CURRENT AFFAIRS | MARCH 2026
CLAT Relevance
- 16th Finance Commission — Article 280, vertical and horizontal devolution
- Bharat Taxi — cooperative model, zero-commission platform
- FNTA — Article 371(A), Nagaland tribal autonomy
- NDMA SOP — disaster management, forensic archaeology
- Meghalaya rat-hole mining — NGT ban, environmental law
- RBI digital fraud compensation — DEA Fund
16th Finance Commission
- Tabled February 1, headed by Dr. Arvind Panagariya
- 5-year period: April 2026 – March 2031
- Article 280(1): FC constituted by President every 5th year
- Vertical devolution: 41% of divisible pool retained
Key Facts: Horizontal Devolution Criteria
- Population: 17.50%
- Demographic performance: 10%
- Area: 10%
- Forest: 10%
- Per capita GSDP distance: 42.50%
- NEW: Contribution to GDP: 10% (Tax and fiscal efforts REMOVED)
Bharat Taxi & Meghalaya Mining
- Bharat Taxi: launched February 5 by Home Minister Amit Shah
- Zero-commission model — operated by Sahakar Taxi Cooperative Ltd (STCL)
- Supported by NCDC and NABARD; roll out across India in 3 years
- Meghalaya rat-hole mines: 25 deaths in East Jaintia Hills
- Rat-hole mining banned by NGT since 2014
- Method: narrow horizontal coal seams, one-person pits
FNTA (Frontier Nagaland Territorial Authority)
Legal Analysis: FNTA
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- Tripartite agreement between ENPO, Nagaland government, and MHA
- 6 districts: Tuensang, Mon, Kiphire, Longleng, Noklak, Shamator
- 46 subjects devolved
- Article 371(A) remains unaffected
- 7 tribes: Konyak, Khiamniungan, Chang, Sangtam, Tikhir, Phom, Yimkhiung (30%+ of state population)
- Nagaland carved from Assam in 1963
NDMA SOP & RBI Digital Fraud Compensation
- NDMA released first-ever SOP on disaster victim identification
- Proposes National Dental Data Registry
- Released 25 years after 2001 Gujarat earthquake
- Uses “forensic archaeology” for identification
Mnemonic: FNTA Districts
T-M-K-L-N-S = Tuensang, Mon, Kiphire, Longleng, Noklak, Shamator
T-M-K-L-N-S = Tuensang, Mon, Kiphire, Longleng, Noklak, Shamator
- RBI digital fraud compensation: up to Rs 25,000 per case
- Paid from DEA Fund (Deposit Education and Awareness Fund)
- DEA Fund constituted 2014 — from unclaimed deposits of 10+ years
Source: UPSC Essentials, The Indian Express — March 2026
Practice Quiz
Test your understanding with these 10 MCQs:
Practice Quiz — 10 CLAT-Style Questions
Click an option to reveal the answer and explanation.
Quick answers
The 16th Finance Commission is headed by whom?
Dr. Arvind Panagariya. The 16th Finance Commission is headed by Dr. Arvind Panagariya, tabled on February 1, for the period April 2026-March 2031.
What percentage of the divisible pool is retained as vertical devolution under the 16th Finance Commission?
41%. Vertical devolution is 41% of the divisible pool under the 16th FC.
Bharat Taxi operates on which model?
Zero-commission. Bharat Taxi was launched as a zero-commission model, operated by Sahakar Taxi Cooperative Ltd (STCL).
Rat-hole mining, banned by NGT since 2014, was recently in news due to deaths in which state?
Meghalaya. 25 deaths occurred in Meghalaya's East Jaintia Hills due to rat-hole mining, which has been banned by NGT since 2014.
The FNTA (Frontier Nagaland Territorial Authority) covers how many districts?
6. FNTA covers 6 districts: Tuensang, Mon, Kiphire, Longleng, Noklak, and Shamator.
Under the 16th FC horizontal devolution, the NEW criterion introduced is:
Contribution to GDP. Contribution to GDP (10%) is the new criterion introduced, replacing Tax and fiscal efforts.
