Daily Current Affairs (27/26/25 – Apr – 26)

Daily Current Affairs (27/26/25 – Apr – 26)

1. Anti-Defection Law and Merger Clause Constitutional Validity  –

• Seven former MPs of the Aam Aadmi Party joined the Bharatiya Janata Party and have cited the “merger” provision under the anti-defection law to avoid disqualification.
• This has raised constitutional questions on whether a legislature party alone can claim a valid merger without the involvement of the original political party.
• The Anti-Defection Law aims to ensure political stability, but the misuse of the “merger” clause has raised serious constitutional concerns about its effectiveness.

What is the Anti-Defection Law?

• About: The Anti-Defection Law is a set of rules in the Indian Constitution designed to prevent elected politicians (Members of Parliament or State Legislative Assemblies) from switching political parties for personal gain or political maneuvering.
• It was introduced to bring stability to the parliamentary system and stop the infamous “Aaya Ram, Gaya Ram” culture of the 1960s and 70s, where legislators frequently changed sides, causing governments to collapse.
• Between 1967 and 1972, nearly 2,000 cases of defection occurred, with about 50% of legislators switching parties, some multiple times.
• It was introduced to bring stability to the parliamentary system and stop the infamous “Aaya Ram, Gaya Ram” culture of the 1960s and 70s, where legislators frequently changed sides, causing governments to collapse.
• It was added to the Constitution by the 52nd Amendment Act in 1985, which created the Tenth Schedule.
• The law was strengthened by the 91st Constitutional Amendment Act, 2003, which omitted the provision related to a “split” (where 1/3rd members could defect) and retained only the “merger” provision.

2. National Panchayati Raj Day 2026 –

• India celebrated National Panchayati Raj Day (NPRD) on 24th April 2026, commemorating the enactment of the  73rd Constitutional Amendment Act, 1992, which granted constitutional status to Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs), marking 33 years of this defining milestone in India’s democratic

What is the National Panchayati Raj Day?

• Historical Background: The day commemorates the institutionalization of the Panchayati Raj system in India through the 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act, 1992.
• The Act came into force on 24th April 1993, marking a defining moment in the history of decentralized political power in India.
• First Celebration: The first National Panchayati Raj Day was celebrated in 2010 under the leadership of then-Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
• Objective: To assess the progress of rural decentralization, interact with Gram Panchayat representatives, and recognize their outstanding contributions to rural development.
• Theme for NPRD 2026: The theme, “Sashakt Panchayat, Sarvangeen Vikas” (Empowered Panchayats, Holistic Development), focuses on localising Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and strengthening digital governance through e-Gram Swaraj to achieve the vision of “Viksit Bharat” by 2047.

3. US Anti-Dumping Duty Hits Indian Solar Exports –

• The United States has imposed a steep preliminary anti-dumping duty of 123.04 per cent on solar cell and module imports from India, creating major challenges for Indian solar manufacturers. When combined with earlier countervailing duties, the total tariff burden rises beyond 234 per cent. This move is part of a broader US strategy to protect domestic solar manufacturing and reduce dependence on cheaper imported products from Asia.

What the US Has Announced

• The US Department of Commerce announced on April 23, 2026, that Indian solar cells and modules were being sold in the American market at prices below their fair value. This practice is called dumping. As a result, a preliminary anti-dumping duty of 123.04 per cent has been imposed. Similar investigations also covered Indonesia and Laos, which received duties of 35.17 per cent and 22.46 per cent respectively.
• The investigation began after a petition was filed in July 2025 by the Alliance for American Solar Manufacturing and Trade, representing domestic solar companies such as First Solar and Qcells.

4. Raghu Rai, India’s Iconic Photographer, Dies at 83 –

• Raghu Rai, one of India’s most celebrated photographers and among the finest visual chroniclers of independent India, has passed away at the age of 83. His family announced his death on Sunday, describing him as “our beloved”. Rai’s work documented some of the most defining moments in India’s modern history, preserving national memory through powerful visual storytelling.

From Partition to Photography

• Born in a village in present-day Pakistan’s Punjab province before the 1947 Partition, Raghu Rai was originally trained as a construction engineer. His journey into photography began after being inspired by his photographer brother. His first published photograph, featuring a donkey looking directly into the camera, appeared in The Times of London and marked the beginning of a remarkable career.
• He later entered photojournalism and worked with some of India’s leading media houses during the 1960s and 1970s before choosing to work independently.

5. Rajnath Singh to Attend SCO Defence Meet –

• Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will visit Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, on April 27–28 to participate in the Defence Ministers’ meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO). The high-level gathering is expected to focus on regional security challenges, terrorism, extremism, and the changing geopolitical environment across Eurasia and Asia.

India to Lead Delegation at Key Security Forum

• Rajnath Singh will head the Indian delegation at the meeting, which will include defence ministers from all SCO member states. The forum serves as an important platform for strategic dialogue among member countries, especially at a time of growing uncertainty in global politics. India is expected to underline its commitment to regional peace, stability, and collective security.

MCQ Quiz

Q1. Pykara Lake, that was recently seen in news, is located in which state ?

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

Q2. Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan 2.0 was launched by which ministry ?

1. a) Ministry of Health & Family Welfare
2. b) Ministry of Home Affairs
3. c) Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment
4. d) Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports

Q3. NAMASTE scheme is jointly implemented by which ministries ?

1. a) Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and Ministry of Finance
2. b) Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment and the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs
3. c) Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and Ministry of Law and Justice
4. d) Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Home Affairs

Q4. Consider the following statements:

1. Panchayati Raj Institutions were given constitutional status by the 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act.
2. This amendment is limited only to Gram Panchayats.
3. It institutionalised the three-tier Panchayati Raj system.

Choose the correct answer:

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

Explanation-

• In this question, statements 1 and 3 are correct, while statement 2 is incorrect. Statement 1 is correct because Panchayati Raj Institutions were granted constitutional status through the 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act (1992), which came into force in 1993, and added Part IX (Articles 243 to 243-O) to the Constitution.
• Statement 2 is incorrect because this amendment is not limited only to Gram Panchayats, but includes a three-tier structure—Gram Panchayat (village level), Panchayat Samiti (block level), and Zila Parishad (district level). Statement 3 is correct because this amendment institutionalised the three-tier Panchayati Raj system across the country. Recently, on the occasion of National Panchayati Raj Day (24 April 2026), it has been noted that 33 years of this amendment have been completed, and Panchayats are now being further strengthened through financial empowerment, digital governance tools (such as e-GramSwaraj), and performance-based evaluation (Panchayat Advancement Index 2.0), which assesses their performance based on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Q5. Recently, in the context of Members of Parliament from the Aam Aadmi Party joining the Bharatiya Janata Party, consider the following statements:

1. If 2/3 of the MPs change their party, it can be considered a merger.
2. In such cases, the final authority to decide rests with the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha.
3. The Anti-Defection Law applies only to Lok Sabha members.
4. If the merger is accepted, disqualification does not apply.

Select the correct answer:

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

Explanation-

• Recently, the incident of some Rajya Sabha MPs of the Aam Aadmi Party joining the Bharatiya Janata Party has once again brought the Anti-Defection Law (Tenth Schedule) into discussion. The key issue here is whether this situation constitutes defection or a merger.
• According to constitutional provisions, if at least two-thirds of the members of a political party join another party together, it may be treated as a valid merger, and in such cases, disqualification does not apply.
• In the context of the Rajya Sabha, the authority to decide such matters lies with the Chairman, who determines whether the case is one of defection or a valid merger.