Current Affairs – March 08, 2026

{GS2 – Polity} Appointment of Governor **

• Context (IE): President Droupadi Murmu announced a major reshuffle of Governors and Lieutenant Governors across nine states and Union Territories.

Appointment of Governor

• Office: Article 153 mandates that every state shall have a Governor; the 7^th Constitutional Amendment Act, 1956, allows one Governor for two or more states.
• Appointment: Under Article 155, the President appoints the Governor of a state by warrant under their hand and seal.
• Tenure: The Governor holds office during the pleasure of the President under Article 156, with a normal term of five years.
• Removal: The Constitution specifies no fixed tenure or specific grounds for removal; the President may remove a Governor at any time.
• Eligibility: Article 157 requires the appointee to be an Indian citizen and at least 35 years of age.
• Disqualifications: Under Article 158, the Governor must not hold membership of Parliament, any State Legislature, or any office of profit.
• Outsider Principle: By convention, a Governor is appointed to a state other than their home state to ensure political neutrality.
• CM Consultation: The President customarily consults the concerned state’s Chief Minister before making an appointment, although there is no legal obligation to do so.
• Oath: Under Article 159, the Chief Justice of the state’s High Court administers the oath before the Governor enters office.
  • If the Chief Justice is unavailable, the senior-most Judge of that High Court administers the oath.

Read More > Governor

{GS2 – Governance} Stray Dog Crisis in India *

• Context (IE): India’s stray dog crisis worsens with rising bites and caregiver attacks, reflecting legal confusion and an urgent need for humane, science-based management.

Causes of the Stray Dog Crisis

• Implementation Gaps: Incomplete ABC sterilisation and vaccination coverage allow stray dog populations to grow unchecked.
• Judicial Inconsistency: Conflicting High Court orders create legal ambiguity and hinder effective enforcement.
• Institutional Fragmentation: Overlapping roles of municipalities, animal husbandry departments, and NGOs reduce coordination.
• Waste Mismanagement: Unregulated urban garbage provides food, supporting higher reproduction and survival of stray dogs.
• Aggression Spike: Scarcity and unregulated feeding zones, as in Indore and Delhi, lead to territorial disputes and increased bites.

Judicial Ambiguity

• Judicial Confusion: In August 2025, the Supreme Court issued an order directing the permanent removal of stray dogs in Delhi-NCR, creating uncertainty for authorities and caregivers.
• ABC Conflict: The order contradicted ABC Rules 2023, which mandate humane capture, sterilisation, vaccination, and release of community dogs.
• Policy Flip: The directive was reversed, then partially restored, reflecting inconsistency and complicating municipal planning and enforcement.
• Feeding Liability: January 2026 hearings suggested feeding only on private premises and held states liable for attacks due to lax management.

Challenges Associated with Stray Dog Governance

• Rising Attacks: India reported 3.7 million dog bite cases in 2024, highlighting a growing public concern.
• Territorial Aggression: Delhi HC noted that unregulated feeding zones increase stray dog hostility.
• Implementation Gaps: ABC shortfalls in sterilisation & coverage lead to uncontrolled dog proliferation.
• Judicial Inconsistencies: Conflicting High Court orders create legal ambiguity in policy enforcement.
• Rabies Risk: Limited immunisation coverage in rural belts sustains India’s global share in rabies deaths.
• Social Tensions: Feeder-resident disputes, as seen in housing societies like Noida, fuel civic unrest.

{GS3 – S&T} AI in Education **

• Context (PIB): India is leveraging Artificial Intelligence to transform its education landscape, integrating AI through the NEP 2020 and the IndiaAI Mission.

Need for AI in Education

• Skill Gap: India requires over 1.25 million AI professionals by 2027, highlighting urgent upskilling needs.
• Personalised Learning: AI enables customised education and improves learning outcomes for diverse students, including those with learning disabilities.
• Teacher Support: AI tools like the “AI for Educators” Module enhance teacher capabilities, curriculum delivery, and inclusive pedagogy.
• Digital Inclusion: Platforms like DIKSHA and SWAYAM ensure AI education reaches remote and underserved communities, bridging the digital divide.

Transforming Learning Through AI

• Skill Boost: AI helps students think critically and solve problems. E.G., 39% of skills will change by 2030.
• Personal Learning: AI adapts lessons to each student’s pace. E.g., DIKSHA platform reaches over 41 lakh students for tailored learning.
• Teacher Aid: AI supports teachers in planning and assessment. E.g., SOAR’s “AI for Educators” trained many teachers, 45% of whom were women.
• Innovation Push: AI helps students apply learning to real problems. E.g., IIT Delhi’s DeepFlood AI predicts floods using satellite data.

Barriers to AI Education

• Infrastructure Gap: Many rural schools lack AI-ready labs and high-speed internet, limiting access to DIKSHA and the SOAR initiative.
• Equity Divide: Tribal and underserved communities face digital exclusion, with less than 50% having access to online AI resources.
• Faculty Deficit: Shortage of trained AI educators persists. E.g., “AI for Educators” has reached only a fraction of India’s over 10 lakh teachers.

{Prelims – Initiatives} Rah-Veer Financial Incentive Scheme

• Context (TOI): The Delhi Government has introduced the Rah-Veer Scheme to improve survival outcomes by incentivising citizens to assist seriously injured road accident victims.

• Scheme Objective: Designed to encourage timely public assistance to seriously injured road accident victims by incentivising lifesaving intervention during emergencies.
• Financial Incentive: Provides a monetary reward of ₹25,000 along with a certificate of appreciation to individuals ensuring the transport of victims to hospitals within the golden hour.
• Legal Framework: Anchored in the Good Samaritan Rules notified under Section 134A of the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act, 2019, safeguarding helpers from legal and procedural harassment.
• Golden Hour Principle: Recognises the critical first 60 minutes after a traumatic injury, where immediate medical intervention significantly improves survival probabilities.
• Central Government Support: Ministry of Road Transport & Highways provides initial financial assistance and operational guidelines for nationwide implementation.
• National Recognition: Ten outstanding Rah-Veers are selected annually for a special national award carrying an enhanced incentive of ₹1 lakh.

{Prelims – Initiatives} Kerala Deploys AI-Powered Robot for Canal Sanitation *

• Context (DDN): Kerala deployed an AI-powered robotic system, G-SPIDER, for canal cleaning.
• It was launched under India’s urban sanitation program, Swachh Bharat Mission–Urban (SBM-U) 2.0.
• Objective: To eliminate manual scavenging and reduce urban flooding through debris removal.
• Key Features: The robot uses Cable-Driven Parallel Robotics (CDPR) architecture with AI-enabled machine vision and sensors to detect canal waste.
• Key Advantage: It operates effectively under continuous water flow and difficult canal clearance conditions, ensuring uninterrupted debris removal.

Read More > Swachh Bharat Mission

{Prelims – Species} Musa sikkimensis *

• Context (DDN): A Nagaland University study found that Musa sikkimensis has strong genetic potential for climate-resilient banana breeding and sustainable horticulture.
• Musa sikkimensis, also known as Darjeeling or Sikkim Banana, is a wild, cold-tolerant herbaceous perennial plant belonging to the banana family Musaceae.
• Appearance: It has a reddish-tinged pseudostem (layered leaf bases forming a stem-like structure) and large paddle-shaped leaves with prominent maroon midribs.
• Traits: The species shows strong cold tolerance, disease resistance, and high resilience to environmental stress.
• Habitat: It grows on well-drained, high-altitude slopes of subtropical and temperate broadleaf forests up to 2,000 m elevation.
• Distribution: M. sikkimensis occurs across the Eastern Himalayas, including Darjeeling, Sikkim, Nagaland, Bhutan, Nepal, and northern Myanmar.
• Ecological Role: The species acts as a wild genetic reservoir for breeding climate-resilient cultivated banana varieties.
• Other Uses: Widely cultivated as an ornamental plant, its flowers and stems are used in traditional Himalayan cuisine, while its leaves serve as eco-friendly plates.