GainingSunCurrent Affairs and GK

The Union Budget 2026-27 allocated a record ₹1.39 lakh crore to the Ministry of Education, yet analyses of budget data show that education's share of total central government expenditure has roughly halved over twelve years, from about 4.6 per cent to about 2.5 per cent. The same period saw the share of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways nearly treble. The gap between rising absolute allocations and a shrinking relative share has renewed debate on whether India can reach the 6 per cent of GDP benchmark set by the National Education Policy, 2020. This article explains how education is financed in India, where the 6 per cent target came from, what the money actually funds, and why learning outcomes have not tracked spending.

Iran's Chabahar port has been struck during the ongoing US military campaign against Iran, with the maritime control tower destroyed and adjoining piers damaged. The Ministry of External Affairs has confirmed that the Shahid Beheshti terminal, operated by India until April, was not damaged, and reiterated that civilian infrastructure should not be targeted in armed conflict. The strikes come after the US sanctions waiver for Chabahar expired on 26 April 2026 and the Union Budget 2026-27 made no allocation for the project. This article explains Chabahar's geography and history, India's contractual and financial commitments, how US sanctions law operates, the role of the International North-South Transport Corridor, and what the setback means for India's Afghanistan and Central Asia policy.

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology is examining a separate, standalone law to regulate artificial intelligence in India, rather than continuing to govern AI through the Information Technology Act, 2000. Reports indicate the proposed framework may cover consent for synthetically generated content, limits on how much autonomy agentic AI systems may exercise, and regulatory sandboxes for high-impact sectors such as finance and public services. Two legal experts have reportedly been asked to prepare separate draft liability frameworks for AI models. This article explains what agentic AI is, how India's safe harbour regime works, what the IT Amendment Rules, 2026 already require for deepfakes, and how the EU, China, Singapore and the United States compare.

The Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) is planning a set of reforms under its EPFO 3.0 phase, including a universal pension cover for all workers, first-time social security contributions for gig and platform workers, and a technology upgrade to a Core Banking Solution (CBS) platform. A key feature is a defined-contribution pension built around a Target Retirement Sum (TRS), aligned with the Code on Social Security, 2020. This article explains what EPFO 3.0 proposes, how the TRS works, how gig workers would be covered, the existing EPFO framework, and the wider social security architecture.

Indian banks have mobilised about $17.4 billion in fresh Foreign Currency Non-Resident (Bank), or FCNR(B), deposits under a special Reserve Bank of India (RBI) swap window opened to attract foreign capital, support a weakening rupee and rebuild foreign exchange reserves. Along with overseas foreign currency borrowings and external commercial borrowings, total inflows through the concessional swap facility reached $20.72 billion up to 17 July 2026. This article explains what FCNR(B) deposits are, how the swap and hedging mechanism works, the macroeconomic context of rupee pressure and falling reserves, and how the scheme compares with the RBI's 2013 measure.

A planned protest march to Parliament in New Delhi was stopped by police at multiple barricades, with reports of lathi charge and tear gas, after prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) were imposed across the New Delhi district. The action has renewed focus on the constitutional right to protest under Article 19(1)(a) and Article 19(1)(b), the scope of "reasonable restrictions", and the difference between lawful regulation and an outright ban. This article explains the constitutional basis of the right to protest, how Section 163 works, key Supreme Court judgments, and India's position on peaceful assembly.

Skyroot Aerospace's Vikram-1, India's first privately developed orbital launch vehicle, successfully placed technology demonstration satellites in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) from Sriharikota on July 18, 2026, making India only the third country after the US and China with private orbital launch capability. This article explains the Vikram-1 mission and Skyroot Aerospace, what Low Earth Orbit is, how orbital slots and radio frequencies are governed under the Outer Space Treaty and the ITU, the global race for LEO and satellite megaconstellations, India's space sector reforms, IN-SPACe and the Indian Space Policy 2023, the strategic significance of sovereign launch capacity, and the bottlenecks ahead — with UPSC Prelims facts, MCQs and Mains practice questions.

India imported a record 16.9 million tonnes of vegetable oils, nearly 6 million tonnes of pulses and 1.1 million tonnes of raw cotton in 2025-26, and a strengthening El Niño with a weak southwest monsoon now threatens to push these agricultural imports even higher in the current year. Rainfall in June 2026 was 38% below normal and kharif sowing of pulses, oilseeds and cotton has fallen sharply. This article explains what El Niño is, how it affects the Indian monsoon and kharif-rabi crops, why India depends on imports of edible oils, pulses and cotton, the cushioning factors like record foodgrain stocks, the government's likely policy response, and the long-term missions to cut import dependence — with UPSC Prelims facts, MCQs and Mains practice questions.

The debate over the future of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), 1960 has intensified, with India keeping the treaty in abeyance since the Pahalgam terror attack, Pakistan raising the issue at international forums, and Pakistan yet to respond to India's formal notices of 2023 and 2024 seeking modification and renegotiation. Analysts argue that river systems are dynamic and the 1960 treaty is inadequate for contemporary challenges like climate change, groundwater, and water quality. This article explains the treaty's allocation design, the abeyance and arbitration developments, global treaty practices, the Mekong comparison, and the case for and against renegotiation for UPSC Prelims and Mains.