Why in the News? The Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026 has been referred by the Lok Sabha to a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) amid strong Opposition and Church objections. The referral has renewed debate over whether parliamentary committees can meaningfully influence legislation, particularly when the ruling government enjoys a parliamentary majority. The issue is…
Why in the News? The Supreme Court has scheduled from October 6 the hearing of a long-pending case before a seven-judge Constitution Bench concerning the conflict between legislative privileges and the fundamental right to freedom of speech and expression. The case originated from the Tamil Nadu Assembly’s action against The Hindu journalists in 2003 and…
Why in the News? Researchers at IISc’s SPIRE Lab, in collaboration with ARTPARK and Google, have released SraVaani, a multilingual speech-recognition model trained across 65 Indian languages and dialects. Released publicly under an MIT licence, it seeks to bridge the digital divide faced by regional and non-scheduled languages that remain poorly supported by existing speech-AI…
Why in the News? India’s merchandise exports surged 19.6% year-on-year to $44.2 billion in July 2026, despite disruptions caused by the continuing conflict in West Asia. Exports to West Asia itself recovered by 8.8%, while shipments to China, Africa and several East Asian economies increased significantly, highlighting India’s growing export-market diversification. However, the overall trade…
Why in the News? Chandigarh is set to become the first Union Territory to undertake a full-fledged rollout of Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC)-based Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) for food subsidy under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY). The initiative represents a shift from physical foodgrain distribution towards purpose-bound digital welfare delivery through…
Why in the News? The Supreme Court, in Vihaan Kumar v. State of Haryana (2025), reinforced constitutional safeguards against arbitrary arrest, holding that an arrested person must be directly and meaningfully informed of the grounds of arrest. The ruling strengthens the connection between Articles 21 and 22, procedural fairness and personal liberty, while requiring law-enforcement…
Why in the News ? Parliament has referred the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026 to a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) for detailed scrutiny. The proposed amendments seek to strengthen transparency, accountability and oversight in the receipt and utilisation of foreign contributions by organisations. FCRA Amendment Bill, 2026: Key Developments ● Both Houses…
Why in the News ? Union Ministers Amit Shah and Rajnath Singh paid tributes to Ahilyabai Holkar on her death anniversary, highlighting her contributions to women’s empowerment, public welfare, heritage conservation, justice and people-centric governance, making her an enduring example of effective administration. Ahilyabai Holkar: A Visionary Administrator ● Ahilyabai Holkar, the renowned…
Why in the News ? The Philippines has issued a health alert following severe flooding in northern regions caused by enhanced southwest monsoon rainfall. Authorities are warning residents about increased risks of waterborne and vector-borne diseases, while disaster agencies continue post-cyclone recovery operations. Floods Trigger Public Health Concerns: ● Heavy rainfall associated with…
Why in the News ? India’s E20 ethanol blending program has expanded rapidly, with the government highlighting foreign-exchange savings and reduced crude-oil imports. However, concerns over legacy vehicles, mileage losses, food security, water use and phased implementation have intensified the debate over the sustainability of ethanol blending. E20 Programme: Progress and Economic Rationale ● …