February 12, 2026 - Current Affairs

Budget Gives Big Science Allocations, but Core Funding Gaps Remain

Context

The Union Budget 2026–27 projects strong ambition in science-led growth, but experts caution that its success depends on effective delivery, timely funding, institutional autonomy, and transparent innovation financing.

About

In 2023-24, allocation for the Department of Biotechnology was revised down from ₹2,683.86 crore to ₹1,607.32 crore, and actual spending fell further to ₹1,467.34 crore.

Likewise for the Department of Science and Technology, from ₹7,931.05 crore to ₹4,891.78 crore and actuals of ₹4,002.67 crore.

Protest Against Ken-Betwa Linking Project

Context

Protests against the Ken–Betwa River Linking Project (KBLP), highlighting tensions over the implementation of the river interlinking project.

About River Interlinking in India

Historical Context: The concept of interlinking rivers dates back to the 19th century, with Sir Arthur Cotton’s designs for irrigation dams in the Godavari and Krishna river valleys.

Over the years, this idea evolved, with notable contributions from engineers like M Visvesvaraya, KL Rao, and Captain Dinshaw J Dastur.

Centre–State Fiscal Relations in a Changing Fiscal Landscape

Context

The finance minister has said the Union government transferred 41% of the divisible pool to the states and the share of no state has been reduced.

What is Tax Devolution?

Tax devolution refers to the distribution of tax revenues between the central government and the state governments.

The Finance Commission decides what proportion of the Centre’s net tax revenue goes to the States overall (vertical devolution) and how this share for the States is distributed among various States (horizontal devolution).

Biosecurity Threat in India

Context

In 2025, the Gujarat ATS uncovered an alleged ricin-based bioterror plot, marking India’s first suspected ricin-linked bioterror case with possible international links.

What are Biological Weapons?

Biological weapons use pathogens (bacteria, viruses, fungi) or toxins (like ricin, botulinum toxin) to cause disease or death in humans, animals, or crops.

They are classified as Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMDs) due to their potential for large-scale harm.

Democratising AI in India

In News

Recently, it has been highlighted that the democratisation of AI requires fair access to computing resources, data, and AI models, which are crucial for innovation and competitiveness in the digital economy.

What is Democratisation of AI?

Democratisation of AI refers to making artificial intelligence accessible, affordable and usable for a wide and diverse set of users. It goes beyond access to finished applications.

It includes access to the core building blocks of AI such as computing power, datasets and model ecosystems.

News In Short 12-02-2026

In News

Stanford researchers have produced the first global map of a rare type of earthquake that occurs not in the Earth’s crust but deep within the planet’s mantle

Continental mantle earthquakes

Location: They occur worldwide but are regionally clustered, particularly beneath the Himalayas in southern Asia and the Bering Strait between Asia and North America.

Depth: Most earthquakes occur in the Earth’s crust at depths of 10–29 km, but mantle earthquakes happen much deeper—over 80 km below the crust-mantle boundary, known as the Mohorovičić discontinuity (Moho), which separates the crust from the semi-solid mantle.