August 16, 2026
28 articles published on this date
India to Host BRICS Environment Ministers' Meeting Under its 2026 Chairship
India is set to host the 12th BRICS Environment Ministers' Meeting at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, on 18 August 2026 The ministerial session is preceded by...
UPI's Free Ride May End: The Law Behind Merchant Fees
Parliament passed the Taxation and Other Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026, amending Section 10A of the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007, on 4 August 2026...
The Fiscal Cost of Unconditional Cash Transfers
Data compiled around the Sixteenth Finance Commission's assessment show state governments' unconditional cash transfer (UCT) schemes — direct monthly...
Delimitation and the Lok Sabha Seat Expansion: The Federal Balancing Act
A Bill to increase the number of Lok Sabha seats was introduced in Parliament, with an oral assurance that each State's seat share would rise by roughly 50%...
Census 2027 to Enumerate Caste for the First Time in Independent India
The Registrar General of India and Census Commissioner issued a gazette notification on August 14, 2026, formalising the questionnaire for Census 2027 For...
Centre Begins Selection of First 50 Airports under Modified UDAN Scheme
States and union territories have been asked to nominate unserved and underserved airports for development under the first tranche of the Regional...
Census 2027 Questionnaire: New Data Fields and the Legal Guarantee of Confidentiality
Officials overseeing Census 2027 enumeration in Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh have clarified that no private or sensitive personal data will be sought from...
Government Sets First-Ever LPG Production Targets for Refiners to Build Domestic Supply Buffer
The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas issued an order (August 13, 2026) fixing maximum LPG production targets for 21 refineries and upstream companies...
India's Free Trade Agreements and the MSME Export Opportunity
The Union government has highlighted that India has concluded free trade agreements (FTAs) with roughly 40 countries since 2014, presenting expanded market...
Cauvery Water Release Dispute: Karnataka's Legal Obligations and the Mekedatu Project
The state government reiterated that it will protect the livelihood of farmers while abiding by its legal obligation to release Cauvery river water to Tamil...
CEA Notifies Cyber Security in Power Sector Regulations, 2026
The Central Electricity Authority (CEA) notified the CEA (Cyber Security in Power Sector) Regulations, 2026, published in the Gazette of India. The...
Government to Launch India's First Minerals Exchange from Next Financial Year
India's first exchange for trading major minerals and ores is set to begin operations from the next financial year. The exchange will initially facilitate...
India Works Out a Conditional Handover of Chabahar Port Amid US Sanctions
India is negotiating an arrangement to transfer operational control of the Shahid Beheshti terminal at Chabahar port back to Iran, structured so that...
Wildfires Are Eroding Protected Tropical Forests Worldwide
A university-led study, published in a peer-reviewed journal, found that over 4 million hectares of protected tropical forest have been destroyed by...
Cauvery Water Row: When Can the Centre Take Over Control of a State's Dam?
The state government stated that protecting farmers' interests and complying with the law on Cauvery water release are both important, and warned that...
Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026: States' Taxation Powers and Fiscal Federalism
Objections have been raised in Kerala against the Union government's Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026, which restricts...
Delimitation-Linked Women's Reservation Amendment Fails Special Majority: Implementation Pathway Unresolved
The Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026, which sought to remove the existing freeze on delimitation and enable operationalisation of the women's...
Draft Rules Open India's Nuclear Sector to Private Players
The government released draft regulations inviting stakeholder comments on licensing, safety, and financial-security norms for private participation in...
Judicial Accountability and the First Full Impeachment Attempt: The Yashwant Varma Case
A fire at a judge's official residence in March 2025 led to the discovery of large quantities of burnt currency in an outhouse/storeroom, triggering an...
PM GatiShakti: Network Planning Group Clears Rs 18.66 Lakh Crore Infrastructure Pipeline
The Network Planning Group (NPG) under the PM GatiShakti National Master Plan has evaluated and recommended 396 infrastructure projects, together valued at...
Great Indian Bustard's Deccan Range: Study Links Recovery to Traditional Agriculture
A study conducted by researchers from the Wildlife Institute of India assessed whether the Great Indian Bustard (GIB) could reclaim its former range across...
Finance Ministry Nudges Government Contracts Toward Producer Price Index, Away From WPI
The Department of Expenditure, in a communication to all ministries and departments, advised a shift from the Wholesale Price Index (WPI) to the Producer...
India's Russian Crude Imports Hit a Record High: Energy Security and Maritime Chokepoints
India's crude oil imports from Russia rose to a record level in July, with Russian barrels accounting for more than half of total crude purchases for a...
India Opens One-Time Foreign Assets Disclosure Window for Small Taxpayers
The Foreign Assets of Small Taxpayers – Disclosure Scheme, 2026 came into force on 16 August 2026 and will remain open for declarations until 31 December...
Red Sea Crisis Crosses 1,000 Days: GTRI Flags Maritime Chokepoints as a Long-Term Trade Risk
The Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI) assessed that India must treat maritime insecurity as a long-term trade risk as the Red Sea shipping crisis...
White House 'Transshipment Scam' Report Names India Among Top Enablers of China Tariff Evasion
A White House report titled 'The Great Transshipment Scam' identified more than 40 trading partners associated with 'elevated illegal transshipment risk' —...
Finance Ministry Directs Shift from WPI to PPI in Government Contract Price Escalation Clauses
The finance ministry's Department of Expenditure has asked ministries and departments to use the Producer Price Index (PPI) instead of the Wholesale Price...
Cauvery Water Row: Supreme Court to Hear Tamil Nadu's Release Plea: Tribunal, CWMA and Inter-State Water Law
The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear a plea by the Tamil Nadu government on 17 August 2026 seeking directions to the Karnataka government for the...