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News 29 of 33

AI Summit, CPI 2024 Base Year, ₹1 Lakh Cr Urban Fund, Brahmaputra Tunnel, and New Vande Mataram Protocol

Target:UPSC GS-IIMPSCSSC GATeachingPrelims HighMains MediumStatic GK Link
15 Feb 2026
~2 min
Source: Indian Express
Key Data:CPI base year 2024Urban Challenge Fund Rs 1 lakh croreUnderwater tunnel Rs 18,662 croreVande Mataram duration 3 min 10 secTsunamis from non-seismic causes 20%Seychelles package $175 million
Bodies:MoSPIPMOMHACCEAINCOISIndian NavyLok Sabha SecretariatNational Board for Wildlife
Practice MCQs from today's news ▸
What This Article Covers

1.India hosts AI Impact Summit 2026 in New Delhi (Feb 16-20), first in Global South with theme 'sarvajana hitaya, sarvajana sukhaya'.

2.MoSPI releases new CPI series with base year 2024 (Jan inflation 2.75%), includes rural house rent, adopts UN's COICOP 2018 classification.

3.Cabinet approves Rs 1 lakh crore Urban Challenge Fund and Rs 18,662 crore for India's first underwater road-cum-rail tunnel under Brahmaputra.

The Big Picture
Prelims · HighMains · Medium

This week's key developments span global diplomacy with India hosting the AI Impact Summit, significant economic indicators with a new CPI base year, major infrastructure approvals like India's first underwater tunnel, and important governance protocols for the National Song. Each point is a potential exam question testing your grasp of current affairs across the syllabus.

Exam Lens

Quick Exam Facts From News

CPI Base Year2024 (Prev: 2012)
AI Summit Themesarvajana hitaya, sarvajana sukhaya
Urban Fund SizeRs 1 lakh crore
Underwater Tunnel CostRs 18,662 crore
Vande Mataram Duration3 minutes 10 seconds
Tsunamis by Non-Seismic Causes20%

1-Minute Revision

  • ›CPI Base Year: 2024 (Prev: 2012)
  • ›AI Summit Theme: sarvajana hitaya, sarvajana sukhaya
  • ›Target this Data: CPI new base year is 2024 (Previous: 2012).
  • ›Target this Nodal Body: Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) operates the Indian Tsunami Early Warning Centre (ITEWC).
  • ›Target this Legal Point: Lok Sabha Rule 41(2)(viii) & (xvii) - questions shall not relate to matters not primarily the concern of GoI or under control of bodies not responsible to GoI.

Mastered this topic? Test your knowledge with a full MCQ quiz.

Practice exam-style questions, track your score, and strengthen your recall.

Q1Static LinkageEasy

Which ministry/department is responsible for releasing the Consumer Price Index (CPI) data in India?

Q2Statement-basedHard

Consider the following statements regarding the new Consumer Price Index (CPI) series with base year 2024:

1. It has adopted the Classification of Individual Consumption According to Purpose (COICOP) 2018 framework.

2. It includes rural house rent for the first time to improve coverage of rural housing consumption.

3. The new CPI basket contains 299 goods and services, down from 358 in the previous series.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Q3Data-centricMedium

What is the estimated cost approved by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) for India's first underwater road-cum-rail tunnel under the Brahmaputra river?

Q4Application/ImpactMedium

What is the primary strategic significance of India taking command of Combined Task Force (CTF) 154 under the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF)?

All 25 MCQs ▸
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