UPSC Daily Current Affairs for 23 February 2026

AI to Power India’s Next Agricultural Transformation

Context

The Union Minister of Science and Technology, at the AI4Agri 2026 Summit in Mumbai said that India’s next agricultural revolution will be driven by artificial intelligence.

How is AI in Agriculture Critical for India?

Indian agriculture faces structural constraints such as fragmented landholdings, climate variability, price volatility, and low productivity.

Climate change has increased the frequency of extreme weather events, making predictive technologies essential.

Small and marginal farmers (over 85% of total farmers) require affordable, data-driven advisory systems.

India AI Impact Summit 2026

Context

The India AI Impact Summit 2026 concluded in New Delhi recently.

Background of AI Summits

2023 Bletchley Park Summit (UK): The first global AI summit was held at Bletchley Park and focused on safety. It brought together countries and experts to discuss AI risks and resulted in the Bletchley Declaration.

2024 Seoul Summit (South Korea): The second summit was held in Seoul in May 2024, building on the discussions from the Bletchley Park meeting and broadening to include innovation and inclusivity alongside safety.

India’s Global Capability Centre Revolution

Context

For the Indian population, the Global Capability Centres (GCCs) boom has catalysed high-value employment and regional development.

What are Global Capability Centres?

Global In-house Centres or Captives (GICs) or Global Capability Centres (GCCs), are mainly offshore centres established by global level firms/MNCs to provide various services to their parent organisations.

These centres operate as internal organisations within the global corporate structure, providing specialised solutions such as IT services, Research and Development (R&D), customer support and other business tasks.

India Registers Landmark Progress in Organ Donation & Transplantation

Context

Recently, the Prime Minister of India, through his Mann Ki Baat address, has repeatedly highlighted the importance of organ donation, giving renewed momentum to the organ donation movement in India.

About Organ Transplantation/Donation

It is a surgical procedure in which an organ, tissue or a group of cells are removed from one person and surgically transplanted into another person.

One person can save up to 8 lives by donating heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, pancreas and intestines.

In India, the organ transplantation is one of the lowest in comparison with the western nations.

Satellite-Based Communication in India and Emerging Threats

In News

Recently, Security agencies have raised alarms over the illegal use of satellite communication devices in Indian waters, citing potential national security threats.

About

In an era defined by digital connectivity, terrestrial networks (fiber optics, mobile towers) often face limitations due to difficult geographical terrains and vulnerability to natural disasters.

Satellite-Based Communication (SATCOM) has emerged as the critical infrastructure bridging these gaps.

Challenges for India’s Electricity Grid from Data Centre Expansion

Context

India’s power system is headed towards a “paradigm shift” as artificial intelligence (AI)-driven data centres are emerging as large, complex, and electricity-intensive infrastructure.

Rising Power Demand from Data Centres

India has an installed data centre capacity of 1.2 GW, which will grow to about 10 GW by 2030, with investments of over $200 billion.

Power Demand by Data Centres: AI workloads use large numbers of Graphic Processing Units (GPUs) with individual racks consuming 80-150 KW compared to 15-20 KW for traditional enterprise servers.

This computational intensity drives an insatiable demand for electricity, making AI the most significant driver of increased energy consumption within the data centre sector.

News In Short 23-02-2026

Context

In the rural parts of Hassan, Mandya and Mysuru in Karnataka, overlooked Hoysala-era temples reveal a thriving medieval kingdom’s sculptural mastery.

About

Temple architecture style: The Hoysala temples are constructed in Vesara style of architecture.

The temple has a Dravidian morphology along with substantial influences from the Bhumija style prevalent in Central India, and the Nagara traditions of northern and western India.

The material used in temple construction is choloritic schist also known as soapstone.