CURRENT AFFAIRS 11 March, 2026

CURRENT AFFAIRS 11 March, 2026

1. REMOVAL OF THE CHIEF ELECTION COMMISSIONER –

• Opposition parties are considering an impeachment motion against the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) over allegations of completely biased conduct.

How Can the Chief Election Commissioner Be Removed from Office?

• Constitutional Safeguards and Provisions: To ensure the independence of the ECI, the Constitution provides strict security of tenure for the CEC.
• Article 324(5) of the Constitution: It provides that, subject to any law made by Parliament, the service conditions and tenure of Election Commissioners and Regional Commissioners are determined by the President.
• The CEC can be removed only in the same manner and on the same grounds as a Supreme Court judge, and service conditions cannot be altered to his disadvantage after appointment.
• Other Election Commissioners or Regional Commissioners can be removed only on the recommendation of the CEC.
• Following that, Parliament passed the Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Act, 2023, which provides for the resignation and removal process. It sticks to the same process as mentioned in the Constitution.
• Grounds for Removal: The Constitution limits the grounds for the removal of a Supreme Court Judge (and by extension, the CEC) to only two specific charges: “proved misbehaviour or incapacity.”
• Terminology Note: While widely referred to as “impeachment” in political discourse, the Constitution technically reserves the term impeachment exclusively for the President of India (Article 61).
• For Judges and the CEC, the formal constitutional term is removal.

2. CABINET EXTENDS JAL JEEVAN MISSION TILL 2028 –

• The Union Cabinet approved extension of the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) period up to December 2028 with enhanced total outlay (Rs. 8.69 lakh crore), focusing on structural reforms in rural drinking water supply under JJM 2.0.
• JJM 2.0 Targets: JJM 2.0 aims for certification of all Gram Panchayats as ‘Har Ghar Jal’ by provisioning tap water connections to all 19.36 crore rural households by December 2028.
• Currently, around 15.80 crore (81.61%) rural households have tap water connections.
• Digital Governance Framework: A uniform national digital framework, namely Sujalam Bharat, shall be instituted, assigning every village a unique Sujal Gaon/Service Area ID. It will digitally map the complete drinking water supply system from source to tap.
• Community Ownership Mechanisms: To ensure transparency and accountability, it is mandatory to involve Gram Panchayats and Village Water Sanitation Committees in the commissioning of schemes under “Jal Arpan.” A Gram Panchayat shall certify itself “Har Ghar Jal” only upon confirmation of adequate operation and maintenance mechanisms.
• Strategic Vision: JJM 2.0 fosters the vision of Viksit Bharat @2047 with assured 24×7 rural drinking water supply by shifting from an infrastructure-centric to a citizen-centric utility-based service delivery using a “Whole of Government” approach.

3. DEATH ANNIVERSARY OF SAVITRIBAI PHULE –

• Union Home Minister paid tribute to Savitribai Phule on her death anniversary (10th March, highlighting her role in bringing women into the fold of education during an era marked by deep-rooted social evils.

Savitribai Phule

• About: Savitribai Phule was a social reformer from 19th-century Maharashtra who fundamentally transformed Indian society by challenging patriarchal and caste hierarchies.
• She was born on 3rd January 1831 in Satara (Maharashtra) into the Mali community and married at the age of 9 to Jyotiba Phule.

Contributions:

• Women’s Education: In 1848, she made history by founding India’s first Indian-run girls’ school in Pune, alongside her husband. The couple collectively established and ran 18 schools.
• She helped establish trusts like the Native Female School, Pune and the Society for Promoting the Education of Mahars, Mangs and Etceteras, directly challenging caste-based discrimination.
• Gender Justice: In 1852, she founded the Mahila Seva Mandal to raise awareness for women’s rights, campaigning against child marriage and advocating for widow remarriage.
• Combating Female Infanticide: In 1863, the couple, founded the Balhatya Pratibandhak Griha, recognized as India’s first home to combat female infanticide and provide shelter to pregnant Brahmin widows and rape victims.
• Caste Equality: She institutionalized social equality by initiating the first Satyashodhak marriage—a dowry-free, priest-free, and non-Brahminical ceremony—to subvert caste and patriarchal norms.
• Literary Contributions: A poet and author, her notable works include Kavya Phule (1854) and Bavan Kashi Subodh Ratnakar (1892). Her famous poem, “Go, Get Education,” encouraged the oppressed castes to break the shackles of slavery.
• Resistance and Death: She faced extreme orthodox opposition, enduring social assaults and being stoned. She died in 1897 after contracting the bubonic plague while selflessly caring for a patient.

4. WHITE PHOSPHORUS –

• A report by Human Rights Watch has accused Israel of using white phosphorus munitions in residential areas of Lebanon, raising serious concerns over potential violations of international humanitarian law.
• The alleged chemical weapon use comes amid an intensifying Israel–Lebanon conflict, with Lebanese authorities reporting significant civilian casualties from recent Israeli strikes.
• White Phosphorus: It is a toxic, wax-like chemical substance that burns at temperatures above 800°C, hot enough to melt metal.
• Typically white, yellow, or colourless with a garlic-like odour, white phosphorus munitions are difficult to extinguish and continue burning until the chemical is fully consumed or deprived of oxygen.
• Incendiary Munition: Militaries often use White Phosphorus as incendiary munition to create smokescreens and illumination on battlefields, as it ignites rapidly and produces dense smoke that can spread over large areas.
• An incendiary weapon is a weapon designed to set fire to objects or cause burn injuries through flame, heat, or chemical reactions produced on impact with the target.
• Severe Health Hazards: White Phosphorus when used in populated areas, it can ignite buildings.
• White phosphorus is extremely harmful to humans, as it can cause deep burns that penetrate to the bone and release toxic chemicals that damage vital organs such as the liver, kidneys, and heart.
• The substance can also trigger metabolic disorders, including abnormal potassium levels, which may lead to heart failure.

5. NHAI RELEASES 1ST NATIONAL HIGHWAYS GREEN COVER INDEX 2025–26 –

• The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has released a first-of-its-kind Annual Report on the National Highways Green Cover Index (NH-GCI) 2025–26, prepared with ISRO’s National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC).

Green Cover Index

• About: GCI represents the percentage of land within each 1 km segment covered by green canopy. High-resolution satellite sensors measure chlorophyll content to objectively assess vegetation on the left and right sides of the highways.
• Technology & Data Used: It employs space-based technologies to provide a scientific, quantitative assessment of green cover within the right-of-way along National Highways. It utilizes 5-meter resolution multispectral data from ISRO’s Resourcesat-2/2A (LISS-IV) satellite. To enhance accuracy, these are cross-verified with even finer-resolution Cartosat-2S imagery.
• Results are published on NRSC’s open-source Bhuvan web GIS portal, providing interactive maps and standardized reports.
• Coverage & Scope: Currently, the project monitors approximately 30,000 km of National Highways across 24 states, specifically those under the Operation & Maintenance (O&M) phase.
• Policy Linkage: The project is a direct implementation of India’s Green Highways Policy, 2015, which mandates NHAI not only to plant trees but also to ensure their survival.
• Future Scope & Enhancements: Planned upgrades include the use of machine learning for auto-classification, change-detection alerts for vegetation loss, and integration with carbon sequestration models to support sustainable infrastructure planning.

MCQ QUIZ

Q1.   Sheshnaag-150 is developed by which organization ?

1. a) Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO)
2. b) Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL)
3. c) NewSpace Research and Technologies (NRT)
4. d) Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL)

Q2.   Kheybar Shekan Missile is a long-range solid-fuel ballistic missile developed by which country ?

1. a) Iran
2. b) Russia
3. c) Ukraine
4. d) Israel

Q3.   Which organization recently dismantled the pan-India drug distribution network named “Team Kalki” ?

1. a) Central Bureau of Investigation
2. b) Narcotics Control Bureau
3. c) National Investigation Agency
4. d) None of the Above

Q4.   With reference to the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD), consider the following statements:

1. It is designed to intercept ballistic missiles specifically during their mid-course phase of flight.
2. The system employs hit-to-kill technology, relying on kinetic energy rather than explosive warheads to destroy targets.
3. It serves as a defensive layer that bridges the operational gap between the Patriot and the Aegis missile defense systems.

          Which of the statements given above are correct ?

1. a) 1 and 2 only
2. b) 1 and 3 only
3. c) 2 and 3 only
4. d) 1, 2 and 3

Explanation-

• The Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) is a sophisticated surface-to-air missile system developed by the United States.
• Statement 1 is incorrect because THAAD is specifically designed to intercept and destroy short, medium, and limited intermediate-range ballistic missiles during their terminal phase (the final stage of flight), not the mid-course phase.
• Statement 2 is correct as THAAD utilizes “hit-to-kill” technology. This means the interceptor does not carry a traditional fragmentation warhead; instead, it destroys the incoming threat through the sheer force of impact (kinetic energy). This approach is preferred as it minimizes the risk of detonating conventional or nuclear payloads over populated areas.
• Statement 3 is correct because THAAD provides a multi-layered defense shield, engaging targets at higher altitudes than the Patriot system but lower than the exo-atmospheric Aegis system. It can engage targets both inside and outside the Earth’s atmosphere (endo- and exo-atmospheric). This strategic placement fills a vital niche in the global ballistic missile defense architecture, ensuring that if a higher-tier system fails, THAAD serves as a robust secondary line of defense before the missile reaches the lower atmosphere.

Q5.   Consider the following statements:

          Statement-I: The Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) of India cannot be removed from office except in a manner similar to a Judge of the Supreme Court.

          Statement-II: The Constitution of India grants the CEC security of tenure to ensure the independence of the Election Commission from executive interference.

          Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements ?

1. a) Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II is the correct explanation for Statement-I
2. b) Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II is not the correct explanation for Statement-I
3. c) Statement-I is correct but Statement-II is incorrect
4. d) Statement-I is incorrect but Statement-II is correct

Explanation-

• Statement-I is correct and is rooted in Article 324(5) of the Constitution. It stipulates that the CEC can only be removed on the grounds of “proved misbehavior or incapacity” through a rigorous parliamentary process involving a special majority. This mirrors the removal process of a Supreme Court Judge.
• Statement-II is also correct and provides the underlying rationale for Statement-I. The framers of the Constitution intended the Election Commission to be a bedrock of democracy, free from the whims of the ruling executive. By providing security of tenure that requires a quasi-judicial investigation and a difficult legislative vote, the Constitution ensures that the CEC can make impartial decisions regarding elections.
• Thus, Statement-II directly explains why the stringent removal procedure in Statement-I exists.

Answer Key