CURRENT AFFAIRS 01-02 March, 2026

CURRENT AFFAIRS 01-02 March, 2026

1. INDIA GDP GROWTH REVISED TO 7.6%: SECOND ADVANCE ESTIMATES & FISCAL IMPACT –

• India’s GDP growth for FY 2025–26 has been revised to 7.6% according to the Second Advance Estimates released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI).
• The revision is based on a new GDP series with base year 2022–23.
• The change affects key fiscal ratios like Fiscal Deficit-to-GDP and Debt-to-GDP, which are crucial for policy planning and fiscal consolidation.

Key Highlights

• Nominal GDP Revision: India’s nominal GDP (size of the economy) has been revised downward for the years 2023–24 to 2025–26 under the new GDP series.
• Impact on Fiscal Indicators: A lower GDP base negatively impacts key fiscal indicators that use GDP as the denominator.
• Fiscal Deficit Implications: Fiscal Deficit-to-GDP Ratio will increase even if the absolute fiscal deficit remains unchanged.
• Debt-to-GDP Implications: Debt-to-GDP Ratio will also rise due to the smaller GDP base.

2. PAKISTAN–AFGHANISTAN CONFLICT: DURAND LINE DISPUTE, TTP & INDIA’S STRATEGIC CONCERNS –

• Pakistan and Afghanistan engaged in their fiercest clashes in years, escalating months of tension and border skirmishes into an open conflict.
• Background of the Pakistan–Afghanistan Conflict
• Historical Tension: Disputes date back decades, especially over the contested Durand Line, which Afghanistan has never formally recognized as an international border.
• Post-2021 Shift: After the Taliban took power in Afghanistan, relations with Pakistan initially improved but soon deteriorated.
• Militant Sanctuary Allegations: Pakistan accuses Kabul of sheltering leaders of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and other insurgents launching attacks inside Pakistan.
• Afghan-Accusations: Afghan authorities deny these claims and instead accuse Pakistan of supporting anti-Taliban militant groups.
• Recurring Border Clashes: Frequent skirmishes, artillery exchanges, and air strikes occur along the frontier, often triggered by militant attacks.
• Failed Ceasefires: Several truces mediated by regional states have collapsed due to continued violence and mistrust.

3. SARVAM AI LLMS, INDIAAI MISSION AND THE RISE OF INDIGENOUS LARGE LANGUAGE MODELS –

• At the AI Impact Summit 2026, the Bengaluru-based startup Sarvam AI released two Large Language Models (LLMs).
• The two models were trained on 35 billion and 105 billion parameters, respectively, and were less power- and compute-intensive than comparable models.

About Large Language Models (LLMs)

• Large language models (LLMs) are advanced AI systems designed to understand and generate human-like text.
• They learn from vast amounts of written data to predict what comes next in a sentence or to create coherent responses to questions.
• Architecture and Training: LLMs use deep learning with transformer architectures, like Generative Pre-trained Transformer (GPT), designed for processing sequential text data.
• They feature multiple neural network layers and an attention mechanism for context understanding.

4. CENTRE PAUSES RICE FORTIFICATION –

• The Union government has decided to “temporarily” discontinue rice fortification under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) and allied schemes after a comprehensive review based on a study from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur.

What are the Recent Developments Regarding Rice Fortification?

• Nutrient Degradation: The IIT Kharagpur study assessed the shelf life of Fortified Rice Kernels (FRK) and Fortified Rice (FR) across diverse agro-climatic zones.
• It found that moisture content, storage conditions, temperature, relative humidity, and packaging material critically influence stability, leading to a decline in micronutrient levels over time.
• Storage Cycle and Operational Realities: The problem is exacerbated by the fact that rice in the central pool is often stored for 2-3 years. With an annual allocation of 37.2 million tonnes under PMGKAY and a total projected availability of 67.4 million tonnes, the gap implies extended storage cycles that heighten the risk of nutrient loss.
• Impact on Welfare Schemes and Continuity: The government has clarified that this temporary discontinuation will not reduce foodgrain entitlements and will not affect operations under the Public Distribution System (PDS), Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS), or the PM Poshan Scheme (formerly Mid-Day Meal scheme).
• Industry Distress: The sudden decision has caused distress in the milling industry, with stakeholders reporting huge losses on raw materials like folic acid, broken rice, and premixes, and suggesting the policy should have been aligned with the next crop season (2026–27).

5. PRESIDENT DROUPADI MURMU LAUNCHES 4 MAJOR WOMEN WELFARE SCHEMES IN DELHI –

• Honorable President Droupadi Murmu on March 2 2026, launched four women-centric welfare schemes of the Delhi Government at the “Sashakt Nari, Samriddh Delhi” programme in New Delhi. The initiatives focus on improving mobility, safety and financial support for women. Among the key highlights was the launch of the Pink National Common Mobility Card and a scheme providing two free LPG cylinders annually to ration card-holding families during Holi and Diwali.

Pink National Common Mobility Card: A Major Step for Women’s Mobility

• Key Features of Pink National Common Mobility Card
• The Pink National Common Mobility Card aims to provide seamless and integrated access to public transport.
• It supports women’s free bus travel and improves connectivity across Delhi’s transport network.
• The card promotes cashless, digital ticketing across buses and other transit systems.
• It enhances safety and convenience for women commuters.
• President Droupadi Murmu stated that integrated transport access strengthens women’s independence and ensures safer movement in urban spaces.

MCQ QUIZ

Q1.   What is ‘VSHORADS’, recently seen in the news ?

1. a) Man Portable Air Defence System (MANPAD)
2. b) Peacekeeping operations in Europe
3. c) Mobile Short Range Air Defence System
4. d) Military exercise between India and Europe

Q2.   Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) works under which ministry ?

1. a) Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers
2. b) Ministry of Commerce and Industry
3. c) Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
4. d) Ministry of Science and Technology

Q3.   Vikko Sat-1 is a mini satellite developed by students of which state ?

1. a) Tamil Nadu
2. b) Kerala
3. c) Maharashtra
4. d) Karnataka

Q4.   Which of the following best explains why Starlink’s satellite broadband is considered superior to traditional internet services ?

1. a) It operates using fiber-optic communication in space, ensuring higher speeds than terrestrial broadband.
2. b) It eliminates the need for ground stations, making it completely independent of terrestrial infrastructure.
3. c) Starlink uses a low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite constellation, reducing latency compared to traditional satellite internet.
4. d) Starlink’s satellites orbit in geostationary orbit (GEO), allowing seamless global coverage.

Explanation-

• Option a is incorrect – Starlink does not use fiber-optic communication in space but relies on radio frequency (RF) signals and phased-array antennas for data transmission.
• Option b is incorrect – Starlink still requires ground stations to relay data to the broader internet. While it reduces dependency on terrestrial infrastructure, it is not fully independent.
• Option c is correct – Starlink’s LEO satellites (550 km altitude) provide lower latency (25-50 ms) compared to GEO satellites (~600 ms), making it suitable for real-time applications.
• Option d is incorrect – Starlink operates in low-Earth orbit (LEO), not geostationary orbit (GEO). GEO satellites remain fixed relative to Earth but suffer from high latency (~600 ms).

Q5.   In the context of the new GDP series (Base Year 2022-23) introduced by MoSPI, consider the following statements:

1. The number of price indicators used for inflation adjustment has been tripled compared to the 2011-12 series.
2. The ‘Double Deflation’ method ensures that inputs and outputs in manufacturing are deflated separately.
3. The new series uses old survey data proxies to estimate the activity of the informal sector.

          How many of the above statements are correct ?

1. a) Only one                                         b) Only two
2. c) All three                                         d) None

Explanation-

• Statements 1 and 2 are correct. Under the new series, MoSPI tripled the price indicators (from ~180 to ~600) to ensure granular deflation (Statement 1). The introduction of ‘Double Deflation’ for manufacturing and agriculture is a major shift; it deflates inputs and outputs separately to prevent profit fluctuations from raw material costs being miscounted as production growth (Statement 2).
• Statement 3 is incorrect because the new series moves away from old proxies. It now uses actual annual level estimates from the Annual Survey of Unincorporated Sector Enterprise (ASUSE) and the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) to capture the informal sector more accurately.
• Furthermore, it incorporates Big Data like GST and e-Vahan to track digital footprints and transport services. This shift to the 2022-23 base year aligns India with the International System of National Accounts (SNA) and helps account for the modern gig economy.

Answer Key