West Asia: Iran rejected the US peace proposal, listing 5 conditions.
Climate: India submitted its updated NDC: 60 per cent non-fossil electricity capacity by 2035, 47 per cent reduction in emissions intensity from 2005 levels, and a 3.5 to 4 billion tonne carbon sink.
Polity: Transgender Persons Amendment Bill 2026 passed the Rajya Sabha.
Aviation: UDAN scheme revamped with ₹28,840 crore outlay.
RBI: Inflation targeting mandate renewed at 4 per cent (plus or minus 2 per cent) for 2026-2031.
1. Iran rejects US peace bid: 5 conditions
GS area: International Relations
Iran's Supreme National Security Council rejected the US negotiation framework:
Iran's 5 conditions:
Complete lifting of all sanctions imposed since 2018.
US withdrawal of all military assets from the Persian Gulf.
Recognition of Iran's right to enrich uranium to 20 per cent for civilian purposes.
No inspections of military sites by the IAEA.
Formal US commitment to non-aggression.
US position: Offered a phased sanctions relief in exchange for a 12-year moratorium on uranium enrichment above 5 per cent and intrusive IAEA inspections.
India's concern: Continued Hormuz closure adds $12 to $15 per barrel to India's crude import costs. Each dollar added to crude costs India approximately ₹10,000 crore in annual import bills.
IAEA: International Atomic Energy Agency. Based in Vienna. Its Additional Protocol allows intrusive inspections. Iran suspended IAEA camera access in early 2021.
JCPOA context: The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (2015) had limited Iran's enrichment in exchange for sanctions relief. Trump withdrew in 2018.
India submitted its updated Nationally Determined Contribution to the UNFCCC:
Three targets:
Achieve 60 per cent of total electricity capacity from non-fossil sources by 2035 (previously 40 per cent by 2030, already achieved: 46 per cent by 2025).
Reduce GDP emissions intensity by 47 per cent from 2005 levels by 2035 (previous target: 45 per cent by 2030).
Create a carbon sink of 3.5 to 4 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent through forests and tree cover by 2035.
International context: NDCs are submitted under the Paris Agreement's "ratchet mechanism" (Article 4). Countries must submit progressively more ambitious NDCs.
The criticism: India's NDC is framed in capacity terms, not generation. India generates about 25 per cent of its electricity from non-fossil sources despite 52 per cent non-fossil installed capacity. Solar and wind generate only when the sun shines and wind blows.
Just Transition: India's NDC does not contain binding coal phase-out timelines. About 22 lakh coal workers' livelihoods depend on the coal sector.
Green Credits Programme: India's domestic scheme for non-industrial carbon credits (tree planting, water conservation) that can be converted to carbon credits.
Static linkage: Paris Agreement, NDC, climate finance (GS III).
3. Transgender Persons Amendment Bill 2026
GS area: Polity (rights), Society
The Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Amendment Bill 2026 was passed by the Rajya Sabha:
Key changes from the 2019 Act:
Self-perceived gender identity replaced by a medical certification process through a Chief Medical Officer-headed District Screening Committee.
Binary gender identity mandated (male or female only). The 2019 Act recognised a third category.
Removal of protections against family violence (the 2019 Act had provisions making family members' violence against transgender persons an offence with specific penalties).
What the Bill retains: Anti-discrimination protections in education, employment, and health care.
NALSA (2014): The landmark Supreme Court ruling which declared the right to self-identify gender as a constitutional right (Article 21). The Amendment Bill directly contradicts this.
Opposition: 100-plus civil society organisations, NALSA's advisory committee, and the National Commission for Women issued statements opposing the Bill.
International obligation: The Yogyakarta Principles (2006) on gender identity hold that no medical procedure can be required for legal recognition.
The revised UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik) scheme was announced:
Outlay: ₹28,840 crore over 10 years (2026-2036).
Previous scheme: UDAN 1.0 to 4.0 connected 58 underserved airports. The new version targets 120 airports.
Key changes:
VGF (Viability Gap Funding) enhanced: up to ₹2,400 per seat on underserved routes.
Helicopter routes under UDAN-HeliSewa expanded, particularly in the Northeast and J&K.
Seaplane operations (UDAN-Jalvaayu) included.
E-Auction system for route allocation replaced the earlier fixed allocation.
Air connectivity context: India has the world's 3rd largest aviation market by passengers. But 5 airports (Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai) handle 70 per cent of traffic. UDAN targets the remaining 30 per cent.
Airport Authority of India: Manages 137 airports. The UDAN scheme's success depends on AAI developing unserved airports to operational standards.
The government renewed the RBI's flexible inflation targeting framework:
Target renewed: 4 per cent CPI inflation (plus or minus 2 per cent tolerance band), effective April 2026 to March 2031.
First mandate: 2016-2021. Second mandate: 2021-2026. This is the third five-year mandate.
Legal basis: Amended Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934 (Section 45ZA to 45ZL, added by the Finance Act 2016).
MPC (Monetary Policy Committee): 6-member committee (3 RBI, 3 external) that sets the repo rate to achieve the inflation target. A majority decision overrides dissent; the RBI Governor casts the deciding vote in a tie.
Breaches: If average CPI inflation exceeds 6 per cent or falls below 2 per cent for 3 consecutive quarters, the MPC must report to the government explaining the failure and proposed corrective action.
Context: In 2025-26, West Asia conflict-driven oil prices pushed CPI to 5.9 per cent. The renewed target retains the same 4 per cent anchor.
6. India purchases Iranian LPG via sanctioned tanker
GS area: International Relations, Economy
Investigative reporting revealed India had purchased Iranian LPG through channels that bypassed sanctions:
The mechanism: LPG purchased by an Indian PSU from an Iranian entity, loaded on a vessel designated under US secondary sanctions, and delivered to an Indian port.
Secondary sanctions: The US sanctions do not directly criminalise the Indian entity but can block access to the US financial system and deny export licences for US technology.
India's defence: India invokes its "strategic autonomy" principle. Energy security is a national priority. India abstained from the UN Security Council Russia sanctions vote in 2022 using the same logic.
Pragmatic interest: Indian PSU refineries have been configured to process Iranian crude. Switching to non-Iranian crude requires refinery modifications costing hundreds of crore.
Trump's pressure: The March 25 Trump-Modi call specifically included a request to end Iranian LPG purchases in exchange for Hormuz guarantees.
Static linkage: Secondary sanctions, strategic autonomy, energy security (GS II).
Practice MCQs
Check yourself
Under India's Flexible Inflation Targeting framework, the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) consists of how many members, and how is a tie broken?
Check yourself
India's updated NDC submitted to UNFCCC in March 2026 commits to which of the following targets by 2035? (i) 60 per cent non-fossil electricity capacity (ii) 47 per cent reduction in emissions intensity from 2005 (iii) Carbon sink of 3.5 to 4 billion tonnes
Check yourself
UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik) scheme's key funding mechanism is:
Check yourself
The JCPOA (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action) of 2015 was an agreement between Iran and:
Check yourself
The NALSA v. Union of India (2014) judgment is significant in Indian constitutional law because: