Current Affairs 28 February 2026

Supreme Court Bans NCERT Class 8 Textbook Over Content on Judiciary

• The Supreme Court ordered a blanket ban and immediate seizure of all physical and digital copies of a Class 8 Social Science textbook published by NCERT (February 2026) for portraying the judiciary in a negative manner through selective references to “corruption”.
• The Court emphasised that while legitimate criticism of institutions is permissible, any deliberate attempt to scandalise or undermine the dignity of the judiciary may amount to criminal contempt.

Income Mobility in India (2014–2025)

A study using CMIE’s Consumer Pyramids Household Survey shows big changes in people’s income levels between 2014 and 2025.

• The number of families whose income went down increased a lot from 14% in 2015 to 26.8% in 2025.
• The number of families remaining in the same income group reduced sharply.
• Some families moved upward, but this growth was slow and smaller than the number of people moving downward.
• This means economic insecurity is increasing.
• Rural areas were worst affected, nearly 29% of rural households became poorer compared to 2014.
• Social inequality still plays a major role: SCs, OBCs and Muslims had fewer chances to move up.
• Factors that improved income growth chances:
  • Better education
  • Living in urban areas
  • Lower inequality in the district

PM Lanka Boats Project launched in Andhra Pradesh

The Ramakrishna Mission has launched the ‘PM Lanka Boats’ project to restore the livelihoods of traditional fishing families in the Godavari belt of Andhra Pradesh whose boats and nets were damaged by Montha Cyclone. The initiative will support 300 vulnerable fishing families by providing boats and fishing nets worth ₹2.10 crore. In the first phase, equipment valued at ₹70 lakh will be distributed to 100 fishermen.

A.P. Assigned Lands (Prohibition of Transfers) (Amendment) Bill, 2026

The Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly has passed the A.P. Assigned Lands (Prohibition of Transfers) (Amendment) Bill, 2026. This allows the government to lease assigned lands on a long-term basis for setting up renewable energy projects under the A.P. Integrated Clean Energy Policy 2024.
This amends the 1977 Act, which earlier prohibited transfer of assigned lands given to landless poor.

The policy targets 160 GW renewable energy capacity and aims to attract ₹10 lakh crore investments, aligned with India’s climate commitments. The land can be leased to A.P. Rural Agriculture Power Limited (earlier A.P. Green Energy Corporation Ltd.) for solar and other clean energy projects.

Microbreweries to Promote Beach AP Tourism

The Andhra Pradesh government has amended the A.P. Brewery Rules, 2006 to promote beach tourism by allowing microbreweries in notified tourism areas. Earlier restricted to municipal corporation limits, microbreweries will now be permitted:

• Within a 5-km belt from municipal corporation limits
• In designated tourism centres
• In three-star and above hotels anywhere in the State

The move aims to attract more tourists by offering diversified liquor brands, premium retail outlets, and better visitor experience. Currently, only eight microbreweries operate in the State.

Vayu Shakti–2026 Exercise

President Droupadi Murmu witnessed the ‘Vayu Shakti–2026’ exercise at the Pokhran Firing Range in Rajasthan on 27 February 2026. The exercise showcased the Indian Air Force’s capability to carry out swift and precise strikes in simulated wartime conditions through an integrated operational scenario.

Commissioning of INS Anjadip

INS Anjadip, the fourth vessel of the Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft (ASW-SWC) project, was commissioned into the Indian Navy on 27 February 2026 at Chennai Port. The ceremony was presided over by Admiral Dinesh K. Tripathi, Chief of the Naval Staff.

Named after an island off the coast of Karwar, the 77-metre, 1,400-ton warship is specially designed for anti-submarine operations in shallow coastal waters.

New GDP Base Year 2022-23

• MoSPI released a new GDP/National Accounts series with base year shifted to 2022–23, replacing the earlier 2011–12 base.
• The rebasing aims to capture structural changes, use new data sources, and improve methods, deflation strategy, coverage, and accuracy.
• MoSPI said 2022–23 was chosen as a “recent normal year” (post-COVID) with robust data availability across sectors.

Disclaimer: This article is prepared for competitive exam preparation using publicly available information.