MMDR Amendment Bill, 2026 (Public Consultation)

1 January 2026National

The Ministry of Coal released draft amendments removing area limits on reconnaissance, exploration and mining licences, and codifying central power to auction exploration licences.

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Supreme Court Hosts BRICS Chief Justices' Forum 2026 in New Delhi

The Supreme Court of India is hosting the BRICS Chief Justices' Forum 2026 in New Delhi from 4 to 6 September 2026, with Chief Justice of India Surya Kant leading the proceedings. Chief Justices and senior judges from Brazil, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran, Russia, South Africa and the UAE, plus partner countries including Belarus, Kazakhstan, Malaysia and Uzbekistan, are taking part. Sessions cover international business litigation and arbitration, mediation, artificial intelligence in courts and environmental adjudication. CJI Surya Kant held bilateral meetings with ten visiting delegations on day one. The forum is the judicial track of India's 2026 BRICS chairship, which also delivered the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi.

GK ByteBRICS began as BRIC in 2006, adopted the name BRICS after South Africa joined in 2010; India holds the 2026 chairship | The New Development Bank, created at the 2014 Fortaleza Summit, is headquartered in Shanghai, China | The Chief Justice of India is appointed by the President under Article 124 of the Constitution

📅 5 Sept 2026PolityRead complete →

Supreme Court Directs Seven States to Raise District Judges' Retirement Age from 60 to 62

The Supreme Court of India on 4 September 2026 directed seven consenting states to amend their judicial service rules and raise the retirement age of district judges from 60 to 62 years. The move addresses chronic vacancies and mounting pendency in the subordinate judiciary by retaining experienced judicial officers for two more years. Under the Constitution, High Court judges retire at 62 and Supreme Court judges at 65, while district judiciary service conditions are governed by state rules framed under Articles 233–235, which vest control of subordinate courts in the High Courts.

GK ByteThe Supreme Court of India was established on 28 January 1950 and sits in New Delhi; Article 124 provides for its constitution | Article 233 deals with the appointment of district judges by the Governor in consultation with the High Court | The Supreme Court currently has a sanctioned strength of 34 judges including the Chief Justice of India

📅 4 Sept 2026PolityRead complete →

31-Member Joint Parliamentary Committee under Sanjay Jaiswal Constituted to Examine FCRA Amendment Bill, 2026

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla constituted a 31-member Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) in September 2026 to examine the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026, with BJP MP Sanjay Jaiswal as Chairperson. This completes the process begun when the Bill was referred to a JPC on 12 August 2026, which followed the Centre's revision of FCRA rules for NGOs in June 2026. The panel has 21 Lok Sabha and 10 Rajya Sabha members, including Tejasvi Surya, A. Raja, Supriya Sule and Harsh Vardhan Shringla. It must report by the first week of the Winter Session (November–December 2026), scrutinising foreign-funding transparency and NGO functioning.

GK ByteFCRA, 2010 is administered by the Ministry of Home Affairs and regulates foreign contributions to Indian NGOs | Om Birla is the Speaker of the 18th Lok Sabha | Parliamentary committees are of two kinds — Standing (permanent) and Ad hoc (temporary, such as a JPC or Select Committee)

📅 4 Sept 2026PolityRead complete →

Bihar and Jharkhand Sign MoU Ending the 25-Year-Old Sone River Water-Sharing Dispute

Bihar and Jharkhand signed a Memorandum of Understanding in New Delhi on 31 August 2026 to share the waters of the Sone River, settling a dispute pending since Jharkhand was carved out of Bihar in November 2000. Of the 7.75 million acre-feet (MAF) allotted to undivided Bihar under the 1973 Bansagar Agreement, Bihar will receive 5.75 MAF and Jharkhand 2 MAF. The pact was signed in the presence of Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah, Jal Shakti Minister C. R. Patil, and Chief Ministers Samrat Choudhary of Bihar and Hemant Soren of Jharkhand. It is the fourth inter-state water agreement of 2026.

GK ByteThe Sone is the second-largest southern tributary of the Ganga after the Yamuna and rises near Amarkantak in Madhya Pradesh | Jharkhand was created as India's 28th state on 15 November 2000 | Inter-state river water disputes are adjudicated under the Inter-State River Water Disputes Act, 1956

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