Cannot penalise refusal to sing National Song, says SC

The Supreme Court on Tuesday observed that while a elected godemocratically vernment may give shape to the scope and length of the National Song, it cannot violate individual and collective religious freedoms or subject conscientious objectors, who refuse to sing one or all the stanzas of the Vande Mataram, to penal consequences.

Trade agreement unlikely till U.S. probes India's competitor countries

India and the U.S. are unlikely to sign a trade deal until the U.S. launches a se ries of fresh 'Section 301 investigations', concludes them, and places tariffs on India's competitors such as Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and the Philippines, a person familiar with the process has said. It was a "strategic mistake" that Pakistan was not included in the list of countries investigated in the 'excess capacity' 301 investigations opened in March 2026, according to the person.

Using trade treaty policy to strengthen arbitration

India's long-standing negotiations to sign new bilateral investment treaties (BITs) and free trade agreements (FTAs) with its prominent economic partners are bearing fruit. It has signed BIT's with the United Arab Emirates (2024), Israel (2025), and Uzbekistan (2024), and FTAs with New Zealand (April 2026), the United Kingdom (July 2025), European Free Trade Association ( March 2024), and Oman (signed December 2025). While much of the conversation has understandably focused on the potential economic benefits of these agreements and the mechanism for resolving investor-state disputes under international law (or the omission thereof), an important facet is frequently missing: their impact on commercial arbitration within India.

Water wealth

That Punjab is over-extracting groundwater is not news. According to the 2025-26 Dynamic Groundwater Assessment, its groundwater extraction rate was 152%. While in-terventions reduced the number of 'over-exploit-ed' blocks by five over the last two assessments, 72% of its 153 blocks are in the 'red zone, the highest among States. The principal consumer is irrigation for rice and wheat, amounting to nearly 25 billion cubic metres a year in the latest estimate. 

Towards recognising women farmers

In July 2026, Maharashtra passed the Women Farmers' Empowerment Bill. This is the first Indian State legislation to give enforceable legal form to the activity-based, land-delinked definition of 'farmer'

It explicitly recognises categories such as landless cultivators, landless livestock rearers, agricultural labourers, plantation labourers and pastoralists. In principle, this creates a route through which women who do not own land can obtain an independent agricultural identity and gain access to welfare schemes

Drug trade will be uprooted from the country by the end of 2029, says Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday set a tar-get of December 31, 2029 to "uproot" drug trade from the country.

"For the past five years, we have been taking one step after another in an effort to achieve the difficult goal of a drug-free India...the time has now come to deliver a decisive blow against narcotics, which have become the most serious threat to the country and the world, and to achieve victory through collective efforts. By 31 December 2029, we will collectively succeed in uprooting the drug trade from India," Mr. Shah said.

At UN summit, Jaishankar calls for reformed multilateralism

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Monday stressed the need for re-formed multilateralism at the first-ever 'Partners for Multilateralism, International Law, Peace & Pros-perity (P4M)' Summit held on the margins of the high-level 81st session of the UN General Assembly. He also asserted that "at a time when the global order is under stress", more parti-cipative deliberations and transparent decision-mak-ing were overdue.

India's vast canal network offers a land-free path to solar power 

In CTPV, solar panels are mounted on specialised structures built over canal stretches

Systems can be built based on the canal's width, design, and orientation and elevated structures may span the canal or can be installed along the canal banks

With solar panels covering canal stretches, the amount of water lost to evaporation can be reduced, which can be particularly useful in India's water-stressed regions