10 February 2026

• IT Rules 2026: The Centre notified mandatory AI-content labelling and a 3-hour takedown window for harmful AI-generated content. This is India's first binding AI regulation.
• Polity: No-confidence motion procedure against the Lok Sabha Speaker reviewed; Article 94(c) and the 14-day notice requirement discussed.
• Science: SBI's CHAKRA Centre targets ₹100 lakh crore in green finance by 2030, covering renewables, EVs, green hydrogen, semiconductors and data centres.
• Geography: Sawalkot Hydroelectric Project on the Chenab River is India's largest proposed run-of-river project in J&K at 1,856 MW.

GS area: Governance, Science and Technology (Digital regulation)

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology notified the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Amendment Rules, 2026 on 10 February 2026.

• Definition of synthetically generated information (SGI): AI-generated or AI-altered audio-visual content that appears real. The rules target deepfakes, voice clones and manipulated videos.
• 3-hour takedown window: Platforms must remove illegal AI-generated content within 3 hours of receiving a complaint. The window for non-consensual deepfakes (primarily intimate imagery) is 2 hours.
• Mandatory watermarking: AI-generated content must carry visible watermarks and, where audio is present, audible disclaimers. Metadata embedding for content provenance tracing is also required.
• Safe harbour at stake: Under Section 79 of the IT Act, 2000, intermediary platforms are protected from liability for third-party content if they follow the due-diligence requirements. Failure to label or remove AI content strips this protection.
• User declaration mechanism: Users must declare that their uploads are AI-generated or not. Platforms must build verification mechanisms for this.
• Implementation challenge: Automated AI detection tools have significant false-positive and false-negative rates. Smaller platforms lack the technical resources to comply.

Static linkage: IT Act 2000 (Section 79), Digital India, AI governance (Governance/S&T).

GS area: Polity (Parliament, Constitutional provisions)

Parliamentary discussion covers the procedure for a no-confidence motion against the Speaker of the Lok Sabha.

• Constitutional basis: Article 94(c) allows the Speaker to be removed by a resolution passed by a majority of all the then members of the Lok Sabha.
• 14-day notice: A resolution for removal must be given at least 14 days in advance. The notice must be signed by a minimum of 50 members.
• Debate procedure: The Speaker has the right to speak in defence and vote (this is an exception to the usual rule that the Speaker does not vote except in case of a tie).
• Historical instances: Removal motions were moved against G.V. Mavalankar (1954), Balram Jakhar (1987) and G.M.C. Balayogi (2001). None resulted in removal.
• Deputy Speaker: The position has been vacant since 2019. The Deputy Speaker is elected by the Lok Sabha under Article 93. The absence of a Deputy Speaker means no constitutional backup presiding officer exists.
• Vande Mataram protocol: The Centre issued guidelines requiring all six stanzas of Vande Mataram at specified government functions (3 minutes 10 seconds). Standing attention is required. The song is not mandatory in cinema halls.

Static linkage: Article 93, Article 94, Speaker's role, parliamentary procedure (Polity).

GS area: Economy (Energy, Infrastructure), Geography

The Sawalkot Hydroelectric Project on the Chenab River is India's largest proposed run-of-river project in Jammu and Kashmir.

• Capacity: 1,856 MW - the highest capacity hydroelectric project in J&K.
• Structure: 192.5 metre RCC gravity dam with an underground powerhouse housing nine turbines.
• Location: Spans Ramban and Udhampur districts in J&K.
• Annual output: Approximately 8,000 Million Units of electricity.
• Cost: ₹5,129 crore.
• Indus Waters Treaty: The Chenab is a western river under the Indus Waters Treaty (1960). India has rights over all non-consumptive uses (run-of-river projects) and limited storage rights. The Sawalkot project falls within India's treaty rights.
• Run-of-river vs storage: A run-of-river project diverts river flow through turbines without creating large reservoirs. Storage projects build large dams with reservoirs. Pakistan has raised objections to several Indian projects on western rivers; the Sawalkot design is intended to stay within treaty limits.

Static linkage: Indus Waters Treaty 1960, Chenab River, hydropower (Geography/Economy).

GS area: Economy (Green finance, Banking)

The State Bank of India launched the CHAKRA Centre (Clean Hydrogen And Climate-Knowledge Repository for Acceleration) targeting approximately ₹100 lakh crore in green sector financing by 2030.

• Sectors covered: Renewable energy, batteries, electric vehicles, green hydrogen, semiconductor manufacturing, decarbonisation projects, smart infrastructure and data centres.
• Why a bank-led centre: Large-scale green transitions require patient long-term capital. Banks with access to cheap retail deposits are better positioned than capital markets for multi-decade infrastructure projects.
• Green hydrogen linkage: The National Green Hydrogen Mission targets 5 million metric tonnes of green hydrogen production by 2030. Achieving this requires electrolyser manufacturing and renewable energy buildout, both capital-intensive sectors.
• SBI's role: SBI is India's largest commercial bank by assets. Its balance sheet size gives it the capacity to lead large project-finance consortia.

Static linkage: National Green Hydrogen Mission, energy transition, banking sector (Economy/Environment).

GS area: Economy (Agriculture, Trade), International Relations

The agricultural concessions in the India-US trade deal continue to generate opposition.

• WTO Agreement on Agriculture three pillars: Domestic support (caps on subsidies that distort production), export subsidies (reductions in export incentives) and market access (tariff reductions on agricultural imports). India's key concern is that duty-free US agricultural imports could undermine domestic support mechanisms.
• Peace Clause (Bali 2013): The WTO's Bali Package of 2013 included a "peace clause" protecting developing countries' food-security stockholding programmes from legal challenge. India's food procurement under the National Food Security Act depends on this protection. The India-US deal does not directly affect the peace clause but sets a precedent for future FTA negotiations.
• Farmer groups' demand: The Samyukt Kisan Morcha is demanding that agricultural goods be entirely excluded from any bilateral trade deal with the US. The government has maintained that dairy and core agricultural staples are excluded.

Static linkage: WTO, MSP, food security, India-US relations (Economy/IR).

• B-READY Index (World Bank): The World Bank's Business Ready index replaced the old Doing Business report. It evaluates economies across three pillars: Regulatory Framework, Public Services and Operational Efficiency. The index integrates digital adoption, sustainability and gender inclusion, all absent from the old Doing Business framework.
• Continental mantle earthquakes: A rare category of seismic events occurring more than 80 kilometres below the Mohorovicic discontinuity (the boundary between Earth's crust and mantle). A cluster was detected beneath tectonically active zones including the Himalayas.