News of The Day – 17th March 2026

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

(with Syllabus Relevance)

• About Sahitya Akademi Award.
  • Recognises outstanding literary works in Indian languages.
• Promotes literature and cultural unity.
• Covers 24 recognized languages.

(GS-1: Geography)

• Nor’wester is also known as Kalbaisakhi storms in eastern India.
  • Pre-monsoon thunderstorms are common in West Bengal, Assam, Bihar.
• Caused by intense heating and moisture incursion from Bay of Bengal.
• Characterised by strong winds, lightning, and short-duration heavy rain.
• Important for agriculture but can cause damage.

• About Force majeure
  • Legal concept meaning unforeseeable circumstances preventing contract fulfilment.
• Includes natural disasters, war, pandemics.
• Invoked to avoid liability for non-performance.
• Widely used in infrastructure, trade, and commercial contracts.
• Gained prominence during COVID-19 disruptions.

• Supreme Court cautioned against mandatory menstrual leave laws.
• Risk: employers may discriminate in hiring women
• Debate between substantive equality vs unintended exclusion.
• Linked to Articles 14 and 21 (equality and dignity).
• The Court prefers voluntary employer-led policies over statutory mandate.

• India’s neighbourhood diplomacy extends to West Asia, critical for energy, diaspora, and security.
• Challenges due to regional instability (Iran–Israel tensions, Gulf rivalries).
• Balancing ties with competing powers (Israel, Iran, Gulf states).
• Importance of strategic autonomy and multi-alignment.
• Linked to India’s energy security, remittances, and maritime trade routes (Strait of Hormuz).

(GS-3: Economy)

• Caravan tourism promotes travel using mobile homes.
• Enhances tourism in remote and scenic areas.• Boosts local economy, employment, and infrastructure.
• The Ministry of Tourism promotes under “Dekho Apna Desh”.
• Requires regulatory framework, safety standards, and infrastructure support.

(GS-3: Economy)

• Push for electric cooking (induction, electric stoves) to reduce LPG dependence.
• Benefits: lower emissions, improved indoor air quality.
• Challenges: electricity access, affordability, behavioural change.
• Linked to energy transition and net-zero goals.
• Complements renewable energy expansion.

(GS-3: Environment)

• Submitted under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).
• Reports progress on biodiversity conservation and Aichi Targets / post-2020 framework.
• India among megadiverse countries.
• Covers conservation efforts, ecosystem restoration, and policy measures.
• Highlights challenges like habitat loss and climate change.

(GS-3: Environment)

• Water is central to climate adaptation (floods, droughts, variability).
• India faces water stress despite monsoon dependence.
• Strategies: Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM), watershed management.
• Govt initiatives: Jal Jeevan Mission, Atal Bhujal Yojana.
• Focus on nature-based solutions (wetlands, groundwater recharge).

• Discovery of a new/rare crab species in Silent Valley National Park.
• Silent Valley is a biodiversity hotspot in the Western Ghats.
• Indicates rich and understudied endemic biodiversity.
• Reinforces the need for conservation of fragile ecosystems.
• Western Ghats is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

• Refers to global discussions ahead of COP climate processes in Belém (Brazil).
• Focus on forest finance mechanisms to conserve tropical forests.
• Emphasis on results-based payments, carbon markets, and indigenous community participation.
• Highlights limitations of existing climate finance (underfunded, inequitable).
• Important for biodiversity conservation and climate mitigation.

• Failure of one satellite in IRNSS (NavIC).• IRNSS provides regional GPS-like services.
• Impacts accuracy and redundancy of navigation services.
• Important for defence, disaster management, and civilian navigation.
• Highlights need for satellite replacement and system resilience.

(GS-3: Science & Technology)

• Modern warfare is shifting from manpower-intensive to technology-intensive.
• Role of AI, drones, cyber warfare, robotics, space-based systems.
• Emergence of multi-domain warfare.
• Precision strikes replacing traditional combat.

(GS-3: Science & Technology)

• Refers to development of quantum technology research labs.
• Focus areas: quantum computing, communication, cryptography.
• About the National Quantum Mission.