In News:

The Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports recently announced the National Sports Awards 2025, India’s premier awards recognising outstanding achievements and contributions in sports.

The National Sports Awards are conferred annually by the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports to recognise excellence by sportspersons, coaches and organisations involved in the promotion and development of sports.

Major Awards under the National Sports Awards:

• Arjuna Award: Given to sportspersons for consistent good performance over the previous four years, along with qualities of leadership, sportsmanship and discipline.
• Arjuna Award (Lifetime): Recognises sportspersons who have made significant contributions through their sporting performance and continue contributing to the promotion of sports after retirement from active competition.
• Dronacharya Award: Conferred on coaches for outstanding and meritorious work on a consistent basis and for enabling sportspersons to achieve excellence in international sporting events.
• Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar: Given to corporate entities (public/private) and NGOs that have played a visible role in the promotion and development of sports.

In News:

Kashmir’s indigenous aromatic rice variety ‘MushkBudji’, which received a Geographical Indication (GI) tag on 31 July 2023, is facing a “problem of plenty”. Farmers report that government-led expansion of its cultivation into areas considered unsuitable for the variety has increased production and affected market prices.

About MushkBudji:

• MushkBudji is a highly aromatic, short-grain rice variety native to Kashmir.
• It is traditionally cultivated in the higher reaches of the Kashmir Valley, particularly in the Highland Himalayas, at an altitude of around 5,000–7,000 feet above mean sea level.
• The variety has cultural significance and is commonly consumed during special occasions and festivals.
• The rice is characterised by its light ivory colour and slightly translucent appearance. After cooking, the grains remain slightly sticky and chewy, with a distinctive fragrance and delicate nutty flavour. It contains carbohydrates, dietary fibre and some B-vitamins and is relatively low in fat.

Key Issue – Expansion into unsuitable areas:

MushkBudji is adapted to particular altitudinal and agro-climatic conditions. Farmers argue that expanding cultivation beyond its traditional suitable areas can reduce the quality associated with the variety while simultaneously increasing supply. This can lead to price depression, undermining the economic benefits that GI recognition is expected to provide to local producers.

In News:

The Supreme Court is examining the constitutional validity of polygamy under Muslim personal law, bringing renewed focus on the relationship between personal laws, fundamental rights and gender equality.

What is Polygamy?

Polygamy is the practice of having more than one spouse simultaneously.

• Polygyny: One man having multiple wives.
• Polyandry: One woman having multiple husbands.
• Bigamy: Marrying another person while the first valid marriage is subsisting.

In India, monogamy is generally mandatory under the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955 and Special Marriage Act, 1954. However, Muslim personal law permits a Muslim man to have up to four wives.

According to NFHS-5 (2019–21), polygamy was reported among different communities: 2.1% among Christians, 1.9% among Muslims and 1.3% among Hindus.

Legal Framework

India does not have a common UCC governing marriage nationwide; marriage, divorce and succession are also regulated through personal laws.

• Hindu Marriage Act, 1955: Prohibits bigamy; applies to Hindus, Buddhists, Jains and Sikhs.
• Parsi Marriage and Divorce Act, 1936: Prohibits bigamy.
• Indian Christian Marriage Act, 1872: Restricts solemnisation of a marriage where either party already has a spouse.
• Muslim Personal Law (Shariat) Application Act, 1937: Allows Muslim personal law to govern marriage, including polygamy.
• Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS): Contains the offence of marrying again during the lifetime of a spouse in circumstances where the subsequent marriage is legally void.

Constitutional Debate

Critics of polygamy argue that it can perpetuate gender inequality, economic insecurity, emotional distress and unequal marital rights, raising concerns under Articles 14 (equality), 15 (non-discrimination) and 21 (life and personal dignity).

The key constitutional question is whether polygamy enjoys protection as a religious practice under Article 25, or whether it can be regulated on grounds of public order, morality, health and other constitutional values.

Supreme Court’s Position

• Sarla Mudgal v. Union of India (1995): A Hindu husband cannot convert to Islam merely to contract another marriage while the first marriage subsists; such conversion does not dissolve the first marriage.
• Lily Thomas v. Union of India (2000): Reaffirmed that fraudulent conversion cannot be used to circumvent existing marriage laws.
• The Court has also observed that polygamy is not an essential religious practice of Islam, and therefore is not automatically protected under Article 25.

State-Level Developments

• Uttarakhand UCC, 2024: Prohibits bigamy, subject to specified exemptions.
• Assam Prohibition of Polygamy Bill, 2025: Proposes stringent penalties for polygamy, including enhanced punishment where a previous marriage is concealed.
• Goa: Follows a common civil-law framework derived from the Portuguese Civil Code, with a largely obsolete provision concerning a Hindu man’s second marriage in limited circumstances.

In News:

The US White House has released a report titled “The Great Transshipment Scam”, alleging that countries including India are being used as transshipment hubs to help Chinese exporters evade US tariffs. India has been classified as a Tier 1 country for elevated transshipment risk.

What is Transshipment?

Transshipment involves routing goods through a third country before they reach the final destination. Through minimal assembly, repackaging, relabelling, or documentation changes, exporters may attempt to create the appearance of a different country of origin, thereby avoiding higher tariffs.

The report highlights the use of “screwdriver factories”—facilities that perform only limited assembly or processing in third countries.

India–China–US Trade Context

The US imposed tariffs of up to 100% on certain Chinese goods under Section 301 of the Trade Act, 1974, citing unfair trade and technology practices. This created incentives for Chinese exporters to route goods through third countries.

The report places India alongside Canada, the EU, Japan and Mexico in Tier 1 and highlights the Pune–Gujarat–Chennai production belt for its role in absorbing Chinese industrial goods.

According to the US estimate, around $67 billion of US-bound goods were transshipped through Mexico, India and Vietnam in 2025, allegedly causing about $28 billion in lost US tariff revenue.

Implications for India

The allegations could intensify existing India–US trade tensions, particularly following the US imposition of a 10% tariff on India citing forced-labour compliance gaps and proposed legislation threatening higher tariffs on countries importing Russian oil.

For India, the issue raises concerns regarding:

• Rules of origin and customs enforcement
• Risk of India being used as a tariff-arbitrage/transshipment hub
• Greater scrutiny of Indian exports entering the US
• Impact on India–US bilateral trade and supply-chain partnerships

In News:

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has notified the Citizenship (Third Amendment) Rules, 2026, transferring the authority to process and decide certain citizenship applications under Section 6B of the Citizenship Act, 1955 from Empowered Committees to District Collectors in specified States and Union Territories. The amendment came into force on 19 August 2026.

What has Changed?

A new Rule 11A(6) has been inserted into the Citizenship Rules, 2009. District Collectors are now the competent authority to receive, scrutinise and dispose of applications for registration or naturalisation under Section 6B. Pending applications with the earlier committees are also to be transferred to the concerned Collectors.

Collector’s powers include:

• Receiving applications electronically and generating an electronic acknowledgement.
• Verifying documents and conducting necessary enquiries.
• Assessing the applicant’s eligibility under Section 6B and suitability as a “fit and proper” person.
• Administering the Oath of Allegiance.
• Granting citizenship if eligibility and suitability are established.
• Rejecting an application if the applicant, despite reasonable opportunities, fails to appear personally, subscribe to the application or take the Oath of Allegiance.

CAA, 2019 — Who is Eligible?

The Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 inserted Section 6B and provides a special route to citizenship for persons belonging to the Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian communities from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan, who entered India on or before 31 December 2014, subject to the statutory conditions.

Areas Covered

The new Collector-based mechanism applies to applicants ordinarily residing in:

Gujarat, Rajasthan, Punjab, West Bengal, Assam, Tripura, Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh.

However, it does not apply to tribal areas of Assam and Tripura covered by the Sixth Schedule, or areas protected by the Inner Line.