News of The Day – 12th March 2026

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

(with Syllabus Relevance)

• India’s earthquake hazard map divides the country into four seismic zones (II–V) based on intensity risk.
• Proposed revisions suggested updating seismic zoning based on new geological data, but faced criticism and were reconsidered.
• Prepared by the Bureau of Indian Standards
• Important for urban planning, building codes, and disaster risk reduction.

(GS-2: Polity & Governance)

• The Supreme Court of India reaffirmed the Right to Die with Dignity as part of Article 21 (Right to Life and Personal Liberty).
• Recognised legality of passive euthanasia and living wills/advance medical directives.
• Built upon earlier judgments such as Aruna Shanbaug case (2011) and Common Cause v. Union of India (2018) which allowed withdrawal of life support for terminally ill patients.
• Emphasises patient autonomy, medical ethics, and safeguards against misuse.

(GS-2: Polity & Governance)

• National e‑Vidhan Application aims to digitise legislative processes in State Assemblies.
• Enables paperless functioning—digital bills, questions, debates, and records.
• Implemented under the Digital India Programme.
• Promotes transparency, efficiency and real-time public access to legislative proceedings.

(GS-2: International Relations)

• India dispatched humanitarian assistance to Madagascar after a devastating cyclone.
• Aid included medical supplies, essential medicines and relief materials.
• Reflects India’s Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) diplomacy.
• Supports India’s outreach to Indian Ocean Region partners under the SAGAR vision.

• Countries called for enhanced protection of peacekeepers serving in the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).
• UNIFIL monitors ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon and supports stability along the Blue Line border.
• India is among the largest contributors to UN Peacekeeping missions.

(GS-3: Economy)

• Published by NITI Aayog to assess the fiscal performance of Indian States.
• Evaluates states on parameters like debt sustainability, revenue mobilisation, fiscal deficit, and quality of expenditure.
• Aims to promote cooperative and competitive federalism by benchmarking fiscal management.
• Helps policymakers identify best practices and fiscal risks in state finances.

(GS-3: Economy)

• Rising LPG consumption due to schemes such as Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana has increased demand.
• Domestic LPG production has stagnated, increasing import dependence.
• Global supply disruptions and price volatility affect availability.
• India imports over 60% of LPG demand, mainly from West Asian producers.

(GS-3: Science & Technology)

• Initiative by the Unique Identification Authority of India.
• Invites ethical hackers and cybersecurity researchers to identify vulnerabilities in Aadhaar systems.
• Participants are rewarded for reporting security flaws responsibly
• Aims to strengthen cybersecurity, data protection, and digital trust in the Aadhaar ecosystem.

(GS-3: Science and tech)

• White phosphorus is a chemical substance that ignites on contact with oxygen and burns at extremely high temperatures.
• Used in smoke screens, illumination shells, and incendiary weapons.
• Its use against civilians is restricted under the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons.
• Causes severe chemical burns and environmental contamination.

(GS-3:Science and tech)

• Kavach Automatic Train Protection System is an indigenous railway safety system developed by Indian Railways.
• Prevents train collisions by automatically applying brakes if a driver fails to respond.
• Uses RFID tags, radio communication, and onboard computing systems.
• Part of broader railway modernisation and accident-prevention strategy.

• The World Health Organization warned about health hazards from “black rain”, rainfall contaminated by soot, dust and chemical pollutants.
• Linked to wildfires, industrial pollution and atmospheric particulates.
• Can cause respiratory problems, skin irritation and environmental contamination.

(GS-3: Environment)

• Survey conducted in Silent Valley National Park in Kerala, part of the Western Ghats biodiversity hotspot.
• Recorded 192 bird species, including endemic and threatened species.
• The park protects one of India’s last tropical evergreen forests.
• Conservation success linked to the historic Silent Valley Movement (1970s–80s) that stopped a hydropower project.