CURRENT AFFAIRS | MARCH 2026
CLAT Relevance
- NLST and NLOT — India’s telescope infrastructure in Ladakh
- Bodhan AI — AI in education, Digital Public Infrastructure
- Bharat-VISTAAR — AI for agriculture, budget allocation
- Government schemes and scientific infrastructure
NLST — National Large Solar Telescope
- NLST: 2-metre aperture solar telescope at Merak near Pangong Tso, Ladakh
- India’s 3rd ground-based solar observatory after:
- Kodaikanal (1899) — India’s first
- Udaipur (1975) — India’s second
- Observes in visible and near-infrared wavelengths
- Timeline: 5-6 years to become operational
NLOT — National Large Optical-Near Infrared Telescope
Key Facts: NLOT
- 13.7-metre segmented mirror at Hanle, Ladakh
- Will be one of the world’s largest optical-infrared telescopes
- India’s TMT (Thirty Meter Telescope) participation experience helps with design
- Both NLST and NLOT in Ladakh — leverages high altitude, dry air, low light pollution
Mnemonic: India’s Telescope Pair in Ladakh
NLST = Solar, 2m, Merak (near Pangong) → studies the Sun
NLOT = Optical, 13.7m, Hanle → studies stars and galaxies
Both in Ladakh — high altitude = better seeing conditions
NLST = Solar, 2m, Merak (near Pangong) → studies the Sun
NLOT = Optical, 13.7m, Hanle → studies stars and galaxies
Both in Ladakh — high altitude = better seeing conditions
Bodhan AI & Bharat EduAI Stack
- MoE Conclave: February 12-13, 2026
- Bharat EduAI Stack proposed as DPI for education
- AI capabilities for Indian languages — speech recognition and synthesis
- Builds on India’s DPI model (Aadhaar, UPI, DigiLocker)
Bharat-VISTAAR — AI for Farmers
Bharat-VISTAAR Details
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- Full form: Virtually Integrated System to Access Agricultural Resources
- Budget: Rs 150 crore in Budget 2026-27
- Access: Phone call to 155261 → AI Assistant “Bharati”
- Integrates: AgriStack + ICAR
- Guidance on: crop planning, pests, weather, government schemes
- AI-powered, multilingual — works in local languages
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
NLST (National Large Solar Telescope) will be located at:
Merak near Pangong Tso, Ladakh. NLST will be located at Merak near Pangong Tso, Ladakh, with a 2-metre aperture.
India's first ground-based solar observatory was established at:
Kodaikanal (1899). Kodaikanal (1899) was India's first ground-based solar observatory, followed by Udaipur (1975).
NLOT will have a segmented mirror of what diameter?
13.7 metres. NLOT will have a 13.7-metre segmented mirror at Hanle, making it one of the world's largest optical-infrared telescopes.
Bodhan AI was discussed at which event?
MoE Conclave Feb 12-13, 2026. Bodhan AI was discussed at the Ministry of Education Conclave held February 12-13, 2026.
Bharat-VISTAAR is an AI-powered tool for:
Farmers. Bharat-VISTAAR is an AI-powered multilingual tool for farmers, allocated Rs 150 crore in Budget 2026-27.
The AI assistant in Bharat-VISTAAR is named:
Bharati. The AI Assistant is named Bharati, accessible via phone call to 155261.
