1. TAMIL NADU NOTIFIES ANAND MARRIAGE RULES 2026 AMID INTERIM BUDGET DEBATES
SUBJECT: POLITY
- Anand Marriage Act Implementation: The Government of Tamil Nadu has officially notified the Tamil Nadu Anand Marriage Registration Rules, 2026, providing a dedicated legal framework for the registration of Sikh marriages in the state.
- Interim Budget Presentation: Finance Minister Thangam Thennarasu presented the interim State Budget for 2026-27, projecting an outstanding debt of ₹10.71 lakh crore while emphasizing the state’s goal of becoming a trillion-dollar economy by 2031.
- Fiscal Federalism Concerns: During the assembly session, the state government criticized the 16th Finance Commission report, labeling it a “disappointment” and accusing the Centre of “artificially precipitating” a fiscal crisis by increasing reliance on non-divisible cesses and surcharges.
- Freedom of Satire Debate: A national debate on Article 19(1)(a) has reignited following the blocking of satirical digital content on national security grounds, prompting legal experts to discuss the thin line between “reasonable restrictions” and democratic expression.
- Structural Reset Advocacy: Following the Justice Kurian Joseph Committee Report, Tamil Nadu has formally advocated for a “structural reset” of Centre-State relations to restore legislative and fiscal autonomy to states.
- Concepts: Article 280 (Finance Commission) – Critical for vertical tax sharing; Basic Structure Doctrine – Reaffirmed in the context of federalism being an indissoluble part of the Constitution.
2. INDIA-FRANCE ELEVATE TIES TO “SPECIAL GLOBAL STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP”
SUBJECT: INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
- Macron’s State Visit: French President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Narendra Modi elevated bilateral ties to a “Special Global Strategic Partnership,” marking a new roadmap for cooperation leading up to 2047.
- Year of Innovation 2026: Both nations inaugurated the “2026 India-France Year of Innovation,” focusing on high-impact collaborations in Artificial Intelligence (AI), healthcare, and green energy.
- UNSC Reform Advocacy: France reaffirmed its active support for India’s permanent membership in a reformed United Nations Security Council (UNSC), emphasizing India’s role in global stability.
- Nuclear Energy Cooperation: The leaders committed to co-developing Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) and Advanced Modular Reactors (AMRs) to support India’s target of 100 GW of nuclear power capacity.
- Indo-Pacific Synergy: A new Triangular Development Cooperation framework was established to fund and implement digital and health infrastructure projects in third-world countries across the Indo-Pacific.
- Concepts: Horizon 2047 Roadmap – The guiding document for India-France relations; Strategic Autonomy – The shared diplomatic principle that allows both nations to pursue independent foreign policies.
3. INDIA-AI MISSION 2.0 LAUNCHED TO DEMOCRATIZE COMPUTE POWER
SUBJECT: NATIONAL ISSUES / TECHNOLOGY
- IndiaAI Mission 2.0: The Union Ministry of Electronics and IT announced the second phase of the IndiaAI Mission, aimed at procuring an additional 20,000 GPUs to provide “common compute” infrastructure for startups.
- MSME-Focused AI Stack: Modelled after the success of UPI, the government is developing an AI Stack specifically for MSMEs to provide ready-to-use AI solutions for small-scale manufacturing and retail.
- Bharat EduAI Stack: A new open-architecture platform, the “Bharat EduAI Stack,” was initiated to integrate AI-powered learning solutions across the national education ecosystem.
- SAHI and BODH Initiatives: The government launched the SAHI (Systematic Advancement of Healthcare Innovation) and BODH (Bureau of Digital Health) initiatives to integrate AI into public health diagnostics and data management.
- Digital Personal Data Protection: Concerns were raised by civil society regarding the recent amendments to data provisions that exempt “personal information” from the public interest override, sparking a debate on transparency.
- Concepts: Sovereign AI – The movement to build domestic AI capacity to avoid reliance on foreign technological gatekeepers; Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) – The foundational layer (like Aadhaar/UPI) upon which new AI services are being built.
4. TAMIL NADU SIGNS ₹5,980 CRORE MoUs IN HIGH-TECH MANUFACTURING
SUBJECT: ECONOMY
- Semiconductor & Aerospace Boost: The Tamil Nadu government signed MoUs worth ₹5,980 crore with global firms to set up high-technology manufacturing units in the semiconductor and aerospace sectors.
- Agricultural Growth: The state’s Interim Agriculture Budget 2026-27 highlighted that Tamil Nadu has successfully arrested the decline in cultivable land despite climate challenges, focusing on “climate-smart” farming.
- E-commerce Export Projections: A new national trade report projected that e-commerce exports could contribute 20-30% of India’s merchandise exports by 2030, with the electronics sector currently leading the surge.
- Infrastructure Investment: The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) approved highway projects worth ₹11,000 crore across Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Telangana, alongside India’s first underwater twin-tube road-cum-rail tunnel under the Brahmaputra river.
- PM RAHAT Scheme: Prime Minister Modi approved the PM RAHAT Scheme (Road Accident Victim Hospitalization and Assured Treatment) to provide life-saving medical care within the “golden hour” for accident victims.
- Concepts: Nominal vs. Real Growth – Relevant to Tamil Nadu’s 16% nominal growth target; Hybrid Annuity Mode (HAM) – The financial model used for the new highway projects.
5. EXERCISE MILAN 2026 BEGINS AS INS TARANGINI SHOWCASES NAVAL DIPLOMACY
SUBJECT: DEFENCE
- Exercise MILAN 2026: The biennial multilateral naval exercise, MILAN 2026, commenced today at Visakhapatnam with participation from over 50 friendly foreign navies, focusing on Indo-Pacific security.
- INS Tarangini’s Role: The Indian Navy’s sail training ship, INS Tarangini, is serving as a flagship for “Naval Diplomacy,” showcasing traditional seamanship and maritime heritage to international participants.
- Indigenous Waterjet Facility: India’s first Waterjet Production and Testing Facility was inaugurated in Goa, making India the third country in the world (after the US and South Korea) to possess this technology.
- Mountain Fire Control Radar: The Ministry of Defence inaugurated a new Missile Integration Facility and unveiled an indigenous Mountain Fire Control Radar designed specifically for high-altitude combat in the Himalayas.
- 80th Anniversary of RIN Revolt: Today marks the 80th anniversary of the 1946 Royal Indian Navy (RIN) Revolt, a pivotal moment in the freedom struggle that saw nearly 20,000 naval ratings strike against British rule.
- Concepts: SAGAR Vision (Security and Growth for All in the Region) – India’s maritime outreach policy; Transfer of Technology (ToT) – The framework used for the new Waterjet facility in Goa.
