SNIPPETS 08 FEBRUARY 2026

Operation Kiya: A joint counter-terrorism operation launched by Indian security forces to neutralise terrorists hiding in remote forest areas of Jammu and Kashmir+ To track, contain, and eliminate infiltrated terrorists while preventing their movement across districts and safeguarding civilian areas+ Prevents regrouping of terrorist modules and disrupts cross-border terror networks+ Enhances long-term control over forested and mountainous infiltration corridors in J&K.

Minimum Alternate Tax (MAT): It is a tax that requires a company to pay a minimum amount of its book profit when its normal income-tax liability is minimal or zero+ It is levied under Income Tax Act 1961+It also proposed to provide exemption from MAT to all non-residents who pay tax on presumptive basis+ Union Budget 2026-27 proposed making Minimum Alternate Tax (MAT) a final tax and reducing its rate from 15% to 14%.

Al-Jawf Region: Northern Saudi Arabia, one of the 13 administrative regions+ It lies at the northern edge of the Al-Nafūd desert+ An ancient route for trade and pilgrims between the Arabian Peninsula, Levant, and Egypt+ Al-Jawf’s interior deserts saw snow for the first time on record

Chabahar Port: Iran’s only oceanic deep-sea port, developed as a multipurpose commercial and strategic port to facilitate regional trade, transit, and connectivity between South Asia, Central Asia, and the Middle East+ Situated in southeastern Iran, in Sistan–Baluchestan province+ Lies on the Gulf of Oman, with direct access to the Indian Ocean+ Iran has reaffirmed its support for the Chabahar Port project and deeper cooperation with India despite uncertainty arising from renewed U.S. sanctions and the possible expiry of the sanctions waiver.