Prelims Current Affairs includes World Sleep Day, Essential Commodities Act (ECA), 1955, Pb-Shabd Platform, Uniform Civil Code (UCC), India–European Free Trade Association (EFTA) – Tepa, India–Bangladesh Friendship Pipeline, Fiscal Health Index (FHI) 2026 & Mozambique

Important Day

1. WORLD SLEEP DAY

Observed on 13 March

• Aim : to raise awareness about the importance of healthy sleep.
• Organised by the World Sleep Society

ECONOMY

2. ESSENTIAL COMMODITIES ACT (ECA), 1955

Current Context: The Government of India invoked the Essential Commodities Act, 1955 to safeguard the supply of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) and natural gas amid rising geopolitical tensions in West Asia.

WHY THE ACT WAS INVOKED

• Rising tensions in West Asia after the Israel–United States attacks on Iran (February 2026) raised concerns over possible disruptions in global oil and gas supply chains.
• The government invoked powers under Sections 3 and 5 of the Essential Commodities Act to ensure stable domestic energy supply.

DIRECTIVES ISSUED BY THE GOVERNMENT

• Oil refineries must maximize LPG production using propane and butane streams.
• Diversion of propane and butane for petrochemical production is restricted.
• Public Sector Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) must prioritize LPG supply for domestic households.
• A 25-day booking window for new LPG cylinders has been introduced to prevent hoarding.

ABOUT ESSENTIAL COMMODITIES ACT

• Year Enacted: 1955
• Objective: Ensure availability of essential goods at fair prices and prevent hoarding and black-marketing.

POLICY AND PROGRAMME

3. PB-SHABD PLATFORM

Current Context: Prasar Bharati’s PB-SHABD platform will provide free access to logo-free daily news contentto media organisations until next year.

ABOUT PB-SHABD PLATFORM

• Full Form: Prasar Bharati – Shared Audio-Visuals for Broadcast and Dissemination
• Launched: March 2024
• Type: News feed service by Prasar Bharati

FEATURES

• Provides logo-free news content including: Video, Audio, Text, Photos
• Around 1000 news stories are uploaded daily.
• Content is available in major Indian languages.
• Covers topics like agriculture, technology, politics and international affairs.

ABOUT PRASAR BHARATI

• India’s public service broadcaster
• Established under the Prasar Bharati Act, 1990 (operational since 1997)
• Headquarters: New Delhi

COMPONENTS

• Doordarshan & All India Radio (AIR)

POLITY

4. UNIFORM CIVIL CODE (UCC)

Current Context: In the Pavini Shukla vs Union of India case, the Supreme Court suggested implementing a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) to address gender bias in personal laws.

ABOUT UNIFORM CIVIL CODE

• UCC proposes a common set of civil laws governing matters like marriage, divorce, adoption and inheritance for all citizens regardless of religion.

CONSTITUTIONAL BASIS

• Article 44 (Directive Principles of State Policy) directs the State to endeavour to secure a Uniform Civil Codeacross India.
• Matters such as marriage, divorce, adoption and succession fall under the Concurrent List (Seventh Schedule), allowing both Centre and States to legislate.

NEED FOR UCC

• Gender Justice: Removes discriminatory provisions in personal laws
• Secularism: Civil laws become independent of religious practices
• Legal Simplicity: Uniform rules for marriage, divorce and inheritance
• National Integration: Promotes common citizenship and equality.

CURRENT STATUS IN INDIA

• Uttarakhand became the first state in independent India to implement UCC.
• Goa follows a form of common civil code under the Portuguese Civil Code of 1867.
• There is no nationwide UCC yet.

INTERNATIONAL

5. INDIA–EUROPEAN FREE TRADE ASSOCIATION (EFTA) – TEPA

Current Context: The India–European Free Trade Association (EFTA) Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement (TEPA) completed its 2nd anniversary. The agreement, signed in 2024, includes a commitment of 100 billion US dollars in investment and creation of 1 million direct jobs in India over 15 years.

ABOUT EFTA

• Full Form: European Free Trade Association
• Type: Intergovernmental organisation promoting free trade and economic integration.
• MEMBER COUNTRIES : Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland

ESTABLISHMENT

• Year: 1960
• Agreement: Stockholm Convention
• FOUNDING MEMBERS : Austria, Denmark, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom.

OBJECTIVE

• Promote free trade and economic cooperation among member countries
• Facilitate trade relations with other global partners.

INTERNATIONAL

6. INDIA–BANGLADESH FRIENDSHIP PIPELINE

Current Context: India supplied 5,000 metric tonnes of diesel to Bangladesh through the India–Bangladesh Friendship Pipeline.

ABOUT INDIA–BANGLADESH FRIENDSHIP PIPELINE

• Inaugurated: 2023
• Type: First cross-border energy pipeline between India and Bangladesh

KEY FEATURES

• Length: 131 km
• Capacity: 1 Million Metric Ton Per Annum (MMTPA) of High-Speed Diesel (HSD)
• Connects:
• Siliguri Marketing Terminal (India)
• Parbatipur Depot (Bangladesh)

INDEX AND REPORTS

7. FISCAL HEALTH INDEX (FHI) 2026

Current Context: NITI Aayog released the second annual edition of the Fiscal Health Index (FHI) 2026 in New Delhi.

ABOUT FISCAL HEALTH INDEX

• Introduced by NITI Aayog
• Evaluates fiscal performance of 18 major states and 10 North-Eastern and Himalayan states
• Provides a data-driven framework to assess fiscal stability and guide reforms.

KEY PILLARS OF THE INDEX

• The index evaluates fiscal performance based on five pillars:
• Quality of Expenditure
• Revenue Mobilisation
• Fiscal Prudence
• Debt Index
• Debt Sustainability

CLASSIFICATION OF STATES

• States are grouped into four categories:
• Achievers: Strong fiscal discipline, high revenues and low deficits
• Front Runners: Generally sound fiscal position but with minor weaknesses
• Performers: Moderate performance with mixed results
• Aspirational: High fiscal stress with high debt and deficits.

RELEVANT DATA – FHI 2026

• Achievers: Odisha, Goa and Jharkhand
• Karnataka and Telangana moved from Front Runner to Performer category
• Kerala and Tamil Nadu slipped to the Aspirational category
• Among North-Eastern and Himalayan states:
• Arunachal Pradesh ranked first
• Followed by Uttarakhand, Tripura, Meghalaya, Assam and Mizoram
• Significance: The index helps promote fiscal transparency, responsible budgeting and evidence-based policymaking among Indian states.

PLACE IN NEWS

8. MOZAMBIQUE

Current Context: India shipped 500 metric tonnes of rice to Mozambique to assist the country after severe flooding affected several central and southern provinces.

ABOUT MOZAMBIQUE

• Location: Southern Africa
• Located in both the Southern and Eastern Hemispheres
• Capital City: Maputo

BORDERING COUNTRIES

• Zimbabwe – West
• Eswatini and South Africa – South and Southwest
• Zambia and Malawi – Northwest
• Tanzania – North

WATER BODIES

• Has a long coastline along the Indian Ocean to the east.
• The Mozambique Channel separates Mozambique from the island nations of Madagascar, Comoros and Mayotte.

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