Daily Current Affairs - 2026-01-12
The Daily Gazette
The Core Update: The Prime Minister is scheduled to attend the Somnath Swabhiman Parv, marking 1,000 years since the first recorded attack on the Somnath temple and 75 years of its post-Independence reconstruction, highlighting themes of civilisational resilience and cultural heritage.[2][5]
Somnath has long been a symbol in India’s political discourse—first as a site of repeated medieval raids, later as an emblem of post-Independence reconstruction led by Sardar Patel and K.M. Munshi.[3][5] In contemporary politics, invoking Somnath serves three purposes: consolidating a narrative of “civilisational resurgence”, reinforcing cultural nationalism, and linking heritage with tourism-led development along the Gujarat coast. For an aspirant, the key is to see how constitutional secularism co-exists with state patronage of religious sites via statutory bodies like the Somnath Temple Trust. Crucially, such events also become platforms for reiterating India’s stance on preserving heritage, promoting coastal tourism, and integrating pilgrimage circuits with infrastructure schemes like PRASHAD and Swadesh Darshan. Going ahead, expect greater budgetary emphasis on heritage conservation, digital documentation of monuments, and integration of pilgrimage routes with expressways and coastal economic corridors.
- Somnath is among the first 12 Jyotirlingas; post-1947 reconstruction was overseen by Sardar Patel and inaugurated by President Rajendra Prasad.
- Issues of state involvement in religious institutions link to Articles 25–28 and debates on secularism and cultural heritage policy.
The Core Update: The Enforcement Directorate conducted searches in Kolkata linked to a political strategist’s firm, triggering a sharp response from the West Bengal government, including street protests led by the Chief Minister and legal moves in the Supreme Court over alleged interference in Central probes.[1][2][5]
The incident is another node in the recurring conflict between Central investigative agencies (ED, CBI) and opposition-ruled states over federalism and misuse of agencies.[3][5] Constitutionally, “criminal law” and “criminal procedure” lie in the Concurrent List, but the operational reach of Central agencies raises questions about consent, federal comity, and the doctrine of cooperative federalism. Politically, such confrontations harden Centre–state fault lines and may push states to pass laws limiting Central agencies’ jurisdiction—an emerging trend you should track. Crucially, the judiciary becomes the arbiter: the Supreme Court’s eventual stance on ED’s powers, arrest procedures, and territorial jurisdiction will heavily shape India’s investigative federalism. For exams, what matters is the interplay between statutory powers under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and constitutional principles of federal balance and due process.
- Central agencies derive powers from Union List and specific statutes like PMLA, but must respect federal principles and procedure established by law.
- Centre–state disputes over investigative powers frequently invoke Articles 131 (Original Jurisdiction), 246 (Legislative competence), and federalism as a Basic Structure.
The Core Update: A severe cold wave coupled with dense fog has forced several northern states to close schools or change timings, disrupting academic schedules and transport while prompting local administrations to issue health and safety advisories.[2][5]
Persisting cold waves in the Indo-Gangetic plain are not new, but their impact is compounded by high population density, poor housing insulation, and inadequate urban planning.[5] Administratively, district magistrates and state governments invoke disaster management provisions to protect vulnerable groups—school children, the elderly, the homeless. However, reactive closures highlight deeper deficits: lack of all-weather schooling infrastructure, weak public health outreach, and poor urban design that fails to account for air quality, fog, and temperature inversions. In the climate-change context, such episodes may become more erratic, demanding better early-warning systems, heat–cold action plans, and robust social protection measures such as night shelters and targeted welfare schemes. For an aspirant, notice how a “simple weather story” actually touches disaster management, health, urban policy and education simultaneously.
- Cold wave conditions over North India are influenced by western disturbances, clear skies, and radiational cooling over the Indo-Gangetic plains.
- Local bodies and state governments use powers under Disaster Management Act, 2005 and municipal laws to regulate school timings and public activity during extreme weather.
The Core Update: Russia has launched a large overnight missile and drone strike on multiple Ukrainian cities, escalating its ongoing campaign against Ukraine’s energy and urban infrastructure and raising fresh concerns over civilian casualties and European security.[2]
This strike fits the pattern of targeting critical infrastructure to break morale and cripple Ukraine’s war economy, especially during peak winter.[2] Strategically, Russia seeks leverage before any future negotiations by degrading Ukraine’s resilience, while Ukraine relies on Western air defence systems and continued economic support. For Europe, each escalation renews debates on sanctions fatigue, energy dependence, and the costs of long-term military aid. In a broader sense, the conflict is reshaping NATO’s posture, EU defence integration, and global arms markets. For India, the conflict’s ripple effects show up in energy prices, fertiliser supplies, and a complicated balancing act between its traditional defence ties with Russia and growing strategic partnership with the West. Going forward, any decisive shift will hinge on Western domestic politics and Russia’s economic capacity to sustain a long war.
- Missile and drone warfare underscores the importance of air defence, layered deterrence, and protection of critical infrastructure in modern conflicts.
- India’s stance emphasizes dialogue, territorial integrity, and strategic autonomy while managing defence, energy, and diplomatic ties with both Russia and the West.
The Core Update: Iran continues to witness widespread anti-government protests, with reports of heavy clashes, internet shutdowns and intensified security operations amid calls for political reforms and greater civil liberties.[2][3]
Iran’s protests represent a deeper crisis of legitimacy for the theocratic system established after the 1979 Islamic Revolution.[3] Demands are driven by a young population frustrated with economic stagnation, sanctions, social restrictions and perceived corruption. The regime’s typical toolkit—force, information control, and selective concessions—risks further alienating the urban middle class and women, who are at the forefront of these movements. Regionally, turmoil in Iran affects oil markets, proxy networks across West Asia, and negotiations over the nuclear file. For India, instability in Iran has direct implications: connectivity projects like Chabahar port, energy security, and access to Central Asia all depend on predictable engagement with Tehran. However, India must also navigate US sanctions and its ties with Gulf partners. As an aspirant, connect these protests to broader themes of political legitimacy, social movements, and the limits of coercive governance.
- Internet shutdowns and protest crackdowns raise issues of human rights, freedom of expression, and international responses under UN frameworks.
- India’s interests in Iran centre on Chabahar, access to Afghanistan–Central Asia, and diversification of energy partners.
The Core Update: European Union leaders have provisionally approved the long-pending free trade agreement with the Mercosur bloc (Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay), despite criticism over environmental safeguards and agricultural sensitivities.[2]
The prospective EU–Mercosur deal is geopolitically significant because it links two large markets amid growing protectionism and supply-chain reconfiguration.[2] For the EU, the agreement strengthens its economic presence in Latin America, diversifies commodity sources and seeks leverage over environmental standards through trade conditionalities. Mercosur countries hope for better access for agricultural exports but fear stringent EU “green” standards could morph into non-tariff barriers. For India, such mega-regional pacts can erode relative competitiveness for its exporters in EU markets, especially in sectors like industrial goods and agri-commodities. This underlines why India is simultaneously renegotiating or concluding FTAs with the EU, EFTA, UK and others. Aspirants should read this as part of the evolving debate on how trade agreements now embed climate, labour and digital norms—transforming trade policy into a broader instrument of values and strategic influence.
- EU–Mercosur is a classic case of an inter-regional trade agreement combining tariff cuts with environmental and labour standards.
- Such FTAs can affect India indirectly through trade diversion, competitive pressure, and norm-setting in areas like climate and digital trade.
The Core Update: SEBI is reported to have moved towards clearing the way for the National Stock Exchange to plan its Initial Public Offering, a major step towards listing India’s largest equity bourse and broadening capital market participation.[2]
Listing a stock exchange itself on the markets it regulates raises important questions of governance, conflict of interest and regulatory oversight.[2] Globally, many exchanges—from the London Stock Exchange to NYSE’s parent entities—are listed entities, which has improved transparency, capital-raising ability, and global competitiveness. For India, an NSE IPO could deepen capital markets, attract institutional investors, and signal regulatory maturity. However, it also demands stronger scrutiny of ownership structures, technology governance (especially after past co-location and algorithmic trading controversies), and firewalls between commercial objectives and regulatory responsibilities. For exams, connect this to SEBI’s evolving mandate: not just investor protection, but also market development and systemic stability in an era of fintech and high-frequency trading.
- NSE is India’s largest stock exchange by volume and derivatives turnover; SEBI is its regulator under the SEBI Act, 1992 and Securities Contracts Regulation Act.
- Listing of market infrastructure institutions requires robust corporate governance norms, fit-and-proper criteria for shareholders, and clear conflict-of-interest rules.
The Core Update: Industry bodies in Tamil Nadu have warned that potential reimposition of US tariffs could endanger up to 30 lakh export-linked jobs, especially in textiles and manufacturing hubs, prompting broader concerns for labour-surplus states like Bihar whose workers migrate to such clusters.[1][2]
Although the immediate alarm is centred in Tamil Nadu, the vulnerability is national—and particularly acute for states like Bihar that supply a large share of migrant labour to export-oriented industries across India.[1] When external demand weakens or tariffs rise, layoffs and wage cuts in coastal industrial belts quickly translate into reverse migration, rising rural underemployment, and pressure on already stretched state welfare systems in Bihar. This underlines a structural exam theme: India’s growth has been regionally concentrated, while states like Bihar remain heavily dependent on remittances, construction, and informal work. Strategically, Bihar must both (a) skill its youth for diversified sectors, and (b) build its own industrial and logistics base—leveraging connectivity to eastern corridors, riverine transport on the Ganga, and food-processing potential. For you, the key is to always extend a national economic story into state-level implications, especially for labour-exporting states.
- Bihar is a major source of migrant workers for textile, construction and services hubs in western and southern India.
- External trade shocks can indirectly hit Bihar through remittances, rural consumption, and demand for MGNREGA and state welfare schemes.
The Core Update: The IPO of Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL), a Coal India subsidiary with major operations in Jharkhand’s Jharia coalfields, has reportedly seen strong investor interest, signalling confidence in coal-linked assets even amid energy transition debates.[2]
For Jharkhand, BCCL’s market performance is not just a corporate story; it is a window into the future of a resource-dependent regional economy.[2] Coking coal is critical for steel production, and Jharkhand’s deposits around Dhanbad and Jharia underpin both national industrial capacity and local employment. Yet, the region also faces severe challenges: mine fires, land subsidence, pollution, and displacement. Strong IPO demand suggests investors still see value in coal in the medium term, even as India commits to net-zero by 2070. For policymakers in Jharkhand, the challenge is twofold: use mining revenues to diversify the economic base (manufacturing, services, renewable energy) and address long-standing social–environmental liabilities. For JPSC, understanding how PSU disinvestment, mineral policy, and local livelihoods intersect is crucial, especially in a state where mining is both a backbone and a flashpoint.
- Jharkhand’s Jharia–Dhanbad belt is a key source of coking coal; issues include underground fires, rehabilitation of displaced families, and environmental restoration.
- Disinvestment and IPOs of PSUs like BCCL link to broader fiscal consolidation, resource monetisation, and energy transition debates.
The Core Update: The US administration has announced an increase in premium processing and other visa fees, including H‑1B and related work categories, from March 2026, raising the cost burden for Indian IT firms and aspirants seeking work or study in the US.[1][4]
India’s IT and knowledge sectors are deeply integrated with US labour markets, and any change in visa costs or policy directly affects business models and individual career plans.[1][4] Higher fees squeeze margins for Indian IT companies that rely on on-site deployment and may push them towards greater offshoring, local hiring in the US, or diversification into other geographies. For aspirants, this is a reminder that India’s “demographic dividend” is partly realised abroad, through skilled migration and remittances. However, over-dependence on one market exposes workers to policy risk. Strategically, India is pushing for more predictable mobility arrangements through trade and diplomatic channels while also strengthening its domestic innovation ecosystem so that high-skilled youth have viable opportunities at home. For exams, connect this development with themes of brain drain vs brain gain, Mode 4 services under WTO (movement of natural persons), and the political economy of immigration in Western democracies.
- H‑1B is a non-immigrant US visa category for specialty occupations, heavily used by Indian IT/tech professionals.
- Visa policy shifts affect India’s services exports, remittances, and bilateral negotiations on mobility and social security agreements.
