UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS NOTES: 03 FEBRUARY 2026

Keywords: Union Budget 2026, 16th Finance Commission, VB-GRAM-G, Article 262, Pennaiyar River, Gravitational Waves, Menstrual Hygiene Rights, Wetlands.

GENERAL STUDIES II: POLITY, GOVERNANCE & SOCIAL JUSTICE

1. Inter-State Water Disputes: Pennaiyar River

Context: The Supreme Court has directed the Centre to constitute a tribunal to resolve the dispute over the Pennaiyar River.

• Constitutional & Legal Framework:

  • Article 262(1): Parliament may by law provide for the adjudication of any dispute regarding the use/control of waters of inter-state rivers.
    

  • Article 262(2): Parliament may provide that neither the Supreme Court nor any other court shall exercise jurisdiction over such disputes.
    

  • Key Acts:

    1. River Boards Act, 1956: Empowers Union Govt to establish boards for regulating inter-state rivers.

    2. Inter-State River Water Disputes Act, 1956: Union Govt establishes a tribunal for adjudication.
       

  • Separation of Powers:

    • Union List (Entry 56): Regulation and development of inter-state rivers.

    • State List (Entry 17): Water supplies, irrigation, canals, drainage.
      

• Geographical Facts (Prelims Focus):

  • River Name: Pennaiyar (also known as Then Pennai or Dakshina Pinakini).

  • Origin: Nandi Hills (Chikkaballapura district), Karnataka.
    

  • Flow: ~80 km in Karnataka, ~320 km in Tamil Nadu; drains into the Bay of Bengal near Cuddalore.
    

  • Major Tributaries: Markanda, Pambar, Vaniyar, Chinnar.
    

  • The Dispute: Tamil Nadu objects to Karnataka constructing check dams/embankments that restrict water flow.

2. Fiscal Federalism: 16th Finance Commission

Context: The Budget 2026-27 accepted the 16th FC recommendations.

• Vertical Devolution: States' share in central taxes remains at 41%.
  

• Horizontal Devolution (Criteria Changes):

  • Population: Weightage increased from 15% to 17.5%.

  • Income Distance: Weightage decreased from 45% to 42.5%.

  • Area: Decreased to 10% (from 15%).

  • Demographic Performance: Decreased to 10% (from 12.5%).

  • Forest Cover: Unchanged at 10%.

• Analysis:

  • While the formula tweaks aimed to help Southern states, the relief varies.

  • Gainers: Kerala (+23.7% growth in share), Karnataka (+13.2%).
    

  • Losers/Stagnant: Tamil Nadu saw negligible growth (0.44%) despite the population criteria hike, as Southern population growth is stabilizing.

3. Right to Menstrual Hygiene (Article 21)

Context: A landmark Supreme Court judgment (Justice Pardiwala & Justice Mahadevan).

• Key Ruling: The Right to Menstrual Health and Hygiene is now encapsulated under Article 21 (Right to Life and Dignity).
  

• Concept of "Menstrual Poverty": Lack of access to functional toilets, water, and products violates bodily autonomy and hinders the Right to Education.
  

• Directives:

  • Schools (Government and Private) must provide functional, gender-segregated toilets and hygienic disposal mechanisms.

  • Non-compliance by private schools can lead to de-recognition.
    

• Quote for Mains: "A period should end a sentence, not a girl's education.".

GENERAL STUDIES III: ECONOMY & INFRASTRUCTURE

1. Employment Scheme: VB-GRAM-G vs MGNREGA

Context: The Union Budget introduced a new scheme replacing MGNREGA.

• New Scheme: VB-GRAM-G (Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Aajeevika Mission - Gramin).
  

• Key Feature: Guarantees 125 days of employment (Upgrade from MGNREGA's 100 days).
  

• Budgetary Issues (Critical Analysis):

  • Allocation: Total allocation is ~₹95,692 Cr.
    

  • Criticism: Experts argue that funding 125 days would require over ₹2 Lakh Crore. The current allocation is only ~43% of the requirement.
    

  • Pending Dues: A significant portion of the funds (₹15,000 Cr out of ₹30,000 Cr specifically for MGNREGA transition) is for clearing past arrears, leaving insufficient funds for new wages.

2. International Trade

• India-US Deal: Under President Trump and PM Modi, the US has agreed to reduce tariffs on "Made in India" products to 18% (down from ~50%).

3. Agriculture & Traditional Knowledge (Ayush)

• Ayush Expansion: 3 new All India Institutes of Ayurveda to be set up.

• Objective: Promote high-quality research, biologics, and biosimilars in traditional medicine.

4. Financial Terms

• Hedge Funds: Pooled investment funds for High Net-Worth Individuals (HNIs) and institutions. They use risky strategies (high leverage) to maximize returns. Unlike Mutual Funds, they are less regulated and aim for high returns regardless of market direction.

GENERAL STUDIES III: SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY & ENVIRONMENT

1. Space Technology: ISRO

• Recent Setbacks: Failure of PSLV C61 (Earth Observation Satellite 09) and PSLV C62 (Foreign satellites) due to third-stage anomalies.

• Action: ISRO has constituted an external third-party probe to restore credibility to the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), known as ISRO's "workhorse".

2. Physics: Gravitational Waves & Relativity

Context: General Relativity passed its "hardest test yet" via observations by LIGO (Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory).

• The Phenomenon: When two black holes merge, they form a distorted single black hole that settles down by emitting gravitational waves. This process is called "Ring Down" (like a struck bell fading out).

  
  

• No Hair Theorem: Proposed by Einstein; states that a black hole has only two properties: Mass and Spin. It has "no hair" (no hidden complexities/features).
  

• Discovery: The detection of GW 2501114 confirmed the specific "tone" predicted by Einstein (Main note -> Echo -> High pitch), validating the No Hair Theorem.

3. Environment: Wetlands

Context: February 2nd is World Wetlands Day.

• Current Status: India has lost 40% of its wetlands; half of the remaining are damaged due to encroachment, sand mining, and sewage dumping.
  

• Ecological Services: Natural infrastructure for flood control, water cleaning, carbon storage, and biodiversity.
  

• Traditional Water Management (Culture/Environment):

  • Kulams (Tamil Nadu): Cascading man-made tanks connected like a chain.

  • Kenis (Kerala): Small traditional wells for freshwater.
    

• Way Forward: Integrate modern science with traditional wisdom and involve local communities in conservation.

GENERAL STUDIES IV: EDUCATION & ETHICS

1. Adaptive Testing

• Concept: A dynamic assessment method where question difficulty adjusts based on the student's performance (Correct answer = Harder next question; Wrong answer = Easier next question).
  

• Benefit: Provides a more accurate measure of ability than static exams.
  

• Status: Not yet ready for implementation in India.

MAP WORK (PRELIMS)

• Rafah Crossing: Border crossing between Gaza Strip and Egypt (critical for humanitarian aid).
  

• Erez Crossing: Border crossing between Gaza Strip and Israel (Northern Gaza).