Frontier Nagaland Territorial Authority (FNTA)

Why in News?

Recently, the Union Government signed a tripartite agreement with the Eastern Nagaland Peoples’ Organisation (ENPO) and the Government of Nagaland to establish the Frontier Nagaland Territorial Authority (FNTA).

What is FNTA?

• FNTA – This arrangement seeks to grant enhanced administrative and financial autonomy to six eastern districts of Nagaland—Kiphire, Longleng, Mon, Noklak, Shamator, and Tuensang—addressing long-standing political and developmental grievances.
• The FNTA represents a “middle path” between full statehood and conventional district administration, reflecting a calibrated approach to regional aspirations within the constitutional framework.
• Colonial Legacy and Developmental Differential – The origins of eastern Nagaland’s autonomy demand lie in colonial administrative policies.
• The British treated the Naga Hills as a frontier tract, largely leaving it unadministered.
• This policy created a governance vacuum and deep developmental disparities that persisted after Independence.
• When Nagaland was carved out of Assam and granted statehood in 1963, the eastern Naga tribes felt politically and economically marginalized.
• The eight tribes inhabiting the eastern districts perceived dominance by western Naga tribes centered around Kohima, leading to growing resentment.
• ENPO’s Core Demand of Separate Statehood – In 2010, the ENPO formally submitted a memorandum to the Centre demanding the creation of a separate state—“Frontier Nagaland.”
• The demand was rooted in:
  • Perceived neglect in development funding and infrastructure
  • Limited political representation
  • Administrative centralization in Kohima
• Over time, the movement gained momentum, evolving from demands for equitable development to calls for full statehood.

Why did the centre intervene?

• The Union Government’s decision to engage meaningfully with the ENPO was driven by both political and strategic considerations.
• Political Compulsion – Earlier attempts to placate the region—including Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and a ₹500-crore development package—failed to satisfy deeper political aspirations.
• In 2024, the ENPO called for a total boycott of the Lok Sabha elections, demonstrating significant collective leverage and signaling escalating discontent.
• Strategic Imperative – Eastern Nagaland shares a sensitive international border with Myanmar.
• The region functions as a strategic buffer zone where armed insurgent groups operate across porous borders.
• Sustained alienation in such a geopolitically sensitive area posed serious national security risks.
• Thus, the FNTA emerged as a pacifying mechanism to stabilize a critical frontier region while aligning local aspirations with national interests.

What are the key features of the frontier nagaland territorial authority (FNTA)?

• Administrative Autonomy – Establishment of a mini-Secretariat within eastern Nagaland.
• Headed by a high-ranking officer to decentralize governance.
• Reduced administrative dependence on Kohima.
• Financial Devolution – Development funds to be allocated proportionally based on population and area.
• Initial establishment expenditure to be borne by the Ministry of Home Affairs.
• Greater control over planning and implementation of development projects.
• Legislative and Executive Powers – The FNTA will exercise authority over 46 specified subjects, including:
  • Land use
  • Agriculture
  • Rural development
  • Infrastructure
  • Local governance
• This ensures policy decisions are tailored to tribal and regional needs.
• Constitutional Safeguards – Importantly, the arrangement does not alter Article 371(A) of the Constitution, which protects Naga customary laws, religious practices, and land ownership rights.
• Thus, the FNTA strengthens autonomy without undermining constitutional protections central to Naga identity.
• FNTA as a Model of Devolutionary Autonomy – The FNTA reflects a broader constitutional innovation—territorial authorities as an intermediate solution between:
  • Full statehood
  • Union Territory status
  • Ordinary district administration
• It signals the Centre’s willingness to accommodate regional aspirations without redrawing state boundaries.
• Applicability to the Kuki-Zo Demand in Manipur – The FNTA model has sparked debate about whether similar mechanisms could address the Kuki-Zo community’s demand for a separate administration in Manipur.
• Structural Similarities – The arrangement resembles the Hill Areas Committee under Article 371(C), designed to protect tribal interests in Manipur.
• The FNTA demonstrates constitutional flexibility in designing sub-state autonomy frameworks.

What are the key differences?

• Political Consensus – In Nagaland, Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio was a willing partner in negotiations.
• In Manipur, the Imphal Valley-based government strongly opposes administrative separation.
• Conflict Context – Nagaland did not witness active inter-group violent conflict during negotiations.
• Manipur, however, has experienced severe ethnic violence, eroding trust.
• Competing Territorial Claims – The presence of groups such as the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (NSCN), which lays claim to parts of hill districts, complicates any clean administrative reorganization.
• Thus, while the FNTA provides a conceptual template, replication would require substantial political reconciliation and consensus-building.

What lies ahead?

• The Frontier Nagaland Territorial Authority represents a pragmatic experiment in asymmetric federalism and devolutionary autonomy.
• It addresses regional grievances while preserving state integrity and constitutional safeguards.
• The FNTA illustrates:
  • The evolving nature of Indian federalism
  • Strategic dimensions of regional autonomy
  • Constitutional innovation under Articles 371(A) and 371(C)
  • The intersection of development, identity, and national security
• Its success will depend on effective implementation, genuine fiscal devolution, and sustained political engagement.
• If successful, it may redefine how India manages sub-state regional aspirations in sensitive border regions.

Reference

The Hindu| FNTA

Takeaways from AI Impact Summit, 2026

Why in News?

The AI Impact Summit attracted lakhs of visitors from 88 countries and international organisations, with high-profile AI executives and heads of state & signed the New Delhi Declaration on AI, which stresses that the technology must be democratised to make a difference.

What is the background of AI summits?

• Annual AI Gatherings – Since 2023, dozens of countries have participated in annual gatherings to discuss AI.
• There is no international organisation that convenes these gatherings as of now — participating countries have generally passed on the responsibility to the next year’s summit.
• Bletchley Park, U.K. (2023) – The inaugural meeting was a small dialogue focused on AI safety, hosted by the U.K.
• Seoul Summit (2024) – The second edition was held in Seoul, continuing the tradition of rotating hosts.
• Paris Summit (2025) – The last AI Action Summit was held in Paris in February 2025, co-chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Emmanuel Macron.
• A major shift occurred here that U.S. Vice-President J.D. Vance rejected the safety-first approach, instead emphasized innovation, frontier research, and commercialization of AI without heavy restrictions.

What were the India-hosted summit’s goals?

• India’s Global Priorities
  • AI’s capabilities must be available to as many people as possible;
  • More work must be done to make it relevant in the Global South, such as by expanding representation for languages that have been under-represented in the training of western LLMs (large language models); and
  • The technology should be “safe and trusted”.
• Domestic Goals – On the domestic front, the government sought to
  • Project India as an attractive destination for AI infrastructure and research,
  • Drum up investor sentiment for putting money into AI, and
  • For encouraging the technology’s already-enthusiastic adoption in India, especially in fields such as healthcare, agriculture and education.
• Working Groups Formed – The names of the working groups convened for this purpose reflect some of these priorities
  • Human capital
  • Inclusion for social empowerment
  • Safe and trusted ai
  • Resilience, innovation, and efficiency
  • Science and democratising ai resources
  • AI for economic development and social good

What were the outcomes of the summit?

• Record Attendance – The summit attracted over five lakh visitors, a record that easily surpassed the attendance of the G20 summit in 2023.
• The event also hosted over 500 individual discussions, with speakers from around the world.
• Investments – The government also touted $250 billion in investment commitments, as well as $20 billion in commitments for frontier deep tech research.
• Strategic Partnerships – During the summit, India joined the U.S.-led Pax Silica initiative.
  • Aim – To build a network of like-minded countries opposed to concentration of power in electronics manufacturing and critical minerals.
• New Delhi Declaration on AI – India achieved broad consensus among 88 countries and international organisations for the New Delhi Declaration on AI.
• Signed by the - U.S., China, France, and several other countries who are key for the development and deployment of AI at present.
• Domestic Milestone – Sarvam AI
• Launch of India’s first domestically trained multi-billion parameter LLMs by Sarvam AI, a Bengaluru-based firm.
• Backed by private equity investment and government support in subsidised access to computing resources under the IndiaAI Mission.
• The firm says its models are efficient, and beat comparable models at many benchmarks.
• It has announced that its models will be open source, and after the summit, launched a chatbot interface in beta to interact with its LLMs.

What were the investment commitments?

• Mega Investment Commitments
  • Reliance Industries Ltd. announced commitments of Rs. 10 lakh crore for domestic AI and Adani Group made a similar large-scale commitment.
  • Google gave a few fresh details about its existing $15 billion investment in data centre and AI projects in India, such as a subsea cable system that would directly connect India and the U.S.
• High-Profile Partnerships
  • OpenAI–Tata Group Pact – OpenAI to lease 100 MW of data centre capacity from Tata’s HyperVault, and provide its advanced models to the firm’s employees.
  • Anthropic–Infosys Agreement – The collaboration despite recent investor concerns after Anthropic’s coding LLM surprised markets.
• Domestic Infrastructure Expansion – Yotta Data Services (domestic data centre operator) announced $2 billion investment in data centre infrastructure, with graphics processing units from Nvidia.

What does the New Delhi Declaration say?

• Alignment with India’s Priorities – The declaration is broadly in line with India’s stated multilateral priorities when organising the summit, stressing inclusivity, safety, and global cooperation in AI.
• Nature of Commitments – Nearly all commitments are described in the statement as “voluntary” and “non-binding,” encouraging wider participation.
• Key Initiatives in the Declaration
• Charter for Democratic Diffusion of AI – ensuring widespread access.
• Global AI Impact Commons – a shared database of AI use cases for countries to draw inspiration from.
• Trusted AI Commons – repository of tools, benchmarks, and best practices for development of secure and trustworthy AI systems.
• International Network of AI for Science Institutions – linking technical institutes worldwide.
• AI for Social Empowerment Platform – promoting inclusive applications.
• AI Workforce Development Playbook & Reskilling Principles – guiding workforce adaptation.
• Guiding Principles on Resilient and Efficient AI – ensuring robust systems.

What lies ahead?

• The government said the summit is expected to catalyse long-term international partnerships and position AI as a key driver of economic growth.
• Adding that there was “broad-based global consensus on leveraging AI for economic growth and social good”.

Reference

The Hindu | What are the key takeaways from AI summit?

Marriage registration in Gujarat

Why in News?

The Gujarat government’s move to mandate consent of parents for registration of a marriage flies in the face of constitutional rights of individuals that are routinely safeguarded by several court rulings.

• Registration Acts - Marriage registration is usually done under the Gujarat Marriage Registration Act, 2006 (or under the Special Marriage Act, 1954 for civil/inter-faith marriages).
• Proposed Amendments to Marriage Registration Rules (2026).
• Article 21 - It guarantees the protection of life and personal liberty; this right has been interpreted by the Supreme Court to include the freedom to choose a partner without external interference.
• High Courts also routinely protect couples seeking police protection from their families.
• Key Proposed Changes - Mandatory declaration about parents -
  • Couples must state whether they have their parents about the marriage.
  • Details such as parents’ Aadhaar, address and contact numbers must be submitted.
• Parental notification - The Assistant Registrar will officially notify parents (electronically or physically) within 10 working days after application acceptance.
• 30-day waiting period - Marriage registration will only be completed 30 days after application, allowing time for verification.
• Online portal - All details are to be uploaded on a government portal for transparency and record keeping.
• Purpose of the Amendments - The government says the changes aim to
  • Prevent fraudulent marriages and exploitation
  • Curb misuse of deceptive marriage certificates
  • Enhance transparency in registration
• Related cases - Laxmibai Chandaragi B versus State of Karnataka – In 2021, the Supreme Court reiterated that the consent of the family or the community or the clan is not necessary for adults to marry.
• Shafi Jahan v KM Ashokan - In 2018, the Supreme Court, in a case of interfaith marriage that was challenged by the woman’s parents, had upheld an individual’s right to marry a person of one’s own choice as well as the right to choose a religion.
• Lata Singh v State of Uttar Pradesh - In 2006 ruling, the Supreme Court recognised the family as a site of violence and protected inter-caste marriages.
• Delhi High Court in 2009 and the Allahabad High Court in 2021 had even struck down the mandatory 30-day notice of a couple’s intention to marry under the Special Marriage Act, citing an invasion of privacy, even from family.

Reference

The Indian Express | Marriage registration in Gujarat

Kerala Nativity Card Bill

Why in News?

The Cabinet recently cleared the Kerala Nativity Card Bill.

• Aim - It seeks to give legal backing to the nativity card initiative for issuing an authoritative identity proof to Keralites.
• Nativity card - The State government plans to roll out the nativity cards as a new identification document to establish one’s identity as a Keralite.
• The card is modelled on the nativity certificate currently issued by the State’s Revenue department.
• However, the conditions for issuing nativity certificates have been stipulated only as per government order.
• The nativity card that incorporates beneficiary photograph is conceived as an authoritative, legally valid, permanent identity proof that fosters a sense of pride in being both an Indian and a Keralite.
• The government intends to issue the nativity cards to all people born in the State.
• Eligibility - The Bill defines a ‘native’ as someone who was born in Kerala but has not accepted foreign citizenship or someone who has a Kerala-born ancestor who had not accepted foreign citizenship.
• Individuals who have relinquished citizenship will not be eligible for the card.
• If a person accepts foreign citizenship after receiving the card, the card will be null and void.
• People born outside Kerala to parents or ancestors who were outside the State for work or livelihood-related reasons and who have not received foreign citizenship will also be considered a ‘native.’
• Benefits - It will be used to access State government services, assistance, and other “social requirements,” and so can be used as a beneficiary identification document.
• The nativity cards are pitched as a consolidated document that will replace the nativity certificates, which currently have to be obtained time and again whenever a requirement arises.
• The Collector can review, modify, or cancel orders issued by the RDO after giving the applicant a reasonable opportunity to be heard.
• Timeline for issuing - The Bill proposes a punishment of up to 3 months or a fine up to Rs.5,000 or both if an applicant furnishes information that is false or believed to be false.
• Once the Kerala Nativity Card Bill is passed by the Assembly, it will have to be signed by the Governor to become an Act.

Reference

The Hindu | Kerala’s Nativity Card Bill

PRASHAD Scheme

Why in News?

Centre Plans Temple Tourism Development in Andhra Pradesh under PRASHAD Scheme.

• The PRASHAD Scheme is a central flagship initiative to transform India’s pilgrimage and heritage sites into world-class destinations.
• The name stands for Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual, Heritage Augmentation Drive.
• Launched by - Ministry of Tourism.
• Core Objectives - The scheme aims to move beyond simple beautification by focusing on a holistic tourist experience:
• Infrastructure - Developing high-quality roads, public transport, and last-mile connectivity.
• Amenities - Building tourist facilitation centers, hygienic restrooms, waiting halls, and illumination.
• Economic Growth - Boosting local employment by promoting traditional arts, crafts, and cuisines.
• Sustainability - Ensuring eco-friendly construction, waste management, and the preservation of the site’s religious and historical essence.
• Funding and Implementation - 100% Central Funding - For eligible project components, the Government of India provides the entire cost.
• CSR & PPP - The scheme also encourages contributions through Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) for long-term maintenance.
• Implementation - Projects are implemented by the respective State Governments or Union Territory administrations through designated agencies.

Reference

News on Air | PRASHAD Scheme

Ferruginous Pochard

Why in News?

• Scientific Name - Aythya nyroca.
• It is commonly known as the White-eyed Pochard or Ferruginous Duck.
• It is a medium-sized diving duck known for its striking mahogany plumage and "shy" nature.
• Key Identification - The Ferruginous Pochard is often mistaken for the Tufted Duck or the Common Pochard, but a few specific markers set it apart:
• Coloration- Adults have a rich, dark chestnut (ferruginous) head, breast, and flanks.
• The "White Eye" - Breeding males have a distinct, piercing white iris, while females and juveniles have dark brown eyes.
• Undertail - It has a very prominent pure white undertail patch, which is a key field mark even when the bird is swimming.
• In Flight - Look for a broad, bright white wing stripe that extends almost to the wingtips, contrasting sharply with the dark upperparts.
• Habitat - Unlike many other diving ducks that prefer open water, the Ferruginous Pochard is a specialist of shallow, heavily vegetated wetlands.
• Distribution - Historically widespread across Eurasia and North Africa, it is now a species of conservation concern.
• Behavior & Diet – Feeding - They are omnivorous. While they are diving ducks, they also frequently "upend" (dabble) like mallards to reach aquatic plants, seeds, mollusks, and small fish.
• Social Life - They are generally less gregarious than other pochards, often seen in small groups or pairs, though they may join large mixed-species flocks during winter.
• Nesting - They build concealed nests on the ground near water or even floating nests in thick reed beds.
• Conservation Status – IUCN - Near Threatened.
• Threats - Habitat Loss, Human Disturbance, Hybridization.

Reference

The Hindu | Ferruginous Pochard

'Sayyad-3G' Missile

Why in News?

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy successfully tested 'Sayyad-3G', air defense system for the first time.

• The Sayyad-3G is an advanced naval surface-to-air missile developed by Iran.
• Operational Range - Approximately 150 kilometers (93 miles).
• Launch System - Utilizes a Vertical Launch System (VLS). This allows the ship to fire the missile without needing to turn toward the target, providing 360-degree coverage.
• Speed - Estimated to reach speeds between Mach 4.5 and 5.1.
• Guidance - Features advanced radar-based terminal homing and inertial mid-course guidance.
• It can operate as part of an integrated command network or track targets independently using the host ship’s radar.
• Launch Platform - It was launched from the Shahid Sayyad Shirazi, a catamaran corvette of the Shahid Soleimani class.
• Target Profile - Designed to intercept high-performance fighter jets, maritime patrol aircraft, high-altitude UAVs (drones), and cruise missiles.
• Significance of the "G" Variant - The Sayyad-3G is specifically engineered for maritime environments.
• Maritime Adaptation - Unlike the original 2016 land-based Sayyad-3, the "G" variant is optimized for the humid and corrosive conditions of the sea.
• Layered Defense - Its deployment allows Iran to create a "regional air defense umbrella" far from its coast, shifting its naval strategy from point-defense (short-range) to area-defense (medium-to-long-range).
• Impact on Regional Security - The introduction of the Sayyad-3G allows Iranian naval units to contest airspace in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz more effectively.
• By establishing a 150 km defensive bubble around its warships, Iran aims to increase the "cost of entry" for adversary aircraft and surveillance drones in these sensitive waters.

Reference

TBS | Sayyad-3G