1. NO-CONFIDENCE MOTION AGAINST LOK SABHA SPEAKER AMID BUDGET DEBATE
SUBJECT: POLITY
- Motion Against Speaker: Opposition parties have submitted a formal notice for the removal of Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, citing disagreements over the impartiality of House proceedings and repeated disruptions.
- Secretariat Intervention: Speaker Om Birla has directed the Lok Sabha Secretariat to address technical shortcomings in the notice (related to historical date errors) before it is officially listed for the second phase of the Budget Session starting March 9.
- Article 94 & 179: Under the Indian Constitution, a Speaker can be removed by a resolution passed by a majority of all the then members of the House, following a 14-day notice period.
- Trade Deal Controversy: During the Budget debate, the Leader of Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi criticized the government over a “one-sided” India-U.S. interim trade deal, alleging it compromises India’s energy and agricultural interests.
- Electoral Reforms: The government reiterated its openness to discussing the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls to ensure voter inclusivity and data accuracy before the upcoming state elections.
- Judicial Oversight: The Supreme Court is currently examining the scope of the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) writ jurisdiction following challenges from state governments like Tamil Nadu and Kerala regarding federal overreach.
2. TAMIL NADU HOSTS INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON TAMIL EPIGRAPHY
SUBJECT: NATIONAL ISSUES (TAMIL NADU)
- International Conference: Minister for Finance and Archaeology, Thangam Thennarasu, inaugurated a four-day International Conference on Tamil Epigraphy in Chennai to discuss the role of ancient inscriptions in tracing socio-political history.
- Health Advisory: A public health alert has been issued in Chennai following the detection of H5N1 avian influenza in dead crows; residents have been advised to report unusual bird deaths and maintain hygiene.
- Swavalambini Initiative: The Ministry of Skill Development informed Parliament about the success of the Swavalambini Scheme in Tamil Nadu, which promotes women’s entrepreneurship through structured mentorship.
- Cultural Provenance: New research on the Somaskanda bronze from Mannargudi, Tamil Nadu, has challenged old archaeological theories, proving that damaged or buried bronzes were historically reinstalled in rituals.
- Infrastructure Progress: In the North, the Centre informed the Supreme Court that climate activist Sonam Wangchuk’s medical condition remains stable, amid ongoing protests for Ladakh’s Sixth Schedule status.
- Digital Literacy: The IT Ministry has notified new social media rules requiring prominent AI labels on generated content and a strict three-hour timeline for platforms to block flagged unlawful content.
3. INDIA-U.S. TRADE DEAL AND GREECE DEFENCE PACT
SUBJECT: INTERNATIONAL
- India-U.S. Interim Trade Deal: A landmark bilateral agreement was detailed by the White House, focusing on reciprocal tariff reductions (from 25% to 18%) and enhanced market access for Indian MSMEs.
- Greece-India Strategic Tie-up: India and Greece signed a Joint Declaration of Intent to develop a 5-year roadmap for defense industrial cooperation, aligning “Atmanirbhar Bharat” with Greece’s “Agenda 2030.”
- Maritime Security: Greece announced the deployment of a Liaison Officer at the Information Fusion Centre-Indian Ocean Region (IFC-IOR) in Gurugram to bolster maritime safety.
- India-China Relations: Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri met his Chinese counterpart in New Delhi to review progress on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) disengagement and potential selective economic re-openings.
- Indus Waters Treaty: India has moved forward with two major hydropower projects in Jammu and Kashmir following the strategic suspension of certain treaty provisions to maximize water usage.
- UK-India Social Security: A new agreement was signed with the UK to protect the social security interests of temporary Indian employees working in Britain, avoiding double insurance payments.
4. GDP GROWTH FORECAST AND GST RATIONALIZATION
SUBJECT: ECONOMY
- GDP Projections: Moody’s has projected India’s real GDP to grow at 6.4% in FY 2026-27, citing it as the fastest among G20 nations, while the Indian government’s advance estimates suggest a higher 7.4% for 2025-26.
- Consumption Drivers: Growth is being fueled by robust domestic consumption, supported by the GST rationalization of September 2025 and increased personal income tax thresholds.
- Trade Impact: Analysts at Goldman Sachs expect the new US-India trade deal to provide an incremental growth boost of 0.2 percentage points to the annual GDP.
- Cooperative Expansion: Union Minister Amit Shah reported that 8,710 Primary Agricultural Cooperative Societies (PACS) have been established recently, achieving 27% of the national target.
- Investment Trends: Domestic Mutual Funds are rapidly closing the ownership gap with Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) in NSE-listed companies, reflecting high domestic investor confidence.
- Banking Stability: The RBI has maintained a stable policy environment with the repo rate at 5.25%, managing inflation which averaged 2.2% due to lower food prices.
5. DEFENCE INDIGENIZATION AND COLONIAL RENAMING
SUBJECT: DEFENCE
- Colonial Exit: The Indian Army has officially completed the renaming of 246 roads and buildings (e.g., Fort William in Kolkata is now Vijay Durg) to discard colonial-era nomenclature and honor national gallantry awardees.
- Helicopter Ecosystem: Adani Defence & Aerospace signed an MoU with Leonardo to establish a fully integrated helicopter manufacturing ecosystem in India, targeting a demand for over 1,000 military helicopters.
- Naval Self-Reliance: Defence PSUs Garden Reach Shipbuilders (GRSE) and Hindustan Shipyard (HSL) formed a strategic consortium to accelerate the National Shipbuilding Programme.
- Export Records: India’s defense exports reached a record ₹23,622 crore, with indigenous production hitting a peak of ₹1.54 lakh crore in the last fiscal cycle.
- Strategic Projects: The India-Russia partnership is progressing with a new joint venture for licensed production of advanced cruise missile engines and turbofan engines with 80% local content by 2032.
- Rafale Procurement: The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) is set to meet this week to finalize the procurement of additional Rafale fighter jets ahead of French President Macron’s visit.
