Context

After two days of tit-for-tat strikes, US President Trump said he would pause attacks on Iran and signalled a likely deal — even as Iran announced it had closed the Strait of Hormuz to all traffic and the US naval blockade of Iranian ports continues. A third US strike on a tanker off Oman hit a vessel with 20 Indian seafarers (crew safe), days after two Indians were killed on another tanker.

Background & Key Facts

• The exchange: US CENTCOM struck Iranian air defence, radar and communication sites; Iran's IRGC struck US bases in Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan. Trump then announced a pause, claiming Tehran had "approved" talks, with a US naval blockade of Iranian ports "in full force" until a deal.
• Hormuz closure: Iran announced closure of the Strait of Hormuz — the world's most critical oil chokepoint — to all traffic.
• Indian seafarers (third strike): The Guinea-Bissau-flagged bitumen carrier Jalveer (20 Indians aboard, crew safe) was hit off Shinas, Oman. CENTCOM said two Hellfire missiles were fired into the engine room after the crew "failed to comply", alleging it was transporting Iranian oil.
• Earlier strikes: Tankers Marivex and Settebello were hit on Monday and Wednesday; three Indians on Settebello were killed. India summoned the US Chargé d'affaires and lodged a "strong protest".
• Advisory: The Directorate General of Shipping had advised (mid-February) against deploying seafarers on ships calling at Iranian ports; affected crews had joined before the advisory.
• Navy action: The Indian Navy recovered and disposed of an unexploded missile warhead from a crude tanker (MT Olympic Life) bound for Kochi.
• Rupee impact: The rupee plunged 60 paise to ₹95.85/USD amid West Asia tensions and capital outflows.

Context

Observing that homemakers deserve to be recognised as "nation builders", the Supreme Court ruled that the unpaid domestic work they perform must be monetised at a minimum of ₹30,000 per month while calculating compensation for deaths in road accidents.

Background & Key Facts

• The case: Arose from a motor accident claim in Punjab; the Bench of Justices Sanjay Karol and N.K. Singh held that a homemaker's contribution extends beyond the household and is vital to nation-building.
• The direction: Motor Accident Claims Tribunals must award a separate ₹30,000/month under the head of "domestic care" in cases of a homemaker's death — treated as the minimum value of unpaid work, rising 10% every three years.
• Additive: If the homemaker also had a paid job, this amount is awarded in addition to her income.
• Terminology: The Court noted the need to shift from "housewife" to "homemaker", recognising all aspects of unpaid labour.

Context

After decades of population control ("Hum Do, Humare Do"), India's Total Fertility Rate (TFR) has fallen to ~1.9 — below the replacement rate of 2.1, with some southern States as low as 1.3. Andhra Pradesh announced cash incentives (₹30,000 and ₹40,000) for women having a third and fourth child, prompting a debate on whether India should boost fertility.

Background & Key Facts (a Parley debate)

• TFR & replacement: Replacement-level fertility is 2.1; India's TFR is now below it, with sharp State-level variation.
• Why now: Triggers include the politics of delimitation (southern States' shrinking relative weight) and the political economy of a potentially shrinking working-age population.
• Will incentives work? Experts argue fertility is a deeply socio-cultural, individual choice; cash incentives have produced only short-lived boosts among lower-income groups in Poland, Sweden, France, Singapore, Japan and South Korea, hard to sustain.
• Composition effect: Incentives may change who has more children (poorer families respond, wealthier do not), altering the population's composition.
• Better spending: In Andhra Pradesh, ~1 in 4 women aged 20–24 married before 18, only ~30% of households have women owning assets, and only ~48% of women work — suggesting investment in female education, work and asset ownership is more effective than cash for fertility.
• Ageing: By 2050, 20%+ of Indians will be 60+; the Longitudinal Ageing Study in India (LASI) underscores the need for geriatric care, pensions and a skilled workforce rather than simply more births.
• Migration: Lower-fertility States may fill labour gaps via inter-State migration — an economic phenomenon largely independent of fertility, but stoking "demographic anxieties".

Context

An op-ed (by RS MP and Senior Advocate P. Wilson) argues that the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026, introduced in the Lok Sabha, significantly increases executive power — transforming the FCRA from a law regulating foreign funding into one enabling extensive state control over NGOs, charitable trusts, and educational and religious institutions.

Background & Key Facts (as argued in the op-ed)

• Existing regime: The 2020 amendments already routed all foreign contributions through a single SBI branch in New Delhi, cut administrative-expense limits from 50% to 20%, banned sub-granting, and expanded suspension powers.
• New Chapter IIIA: The 2026 Bill adds Section 14B (automatic "cessation" of registration if renewal is denied, not applied for in time, or remains pending) — allowing paralysis via procedural delays rather than proven misconduct.
• Section 16A: On cancellation/surrender/cessation, foreign contributions and assets derived from them "provisionally vest" in a government-designated authority without prior judicial review; if restoration is not secured in time, vesting becomes permanent and assets can be sold, with proceeds going to the Consolidated Fund of India.
• Centralised enforcement: Amended Section 43 requires Union-government approval before any State agency can investigate FCRA violations; Section 13 bars asset management during suspension.
• Scale: The author notes ~22,000 FCRA licences were cancelled between 2014 and 2026, and flags constitutional concerns under Articles 14, 19(1)(c), 25, 26, 29, 30 and 300A.
• Impact: The sector reportedly contributes ~2% of GDP and large-scale employment/volunteering; cancellations threaten services in child protection, immunisation, nutrition and education.

Context

With the notification of the rules for the four labour codes in May, the implementation framework is now complete — about six years after the codes were enacted (2019–20). An op-ed argues that the rules, which set the standard operating procedures, leave several worker concerns unaddressed.

Background & Key Facts

• The four codes: Code on Wages, 2019; Industrial Relations Code, 2020; Code on Social Security, 2020; and the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020.
• Fixed-Term Employment (FTE): The IR Code formalised FTE but does not specify a minimum tenure or cap on renewals; the rules remain silent, risking conversion of regular posts into FTEs with unlimited renewals.
• Floor wage vs minimum wage: The Wage Code rules give only a vague definition of "floor wage" and no clear principles for fixing minimum wages — perpetuating a gender bias (an adult female weighted 0.8 vs 1.0 for a male in consumption units).
• Hourly wage: Calculated as daily wage ÷ 8 — criticised as a flawed pro-rata approach, important given gig/platform and domestic work.
• Gig & platform workers: The Social Security Code rules do not clarify the employment relationship; such workers remain "self-employed" and in the unorganised workforce, with mandatory gratuity insurance left undefined.
• Trade union recognition: A sole registered union needs at least 30% membership to be recognised — a threshold not in the Code itself, which can weaken smaller unions.
• Core vs non-core: The OSH rules do not clearly define core vs non-core activities for contract labour, leaving scope for informalisation of core operations.

Context

Ahead of PM Modi's visit to France for the G7 Summit, French diplomatic sources said future defence cooperation with India — including the proposed Rafale deal — will be aligned with 'Make in India' and based on an "equal-to-equal" partnership of co-development, rather than a client-vendor arrangement.

Background & Key Facts

• The deal: India is advancing a ~₹3.25 lakh crore programme for 114 Rafale fighters for the IAF, to be structured differently from previous deals.
• New model: Envisioned as co-development and industrial cooperation aligned with 'Make in India' requirements — an "equal-to-equal" approach.
• Nuclear & maritime: Civil nuclear energy is expected to feature prominently (citing recent Indian legislative reforms); France also proposed a broader maritime security partnership, including a possible multinational initiative for freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, to which India may be invited.
• Summit diplomacy: Modi will hold bilateral talks with President Macron on the G7 margins; a West Asia-focused meeting (India, US, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE) is also expected.

Context

The rejection of a Congress Rajya Sabha candidate's nomination in Madhya Pradesh — and the subsequent unopposed election of three BJP candidates — has raised questions of procedural fairness and the Election Commission's role. The Supreme Court agreed to hear the candidate's challenge, declining interim relief while the electoral process was under way.

Background & Key Facts

• The rejection: The Returning Officer rejected the nomination on the ground that the candidate failed to disclose a pending case in Hyderabad in her affidavit.
• The disclosure law: Section 33A of the Representation of the People Act requires disclosure only of cases carrying punishment of two years or more and in which charges have been framed (a judicial step following a charge sheet).
• The facts argued: The candidate was named as a respondent in a private complaint (not a police FIR) where charges had not been framed/cognisance not taken — so, the argument runs, disclosure was not required.
• Differential treatment: The Congress alleged another candidate in the same cycle was given time to amend affidavits — pointing to unequal treatment.
• Judicial caution: The SC noted courts ordinarily should not intervene once the electoral process has commenced (election petitions are the usual remedy).

Context

The Tamil Nadu Assembly Speaker decided not to pursue disqualification proceedings against 21 AIADMK MLAs after the party's general secretary condoned their defiance of the whip — an occasion to revisit the Tenth Schedule (anti-defection law) and the Speaker's role.

Background & Key Facts

• The episode: 25 AIADMK MLAs had voted against the party whip in a trust vote; four resigned, and the party later condoned the remaining 21 within the prescribed period, leading the Speaker to drop proceedings against them.
• Tenth Schedule: Added by the 52nd Constitutional Amendment (1985), it disqualifies legislators for defection (voluntarily giving up party membership or defying the whip), with the presiding officer deciding.
• Condonation: A party can condone a whip violation within 15 days, after which disqualification does not follow — the basis for dropping proceedings here.
• Speaker's powers: Speakers have wide discretionary powers under the Tenth Schedule; their partisan use in various States has been criticised (the editorial recalls the "sky-high powers" remark).
• Judicial review: Speakers' decisions are subject to judicial review (Kihoto Hollohan); courts have urged time-bound decisions.

Context

To popularise biofuels, the Centre removed central excise duty on petrol blended with higher quantums of ethanol — exempting E22, E25, E27 and E30 variants — days after formally launching E85 (85% ethanol). It clarified the move is a prerequisite, not a decision on rolling out higher blends.

Background & Key Facts

• Avoiding dual levy: Petrol bears excise duty and ethanol bears GST at their stages; when blended, the product could attract excise again on the full quantity. The exemption averts this dual levy (already done for up to E20).
• Higher blends: Exemption extends to E22, E25, E27 and E30 — a "preliminary prerequisite" before any roll-out, which would follow testing and consultation.
• E85 launch: India formally launched the E85 variant (85% ethanol, 15% gasoline) on June 5.
• Industry response: Ethanol manufacturers welcomed it as a signal of policy stability and a spur to investment across the value chain (production, logistics, retailing, flex-fuel mobility).

Context

Indian industrial groups — Reliance, Vedanta and Adani — have reportedly shown interest in developing facilities to process Andhra Pradesh's significant rare-earth reserves, as New Delhi seeks to cut India's dependence on China for rare earths.

Background & Key Facts

• The interest: About 10 companies, including the three groups, have expressed interest in setting up rare-earth facilities in Andhra Pradesh.
• Resources: Andhra Pradesh holds ~211 million tonnes of beach-sand mineral resources (including rare earths) across 16 coastal deposits; India has ~482.6 million tonnes of rare-earth ore resources (Geological Survey of India).
• Investment target: Andhra Pradesh aims to attract ~₹50,000 crore ($5.2 billion) in rare-earth and titanium investments over the next decade.
• Strategic push: New Delhi is stepping up domestic rare-earth mining, processing and magnet-manufacturing capacity to reduce reliance on China, which dominates global processing.
• Why critical: Rare earths are vital for EVs, electronics, defence, wind turbines and clean-energy magnets — strategic minerals in the energy transition.

Context

The latest National Family Health Survey (NFHS-6, 2023–24) signals a structural shift in reproductive agency: contraception, once framed as population control, is increasingly a marker of women's agency. Yet the burden of contraception still falls overwhelmingly on women, and early marriage persists.

Background & Key Facts

• Fertility & uptake: India's TFR is ~2.0 (below replacement 2.1); contraceptive prevalence rose from 66.7% (NFHS-5) to 69.1%.
• Early marriage: 20.1% of women aged 20–24 married before 18 (23.3% rural — unchanged from NFHS-5); 6.7% of women aged 15–19 were already mothers or pregnant (7.9% rural) — a reproductive-health emergency.
• Gender skew in sterilisation: Female sterilisation = 36.5% of all contraceptive use (38.1% rural); male sterilisation just 0.5% — reflecting policy design and gender disempowerment.
• Shift in methods: Female sterilisation fell slightly (37.9%→36.5%); traditional methods rose sharply (10.3%→16.4%); modern reversible methods dipped (56.4%→52.7%) — some women stepping back from sterilisation into less-supported methods.
• Vasectomy myths: Misconceptions (loss of libido, weakness, stigma) deter men; experts stress vasectomy is simple, safe and does not affect testosterone or sexual performance, with reversal success >90% within three years.
• Sterilisation risks: Mass sterilisation camps (e.g., the 2014 Bilaspur tragedy) reflect a system treating women's reproductive capacity as a population-management problem.

Context

The Justice K.G. Balakrishnan (retd) Commission examining whether Scheduled Caste status can be granted to Dalits who convert to faiths beyond those currently recognised has finished its study and prepared its report, nearly four years after being tasked.

Background & Key Facts

• The Commission: A three-member Commission of Inquiry constituted in October 2022, as the Supreme Court was about to hear pleas seeking SC status for Dalit Muslims and Christians (pending ~20 years).
• The legal position: The Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order, 1950 currently restricts SC status to Dalits of Hindu, Sikh and Buddhist faiths — unlike Scheduled Tribe status, which has no religion criterion.
• Mandate: Examine the demand for SC status for Dalit converts, opposition to it, its impact on existing SC communities, and discrimination faced by Dalits after conversion.
• Government stance: The Union Social Justice Ministry has argued before the SC that SC status should be denied to those who convert to Islam or Christianity.