Monthly Digest
Second-phase Budget Session bills, landmark SC judgments, NDC update, and major cabinet scheme approvals.
The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) confirmed a resident tiger in Ratanmahal Wildlife Sanctuary, effectively including Gujarat in the 2026 All-India Tiger Census for the first time since 1992. India's tiger-reserve network stands at 58 (latest: Madhav TR, Madhya Pradesh, March 2025).
Why it matters: GS3 Environment and GS1 Geography — tiger-reserve state tallies are recurrent Prelims fodder.
As part of the Purvodaya initiative, the government notified the creation of an Integrated East Coast Industrial Corridor and five new tourism destinations across the five Purvodaya states (Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh). NIMHANS-2 and upgraded regional mental-health institutes in Ranchi and Tezpur were also approved.
Why it matters: GS1 Geography (industrial location) and GS2 Governance (regional development).
On 24 March 2026 the Supreme Court delivered twin judgments — Pooja Pal (Army, 2026 INSC 281) and Yogendra Kumar Singh (Navy, 2026 INSC 282) — holding that ACRs written in conditions of structural/institutional exclusion cannot fairly determine suitability for Permanent Commission for SSCWOs. Builds directly on Babita Puniya (2020).
Why it matters: GS2 Polity (Article 14, 15), GS1 Society (gender).
On 11 March 2026, in Harish Rana v. Union of India, the Supreme Court permitted withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment, refining the passive-euthanasia framework laid down in Common Cause (2018) and elaborating the right to die with dignity under Article 21.
Why it matters: GS2 Polity (fundamental rights) and GS4 Ethics (end-of-life care).
Introduced by Union Minister Virendra Kumar on 13 March 2026, the Bill was passed by the Lok Sabha on 24 March and the Rajya Sabha on 25 March. It modifies the self-determination provisions of the 2019 Act and drew significant criticism from civil-society groups.
Why it matters: GS2 Polity and GS1 Society (NALSA framework, gender identity).
The Lok Sabha passed the Finance Bill on 25 March 2026 with 32 government amendments, completing the lower-house stage of the Budget 2026-27 approval process. Rajya Sabha concurrence followed.
Why it matters: GS2 Polity (money bill procedure, Article 109) + GS3 Economy.
The Union Cabinet approved the redesigned UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik) scheme as "Modified UDAN" for ten years from FY 2026-27 to FY 2035-36, with a sixfold budget increase to strengthen regional air connectivity, especially in the North-East and Tier-II/III cities.
Why it matters: GS2 Governance and GS3 Infrastructure.
The Cabinet approved India's updated NDC under the Paris Agreement covering 2031-35. Targets include a 47% reduction in emissions intensity of GDP from 2005 levels by 2035; 60% cumulative installed electric-power capacity from non-fossil sources by 2035; and an additional 3.5-4.0 billion tonnes of CO₂-equivalent carbon sink via forest and tree cover from 2005 levels.
Why it matters: GS3 Environment — India's headline climate commitment for the next decade.
The Cabinet extended JJM up to December 2028 with an enhanced outlay and structural reforms in rural drinking-water supply under JJM 2.0. The focus shifts from connection saturation to service-delivery quality, water testing and O&M of completed schemes.
Why it matters: GS2 Governance and GS3 Infrastructure.
Retail inflation measured on the revised base-year series (2024=100) stood at 3.21% in February 2026, within the RBI's 2-6% tolerance band. WPI inflation came in at 2.13% (provisional) for February 2026.
Why it matters: GS3 Economy — inflation data drives monetary policy reasoning.
In March 2026 the Cabinet approved the Bhavya (Bharat Vikas Yojana for Advanced Industrial Areas) scheme for the development of 100 plug-and-play industrial parks across states, aimed at accelerating domestic manufacturing and the PLI ecosystem.
Why it matters: GS3 Economy (industrial policy, Make in India).
ISRO completed the final parachute qualification tests and crew-egress trials for Gaganyaan-1 in February–March 2026. The uncrewed G1 mission — carrying the half-humanoid robot Vyommitra on a human-rated LVM3 — is now targeted for H2 2026, ahead of two more uncrewed flights (G2, G3) and the crewed H1 mission in 2027.
Why it matters: GS3 S&T — India's human-spaceflight programme.
The SC's 11 March 2026 ruling allowing withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment raises a classic GS4 dilemma: reconciling the sanctity-of-life principle with patient autonomy and the right to a dignified death. Practitioners, families and the state must balance medical-ethics codes (beneficence, non-maleficence) against the Article 21 right to die with dignity reaffirmed by the Court.
Why it matters: GS4 Ethics — directly applicable in case-study answers on bioethics, public-health decision-making and administrative discretion.
Ujiyari — Current Affairs 
BharatNotes