National Affairs & Governance — Current Affairs

1. Viksit Bharat 2047 — India’s Vision for a Developed Nation

Viksit Bharat 2047 is the Government of India’s vision to make the country a fully developed nation by 2047, which marks the 100th year of its independence. The vision is built on pillars of services-led growth, global trade integration, and inclusive development under the “Sabka Sath, Sabka Vikas” principle, as reflected in the Union Budget 2026. A High-Level Committee on Banking for Viksit Bharat has been proposed to align banking sector reforms with India’s next phase of growth, and a High-Powered “Education to Employment and Enterprise” Standing Committee has been recommended to position the services sector as a core driver, with a target of achieving a 10% global share in services by 2047. From an economic standpoint, India aims to become a $30–40 trillion economy by 2047, requiring sustained growth rates of around 8% and an investment rate of approximately 35% of GDP. The initiative actively involves youth through the Viksit Bharat Young Leaders Dialogue 2026, and ideas can be submitted on the MyGov portal — making it highly relevant for UPSC, SSC, and state PSC exams.

Exam Key Points: Ministry: NITI Aayog / PMO | Target Year: 2047 | Portal: MyGov | Theme: Sabka Sath, Sabka Vikas

2. Jal Jeevan Mission 2.0 — Extended Till December 2028

The Union Cabinet approved the extension of the Jal Jeevan Mission up to December 2028, with an enhanced total outlay of ₹8.69 lakh crore and a strategic shift in focus from infrastructure creation to citizen-centric service delivery. The Central Government’s share of funding has been increased from ₹2.08 lakh crore (approved in 2019) to ₹3.59 lakh crore — an additional assistance of ₹1.51 lakh crore — with separate MoUs to be signed with each State and Union Territory. A uniform national digital framework called “Sujalam Bharat” will be instituted, under which every village will be assigned a unique Sujal Gaon or Service Area ID, enabling digital mapping of the entire water supply system from source to tap. Impact assessments show the mission has already freed nearly 9 crore women from the daily burden of fetching water, enabling greater participation in economic activities. The goal is to certify all Gram Panchayats as “Har Ghar Jal” by December 2028 — a cornerstone topic for all governance, welfare, and rural development questions.

Exam Key Points: Ministry: Jal Shakti | Launch Year: 2019 | Target: 19.36 crore rural households | Digital Framework: Sujalam Bharat | Current Coverage: ~81.61%

3. Census 2027 — Mascots ‘Pragati’ and ‘Vikas’ Launched

Union Home Minister Amit Shah formally unveiled the mascots “Pragati” (female) and “Vikas” (male) for Census 2027 in New Delhi, alongside the soft launch of four digital platforms developed by the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC). Census 2027 will be conducted in two phases — the first phase covering Houselisting and Housing Census will run from April 1 to September 30, 2026, while the second phase, Population Enumeration, will take place in February 2027. For the first time, citizens will be able to self-enumerate online before door-to-door verification, and caste-related questions will be included in Phase 2 — a historic first for India’s national census. The mascots symbolise equal participation of women and men in nation-building and represent the spirit of inclusive development aligned with the Viksit Bharat 2047 vision. This is one of the most exam-ready topics covering governance, digital India, social data, and GS Paper II themes.

Exam Key Points: Ministry: Home Affairs | Mascots: Pragati (female), Vikas (male) | First digital + caste census | Developer: C-DAC | Reference Date: 1 March 2027

4. FSSAI Lifetime Licence Validity — Major Food Safety Reform

In a significant reform to improve ease of doing business, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has approved perpetual validity for registrations and licences issued by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), meaning food businesses will no longer need to renew their licences periodically. The government has also revised the turnover thresholds effective from April 1, 2026. Basic Registration now applies to businesses with a turnover up to ₹1.5 crore, State Licence for up to ₹50 crore, and Central Licence for above ₹50 crore. Street food vendors already registered with Municipal Corporations or Town Vending Committees under the Street Vendors Act, 2014, will now be treated as automatically registered with FSSAI, benefiting more than 10 lakh vendors by removing the need for duplicate registrations. These reforms stem from NITI Aayog’s recommendations to enhance Ease of Doing Business while upholding food safety standards under the FSSAI Act, 2006. This topic is relevant for SSC, Banking, UPSC, and all State PSC exams.

Exam Key Points: Ministry: Health & Family Welfare | Body: FSSAI | Effective: April 1, 2026 | Recommended by: NITI Aayog | Beneficiaries: 10 lakh+ street vendors

5. India’s ₹1 Trillion Semiconductor Fund — Chip Manufacturing Push

India is preparing a new fund worth more than ₹1 trillion (approximately $11 billion) to support domestic semiconductor production, covering chip design, manufacturing equipment, and supply chain development — from early-stage design through production support services. The initiative builds upon the India Semiconductor Mission (ISM) launched in 2021, with an upgraded ISM 2.0 in 2026, focusing on strengthening the entire semiconductor ecosystem, including design, manufacturing, and supply chains. As of March 2026, 10 semiconductor units have been approved under ISM, including two fabrication plants and eight assembly, testing, marking, and packaging facilities, with total investment commitments of approximately ₹1.6 trillion. In late February 2026, Micron Technology marked the opening of its assembly and test facility in Sanand, Gujarat, and made India’s first shipment of memory modules to Dell Technologies for laptops manufactured in India. This topic aligns with Make in India, Atmanirbhar Bharat, and is critical for UPSC Mains (GS III), Banking, and Defence exams.

Exam Key Points: Ministry: MeitY | Mission: India Semiconductor Mission (ISM) | Scheme: ₹76,000 crore PLI | Key Locations: Gujarat (Dholera, Sanand), UP (Jewar), Assam | ISM 2.0 launched in Budget 2026-27

6. NITI Aayog Fiscal Health Index 2026 — Measuring States’ Financial Strength

NITI Aayog released its Fiscal Health Index 2026 on March 12, 2026, designed to measure and compare the financial strength of Indian states. The index holds special significance as states account for nearly one-third of India’s general government debt and play a key role in delivering essential public services, necessitating a systematic assessment of their finances. The index evaluates states across parameters such as revenue mobilisation, fiscal discipline, quality of expenditure, and debt sustainability — helping policymakers identify financially strong and vulnerable states. It serves as a useful tool for cooperative federalism by encouraging healthy financial competition between states. For competitive exam students, this is a direct topic for UPSC Prelims and Mains, as well as all state-level PSC exams dealing with economic and governance themes.

Exam Key Points: Released by: NITI Aayog | Date: March 12, 2026 | Focus: State fiscal performance | Parameters: Revenue, debt, expenditure quality

7. Greenfield Connectivity to Jewar International Airport — Cabinet Approval

The Union Cabinet approved the Greenfield Connectivity Project to Jewar International Airport in Uttar Pradesh on March 11, 2026. The project aims to improve multimodal connectivity to the upcoming Noida International Airport at Jewar, which is being developed to serve the National Capital Region and reduce the load on Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi. This approval is part of India’s broader push to expand airport infrastructure and improve last-mile connectivity under the UDAN scheme and PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan. India aims to increase the total number of airports to 350–400 by 2047, with passenger traffic expected to cross 1 billion, making airport connectivity projects like Jewar critical to the Viksit Bharat roadmap.

Exam Key Points: Location: Jewar, Uttar Pradesh | Related Scheme: UDAN, PM Gati Shakti | Ministry: Civil Aviation | Significance: Second international airport for NCR

8. Bal Vivah Mukt Bharat — National Initiative to End Child Marriage

The Government launched the National Initiative “Bal Vivah Mukt Bharat” on March 14, 2026, to eliminate child marriage across India. This initiative works in coordination with the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006 and strengthens state-level enforcement by involving district administrators, Panchayati Raj institutions, school authorities, and community leaders. The programme focuses on awareness campaigns, education continuity for girls, economic empowerment of families, and legal literacy at the grassroots level. Child marriage remains a significant concern in states like Bihar, Rajasthan, West Bengal, and Uttar Pradesh, and this initiative directly addresses SDG Goal 5 (Gender Equality). It is an important topic for UPSC GS Paper II (Social Justice), SSC, and all state-level competitive exams.

Exam Key Points: Ministry: Women & Child Development | Related Law: Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006 | SDG Link: Goal 5 – Gender Equality | Launch: March 14, 2026

All topics above are mapped to UPSC (Prelims + Mains GS II & III), SSC CGL/CHSL, IBPS/SBI Banking, Railway RRB, Defence (CDS/AFCAT), and State PSC exams.