February 2026

In short: Andhra Pradesh society, culture, sports & awards current affairs for February 2026.

Current Affairs — Andhra Pradesh › Society, Culture, Sports & Awards · 15 min read · Free to read · English & Telugu

Bilingual study notes for the Andhra Pradesh Police SI & Constable exams (SLPRB AP) by AP Police Hub, a product of Anvil Academy.

February 2026's Andhra Pradesh society digest covers four items: the International Fleet Review 2026 at Visakhapatnam with President Droupadi Murmu, Exercise MILAN 2026 with around 70 countries, the revived 'Aatavidupu' legislators' sports meet in Vijayawada, and an MoU with the International Innovation Corps for the Dokka Seethamma Midday Meal Scheme.

February 2026 — At a Glance

February 2026 put Visakhapatnam on the world's naval map and brought AP's legislators onto the sports field. The International Fleet Review (IFR) 2026 opened with a Presidential Banquet hosted by President Droupadi Murmu, and the multilateral naval exercise MILAN 2026 was inaugurated by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh with around 70 countries taking part. In Vijayawada, the Legislative Assembly revived 'Aatavidupu', a legislators' sports meet first held in 1983 under N. T. Rama Rao. The School Education Department also signed an MoU with the International Innovation Corps (IIC) to strengthen the Dokka Seethamma Midday Meal Scheme.

1. Naval Diplomacy — International Fleet Review (IFR) 2026, Visakhapatnam

A Presidential Banquet opens a global gathering of navies

What — IFR 2026 began at Visakhapatnam with a Presidential Banquet hosted by President Droupadi Murmu at the Eastern Naval Command naval base — a major international gathering showcasing maritime cooperation and naval diplomacy.
Curtain raiser — The banquet, held at the Eastern Naval Command Officers' Mess, served as the official curtain raiser for IFR-2026.
The review — The fleet review is held in the Bay of Bengal, about 22 km off the Visakhapatnam coast; the President reviews the fleet from the Presidential Yacht INS Sumedha.
Theme / spirit — "United through Oceans" — cooperation, peace and maritime security.
About IFR — A ceremonial gathering of naval ships from India and friendly foreign nations, held periodically by the Indian Navy to strengthen maritime cooperation, naval diplomacy and goodwill.

Dignitaries at the IFR-2026 banquet
Dignitary	Office
Droupadi Murmu	President of India (host)
Justice Syed Abdul Nazeer	Governor of Andhra Pradesh
Pawan Kalyan	Deputy Chief Minister
N. Chandrababu Naidu	Chief Minister

2. Defence Cooperation — Exercise MILAN 2026, Visakhapatnam

India's biennial multilateral naval exercise

What — The multilateral naval exercise MILAN 2026 is being held at Visakhapatnam, inaugurated by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh at the Samudrika Auditorium, Naval Base, Visakhapatnam.
Present — Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Dinesh K. Tripathi. The MILAN Village was inaugurated by Eastern Naval Command chief Vice Admiral Sanjay Bhalla.
Scale — Participation expanded to around 70 countries in this edition.

Exercise MILAN — fact file
Point	Detail
Type	Biennial multilateral naval exercise of the Indian Navy
First held	1995, Port Blair (Andaman & Nicobar Islands)
Original participants	Indonesia, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Thailand
Policy link	Look East Policy → Act East Policy and SAGAR vision
Venue since 2020	Visakhapatnam (advanced naval infrastructure)
Harbour Phase	Delegation interactions, maritime seminar, cultural and professional exchanges
Sea Phase	Feb 21–25

Sea-phase focus — Interoperability operations, Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA), Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW), air defence and Search and Rescue (SAR).
SAGAR — Security and Growth for All in the Region — India's maritime vision to which MILAN is linked.

3. Sports & Legislature — 'Aatavidupu' 2026, the Legislators' Sports Meet

Setting aside politics for three days

What — The AP Legislative Assembly's three-day sports meet 'Aatavidupu' opened at the Indira Gandhi Municipal Stadium (IGMC), Vijayawada, with legislators setting aside political differences.
History — First launched in 1983 during the tenure of N. T. Rama Rao, with events held at Lal Bahadur Stadium. The tradition faded and has now been revived after consultations with legislators; the present Assembly has 78% young MLAs.
Events — Tug-of-war, running races and volleyball; the Speaker and Deputy Speaker led their own volleyball teams.
Message — Speaker Ayyanna Patrudu said legislators work under constant pressure and sport offers relaxation and builds bonds across party lines. The public was invited to watch, women members were encouraged to join the concluding cultural events, and legislators were asked to bring families to the valedictory — with an appeal to "set aside politics for three days".

Ceremonial flame lit by
Name	Office
Koyye Moshen Raju	Legislative Council Chairman
Chintakayala Ayyanna Patrudu	Assembly Speaker
K. Raghurama Krishnam Raju	Deputy Speaker
A. Ravi Naidu	Chairman, Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh (SAAP)

4. Welfare — MoU to Strengthen the Dokka Seethamma Midday Meal Scheme

Data and AI for school nutrition

What — The AP School Education Department signed an MoU with the International Innovation Corps (IIC) to improve implementation of the Dokka Seethamma Midday Meal Scheme through technology and data-driven tools.
Where — Signed at the office of the Secretary, Department of Human Resource Development, Vijayawada.
Partner — IIC works under the Chicago University Trust (India).
Technology — Data analytics and AI for accurate estimation of students taking meals, monitoring nutritional standards, and real-time tracking and streamlined reporting.
Objectives — Transparency and accountability, better monitoring, less administrative burden and evidence-based decision-making.

Dokka Seethamma MoU — coverage
Point	Figure
Students covered	Nearly 3.23 million
Institutions	42,230 schools and colleges
Partner	International Innovation Corps (IIC), Chicago University Trust (India)