops focusing on counter-terrorism operations, heliborne assault, and disaster relief operations under a United Nations mandate in multi-domain operational scenarios.
💡 KEY EXAM TAKEAWAYS & FACTS
Exercise: YUDH ABHYAS (Annual Bilateral Army Exercise between India and USA).
Started in 2004; alternate hosting between India and the United States.
Other key Indo-US exercises: Vajra Prahar (Special Forces), Tiger Triumph (Tri-Services Amphibious), Cope India (Air Force), Malabar (Naval Quad).
Focuses on exchanging tactical counter-insurgency doctrine and battlefield medical evacuations.
📌 Sports Item #4 of 10
India Creates History with Historic Double Gold at 45th FIDE Chess Olympiad in Budapest
In a watershed moment for Indian sports, both the Indian Men's (Open) and Indian Women's chess teams clinched historic Gold medals at the 45th FIDE Chess Olympiad held in Budapest, Hungary. Grandmaster D. Gukesh and GM Arjun Erigaisi won individual gold medals on top boards, while Divya Deshmukh and Vantika Agrawal starred for the women's team.
💡 KEY EXAM TAKEAWAYS & FACTS
Event: 45th FIDE Chess Olympiad in Budapest, Hungary.
Achievement: India achieved the rare historic 'Double Gold' winning both Open and Women's team championships.
Open Team Members: D. Gukesh, Arjun Erigaisi, R. Praggnanandhaa, Vidit Gujrathi, Pentala Harikrishna (Captain: Srinath Narayanan).
Women's Team Members: Harika Dronavalli, R. Vaishali, Divya Deshmukh, Vantika Agrawal, Tania Sachdev (Captain: Abhijit Kunte).
D. Gukesh scored an extraordinary 3056 performance rating on Board 1.
📌 Environment Item #5 of 10
India Designates 3 New Wetlands as Ramsar Sites, Taking National Total to 85
The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change announced the addition of three new wetlands to the list of Wetlands of International Importance under the Ramsar Convention: Nanjarayan Bird Sanctuary and Kazhuveli Bird Sanctuary in Tamil Nadu, and Tawa Reservoir in Madhya Pradesh, elevating India's Ramsar site count to 85.
💡 KEY EXAM TAKEAWAYS & FACTS
Ramsar Convention: Intergovernmental treaty signed in 1971 in Ramsar, Iran; entered into force in 1975.
India became a Contracting Party to Ramsar on 1 February 1982.
State with maximum Ramsar sites in India: Tamil Nadu (18 sites), followed by Uttar Pradesh (10 sites).
Largest Ramsar site in India: Sundarbans Wetland in West Bengal (4,230 sq km); Smallest: Renuka Wetland in Himachal Pradesh (0.2 sq km).
📌 Awards Item #6 of 10
58th Jnanpith Award Conferred Jointly on Renowned Poet Gulzar and Sanskrit Scholar Rambhadracharya
The Jnanpith Selection Board honoured legendary Urdu lyricist and film director Gulzar (Sampooran Singh Kalra) and revered Sanskrit scholar, polyglot, and educator Jagadguru Rambhadracharya with the prestigious 58th Jnanpith Award for their monumental contributions to Indian literature.
💡 KEY EXAM TAKEAWAYS & FACTS
Jnanpith Award was instituted in 1961 by Bharatiya Jnanpith (founded by Sahu Shanti Prasad Jain).
First recipient in 1965: Malayalam writer G. Sankara Kurup for his poetry collection 'Odakkuzhal'.
Carries a cash prize of ₹11 lakh, a citation, and a bronze replica of Goddess Saraswati (Vagdevi).
This marked the second time Sanskrit has received Jnanpith (previously Satyavrat Shastri in 2006).
📌 Appointments Item #7 of 10
Senior IAS Officer K. Sanjay Murthy Appointed as Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India
The President of India appointed senior bureaucrat K. Sanjay Murthy as the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG), succeeding Girish Chandra Murmu. Murthy previously served as Secretary in the Department of Higher Education under the Ministry of Education.
💡 KEY EXAM TAKEAWAYS & FACTS
CAG is a constitutional authority established under Article 148 of the Indian Constitution.
Described by Dr. B.R. Ambedkar as the 'most important officer under the Constitution of India'.
Tenure: 6 years or until attaining 65 years of age, whichever is earlier.
Audits receipts and expenditure of the Union, States, and public sector undertakings; submits reports to the President/Governor under Article 151.
📌 International Item #8 of 10
G20 Leaders Convene in Rio de Janeiro for Summit on Poverty, Climate and Global Governance
The 19th G20 Leaders' Summit was convened in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil under the presidency theme 'Building a Just World and a Sustainable Planet'. Leaders launched the Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty, an initiative championed by Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
💡 KEY EXAM TAKEAWAYS & FACTS
G20 founded in 1999 following the Asian financial crisis; elevated to Leaders' Summit in 2008.
Members: 19 countries + European Union + African Union (admitted as permanent member under India's G20 Presidency at New Delhi in 2023).
G20 Troika: India (2023), Brazil (2024), South Africa (2025).
Focus areas: Combating inequality, climate finance for developing nations, and reform of multilateral development banks.
📌 Reports-indexes Item #9 of 10
NITI Aayog Releases 4th Edition of SDG India Index: Kerala Emerges Top Performer
NITI Aayog released the SDG India Index 2023-24 evaluating progress across 113 national indicators mapped to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Kerala and Uttarakhand emerged as top-performing States with a composite score of 79, while Bihar and Jharkhand occupied bottom ranks.
💡 KEY EXAM TAKEAWAYS & FACTS
SDG India Index developed by NITI Aayog in collaboration with the United Nations in India.
Evaluates progress across 16 of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 17 qualitative).
India's overall composite score improved to 67 in 2023-24, driven by rapid strides in Goal 1 (No Poverty), Goal 6 (Clean Water), and Goal 7 (Affordable Clean Energy).
📌 National Item #10 of 10
Ministry of Education Releases NIRF India Rankings: IIT Madras Retains Top Overall Spot
The Ministry of Education released the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) rankings. Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras retained the number one position in the 'Overall' category for the sixth consecutive year and 'Engineering' for the ninth year. IISc Bengaluru was ranked top in 'Universities' and 'Research'.
💡 KEY EXAM TAKEAWAYS & FACTS
NIRF was approved and launched by the Ministry of Human Resource Development (now MoE) in September 2015.
Ranks institutions across 5 broad parameters: TLR, RPC, GO, OI, and Perception.
IIT Madras ranked No. 1 Overall; IISc Bengaluru ranked top University.
IIM Ahmedabad ranked top in Management; AIIMS New Delhi top in Medical.
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Question 1 of 10Important Days & Dates
On which date is 'Union Budget Presentation & Indian Coast Guard Day' observed annually?
💡 Detailed Explanation & Analysis:
Union Budget Presentation & Indian Coast Guard Day is observed every year on 1 February. Union Finance Minister presents the annual financial statement in Parliament; Indian Coast Guard founded 1 Feb 1977.
🎯 Exam Relevance: SSC CGL, Railway NTPC, Banking
Question 2 of 10Space Technology & Earth Observation
Which dual radar frequency bands are integrated into the joint NASA-ISRO satellite 'NISAR'?
💡 Detailed Explanation & Analysis:
NISAR is the world's first dual-frequency synthetic aperture radar satellite, combining NASA's L-band radar and ISRO's S-band radar to observe Earth's surface with unprecedented precision.
🎯 Exam Relevance: UPSC Prelims, SSC CGL, State PSCs
Question 3 of 10Joint Military Exercises
'Yudh Abhyas' is an annual bilateral army exercise conducted between the armed forces of India and which country?
💡 Detailed Explanation & Analysis:
Exercise 'Yudh Abhyas' is the major annual bilateral army exercise conducted between the Indian Army and the United States Army.
Where was the 45th FIDE Chess Olympiad held, where India created history by winning gold medals in both Men's and Women's events?
💡 Detailed Explanation & Analysis:
The 45th FIDE Chess Olympiad was held in Budapest, Hungary, in September 2024, where India swept both the Open and Women's team titles for the first time in history.
🎯 Exam Relevance: SSC CGL, Banking, RRB NTPC, State PSCs
Question 5 of 10Wetlands & Ramsar Convention
Which state in India hosts the highest number of Ramsar designated wetlands of international importance?
💡 Detailed Explanation & Analysis:
Tamil Nadu has the highest number of Ramsar sites in India with 18 designated wetlands, followed by Uttar Pradesh with 10 Ramsar sites.
🎯 Exam Relevance: UPSC Prelims, SSC CGL, State PSCs
Question 6 of 10Literature & Jnanpith Awards
Who was the first recipient of the prestigious Jnanpith Award in 1965?
💡 Detailed Explanation & Analysis:
Renowned Malayalam poet G. Sankara Kurup was the first winner of the Jnanpith Award in 1965 for his anthology of poems titled 'Odakkuzhal' (The Bamboo Flute).
🎯 Exam Relevance: SSC CGL, State PSCs, Teaching Exams
Question 7 of 10Constitutional Bodies & Polity
Under which Article of the Constitution of India is the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India appointed by the President?
💡 Detailed Explanation & Analysis:
The Comptroller and Auditor General of India is appointed by the President by warrant under his hand and seal pursuant to Article 148 of the Constitution of India.
🎯 Exam Relevance: UPSC Prelims, SSC CGL, State PSCs
Question 8 of 10Global Summits & Multilateral Diplomacy
Which continental organization was officially inducted as a permanent member of the G20 during India's G20 Presidency in New Delhi?
💡 Detailed Explanation & Analysis:
The 55-nation African Union (AU) was admitted as a full permanent member of the G20 at the New Delhi Leaders' Summit in September 2023 during India's Presidency.
🎯 Exam Relevance: UPSC Prelims, SSC CGL, IBPS PO
Question 9 of 10NITI Aayog & Sustainable Development
Which state shared the top rank alongside Kerala in NITI Aayog's latest SDG India Index?
💡 Detailed Explanation & Analysis:
In NITI Aayog's SDG India Index 2023-24, Uttarakhand and Kerala tied for the first position among States with a composite index score of 79.
🎯 Exam Relevance: UPSC Prelims, SSC CGL, State PSCs
Question 10 of 10Education & National Rankings
Which institution secured the top rank in the 'Overall' category in the latest NIRF Rankings released by the Ministry of Education?
💡 Detailed Explanation & Analysis:
IIT Madras retained the 1st position in the 'Overall' category in NIRF rankings, while IISc Bengaluru was ranked best in 'Universities' and 'Research'.
Daily current affairs compilation for 1 February 2026 featuring in-depth analysis of national, banking, defense, and science developments with 10 practice MCQs for UPSC, SSC, Banking, and State PSC exams.
📋 Consolidated High-Yield Facts for Quick Revision
1. Union Budget Presentation & Indian Coast Guard Day Observed Across India and Globally
Date of Observance: 1 February.
Significance: Union Finance Minister presents the annual financial statement in Parliament; Indian Coast Guard founded 1 Feb 1977.
Celebrated nationwide with seminars, community awareness drives, and official government campaigns.
2. NASA-ISRO SAR (NISAR) Earth Observation Mission Enters Final Launch Integration Phase
India's overall composite score improved to 67 in 2023-24, driven by rapid strides in Goal 1 (No Poverty), Goal 6 (Clean Water), and Goal 7 (Affordable Clean Energy).
10. Ministry of Education Releases NIRF India Rankings: IIT Madras Retains Top Overall Spot
NIRF was approved and launched by the Ministry of Human Resource Development (now MoE) in September 2015.
Ranks institutions across 5 broad parameters: TLR, RPC, GO, OI, and Perception.
IIT Madras ranked No. 1 Overall; IISc Bengaluru ranked top University.
IIM Ahmedabad ranked top in Management; AIIMS New Delhi top in Medical.
📅 February 2026 Edition
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