Governance Current Affairs – February 2026

Governance Current Affairs – February 2026

Important Government Initiatives, Administrative Reforms, Digital Governance and Public Service Delivery

These notes are prepared for APSC, UPSC, ADRE, SSC, Banking, Railways, CUET PG and UGC NET examinations. They cover selected governance-related developments in India during February 2026, with a focus on transparency, accountability, citizen-centric administration and technology-enabled public services. No photos are included.

### 1\. Seva Teerth and Kartavya Bhavan: A New Administrative Complex

On 13 February 2026, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated Seva Teerth and Kartavya Bhavan-1 and 2 in New Delhi. Seva Teerth houses the Prime Minister's Office, the Cabinet Secretariat and the National Security Council Secretariat. Kartavya Bhavan accommodates several important ministries.

The inauguration marked a change in the location of important central government offices, which had operated from the North and South Blocks built during British rule. The government stated that the new complex was designed to support modern administration and more efficient coordination.

### Major features

* Seva Teerth: Houses key offices connected with the Prime Minister and central executive coordination.

* Kartavya Bhavan-1 and 2: Common Central Secretariat buildings for important ministries.

* Administrative coordination: Bringing ministries and offices into modern working spaces can support coordination and workflow management.

* Citizen-centric governance: The stated objective is to strengthen a culture of public service and administrative efficiency.

### Significance for governance

Good governance requires effective institutions, clear responsibility, timely decision-making and accessible public services. Modern office infrastructure can support these objectives, although improvements in governance ultimately depend on administrative practices, accountability and service outcomes.

Exam facts

* Date of inauguration: 13 February 2026.

* Seva Teerth: New complex housing the Prime Minister's Office and other key offices.

* Kartavya Bhavan: Common Central Secretariat complex.

* Related governance idea: Citizen-centric administration and public service.

Source: Prime Minister's Office and Press Information Bureau.

### 2\. Seva Sankalp Resolution: Public Service and Administrative Responsibility

On 24 February 2026, the Union Cabinet held its first meeting at Seva Teerth and adopted the Seva Sankalp Resolution. The resolution emphasised public service, dedication to citizens, transparency and accountability as guiding principles of governance.

### Core ideas

* Service orientation: Public administration should focus on serving citizens.

* Accountability: Government departments should be answerable for their decisions and performance.

* Transparency: Administrative procedures and decisions should be understandable and appropriately accessible to the public.

* Constitutional values: Governance should function within the framework of the Constitution.

* Ease of living: Administrative processes should reduce unnecessary difficulties for citizens.

### Relevance to public administration

The resolution connects with the concept of good governance, which includes participation, rule of law, transparency, responsiveness, effectiveness and accountability.

For competitive examinations, distinguish between a policy resolution and legislation: a resolution can express the government's administrative priorities, but it does not automatically create a new Act of Parliament.

### 3\. NeSDA–Way Forward: Digital Government Services

The Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG) released the 33rd edition of the National e-Governance Service Delivery Assessment (NeSDA)–Way Forward monthly report on 17 February 2026. The report presented the status of e-service delivery across states and union territories, using data available up to 31 January 2026.

### Key findings

* 24,563 e-services were available across states and union territories.

* A total of 473 e-services had been added since the previous report.

* More than 81% saturation of mandatory e-services had been achieved.

* Local Governance and Utility Services accounted for 8,846 e-services.

* Assam's Sewa Setu was identified among the portals providing 100% of the services covered by the assessment for the respective state portal.

### What is NeSDA?

NeSDA assesses the delivery of government services through online platforms and supports efforts to improve the accessibility, efficiency and transparency of e-governance.

Its broader objectives include:

* Improving access to public services.

* Encouraging integrated service-delivery portals.

* Identifying gaps in digital administration.

* Promoting citizen-friendly online services.

### Importance for Assam

Sewa Setu is relevant to Assam's digital governance because it provides a unified online platform for government services. Digital portals can reduce repeated visits to government offices, simplify applications and help citizens track services.

Exam point: NeSDA is associated with DARPG under the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions.

### 4\. SabhaSaar: Artificial Intelligence in Panchayat Governance

The Ministry of Panchayati Raj highlighted SabhaSaar, an AI-enabled voice-to-text and meeting-summarisation tool, in February 2026. It helps generate structured minutes of Gram Sabha and Panchayat meetings from meeting recordings.

As of 4 February 2026, 115,115 Gram Panchayats had used the tool for automated meeting summarisation, according to information presented to Parliament.

### How does SabhaSaar support governance?

* Documentation: Helps convert meeting discussions into structured records.

* Transparency: Creates a more consistent record of deliberations and decisions.

* Monitoring: Helps document action points arising from Gram Sabha resolutions.

* Administrative efficiency: Reduces the manual workload involved in preparing meeting minutes.

* Local participation: Supports the documentation of grassroots democratic processes.

### Related digital tools

At the India AI Impact Expo in February 2026, the Ministry of Panchayati Raj also showcased:

* PRAMAN: An image-analytics-based system to validate uploaded photographs of Panchayat assets, including quality checks and duplicate detection.

* eGramSaathi: An AI chatbot designed to assist Panchayat officials and citizens with governance processes and services.

Exam connection: These tools illustrate how artificial intelligence can support decentralisation, local accountability and administrative record-keeping. They do not replace the legal responsibility of elected Panchayat representatives or public officials.

### 5\. India’s Digital Public Infrastructure: International Cooperation

On 6 February 2026, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology reported that India had signed memorandums of understanding or agreements with 23 countries to cooperate on Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) and India Stack.

The cooperation covers systems such as digital identity, digital payments, data exchange and platforms for delivering public services.

### What is Digital Public Infrastructure?

Digital Public Infrastructure refers to foundational digital systems that enable governments, businesses and citizens to interact and access services at scale.

Important examples in India include:

* Aadhaar: Digital identity infrastructure.

* Unified Payments Interface (UPI): Instant digital payment system.

* DigiLocker: Digital document storage and verification.

* e-Office: Electronic file management in government offices.

* eCourts: Digitisation of judicial processes.

* Public Financial Management System (PFMS): Monitoring government funds and payments.

The government reported that UPI was operational in more than eight countries, including the UAE, Singapore, Bhutan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, France, Mauritius and Qatar.

### Governance significance

Digital public infrastructure can help improve financial inclusion, simplify service delivery, reduce paperwork and make public transactions easier to track. However, successful digital governance also requires privacy protection, cybersecurity, accessible services and alternatives for people who face digital barriers.

Exam point: India Stack is associated with India's wider digital public infrastructure ecosystem; it is not a single application.

### 6\. CBDC-Based Digital Food Coupon Pilot in Gujarat

On 15 February 2026, the Government of India launched a pilot project integrating the Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) with digital food coupons under the Public Distribution System (PDS) in Gujarat. The initiative was inaugurated by Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

### What is CBDC?

A Central Bank Digital Currency is a digital form of central bank money. India's digital rupee is issued by the Reserve Bank of India.

The pilot explored the use of digital currency technology in food distribution, with the stated objectives of improving transparency, efficiency and beneficiary empowerment.

### Relevance to public administration

* Targeted delivery: Digital systems can help manage the allocation and redemption of eligible benefits.

* Transparency: Electronic records can support the monitoring of transactions.

* Efficiency: Digital processing can reduce some manual administrative steps.

* Accountability: Better transaction records can help authorities identify implementation problems.

### Challenges

Digital welfare systems need safeguards for privacy, data security and the protection of beneficiaries. Reliable connectivity, digital literacy and accessible grievance-redressal mechanisms are also important, particularly for vulnerable households.

Exam connection: This initiative links digital governance, welfare administration, financial technology and the Public Distribution System.

### 7\. SWIFT 2.0: Digital Customs Administration

The Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) announced the launch of Single Window Interface for Facilitating Trade (SWIFT) 2.0 and related customs platforms in February 2026. The initiative was featured in the customs reforms programme associated with International Customs Day.

### What is SWIFT?

SWIFT is designed to facilitate electronic interaction between importers, exporters and the relevant government agencies involved in customs clearance.

The 2.0 initiative formed part of broader efforts to streamline customs processes and improve the digital experience for travellers and traders. The programme also included a revamped Atithi App and a Digital Travellers Guide.

### Significance

* Simplifies interactions with customs authorities.

* Supports digital documentation and information sharing.

* Helps improve coordination among agencies involved in trade clearance.

* Contributes to ease of doing business and passenger convenience.

Exam point: CBIC functions under the Department of Revenue, Ministry of Finance.

### 8\. AI Governance Guidelines: Responsible Use of Artificial Intelligence

India's AI governance framework was another important governance topic associated with the India AI Impact Summit in February 2026. The government highlighted a principle-based approach intended to support responsible AI adoption while encouraging innovation.

The framework emphasises the need to balance technological progress with public interest, safety and accountability.

### Major governance concerns

Transparency: People should be able to understand how AI systems are used in important decisions, where appropriate.

Accountability: Organisations deploying AI need clear responsibility for system performance and potential harms.

Fairness: AI systems should be assessed for bias and discriminatory outcomes.

Privacy and security: Personal information and sensitive data need appropriate protection.

Human oversight: High-impact decisions may require meaningful human review and mechanisms to challenge errors.

### Why AI governance matters

AI can support public services such as healthcare, education, agriculture and grievance redressal. However, its use can also create risks involving inaccurate outputs, discrimination, privacy violations and opaque decision-making.

For public administration, the central challenge is to use technology to improve services without weakening citizens' rights or the accountability of public authorities.

### 9\. Secretariat Reforms and e-Office

The Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances monitors Secretariat Reforms through monthly reports covering cleanliness, reduction of pending files, office efficiency and e-Office implementation.

The February 2026 report was released in March 2026 and recorded continued use of electronic files and e-receipts in central government departments.

### Key governance concepts

* e-Office: Electronic management of government files and receipts.

* Reducing pendency: Clearing old files and unresolved administrative matters.

* Delayering: Reducing unnecessary levels in administrative decision-making.

* Swachhata in government offices: Improving cleanliness, space utilisation and records management.

* Citizen grievance redressal: Addressing complaints and appeals through administrative systems.

These reforms are relevant because delays, excessive procedural layers and poor records management can reduce the responsiveness of government departments.

### 10\. Quick Revision Table

| Development                   | Key fact                          | Governance theme               |

| ----------------------------- | --------------------------------- | ------------------------------ |

| Seva Teerth                   | Inaugurated 13 February 2026      | Administrative infrastructure  |

| Seva Sankalp Resolution       | Adopted 24 February 2026          | Citizen-centric governance     |

| NeSDA–Way Forward             | 24,563 e-services reported        | Digital service delivery       |

| SabhaSaar                     | AI-enabled meeting summarisation  | Panchayat transparency         |

| Digital Public Infrastructure | Agreements with 23 countries      | Digital governance cooperation |

| CBDC-based food coupon pilot  | Launched in Gujarat               | Digital welfare delivery       |

| SWIFT 2.0                     | Customs digitalisation initiative | Trade facilitation             |

| AI governance framework       | Responsible and accountable AI    | Technology regulation          |

| e-Office                      | Electronic file management        | Administrative efficiency      |

### 11\. MCQs for Competitive Examinations

Choose one option for each question. Your score appears after you answer all ten.

1. Which department releases the NeSDA–Way Forward report?

A. Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances

B. Department of Economic Affairs

C. Department of Expenditure

D. Department of Telecommunications

2. What is SabhaSaar designed to do?

A. Issue digital currency

B. Summarise Gram Sabha and Panchayat meetings

C. Manage customs duties

D. Conduct elections

3. Which state hosted the CBDC-based Digital Food Coupon pilot in February 2026?

A. Assam

B. Gujarat

C. Kerala

D. Odisha

4. Which organisation is responsible for India's digital rupee?

A. SEBI

B. NITI Aayog

C. Reserve Bank of India

D. NABARD

5. What does DPI stand for in digital governance?

A. Digital Public Infrastructure

B. Department of Public Information

C. Digital Payments Initiative

D. District Planning Institution

6. Which platform is associated with electronic file management in government offices?

A. e-Office

B. PRAMAN

C. UPI

D. SWIFT

7. What does SWIFT stand for in Indian customs administration?

A. Single Window Interface for Facilitating Trade

B. System for Welfare Integration and Financial Tracking

C. Secure Web Interface for Taxation

D. Single Welfare Information and Facilitation Tool

8. Seva Teerth houses which important office?

A. Election Commission only

B. Prime Minister's Office

C. Supreme Court Registry

D. Lok Sabha Secretariat

9. Which ministry is responsible for Panchayati Raj administration at the Union level?

A. Ministry of Home Affairs

B. Ministry of Panchayati Raj

C. Ministry of Rural Transport

D. Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs

10. Which state portal was highlighted among those providing all assessed services in the NeSDA report?

A. Sewa Setu, Assam

B. DigiYatra, Delhi

C. UMANG, Bihar

D. e-Courts, Punjab

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### 12\. Official Sources for Further Study

* Press Information Bureau — [pib.gov.in]

* Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances — [darpg.gov.in]

* Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology — [meity.gov.in]

* Ministry of Panchayati Raj — [panchayat.gov.in]

* Reserve Bank of India — [rbi.org.in]

* Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs — [cbic.gov.in]