CURRENT AFFAIRS | MAY 15, 2026
Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), in collaboration with the Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs (MoHUA) and Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas (MoPNG), launched India’s first hydrogen-powered last-mile shuttle bus service in Central Vista on May 14, 2026. Flagged off by Union Ministers Hardeep Singh Puri and Dharmendra Pradhan, along with Delhi CM Rekha Gupta, the buses connect Central Secretariat and Seva Tirath Metro stations to over 700 government offices. The service is the first government-fleet hydrogen deployment under India’s National Green Hydrogen Mission (Jan 2023, Rs 19,744 crore outlay, target 5 MMT/year green H2 by 2030). The launch coincides with a sharp Delhi AQI of 203 (Poor) at Anand Vihar, foregrounding India’s clean-energy transition push.
Constitutional & Legal Framework
- Article 48A (DPSP) — State shall endeavour to protect and improve the environment.
- Article 51A(g) (Fundamental Duty) — citizens to protect natural environment.
- Article 21 — Right to clean environment as part of right to life (Subhash Kumar v State of Bihar, 1991).
- Doctrine of Public Trust — MC Mehta v Kamalnath (1997).
- Precautionary Principle & Polluter Pays — Vellore Citizens Welfare Forum v UOI (1996).
- Paris Agreement, 2015, Article 4 — Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).
Why It Matters for CLAT 2027
- Passage angle: Climate-justice and environmental law principles routinely appear as Legal Reasoning passages.
- Static GK overlap: NAPCC’s 8 missions, ISA, IRENA, Panchamrit pledges — all examinable.
- Doctrine application: Hydrogen shift fits the precautionary principle framework articulated in Vellore Citizens.
- Hydrogen “colour code” trivia: Green / Blue / Grey / Pink / Turquoise — classic 1-mark MCQ.
Key Facts to Memorise
- National Green Hydrogen Mission: Jan 2023; Rs 19,744 cr; 5 MMT/yr by 2030.
- Panchamrit (COP26 Glasgow 2021): 500 GW non-fossil, 50% RE energy share, 1 bn tonnes CO2 cut, 45% emissions intensity reduction, net zero by 2070.
- NAPCC (2008): 8 missions — Solar, Energy Efficiency, Sustainable Habitat, Water, Himalayan Eco, Green India, Sustainable Agri, Strategic Knowledge.
- ISA: 2015 India-France; HQ Gurugram. IRENA: 2009; HQ Abu Dhabi.
- Hydrogen colours: Green (renewable electrolysis), Blue (fossil + CCS), Grey (fossil no CCS), Pink (nuclear), Turquoise (methane pyrolysis).
Mnemonic / Quick Recall
“GREEN runs on RE, BLUE buries CO2, GREY just pollutes” — the hydrogen colour code. Pair with Panchamrit = 5 pledges, NAPCC = 8 missions, India NDC target year = 2070.
Sources: Indian Express p.5 (15 May 2026); PIB; MoPNG / MoHUA briefings.
Practice Quiz — 10 CLAT-Style Questions
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