Legal Current Affairs for 26 February 2026

Established in 2018 to mobilise financing for road safety in low- and middle-income countries.
Supports evidence-based policy, legislation, and capacity-building projects.
Works with governments, civil society, and private sector partners.
Other Global effort: Declaration of Marrakesh
Adopted at the 4th Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety (2025).
Calls for political commitment, sustainable financing, and safe-system approach.

About: Approved by the Government of India in 2016, it is part of the worldwide network of Gravitational Wave Observatory to further enhance the knowledge about gravitational waves, first detected at LIGO-USA in 2015.
Development: By the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) and the Department of Science and Technology (DST) in collaboration with the National Science Foundation (NSF), USA, under a Memorandum of Understanding.
Institutes from India: Institute of Plasma Research (IPR) Gandhinagar, Inter University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA), Pune and Raja Ramanna Centre for Advanced Technology (RRCAT), Indore.
Other Global Gravitational Wave Observatory: LIGO (USA), VIRGO (Italy), KAGRA (Japan) etc.
Significance for India: development of Astrophysical Research Leadership; Technological Advancement; Industrial Collaboration; International Prestige & Diplomacy, etc.

Namami Gange Programme (2014): for cleaning and rejuvenation of river Ganga includes wastewater treatment, solid waste management, riverfront management etc.
Yamuna Action Plan (1993): Aims to clean the stretch of river Yamuna.
National River Conservation Plan (NRCP): It is the Centrally Sponsored Scheme implemented for abatement of pollution in identified stretches of rivers in the country, excluding those in Ganga basin.
Technology used for Pollution Monitoring: LiDAR and Drone survey are used to identify all drains discharging into the river, enabling a comprehensive response to drainage-related challenges.

It is a powerful feline, about twice the size of a house cat.
Habitat: Inhabits wetlands and mangroves in India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Gulf of Thailand, etc.
In India, found mainly in Sundarbans, Himalayan foothills along Ganga & Brahmaputra valleys, and Western Ghats.
Diet & Behavior: Nocturnal hunters that prey on fish, frogs, crustaceans, snakes, birds, and scavenged carcasses.
Conservation Status: IUCN Red List (Vulnerable); WPA, 1972 (Schedule I); CITES (Appendix II).
Recognition: State animal of West Bengal.

An AI driven Biotech Product Data Portal, developed in collaboration with Industry partners ABLE.
It serves as a Trade Statistics Digital Intelligence Platform, providing authenticated biotechnology product import data in a structured and accessible format.
The portal provides sector-wise insights into biochemical products, industrial enzymes, and other biotechnology imports.
It enables researchers and startups to identify high-value imports, assess dependencies, and prioritize indigenous R&D.

It empowers the Parliament to:
Form a new State
Increase, diminish or alter the boundary of a State
Change the name of a State
Process:
President Recommendation: Such bill requires prior recommendation of the President.
View of State Legislature: The President has to refer the concerned State Legislature for its view within a specified period
The President (or Parliament) is not bound by the view of the State Legislature.
The bill is passed by the Parliament by Simple Majority to change the name.

It has three main objectives:
To prevent and control money laundering.
To confiscate and seize the property obtained from laundered money.
To deal with any other issue connected with money laundering in India.
Directors of Financial Intelligence Unit – India (FIU-IND) and ED have been conferred with exclusive and concurrent powers under relevant sections of the Act.

Genesis: It was launched as a World Bank supported Central Sector scheme in 2022.
Implemented by the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MoMSME) over the 5-year period 2022-23 to 2026-27.
Objective: To scale up the implementation capacity and coverage of MSMEs.
By fostering innovation, encouraging ideation, improving practices and processes, enhancing market access, promoting greening initiatives ,guarantees to women-owned micro and small enterprises etc.
It provides grants to States/UTs for implementing selected projects in the Strategic Investment Plan (SIP).