Current Affairs – June 09, 2026

{GS2 – IR} Issues with India’s Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) **

Context (IE): India currently has 15 FTAs covering 27 countries, with negotiations underway for agreements with 42 additional countries. FTAs could soon account for nearly 75% of India’s exports, making their effectiveness crucial for economic growth.

Key Opportunities from India’s FTAs

Market Access: FTAs grant duty-free access to large markets such as the EU, UK, and Australia.
Level Playing Field: Removes tariff disadvantages faced by Indian exporters vis-à-vis competitors like Bangladesh and Vietnam.
China+1 Opportunity: Enhances India’s attractiveness as an alternative global manufacturing hub amid supply-chain diversification.
Export Potential: Unlocks India’s estimated $160 billion export headroom in labour-intensive sectors such as apparel, footwear, and electronics.

Challenges in India’s FTAs

Rising Trade Deficits: Imports from FTA partners often grow faster than exports; India’s trade deficit with ASEAN, Japan, and South Korea has widened significantly since the FTAs came into force.
Low Utilisation: Only about 20–30% of eligible Indian exports use FTA benefits due to low tariff advantages and complex compliance requirements.
Inverted Duty Structure: Higher duties on raw materials and inputs than on finished goods increase production costs for Indian manufacturers.
Manufacturing Relocation: FTAs may encourage firms to “Make in ASEAN, Sell in India“, shifting investment, jobs, and value addition away from India.
Impact on Make in India: Cheap duty-free imports can weaken domestic manufacturing competitiveness and discourage local industrial expansion.

{GS2 – Polity} Draft Supreme Court Rules on AI in Judiciary **

Context (TH I HT): Supreme Court’s AI committee chaired by Justice P.S. Narasimha has released the draft, Regulations for Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Courts, 2026.

The move comes amid growing concerns over increasing judicial reliance on AI tools and the risks posed to judicial independence, fairness, and constitutional rights.

Key Provisions of the Draft Rules

Human Oversight Mandatory: AI systems can function only in an assistive capacity and must remain subordinate to human judgment and judicial authority. It prohibits AI-assisted sentencing and autonomous judicial decision-making without mandatory human oversight.
Prohibited Use: The draft regulations prohibit the use of AI systems for profiling parties or witnesses, assessing bail eligibility, predicting recidivism, conducting flight-risk scoring, and deploying “black-box” or unexplainable AI systems in judicial processes.
Permitted Uses of AI: The regulations permit AI use for administrative and assistive functions such as legal research, citation verification, summarisation of pleadings, translation, & record management etc.
Protection Against Algorithmic Bias: AI systems must not perpetuate or amplify discrimination based on caste, religion, gender, disability, language, or economic status.
Data Protection Compliance: Use of AI in courts must comply with the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023. This is aimed at protecting sensitive judicial and personal data.
Creation of Apex Supervisory Body: The draft proposes a full-time apex body at the Supreme Court to supervise AI adoption, frame standards, approve AI systems, and ensure ethical compliance.

Composition of Proposed Apex Body

2 Supreme Court judges (one as ex-officio chairperson), nominated by the CJI
2 High Court Chief Justices and 2 High Court judges
A Joint Secretary-rank officer from MeitY
Finance and cybersecurity experts
Advocates with expertise in technology law or data privacy
Professor heading AI at the National Judicial Academy, Bhopal

Need for AI Regulation in Judiciary

Preventing Judicial Errors: AI systems can generate plausible but factually incorrect outputs including non-existent case citations. E.g., Recently, SC criticised a trial court for relying on fake AI-generated judgments, calling it judicial misconduct.
Protecting Judicial Independence: Judicial outcomes must remain rooted in human reasoning, constitutional morality, and judicial discretion rather than machine-generated outputs.
Ensuring Due Process: Automated systems may undermine principles of natural justice, fair hearing, and procedural fairness.
Addressing AI Bias: AI systems trained on biased datasets may reproduce social and institutional discrimination.
Safeguarding Privacy: Judicial systems involve highly sensitive personal and legal data requiring strong cybersecurity and data protection safeguards.

Context (TH): Supreme Court has asked the Union Government, CBSE, and NCERT to report on their logistical preparedness to implement the three-language formula (TLF) in Class 9 from July 1, 2026.

About Three-language formula (TLF)

The TLF requires students to learn the regional mother tongue, English, and a third language — Hindi in non-Hindi states and a modern Indian language, preferably Southern, in Hindi-speaking states.
Objective: Promote national integration, linguistic inclusivity, and bridge the North-South language gap.
Evolution:
- Radhakrishnan Committee (1948-49), proposed a multi-language academic framework.
- The Central Advisory Board of Education (1956) conceived the TLF, later modified by the Kothari Commission (1964-66); it was adopted in the 1968 National Policy on Education, reaffirmed in 1986, and revised in 1992 to promote linguistic diversity and unity.
- NEP 2020 allowed regional flexibility by requiring that at least two of the three languages be native to India and explicitly stating that no language will be imposed by force.

Constitutional & Judicial Basis

Article 29: Safeguards the cultural and educational rights of linguistic minorities with a distinct language, script, or culture.
Article 350A: Directs states and local authorities to provide adequate facilities for primary education in the mother tongue.
Article 350B: Provides for a Special Officer for Linguistic Minorities to safeguard their interests.
Article 351: Obligates the Union Government to promote Hindi as a unifying medium of expression.
Eighth Schedule: Recognises 22 Scheduled languages, ensuring their protection and promotion.
Judicial Choice: In Karnataka v. Associated Management of Primary & Secondary Schools (2014), SC ruled that language is a personal choice, and states cannot impose a specific medium of instruction.

Significance and Rationale for TLF in India

National Integration: Systematic exposure to diverse linguistic traditions acts as a social bridge and reduces regional ethnocentrism.
Cognitive Gains: Pedagogical research, supported by UNESCO, shows that multilingual education improves neuroplasticity and complex problem-solving skills.
Economic Mobility: Mastering a regional, national, and global language improves interstate mobility and international employability.
Heritage Protection: The formula shields indigenous dialects and Scheduled Indian languages from linguistic homogenisation.

Key Implementation Challenges

Infrastructure Bottlenecks: India faces a severe shortage of qualified language teachers and standardised textbooks for regional languages.
Regional Asymmetry: Southern states often taught English and Hindi alongside regional languages, whereas Northern states rarely taught a Southern language, opting instead for Sanskrit.
Federal Friction: States like Tamil Nadu have historically resisted the formula and maintained a two-language policy of Tamil and English to prevent imposition of Hindi.
Academic Burden: A compulsory third language up to Class 10 may increase cognitive load amid foundational literacy and numeracy gaps.

Successful Models of TLF in India

Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas (JNVs) operationalise the traditional formula through a one-year exchange for 30% of Class 9 students between Hindi-speaking and non-Hindi-speaking states.
Chhattisgarh addresses cognitive overload and Hindi imposition fears with official bilingual textbooks in 18 local and tribal dialects, using Gondi and Halbi to introduce link languages.
Odisha’s Multi-Lingual Education (MLE) supports linguistic minorities under Article 350A by recruiting community-specific Sikshya Sahayaks to teach primary grades in tribal dialects like Santhali before shifting to Odia and English.

{GS3 – Envi} E85 Fuel

Context (PIB): Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas commenced the commercial rollout of E85 fuel across 48 retail outlets of Public Sector Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs).

E85 is a high-ethanol fuel blend consisting of 80-85% anhydrous ethanol and 14-19% conventional petroleum by volume.
It is compatible only with Flexible-Fuel Vehicles and cannot be used in standard petrol or E20-compliant vehicles. Its high ethanol content causes corrosion of engine parts, fuel lines, and rubber seals.
Ethanol’s very high Research Octane Number (RON) of 105-108 resists engine knocking (detonation), enabling FFVs to run at higher compression ratios.
Vehicles running on E85 experience a 15-25% drop in fuel efficiency compared with standard petrol.
E85 fuel can reduce lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions by up to 61% and particulate matter (PM) emissions by more than 95% compared with traditional petrol vehicles.

{GS3 – IE} Ease of Doing Business Reforms in India **

Context (PIB): India has launched a new wave of Ease of Doing Business (EoDB) reforms focused on digital governance, compliance reduction, and trust-based regulation.

India’s rank in the WB Doing Business Report 2020 improved from 142 (2014) to 63 (2019), while its IMD Competitiveness Ranking improved from 43 (2021) to 41 (2025).

Major Reforms Promoting EoDB

Business Entry Reforms: Simplified Proforma for Incorporating Company electronically Plus (SPICe+) and Udyam Portal enable paperless, single-window registration for companies and MSMEs.
GST & Tax Reforms: Introduction of GST, faceless assessments, and e-filing simplified taxation and created a unified national market.
Land & Property Reforms: Digital India Land Records Modernisation Programme (DILRMP), Unique Land Parcel Identification Number (ULPIN), and National Generic Document Registration System (NGDRS) have digitised land records.
Logistics & Infrastructure: Initiatives such as PM GatiShakti, National Logistics Portal, and multimodal connectivity improve supply-chain efficiency.
Credit Access: Schemes like PM Mudra Yojana, Credit Guarantee Fund Trust for Micro and Small Enterprises (CGTMSE), and TReDS enhance credit availability, especially for MSMEs.
Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI): Platforms such as UPI, cKYC, and Entity Locker reduce transaction costs and improve business efficiency.
Trust-Based Governance: Jan Vishwas Act (2023 & 2026) decriminalised several minor offences and reduced compliance burden.
Insolvency Reforms: Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC), 2016, introduced a time-bound framework for resolving stressed assets.

Challenges Faced by Businesses in India

Land Acquisition Bottlenecks: Land disputes and acquisition delays persist despite 36+ crore land parcels having been assigned ULPIN under land record reforms.
Regulatory Complexity: Multiple approvals and regulations across different government levels.
Slow Contract Enforcement: Judicial delays and large pendency of commercial cases increase business uncertainty.
High Logistics Costs: Though India’s rank improved to 38^th in the Logistics Performance Index (2023), logistics costs remain relatively high compared to major export competitors.
MSME Constraints: Limited access to affordable credit, technology, and skilled manpower affects competitiveness.

Way Forward to Improve EoDB

Faster Contract Enforcement: Strengthen commercial courts, ADR mechanisms, and e-courts to reduce delays in dispute resolution.
Rationalise Logistics Costs: Deepen PM GatiShakti and logistics reforms to lower costs and improve India’s competitiveness in global value chains.
MSME Access to Finance: Expand digital credit models such as TReDS, and CGTMSE to ensure faster and affordable credit for small businesses.
State & District Reforms: Accelerate Business Reform Action Plan (BRAP) and D-BRAP implementation for uniform EoDB standards across States and districts.

{Prelims – Geo} Zojila Tunnel

Context (TH): The Zojila Tunnel achieved its final breakthrough, completing the excavation phase.

It is a 13.15-km single-tube, bi-directional roadway engineered using the New Austrian Tunnelling Method (NATM) to safely traverse fragile Himalayan geology.
Located at 11,578 feet on Zojila pass, it connects Baltal in J&K to Meenamarg in Ladakh’s Drass-Kargil region.
The tunnel will ensure all-weather connectivity, cut travel time from 3 hours to 15 minutes, and enable uninterrupted military movement and quick logistics to the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

Zojila Pass in the Great Himalayan Range connects the Kashmir Valley with Ladakh on NH-1, but it remains closed for six months due to severe winters and avalanches.

{Prelims – IE} Foreign Currency Non-Resident Bank (FCNR(B)) Deposits *

Context (MC): RBI decided to bear the full hedging cost on fresh FCNR(B) deposits till September 30, to attract NRI dollar deposits and support the rupee.

When NRIs place dollars with Indian banks, banks receive dollar funds. These inflows can help improve foreign currency availability in the system and reduce some pressure on the rupee.

What is FCNR(B) Deposit?

It is a fixed deposit that non-resident Indians can hold in foreign currency (US dollar, pound, euro, yen, Canadian dollar or Australian dollar) with Indian banks.
These accounts allow NRIs to deposit money in foreign currency without converting it into Indian Rupees, thereby protecting them from exchange rate fluctuations.
The deposits offer tax-free interest income, full repatriability of principal and interest, and protection against exchange rate fluctuations.

Hedging Cost: It refers to the expense incurred by banks to protect themselves against currency fluctuation risk while converting foreign currency deposits into rupees for domestic deployment.

{Prelims – S&T} Majorana 2 Quantum Chip

Context (LS): Majorana 2 is Microsoft’s experimental quantum processor based on topological qubits.

Majorana 2 achieves an average quantum coherence time of 20 seconds (up to 1 minute), compared to milliseconds in most conventional quantum processors.
Improved qubit stability could accelerate the development of fault-tolerant quantum computers.

Qubits: The basic unit of quantum information that can exist in 0, 1, or both states simultaneously.
Topological Qubits: Special qubits that store information in the topological (shape-based) properties of quantum states, making them more resistant to errors.
Quantum Coherence: The period during which a qubit maintains its quantum state and can perform quantum computations.
Fault-Tolerant Quantum Computer: A quantum computer capable of detecting and correcting errors while performing large-scale computations.

Context (ET): India has intensified action against the illegal use of Chloramphenicol and Nitrofurans in shrimp farming after export consignments faced rejection in major markets.

Both chemicals were banned in India in March 2025 for use in aquaculture and food-producing animals.
Chloramphenicol: It is a broad-spectrum antibiotic formerly used in veterinary and human medicine. Residues in food can cause serious blood disorders, especially aplastic anaemia.
Nitrofurans: They are a group of synthetic antimicrobial drugs used against bacterial infections. Nitrofuran residues can persist in animal tissues and are considered potentially carcinogenic (cancer-causing).

{Prelims – Misc} One-Liners

In News – Biomimicry (ET): Practice of solving human challenges by emulating natural patterns, structures, and strategies. Emulation ranges from physical structures and chemical processes to entire ecosystem-level operating principles.
- Example: Japan’s Shinkansen (bullet) train’s nose is modelled after a kingfisher’s beak, reducing tunnel-exit sonic booms, cutting energy use, and increasing speed.
Geo – Khanij Bidesh India Limited (KABIL) (TH): A joint-venture company under the Ministry of Mines, mandated to identify, explore, acquire, and process strategic and critical minerals overseas. It has secured five critical lithium brine blocks in Argentina’s Catamarca province.
- National Aluminium Company (NALCO), Hindustan Copper, and Mineral Exploration and Consultancy Limited (MECL) hold equity in KABIL in a 40:30:30 ratio.
In News – World Oceans Day (NOA): Observed on June 8, 2026, with the theme “Reimagine: Beyond the world we know, a new relationship with our ocean,” urges action against anthropogenic pressures on marine ecosystems. Proposed by Canada at the 1992 Earth Summit, it was recognised by the UNGA in 2008.
Initiatives – BHAVYA Portal (DDN): Ministry of Commerce and Industry launched the Bharat Audyogik Vikas Yojana portal, developed by the National Industrial Corridor Development Corporation (NICDC), to operationalise the BHAVYA scheme for developing 100 plug-and-play industrial parks. It offers a single-window digital interface that integrates satellite mapping for remote site assessment, project comparison, and real-time monitoring of industrial park development.