News of The Day : 05th February 2026

News of The Day – 5th Feb 2026

The Hindu, Indian Express, Live Mint, Business Standard, Economic Times, PIB and AIR, etc

(with Syllabus Relevance)

(GS-2: Polity and Governance)

• Violent crime involving minors triggered debate on digital harm.
• Risks highlighted: online radicalisation, cyberbullying, addiction, mental health issues.
• India’s current framework: IT Act 2000, IT Rules 2021, Digital Personal Data Protection Act 2023.
• Australia has proposed/banned certain social media access for children below a specified age.
• Issues: enforcement gaps, parental consent, age verification, freedom of expression
• Balancing child protection with digital rights & proportional regulation.

• About Ad-hoc appointments.
• AP High Court Observations
  • Ad-hoc staff cannot be arbitrarily replaced by another ad-hoc appointee.
• Reinforces principles of fairness & job security.
• Impacts public employment, university governance & labour rights.
• Linked to Articles 14 & 16 (equality in public employment).

(GS-2: Polity & Governance)

• President’s Rule imposed under Article 356 due to breakdown of constitutional machinery.
• Revocation signifies restoration of elected government & normalcy.
• Governor’s role during President’s Rule (Art. 356–357).
• Manipur context: ethnic tensions, law & order challenges, Centre–State coordination.
• Federalism issue: misuse vs necessity of President’s Rule (S.R. Bommai judgment).

(GS-2: International Relations)

• Seychelles is a key maritime partner in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).
• Cooperation areas: maritime security, defence, blue economy.
• Strengthens India’s SAGAR vision & Indo-Pacific outreach.
• Strategic importance amid rising great power competition in IOR.

(GS-3: Economy)

• About Chemical parks.
• Focus on plug-and-play infrastructure, common utilities & logistics.
• Reduces import dependence on intermediates & specialty chemicals.
• Supports Make in India, exports & MSME integration.
• Environmental: Need for green chemistry & pollution safeguards.

(GS-3: Economy)

• Capital goods are core to manufacturing & infrastructure growth.
• Budget focus: domestic manufacturing of machinery, heavy equipment.
• Technology upgradation, skilling & easier credit access.
• Reduces reliance on imports, improves industrial competitiveness.
• Key for long-term productivity & job creation.

(GS-3: Science & Tech)

• About Anthropic AI.
• Anthropic launched enterprise AI tools threatening existing SaaS models.
• Markets reacted to fears of revenue disruption & commoditisation of software jobs.
• Indian IT impact: pressure on traditional service-based revenue models.

• About MPLAD Fund.
• MPLADS allows MPs to recommend local development works.
  • Works permitted under MPLAD Fund.
• Criticism: transparency issues, overlap with executive functions.
• Defence: addresses micro-level infrastructure gaps quickly.
• Governance debate: accountability vs decentralised development.

(GS-2: IR)

• BRICS Centre for Industrial Competencies
  • Aims at skill development & industrial cooperation.
• Focus on MSMEs, manufacturing standards & workforce upskilling.
• Enhances South–South cooperation & technology sharing.
• Supports India’s manufacturing push & global value chain integration.
• Strengthens BRICS institutional architecture.

(GS-3: Science & Technology)

• Space insurance covers satellites, launch vehicles & in-orbit risks.
• Growing relevance due to private participation (IN-SPACe reforms)
• Supports India’s New Space India Ltd (NSIL) & commercial launches
• Reduces financial risk, boosts investor confidence in space startups.
• Aligns with India’s ambition to be a global space service hub.

(GS-3: Environment )

• What is the heat island effect?
• Urban areas face amplified warming due to the heat island effect.
• Poor planning, concretisation & loss of green cover worsen impact.
• Implications: public health, water stress, productivity loss.