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Chemical Parks

In News

  • The Union Budget 2026–27 has introduced a new scheme to assist States in setting up three dedicated Chemical Parks with a budgetary allocation of Rs 600 crore in BE FY 2026–27. 

    • What are Chemical Parks?

  • Chemical parks are planned industrial clusters explicitly designed for chemical and petrochemical manufacturing, where multiple units operate together, sharing world-class infrastructure and common services.
  • They are envisaged as cluster-based, plug-and-play manufacturing ecosystems, supported by common infrastructure and shared facilities.
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    PSU Disinvestment as a Pillar of Growth-Oriented Fiscal Consolidation

    Context

  • The Union Budget 2026–27 reiterates the government’s preference for growth-led fiscal consolidation, balancing deficit reduction with sustained capital expenditure, and disinvestment.

    • About

  • Economic growth has been prioritised over fiscal deficit reduction to sustain demand and investment.
  • Capital expenditure and infrastructure spending have been protected due to their high growth multiplier effects.
  • The fiscal deficit is projected at 4.4% of GDP in FY26 and 4.3% in FY27, reflecting gradual consolidation.

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    Denotified Tribes Demand Constitutional Recognition and Separate Census Enumeration

    Context

  • Denotified Tribes (DNTs), Nomadic Tribes (NTs), and Semi-Nomadic Tribes (SNTs) across India are demanding a separate column in the 2027 caste census and constitutional recognition through a distinct Schedule, citing long-standing political misclassification, and exclusion from welfare benefits.

    • Nomadic, Semi Nomadic, and Denotified Tribes (NTs, SNTs, and DNTs)

  • Nomadic and semi-nomadic communities are defined as those who move from one place to another rather than living at one place all the time.
  • The term ‘De-notified Tribes’ stands for all those communities which were once notified under the Criminal Tribes Acts, enforced by the British Raj between 1871 and 1947. 

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    गैर-अधिसूचित जनजातियों की संवैधानिक मान्यता और पृथक जनगणना गणना की मांग

    संदर्भ

  • भारत भर में गैर-अधिसूचित जनजातियाँ (DNTs), घुमंतू जनजातियाँ (NTs), और अर्ध-घुमंतू जनजातियाँ (SNTs) 2027 की जाति जनगणना में एक पृथक स्तंभ तथा एक विशिष्ट अनुसूची के माध्यम से संवैधानिक मान्यता की मांग कर रही हैं।

    • भारत में स्थिति   

  • अनुमान है कि दक्षिण एशिया में विश्व की सबसे बड़ी घुमंतू जनसंख्या है।
  • भारत में लगभग 10 प्रतिशत जनसंख्या गैर-अधिसूचित और घुमंतू है।

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    News In Short 04-02-2026

    In News

  • Experts caution that the expiry of the New START Treaty would eliminate the last remaining legally binding constraint on the nuclear arsenals of the world’s two largest nuclear powers.

    • Background 

  • The term START originates from the “Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty,” with the first agreement, START-I, signed between the US and the former USSR in 1991 and coming into force in 1994. 
  • START-I limited each side to 6,000 nuclear warheads and 1,600 intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) but expired in 2009.
  •  It was succeeded by the Strategic Offensive Reductions Treaty (SORT, also called the Treaty of Moscow) and later by the New START treaty (signed in 2010 & entered into force in 2011). 

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    Death Penalty in India

    Context

  • According to an annual report on capital punishment published by Square Circle Clinic at NALSAR University of Law, the Supreme Court of India has not confirmed a single death sentence in the past three years, reflecting a highly restrictive approach toward capital punishment.

    • Key Findings of the Report

  • Lower Courts Continue to Impose Death Sentences: Sessions Courts imposed 1,310 death sentences between 2016 and 2025, including 128 sentences in 2025 alone, despite growing skepticism at higher judicial levels.
  • Low Confirmation Rates in High Courts: Of the 1,310 death sentences, 842 cases reached the High Courts. Only 70 sentences (just 8.31%) were confirmed.
  • Supreme Court Overturns Confirmed Sentences: Even where High Courts confirmed death sentences, the Supreme Court has not upheld a single one in the past three years.

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    Solid Waste Management (SWM) Rules, 2026

    In News

  • The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has notified the Solid Waste Management (SWM) Rules, 2026, superseding the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016. 

    • Solid Waste Management (SWM) Rules, 2026

  • The rules have been notified under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 and will come into full effect from April 1, 2026.
  • The rules provide for the levy of environmental compensation based on the ‘Polluter Pays’ principle for non-compliance, including cases of operating without registration, false reporting, submission of forged documents or improper solid waste management practices. 
  • The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) will prepare the relevant guidelines, while State Pollution Control Boards and Pollution Control Committees will levy the environmental compensation.

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    Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS)

    In Context

  • A recent controversy erupted over alleged misuse of MPLADS funds and critics demanding the scheme should be discontinued.

    • Critical Arguments for Scrapping the Scheme

  • Critics, including the 2nd Administrative Reforms Commission (ARC), have argued for its discontinuation based on:
  • Breach of Separation of Powers: The scheme allows legislators (MPs) to perform executive functions (deciding on specific local projects). This blurs the line between the legislature and the executive.
  • Federalism Concerns: The subjects covered under MPLADS (sanitation, local roads, etc.) fall under the State List and Local Bodies (73rd/74th Amendments). Critics argue the Union is “encroaching” on local government domains.

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