Daily filter — 12 March 2026
12 exam-worthy stories from the day's PIB releases · interactive view
⚖️ Law & Judiciary · LAW track
NALSA's Legal Aid Efforts: Beneficiaries and Lok Adalat Outcomes
**NALSA** provides free legal services to weaker sections, with significant outreach and case settlements through various programs.
- NALSA was constituted under the Legal Services Authorities (LSA) Act, 1987.
- Over 48,67,940 persons benefitted from legal aid and advice in last three years.
- Lok Adalats settled over 33,82,93,386 cases in the past three years.
- The Legal Aid Defense Counsel System (LADCS) is functional in 680 districts.
- Nearly 12.26 crore people attended legal awareness camps in three years.
💡 Remember: NALSA = LSA Act 1987 + Lok Adalats + LADCS + Awareness for free legal services.
Source: Ministry of Law and Justice · PIB PRID 2238788
⚖️ Law & Judiciary · LAW track
Lok Adalats: Key to Reducing Case Pendency in India
Lok Adalats are a vital Alternative Disputes Resolution mechanism for amicable settlement of cases at pre-litigation or pending stages.
- An award by a Lok Adalat is deemed a civil court decree, final and binding, per The Legal Services Authorities (LSA) Act, 1987.
- No appeal lies against a Lok Adalat award before any court.
- Between 2016 to Dec 2025, over 33 crore pre-litigation and 8 crore pending cases were settled in National Lok Adalats.
💡 Lok Adalat awards are final decrees under LSA Act, reducing appeals and clearing crores of cases annually.
Source: Ministry of Law and Justice · PIB PRID 2238784
🏛️ Polity & Governance · LAW track
Lok Sabha Speaker on Freedom of Speech & Parliamentary Rules
Lok Sabha Speaker **Shri Om Birla** clarified the scope of parliamentary freedom of speech and house procedures, following a debate on his removal.
- Freedom of speech in Parliament is subject to the Constitution and parliamentary rules, not absolute.
- Article 105 guarantees speech within the framework of parliamentary rules.
- The Chair does not manually switch microphones; the system activates for permitted members.
- Disruptive behaviour like slogan-shouting and placards undermines Parliament's dignity.
- Rules apply equally to all members, including the Leader of the Opposition.
💡 For the exam: Remember parliamentary speech isn't absolute; it's constrained by rules, as clarified by the Lok Sabha Speaker under Article 105.
Source: Lok Sabha Secretariat · PIB PRID 2238946
⚖️ Law & Judiciary · LAW track
e-Courts Project Phase III strengthens judicial ICT services
The **e-Courts Mission Mode Project** is in its third phase (2023-2027), enhancing digital services for the Indian judiciary.
- Over 660.36 crore pages of court records have been digitized by 31.01.2026.
- 30 Virtual Courts processed 10.13 crore challans, with 9.05 crore disposed.
- Video Conferencing (VC) facilities expanded to 3,240 court complexes and 1,272 jails.
- 11 High Courts currently operationalize live streaming of court proceedings.
- The NJDG (National Judicial Data Grid) provides public access to case data and statistics.
- Case Information System (CIS) 4.0 implemented in all courts with enhanced features.
- e-filing platform received approximately 1.07 crore cases.
- e-Courts Services mobile app has 3.59 crore downloads.
- NSTEP processed 7.29 crore e-processes for summons and notices.
- Digital Courts 2.1 is a customized application for paperless courts using AI.
💡 Remember the e-Courts Project Phase III by its digital advancements: digitization, Virtual Courts, VC, live streaming, e-filing, NJDG, CIS 4.0, NSTEP, and Digital Courts 2.1.
Source: Ministry of Law and Justice · PIB PRID 2238787
⚖️ Law & Judiciary · LAW track
Judicial Infrastructure and Digitalization Progress in India
The government is enhancing judicial infrastructure and promoting digitalization through a Centrally Sponsored Scheme and various tech initiatives.
- A Centrally Sponsored Scheme has been running since 1993-94 for judicial infrastructure.
- As of 28.02.2026, 22,712 Court Halls are available for 21,027 working judges.
- The judge-to-population ratio is approximately 22 Judges per million population.
- The eCourts Project has processed 1.07 crore e-filings and Rs. 1,404 crore in e-payments.
- The 'Nyaya Vikas' portal and 'Digital Courts' initiative aid monitoring and paperless operations.
- The Case Information System (CIS) Version 4.0 digitally manages cases.
💡 Remember the *Centrally Sponsored Scheme* for *judicial infrastructure* (1993-94) and the *eCourts Project* for digitalization.
Source: Ministry of Law and Justice · PIB PRID 2238783
⚖️ Law & Judiciary · LAW track
e-Courts Project boosts judicial efficiency, accessibility
The **e-Courts Mission Mode Project** leverages ICT to enhance India's justice delivery system.
- Over 660.36 crore pages of court records were digitized as on 31.01.2026.
- 30 Virtual Courts processed 10.13 crore challans, with Rs. 1002.73 crore paid.
- Video Conferencing facilities exist in 3,240 court complexes and 1,272 jails.
- Annual case disposal increased by 207% from 2014 to 2025.
- Live streaming of proceedings is operational in 11 High Courts.
💡 For the exam: Remember e-Courts focuses on digitisation, virtual courts, and VC to increase disposal and institution rates.
Source: Ministry of Law and Justice · PIB PRID 2238782
🏛️ Polity & Governance · LAW track
Lok Sabha Speaker on No-Confidence Motion and House Rules
Lok Sabha Speaker **Om Birla** addressed the House following a **no-confidence motion** debate, clarifying procedures and the Speaker's role.
- A no-confidence motion against the Speaker was debated for more than twelve hours over two days.
- The Speaker, Om Birla, recused himself immediately after the motion was introduced on Tuesday, 10 February 2026.
- Article 93 of the Constitution provides for the election of the Speaker.
- The Speaker emphasized that all Members, including the Leader of the Opposition, must follow House rules.
- Quoting documents or making statements (under Rule 372) requires prior permission from the Speaker.
💡 For the exam: Remember the Speaker's role in maintaining order as per Article 93 and Rule 372, especially during a no-confidence motion.
Source: Lok Sabha Secretariat · PIB PRID 2239141
💰 Schemes & Welfare · UPSC track
PM-Kisan 22nd Installment Release and Agricultural Achievements
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will release the 22nd installment of **PM-Kisan** to **9.32 crore** farmers on March 13, 2026.
- The 22nd installment of ₹18,640 crore will reach farmers' accounts via DBT.
- Over 2.15 crore women farmers will receive the PM-Kisan amount.
- Total PM-Kisan distributed so far is over ₹4,09,000 crore.
- Food grain production increased from 252 million tonnes in 2014 to 357 million tonnes.
- Agricultural credit increased from ₹8,45,000 crore in 2014 to ₹28,69,000 crore.
- An AI-based digital platform, 'Bharat Vistar', was launched for farmers.
💡 Remember PM-Kisan's 22nd installment, increased food grain production to 357 million tonnes, and rising agricultural credit to ₹28.69 lakh crore.
Source: Ministry of Agriculture &
Farmers Welfare · PIB PRID 2238885
🌊 Science & Tech · UPSC track
Deep Ocean Mission Achieves Key Milestones
India's Deep Ocean Mission progresses, with significant advancements in deep-sea mining technology, ocean observation, and biodiversity exploration.
- MATSYA-6000 design is complete, with wet tests conducted in January-February 2025.
- INCOIS completed 11 glider missions and deployed 60 Wave Spectra Drifters.
- 1845 deep-sea microbes were isolated from the Indian EEZ.
- Exploratory mining system tested at 5270m depth in 2021 and in the Andaman Sea in 2024.
- SAHAV portal launched in 2025 for real-time oceanic data access.
💡 Remember: MATSYA-6000 for deep-sea vehicles, SAHAV for data, and exploratory mining tests in 2021/2024 are key DOM achievements.
Source: Ministry of Earth Sciences · PIB PRID 2238773
🧠 Science & Tech · UPSC track
BHASHINI powers end-to-end AI at population scale
The **Digital India BHASHINI Division** has enhanced India's AI capabilities by making advanced models available on its platform.
- BHASHINI operates on India’s first fully vendor and cloud-agnostic AI Sovereign Cloud.
- The platform manages over 350 optimized models and powers over 500 government websites.
- It processes over 15 million inferences daily, surpassing 6 billion total inferences.
- BHASHINI offers over 20 NLP services across 36 text and 23 voice languages.
- It leverages Neural Machine Translation (NMT) for direct Indian Language-to-Indian Language processing.
💡 Remember BHASHINI as India's AI-powered language platform for population-scale multilingual AI.
Source: Ministry of Electronics & IT · PIB PRID 2239132
🌾 Schemes & Welfare · UPSC track
Government Approves ₹793 Crore for Millet Processing under PLI Scheme
The Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI) is boosting millet processing and value chains through several schemes, including PLI and PMFME.
- PLISFPI (Millet-Based Products) has an outlay of ₹800 crores.
- ₹793.27 crore approved for 29 applicants under PLISMBP as of March 12, 2026.
- Sales of millet-based products by beneficiaries rose from ₹35 crore (2020-21) to ₹814 crore (2024-25).
- 4,612 micro food processing enterprises for millet processing approved under PMFME by December 31, 2025.
- Millet-based products are One District One Product (ODOP) in 21 districts.
💡 Remember: MoFPI uses PLI and PMFME to boost millet processing, approving ₹793.27 crore and supporting 4,612 micro units.
Source: Ministry of Food Processing Industries · PIB PRID 2239083
🏛️ Law & Judiciary · LAW track
Digital Justice System Accelerates Case Disposal and Transparency
The **e-Courts Mission Mode Project** has significantly expedited and simplified judicial processes, enhancing transparency and accessibility.
- Over 660.36 crore pages of court records have been digitized.
- 2,444 eSewaKendras have been established to improve citizen service delivery.
- The Case Information System (CIS) has been upgraded to version 4.0.
- Phase III (2023–2027) has a budget of ₹7,210 crore to create Digital and Paperless Courts.
💡 Remember the e-Courts Project's goal: digitization (660.36 cr. pages), accessibility (2,444 eSewaKendras), upgraded tech (CIS 4.0), and a large Phase III budget (₹7,210 crore).
Source: Ministry of Law and Justice · PIB PRID 2238781