1. INDIA-AI IMPACT SUMMIT 2026 COMMENCES IN NEW DELHI
SUBJECT: INTERNATIONAL / NATIONAL ISSUES
- The first-ever India-AI Impact Summit 2026 officially commenced today at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, marking a historic milestone as the first global convening of this scale on Artificial Intelligence hosted in the Global South.
- The summit is built upon three foundational pillars or ‘Sutras’: People, Planet, and Progress, focusing on translating AI potential into measurable social and economic outcomes.
- More than 20 Heads of State and representatives from over 100 countries are participating, including leaders from France, Brazil, Estonia, and The Netherlands, alongside 500+ global AI CEOs and researchers.
- A key highlight is the focus on the “Seven Chakras” of the summit, which address sectoral use cases in urban infrastructure, healthcare, and sustainable development.
- The IndiaAI Impact Expo was inaugurated today, featuring 300+ exhibitors across 10 thematic pavilions to showcase homegrown AI solutions.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to deliver the inaugural address on February 19, emphasizing India’s vision for inclusive and responsible AI that serves public good rather than just commercial profit.
- Concepts: Global South Leadership – India positioning itself as a bridge between advanced tech nations and developing economies; Digital India 2.0 – Integrating AI into governance for transparent service delivery.
2. SUPREME COURT REFERS DATA PROTECTION VS. RTI CASE TO CONSTITUTION BENCH
SUBJECT: POLITY
- The Supreme Court of India today referred a batch of petitions to a Constitution Bench to examine whether the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act, 2023 unconstitutionally restricts the Right to Information (RTI).
- The core of the legal challenge lies in Section 44(3) of the DPDP Act, which petitioners argue creates a “blanket ban” on the disclosure of any ‘personal information’ under the RTI Act.
- Advocates for the petitioners submitted that the government is using the “Right to Privacy” as a shield to block accountability and transparency in public administration.
- The court will decide if the new data law essentially dismantles the citizen’s “Right to Know,” which is a fundamental derivative of Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution.
- Simultaneously, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) today cleared the ₹92,000 crore Great Nicobar Island project, citing its “strategic importance” for national security and trade.
- Concepts: Article 21 (Privacy) vs. Article 19 (Information) – The judicial balancing of two competing fundamental rights; Doctrine of Strategic Importance – How security concerns can override environmental clearances in sensitive zones.
3. TAMIL NADU ECONOMIC SURVEY 2025-26: TRILLION-DOLLAR GOAL BY 2031
SUBJECT: ECONOMY (TAMIL NADU FOCUS)
- The Economic Survey of Tamil Nadu 2025-26 was released today, projecting that the state can achieve its $1 trillion economy milestone by 2031 if it maintains a nominal growth rate of 16%.
- Tamil Nadu’s per capita income has reached ₹3.62 lakh in 2024-25, which is 1.77 times the national average (₹2.05 lakh), making it the 3rd highest among major Indian states.
- The report highlighted a significant decline in Urban Inflation in the state, dropping from 5.2% in 2023-24 to 2.5% in 2025-26, largely due to a sharp fall in food prices.
- Despite global headwinds and a 50% hike in U.S. tariffs on textiles, Tamil Nadu defied the national trend in Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), continuing to attract robust equity inflows in the manufacturing sector.
- The state planning commission warned that while the Debt-to-GSDP ratio is currently within safe limits, future fiscal pressures from pension revisions and GST rationalization could strain resources.
- Concepts: GSDP (Gross State Domestic Product) – The state-level equivalent of GDP; Fiscal Consolidation – The process of reducing government deficits and debt through policy changes.
4. DEFENCE ACQUISITION PROCEDURE (DAP) 2026: SHIFT TO “OWNED BY INDIA”
SUBJECT: DEFENCE
- The Ministry of Defence has released the draft Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP) 2026, which marks a strategic shift from the “Made in India” concept to “Owned by India”.
- The new policy mandates that for a platform to be considered indigenous, the Intellectual Property (IP), source code, and critical design data must be owned by an Indian-controlled entity.
- The Indigenous Content (IC) threshold has been revised upward, with a minimum requirement of 60% for major indigenous programs like the LCA Tejas and INS Vikrant.
- The policy aims to fix the “faltering offsets policy” by embedding localization directly into procurement contracts for the “Buy (Global)” category.
- Major G2G (Government-to-Government) deals are showing progress, including the local assembly of MQ-9B Predator drones and the establishment of a Rafale MRO (Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul) facility in India.
- Concepts: Technological Sovereignty – Reducing dependence on foreign OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers) for upgrades and maintenance; DAP 2026 vs. DAP 2020 – The evolution from simple assembly to core design ownership.
5. MOSPI UPDATES CONSUMER PRICE INDEX (CPI) BASE YEAR TO 2024
SUBJECT: ECONOMY (NATIONAL)
- The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) today officially released the revised Consumer Price Index (CPI) with a new base year of 2024, replacing the old 2012 base.
- The rebasing is intended to reflect modern consumption patterns, including increased household spending on digital services, health, and processed foods compared to a decade ago.
- The United Nations World Economic Situation report today projected India’s GDP growth at a robust 6.6% for 2026, identifying India as the fastest-growing major economy despite global trade fragmentation.
- India has also launched its first government-supported National Biobank for rare genetic Lysosomal Storage Disorders (LSDs) to facilitate advanced medical research.
- The Parliament today passed the Industrial Relations Code (Amendment) Bill, 2026, aimed at providing greater flexibility in labor hiring while strengthening social security nets for gig workers.
- Concepts: Base Year Revision – Necessary every few years to ensure inflation data accurately reflects what citizens are actually buying; CPI vs. WPI – Retail inflation (Consumer) vs. Wholesale inflation (Producer).
