Current Affairs – March 23, 2026

{GS2 – MEITY} MeitY Blocks 300 More Illegal Betting and Gambling Platforms

• Context (TH): Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) blocked around 300 illegal betting and gambling platforms, increasing the total blocked platforms to 8,400.

• Legal Basis: The blocking orders invoked Section 69A of the Information Technology (IT) Act, 2000 and the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming (PROG) Act, 2025.

Institutional Framework for Regulation of Online Betting and Gambling

• Access Block: Section 69A of the IT Act, 2000, allows the Central Government to restrict platforms threatening India’s sovereignty, integrity, security, or public order.
• Gaming Mandate: The PROG Act, 2025, imposes a blanket prohibition on all Online Money Games and creates the Online Gaming Authority of India to classify and regulate permissible platforms.
• Tax Enforcement: The Directorate General of GST Intelligence investigates platforms evading the mandatory 28% GST and recommends MeitY to block non-compliant.
• Criminal Prosecution: Section 111 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) penalises organised economic cybercrimes; Section 112 specifically penalises unauthorised betting as petty organised crime.
• Advertising Ban: Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) prohibits surrogate advertising and penalises influencers promoting illegal betting platforms.

Read More > Online Gaming Act, 2025

{GS2 – MoHA} Home Ministry Issues Directives to WhatsApp to Combat Digital Arrests

• Context (IE): Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) directed WhatsApp to implement strict technical measures to combat rising digital arrest scams in India.

• Loss Scale: Indians lost ₹1,935 crore across over 1.23 lakh reported digital arrest cases in 2024, a 21-fold jump from ₹91 crore in 2022.

Key Directives to WhatsApp

• Hardware Blocking: Block IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity) numbers of handsets used by fraudsters to prevent device reuse with new SIM cards.
• APK Filtering: Detect and prevent the transmission of malicious APK files used by scammers to install malware or obtain remote access.
• Forensic Trail: Preserve metadata and records of deleted or reported accounts for at least 180 days under IT Rules, 2021.
• AI Guardrails: Use AI tools to automatically detect and ban profiles that use official emblems or uniforms to impersonate law enforcement.
• Caller Safety: Display caller identity information on video calls and issue real-time alerts on flagged or suspicious accounts.
• Synthetic Content: Flag and remove accounts that use deepfake videos, voice clones, or forged official documents to impersonate law enforcement.

Read More > Digital Arrest Scams

{GS2 – Polity} SC Rejects Arbitrary Disability Ceiling in Public Employment **

• Context (TH): Supreme Court held that the State cannot impose an arbitrary upper disability ceiling to exclude PwD candidates from public employment.

• Threshold Floor: The Court clarified that the RPwD Act, 2016, fixes 40% disability as the minimum threshold for benchmark disability.
• Statutory Scope: The act does not empower the State to prescribe an upper disability limit to exclude persons with higher disability.
• Suitability Test: Recruiting authorities must assess candidate suitability based on functional ability to perform job duties, not on a rigid medical percentage.
• Accommodation Duty: Under the Reasonable Accommodation Principle, the State must provide necessary adjustments to enable PWDs to perform job duties effectively.

Institutional Framework for Disability Rights in India

• Legal Framework: RPwD Act, 2016 expanded the list of disabilities from 7 to 21, defined the benchmark disability at 40%, and mandates a 5% reservation in education and 4% in jobs.
• Nodal Agency: Department of Empowerment of PwD (DEPwD) under MoSJE is the nodal Union agency for disability-related matters.
• Oversight: Chief Commissioner for PwD (CCPD) oversees implementation and addresses grievances under the RPwD Act, 2016.
• Research: Nine National Institutes (NIs) conduct specialised research, rehabilitation, and human resource development for specific disabilities.
• Financial Support: National Divyangjan Finance and Development Corporation (NDFDC) provides concessional loans for self-employment and income generation for PWDs.
• Digital Identity: The Unique Disability ID system issues digital disability certificates via a centralised platform to streamline access to benefits.
• Rehab Network: Composite Regional Centres (CRCs) provide rehabilitation, training, education, and awareness services to PwD, including underserved and remote areas.
• Accessibility Mission: Accessible India Campaign aims to achieve universal accessibility across the built environment, transport systems, and ICT ecosystem.

Read More> Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 (RPwDA)

{GS2 – Polity} Compulsory Voting in India **

• Context (TH): Election Commission announced 2026 Assembly polls, while Supreme Court questioned mandatory voting, reviving debate on compulsory voting to strengthen democratic participation.

Arguments in Support of Compulsory Voting

• Higher Turnout: Compulsory voting significantly increases participation, ensuring broader citizen involvement and stronger democratic legitimacy. E.g, Australia records ~90% turnout.
• Inclusive Representation: Brings marginalised and less politically active groups into the process, reducing elite-driven electoral outcomes.
• Fair Mandate: Limits chances of candidates winning with low vote share, ensuring governments reflect majority preference more accurately.
• Civic Duty: Instils a sense of responsibility among citizens, strengthening democratic culture and long-term political engagement.

Arguments Against Compulsory Voting

• Freedom Violation: Compulsory voting infringes Article 19(1)(a), as the right to abstain is part of freedom of expression.
• Uninformed Voting: Forced participation may lead to random or ill-informed choices, weakening the quality of democracy.
• Implementation Issues: Difficult to enforce across India’s vast, diverse population with high mobility and administrative constraints.
• Vulnerable Impact: Penalties may disproportionately burden migrants, the poor, and daily wage workers with limited access to polling.

{GS3 – IE} India’s Forex Reserves Decline *

• Context (TH): India’s foreign exchange reserves decreased by $7.052 billion to $709.759 billion, marking the second consecutive weekly decline.

Key Drivers Behind the Decline

• Valuation Impact: FCAs declined as the euro, pound, and yen fell against a strengthened US dollar due to safe-haven demand and global risk-aversion.
• RBI Intervention: RBI actively sold dollars from its reserves to provide liquidity and stabilise the rupee.
• Oil Price Surge: The West Asia conflict pushed Brent crude above $112 per barrel, raising the import bill and domestic demand for dollars.
• Capital Outflows: Continued selling by foreign institutional investors (FIIs) decreased capital inflows.

{GS3 – IE} India’s Dependence on West Asia for Urea **

• Context (TH): The West Asia conflict has disrupted LNG and fertiliser supply chains, threatening India’s urea production ahead of the Kharif season.

• India depends on West Asia for both LNG (to produce urea domestically) and direct urea imports (71%) sourced from the region.

What is Urea?

• Urea is a nitrogen-rich chemical compound with the formula CO(NH₂)₂, widely used as a fertilizer.
• It contains 46% nitrogen, making it the most concentrated and commonly used nitrogenous fertiliser.
• Urea is produced from ammonia and carbon dioxide via the Haber-Bosch & urea synthesis process.
• Natural gas (LNG) is the main input as it provides hydrogen for ammonia production.
• India has shifted from naphtha/fuel oil-based plants to gas-based plants for efficiency & lower emissions.

India’s Dual Dependence Problem

• LNG Imports: India imports over 50% of its LNG, exposing urea production to global supply shocks.
• Fertiliser Imports: Domestic production is insufficient, so India imports large quantities of urea, DAP, and potash.
• Over 60% of LNG imports pass through the Strait of Hormuz, making supply vulnerable to conflict.

Economic & Agricultural Impact of LNG and Urea Disruptions

• Urea Production: LNG supply disruptions lead to lower output from fertiliser plants, affecting domestic availability.
• Price Rise: Dependence on imports causes fertiliser shortages and higher prices, especially during the Kharif season.
• Higher Subsidy: Increased global prices raise the government’s fertiliser subsidy expenditure.
• Food Security: Limited fertiliser use may reduce crop yields, impacting farmer income and overall food security.

Government Response & Policy Measures

• Fertiliser sector has been included under the priority category via the Natural Gas (Supply Regulation) Order, 2026.
• Assured Supply: Ensured ≥70% of average natural gas supply to fertiliser units to sustain production.
• Buffer Stock: Increased fertiliser reserves to ~177 LMT, including urea (~59–61 LMT) & DAP (~25 LMT).
• Subsidy Support: Continued fertiliser subsidies to cushion farmers from rising global prices.

{GS3 – IE} Mutual Credit Guarantee Scheme for MSMEs

• Context (PIB): The Government has modified the Mutual Credit Guarantee Scheme (MCGS) to support MSME Manufacturers and Exporters in line with Budget 2025-26.

• Objective: Launched in 2025 to provide collateral-free credit to MSMEs for investment in plant, machinery, and equipment.
• Loan Coverage: Credit facility of up to ₹100 crore available to eligible MSMEs.
• Credit Guarantee: 60% guarantee coverage provided to lenders by National Credit Guarantee Trustee Company Limited.
• Risk Mitigation: Reduces default risk, encouraging banks/NBFCs to increase lending to MSMEs.
• Tenure: Guarantee coverage available for up to 10 years.

Modifications in Mutual Credit Guarantee Scheme

• Refundable Contribution: Earlier fixed 5% contribution is now refundable (1% annually from 4^th year.
• Expanded Eligibility: Scheme extended to include service sector MSMEs (earlier mainly manufacturing).
• Relaxed Project Cost Norms: Minimum machinery cost reduced to 60% of project cost (from 75%).
• Guarantee Tenure: Guarantee coverage now fixed at 10 years.
• Modifications for Exporter MSMEs: Exporter MSMEs get 75% guarantee coverage with loans up to ₹20 crore and zero guarantee fee in the first year.
  • Lower 2% upfront contribution (refundable) and concessional annual fee (0.5%), easing cost of credit.
• Significance: Enhances access to credit, promotes investment in machinery, strengthens manufacturing and exports, and supports employment generation in line with Viksit Bharat 2047.

{GS3 – IE} Investment Facilitation for Development (IFD) Agreement **

• Context (IE): India opposes the incorporation of the Investment Facilitation for Development (IFD) Agreement into the World Trade Organisation (WTO) framework despite increasing global backing.

About Investment Facilitation for Development (IFD) Agreement

• IFD is a WTO-led Most-Favoured-Nation (MFN)-based plurilateral binding agreement launched through a Joint Statement Initiative (JSI) in 2017 and finalised in 2023.
• Objective: It aims to make investment procedures more transparent, efficient, and predictable, particularly for developing and Least Developed Countries (LDCs).
• Scope: The agreement focuses only on facilitating FDI across all economic sectors.
  • Exclusions: It excludes market access, investment protection, government procurement, and Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) from its scope.
• Pillars: The agreement is structured around four pillars:
  1. Transparency: Requires members to publish investment-related laws and regulations, preferably through a single digital portal.
  2. Procedures: Simplifies authorisation processes and promotes one-stop shops for investors.
  3. Sustainability: Encourages Responsible Business Conduct (RBC) and anti-corruption measures.
  4. Cooperation: Strengthens government-investor dialogue and cross-border cooperation.
• Participation: More than 128 WTO members (approx. 75% of membership) participate in or support the agreement; India is not a participant.
• Firewall: The agreement includes a firewall clause to prevent its rules from being used to interpret or override existing Bilateral Investment Treaties (BITs) or other international investment agreements.
• Appeal Rights: It requires members to maintain independent administrative or judicial tribunals to review and appeal investment-related decisions.

India’s Opposition to the IFD Agreement

• Mandate Issue: Investment is not a “trade” subject and falls outside the WTO mandate.
• Consensus Rule: Launching negotiations via Joint Statement Initiatives (JSIs) violates the WTO’s core rule of explicit consensus among all 166 members.
• Policy Space: Binding procedural rules could limit its right to regulate Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) for national security or public interest.
• Geopolitical Concern: 98 of the 128 supporters are part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI)

Read More> World Trade Organisation | Agreement on Investment Facilitation for Development

{GS3 – Agri} Agri-Photovoltaics for Dual-Purpose Farms in India

• Context (TH): Agri-photovoltaics can transform farms into dual-purpose powerhouses and reduce India’s land-use conflicts between solar expansion and food security.

About Agri-photovoltaics (Agrivoltaics)

• Agrivoltaics is a land management method that uses the same land simultaneously for solar power generation and agricultural production.
• Mechanism: Solar panels are mounted on elevated, spaced structures (2–3 metres high), permitting crop cultivation underneath.

Key Advantages of Agrivoltaic Farming

• Climate Resilience: Elevated panels offer shade, creating a microclimate that reduces heat stress, UV damage, and heavy rainfall exposure for crops.
• Water Conservation: Panel shade decreases soil moisture evaporation and reduces irrigation needs in arid and semi-arid areas.
• Efficiency Gain: Vegetation beneath the panels cools solar modules and can increase electricity generation efficiency by up to 10%.
• Dual Income: Farmers generate additional income by selling surplus electricity to DISCOMs or leasing land to solar developers.

Key Challenges in Agrivoltaics Adoption

• Capital Barrier: Agrivoltaics cost 25% to 50% more than standard solar systems, limiting adoption among smallholders (86% of Indian farmers).
• Regulatory Constraints: India doesn’t have a dual-use land category, necessitating costly, time-consuming land conversions for solar projects.
• Technical Uncertainty: India lacks standard guidelines on panel height, row spacing, tracking systems, and crop suitability across diverse agro-climatic zones.

{Prelims – S&T} Induction Cooktops *

• Context (IE): Rising LPG prices due to the West Asia conflict and energy disruption have increased demand for induction cooktops in India.

• An induction cooktop is an electric cooking device that uses electromagnetic induction to heat cookware directly without a flame.
• No Combustion: Unlike gas stoves, induction cooktops do not use combustion or open flames, making them cleaner and safer.
• Working Principle: It generates a magnetic field that induces heat-producing currents inside compatible utensils.
• Heating Mechanism: Heat is produced within the vessel itself, making cooking faster & more efficient.
• Energy Efficiency: It is highly energy efficient (about 85–90%) with minimal heat loss compared to traditional methods.
• Cookware Requirement: It requires induction-compatible (ferromagnetic) cookware, such as iron or magnetic stainless steel.

{Prelims – Defence} INS Taragiri *

• Context (TH): Indian Navy is scheduled to commission INS Taragiri soon at Visakhapatnam.

• INS Taragiri is the fourth stealth guided-missile frigate of the Nilgiri-class under Project 17A.
• It is the modern reincarnation of the earlier INS Taragiri, a Leander-class frigate (1980-2013).
• Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL), Mumbai, built it with over 75% indigenous content.
• Stealth Feature: It has a specialised hull design and radar-absorbent coatings that reduce its radar cross-section (RCS).
• Propulsion: It uses a Combined Diesel or Gas (CODOG) system, enabling speeds of over 28 knots.
• Armament: Equipped with BrahMos surface-to-surface missiles, medium-range surface-to-air missiles (MRSAM), and anti-submarine torpedoes and rockets.
• Automation: It is managed by an Integrated Platform Management System (IPMS) for centralised, real-time control of machinery and onboard networks.

{Prelims – Festival} Sarhul Festival

• Context (NOA): President and Vice President extended their greetings for the Sarhul festival.

• It is a three-day festival celebrated by the Oraon, Munda, and Ho tribal communities in Jharkhand, as well as in parts of Bihar, Odisha, and West Bengal.
• “Sarhul” refers to the worship of the Sal tree, which is revered as the abode of Sarna Maa, the village guardian deity.
• It is observed on the third day of the waxing moon (Shukla Tritiya) in the month of Chaitra and marks the New Year with the onset of spring.
• Rituals: Include purifying houses and Sarna Sthals, perform priestly fasting, and offer fresh Sal flowers.
• Symbolism: The rituals symbolise union of the Sun and Earth, with the village priest (Pahan) and his wife representing the forces.
• Celebrations: It ends with communal feasting and traditional dances like Jadur, Gena, and Por Jadur.
• Agrarian Significance: The festival signifies the beginning of the agricultural cycle.

{Prelims – In News} Shaheed Diwas

• Context (DDN): PM Modi paid tribute to Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev Thapar, and Shivaram Hari Rajguru on Shaheed Diwas (23 March 2026).

• This day marks their execution by the British government in 1931 in the Lahore Conspiracy Case.

Bhagat Singh

• Bhagat Singh, born in 1907 in Banga, Punjab, is honoured as Shaheed-e-Azam.
• He founded the Naujawan Bharat Sabha in 1926 to mobilise youth for the freedom struggle.
• Along with Chandrashekhar Azad and others, he restructured the Hindustan Republican Association (HRA) into Hindustan Socialist Republican Association (HSRA) in 1928.
• He aimed to avenge Lala Lajpat Rai by targeting James A. Scott, but accidentally killed John Saunders in 1928, resulting in the Lahore Conspiracy Case (1929–1930).
• Central Assembly Bombing: He and Batukeshwar Dutt threw smoke bombs in 1929 to protest the Public Safety Bill and Trade Disputes Bill.

Sukhdev Thapar

• Sukhdev Thapar was born in 1907 in Ludhiana, Punjab and was a member of Naujawan Bharat Sabha.
• He organised activities within HSRA and was a key conspirator in John Saunders’ 1928 assassination.
• He joined the 1929 Lahore jail hunger strike with Bhagat Singh and Jatin Das to demand rights for political prisoners.

Shivaram Hari Rajguru

• Shivaram Hari Rajguru was born in 1908 in Khed, Maharashtra, now renamed as Rajgurunagar.
• He studied Sanskrit and Hindu scriptures in Varanasi, where he joined the Seva Dal.
• He was influenced by Lokmanya Tilak, joined the HSRA, and fired the first shot, killing Saunders.

{Prelims – PIN India} Lipulekh Pass *

• Context (ET): India is set to resume border trade with China through Lipulekh Pass after a six-year halt since the COVID-19 pandemic.

• The pass is located in the Kumaon region of Uttarakhand (5,334 metres), at a tri-junction of India, Nepal, and China (Tibet).
• Pilgrimage: Kailash Mansarovar Yatra occurs every year via Lipulekh Pass (Uttarakhand) and Nathu La Pass (Sikkim).
• Trade Route: It was the first Indian border post opened for trade with China in 1992.
• Border Dispute: Longstanding India-Nepal dispute originates from the 1816 Treaty of Sugauli, which set the Kali River as Nepal’s boundary but didn’t specify its source.
  • Nepal locates the Kali River origin at Limpiyadhura, including Lipulekh, Kalapani, & Limpiyadhura within its territory; India places the origin near Kalapani village, keeping the area under its control.