CURRENT AFFAIRS | MARCH 2026
CLAT Relevance
- 16th Finance Commission — Article 280, vertical and horizontal devolution
- Bharat Taxi — cooperative model, zero-commission platform
- FNTA — Article 371(A), Nagaland tribal autonomy
- NDMA SOP — disaster management, forensic archaeology
- Meghalaya rat-hole mining — NGT ban, environmental law
- RBI digital fraud compensation — DEA Fund
16th Finance Commission
- Tabled February 1, headed by Dr. Arvind Panagariya
- 5-year period: April 2026 – March 2031
- Article 280(1): FC constituted by President every 5th year
- Vertical devolution: 41% of divisible pool retained
Key Facts: Horizontal Devolution Criteria
- Population: 17.50%
- Demographic performance: 10%
- Area: 10%
- Forest: 10%
- Per capita GSDP distance: 42.50%
- NEW: Contribution to GDP: 10% (Tax and fiscal efforts REMOVED)
Bharat Taxi & Meghalaya Mining
- Bharat Taxi: launched February 5 by Home Minister Amit Shah
- Zero-commission model — operated by Sahakar Taxi Cooperative Ltd (STCL)
- Supported by NCDC and NABARD; roll out across India in 3 years
- Meghalaya rat-hole mines: 25 deaths in East Jaintia Hills
- Rat-hole mining banned by NGT since 2014
- Method: narrow horizontal coal seams, one-person pits
FNTA (Frontier Nagaland Territorial Authority)
Legal Analysis: FNTA
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- Tripartite agreement between ENPO, Nagaland government, and MHA
- 6 districts: Tuensang, Mon, Kiphire, Longleng, Noklak, Shamator
- 46 subjects devolved
- Article 371(A) remains unaffected
- 7 tribes: Konyak, Khiamniungan, Chang, Sangtam, Tikhir, Phom, Yimkhiung (30%+ of state population)
- Nagaland carved from Assam in 1963
NDMA SOP & RBI Digital Fraud Compensation
- NDMA released first-ever SOP on disaster victim identification
- Proposes National Dental Data Registry
- Released 25 years after 2001 Gujarat earthquake
- Uses “forensic archaeology” for identification
Mnemonic: FNTA Districts
T-M-K-L-N-S = Tuensang, Mon, Kiphire, Longleng, Noklak, Shamator
T-M-K-L-N-S = Tuensang, Mon, Kiphire, Longleng, Noklak, Shamator
- RBI digital fraud compensation: up to Rs 25,000 per case
- Paid from DEA Fund (Deposit Education and Awareness Fund)
- DEA Fund constituted 2014 — from unclaimed deposits of 10+ years
Source: UPSC Essentials, The Indian Express — March 2026
Practice Quiz
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Practice Quiz — 10 CLAT-Style Questions
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