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SC questions WhatsApp, Meta on personal data

Context: The Supreme Court said it would not permit instant messaging platform WhatsApp and its parent company, Meta, to breach the right to privacy of millions of their “silent consumers” in India through the sharing and commercial exploitation of personal data.

• A three-judge Bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, addressing Meta and WhatsApp, compared the sharing of private data to a “decent way of committing theft”, saying by now “you must have taken away millions of bytes of data”. WhatsApp and Meta, led by senior advocates Mukul Rohatgi and Amit Sibal, objected to the court’s observations, saying users could ‘opt out’ of data sharing and that prior consent was cardinal. WhatsApp stressed that messages on its platform were end-to-end encrypted.
• Chief Justice Kant asked the online entities whether a poor street vendor or a person living in rural areas would be able to navigate the complicated and “cleverly-crafted” language of consent and be able to take an informed decision.

Value of shared data

• Justice Joymalya Bagchi, who, along with Justice Vipul M. Pancholi, formed part of the Bench, said every silo of data relating to an individual — whether private or not — had value.
• He pointed out that the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act of 2023, India’s first legal framework for digital personal data privacy, covered only the factor of privacy. There seemed to be nothing in the law on the sharing of the data value of a consumer.
• “The DPDP Act only addresses privacy. We would like to examine the rent-sharing of data. Behavioural trends and tendencies can be utilised and monetised. Your (WhatsApp’s) parent company can leverage it for online advertising…,” Justice Bagchi observed.
• The Chief Justice gave an example of a person communicating online with his doctor about medicines, only to get advertisements or notifications about medical services minutes later.
• Solicitor-General Tushar Mehta present in the courtroom, said “our private data is not only sold, but it is commercially exploited. We are not only consumers, but also products”.
• The Bench impleaded the Centre, through the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, as a party in the case. Justice Bagchi said the Centre has to compare the DPDP Act and the European Union’s (EU) strict online governance rules under the Digital Services Act. “The EU rules consider not only privacy but also value. I may have personal data of variously graded privacy. Privacy is lost as soon as I share certain data. Is it an acceptable jurisprudential idea that once data is shared, there is no value for that data any more?” Justice Bagchi asked.
• The court was hearing petitions filed by Meta and WhatsApp against a National Company Law Appellate Tribunal decision last year that upheld a ₹213.14-crore penalty imposed by the Competition Commission of India (CCI).
• Posting the case for interim directions on February 9, the Chief Justice said, “You cannot take advantage of these millions of silent consumers who have no voice”.

Pennaiyar river dispute: SC directs Centre to form tribunal

Context: The Supreme Court directed the Centre to constitute a tribunal to adjudicate the dispute between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka over the sharing of Pennaiyar river water.

• A Bench, headed by Justice Vikram Nath, directed the Centre to issue a notification to constitute the inter-State water disputes tribunal within a month. “The Centre may place the complaint filed by Tamil Nadu before the tribunal upon its constitution,” the Bench said. This direction of the court comes under Section 5 of the Inter-State River Water Disputes Act of 1956.
• In 2018, Tamil Nadu moved the Supreme Court against Karnataka over its work on dams and diversions structures on the river. Karnataka had no right to utilise the waters of Pennaiyar to the detriment of the people of Tamil Nadu, the State had told the court. Tamil Nadu argued that the flowing of water of an inter-State river was a national asset and no single State could claim exclusive ownership of its water. An 1892 agreement over the river water was “valid and binding” on the party States, it had contended.
• Tamil Nadu had wanted a prohibition on Karnataka from initiating any new schemes in the Pennaiyar basin until a tribunal was constituted by the Centre.

Tulu as official language

• ‘Govt. favourable to declaring Tulu as official language’

Context: The State government is in favour of declaring Tulu as Karnataka’s second official language and said a decision would be taken after studying the models adopted by West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh, Kannada and Culture Minister Shivaraj Tangadagi informed the Legislative Assembly.

• Replying to a question by Congress member Ashok Rai, the Minister said an official team had visited West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh to study the second official language models followed in those States. However, the team is yet to submit its report.
• Once received, a meeting will be convened with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to take a decision, he said. Andhra Pradesh has declared Urdu as its second official language, he added. Members cutting across party lines from Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts urged the government to declare Tulu as the second official language of the State.
• Pointing out that Tulu academies have been established and universities are offering courses in the language, Mr. Rai, who represents Puttur, said the State should accord official status to Tulu. Intervening, Speaker U.T. Khader also supported the demand and said the government should seriously consider the proposal.
• Mr. Rai said Tulu has a history of over 3,000 years, has its own script, and is included in Google Translate. He added that the language is being researched by foreign universities.
• The previous BJP government in 2023 had constituted a committee headed by educationist Mohan Alva, which recommended that Tulu could be declared the State’s second official language under Article 345 of the Constitution. The committee had also suggested forming a panel to study the practices followed by other States.
• BJP member D. Vedavyasa Kamath demanded an early decision on declaring Tulu as an official language.
• The House witnessed lighter moments when Mr. Khader and other members from the region interacted in Tulu for a brief while. “I don’t know what abuse Mr. Kamath showered upon me in Tulu,” Mr. Tangadagi remarked.
• Responding, Mr. Khader said, “Don’t worry. When Tulu people express praise or abuse, it is with love and affection.”
• Immediately, Deputy Speaker Rudrappa Manappa Lamani demanded the official language status to the Lambani language.

India’s Labour Codes

Future of work: India’s youth under the new Codes

Context: The four Labour Codes aim to promote formalisation of employment and improve ease of doing business; gap in coverage of benefits is a major challenge.

• India’s Labour Codes came into force in November 2025, marking the most significant labour law reform since Independence. By consolidating 29 central laws into four Codes, the reform aims to simplify compliance, universalise minimum wages, expand social protection, and modernise workplace regulation. Policy debates often portray the Codes as a balancing act between labour flexibility and worker protection.
• Prior to the consolidation, India’s labour regime was fragmented across multiple Central and State laws governing wages, industrial relations, social security, and working conditions. With labour on the Concurrent List, this resulted in uneven enforcement and wide inter-State variation. Crucially, most protections applied only to the formal sector, leaving informal, contract, and casual workers, who form the bulk of the workforce, outside the scope of regulation. Against this backdrop, the government introduced four Labour Codes between 2019 and 2020.
• In 2024, India’s median age was under 30, compared to around 40 in China and 50 in Japan. With nearly half the population still young, understanding how these changes affect youth employment is critical.
• Despite its demographic advantage, India faces a pronounced youth employment crisis. According to the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) 2023-24, labour force participation among those aged 15-29 stood at 46.5%, far below the 76.4% observed among those aged 30-59. Youth unemployment is 10.2%, compared to less than 1% for older adults.

• Gender disparities further widen these gaps. Only 28.8% of young women participate in the labour force, compared to 63.5% of young men. In urban areas, unemployment among young women reached 20.1%.
• Across all PLFS rounds, young workers are more likely than adults to be unpaid family workers within self-employment. They are disproportionately concentrated in informal employment. In 2023-24, nearly 90% of young workers were informally employed. Even within regular salaried jobs, 60.5% of young regular workers lacked social security, compared to 50.5% among workers above 30.
• Contractual insecurity is also higher among youth. In 2023-24, 66.1% of young regular workers had no written contract, versus 53.6% for older ones. Only 16.5% of young workers had long-term contracts exceeding three years, compared to 35.4% among adults.
• Young workers are also overrepresented in platform-based gig work. A NITI Aayog estimate suggests that 77 lakh workers were engaged in the gig economy in 2020-21, a figure projected to rise to 2.35 crore by 2029-30.
• Against this backdrop, the new Labour Codes aim to promote formalisation while improving the ease of doing business. The introduction of a statutory national floor wage could raise earnings for young workers clustered in low-paid, entry-level jobs. If firms increasingly rely on fixed-term contracts, the Codes mandate parity in wages and benefits with permanent workers.
• The requirement of appointment letters for all workers and guaranteed wage payments, even during leave, strengthens baseline employment security. The Code on Social Security extends welfare schemes covering health, maternity, disability, education, and skill development to unorganised workers. Gig and platform workers are explicitly recognised in national law, with provisions for registration from age 16 and the creation of National and State Social Security Boards. Unlike the earlier Unorganised Workers’ Social Security Act (2008), which had limited impact, the new Code offers clearer institutional mechanisms.
• Labour market transparency is also enhanced through mandatory vacancy reporting to career centres. The Industrial Relations Code further affects youth employment by reducing hiring frictions through a higher retrenchment threshold. It provides legal clarity for contract labour and fixed-term employment categories dominated by young workers while extending benefits such as leave, health cover, social security, and gratuity to fixed-term employees after just one year of service.
• However, several challenges remain. Many provisions for unorganised and gig workers mirror those under the 2008 Act, including a size-based definition of enterprises with fewer than 10 workers. PLFS 2023-24 shows that 42.7% of young workers lack written contracts, and nearly one-fifth of them work in enterprises with more than 10 workers, leaving significant gaps in coverage. Discretionary language in provisions for gig workers and weak statistical definitions of digital platform employment complicate coverage, especially given widespread multiple job-holding. Despite the Second National Commission on Labour having urged the government as early as 2002 to modernise labour protections in response to technological change and evolving work arrangements, two decades later, policy follow-through and statistical innovation have been slow.

• These gaps point to an urgent need for stronger labour data systems and proactive worker registration. Identifying gig and platform workers in national surveys, instead of subsuming them under broad self-employment categories, would strengthen policy design and protection.

Karnataka forms gig workers’ welfare development board

Context: According to the notification, the Labour Minister will be the ex-officio president of the board.

• The Karnataka government on Tuesday issued a notification constituting the Karnataka Platform-Based Gig Workers’ Welfare Development Board under the Karnataka Platform-Based Gig Workers’ (Social Security and Welfare Development) Act, 2025.
• According to the notification, the Labour Minister will be the ex-officio president of the board. Senior officials from the Labour Department, the Department of Information Technology and the Commercial Taxes Department have been included as ex-officio members. The Chief Executive Officer of the board will function as the member-secretary.
• The board includes four representatives of gig workers from unions representing food delivery and app-based transport workers, and four representatives from aggregator platforms. Representatives from Porter, Zomato, Uber and Amazon have been named as aggregator members. The committee also includes labour unions, including United Food Delivery Partners Union, the Indian Federation of App Based Transport Workers, All India Trader Union Congress (AITUC), and Ola Uber Drivers and Owners’ Association.
• The constitution of the board follows the State government’s decision to move ahead with the implementation of welfare measures for gig workers through a dedicated statutory body. Now, both aggregator platforms and gig workers will be required to register with the board.
• Aggregators will have 45 days to complete their registration and furnish details of all gig workers engaged through their platforms. Each registered gig worker will be issued a unique identification number, which will be used by the board to disburse social security benefits. The welfare fund will comprise the welfare fee collected from aggregators, contributions made by gig workers, and grants provided by the State and Central governments.
• The State has decided to levy a welfare fee of 1% to 1.5%, with a cap, on aggregator platforms, with the rate varying across sectors and business models. Labour Minister Santosh Lad had said the levy was kept low initially to ensure a steady welfare fund for gig workers without placing an immediate financial burden on platforms.
• Officials had also said that once contributions begin to flow into the welfare fund, the board will assess whether the collections are sufficient to extend social security benefits to gig workers. The welfare fee may be revised, up to a maximum of 5%, if the funds are found to be inadequate.

India and EU finalized Free Trade Agreement

Context: European wines, luxury cars to become cheaper as negotiations, launched in 2007, conclude.

• Modi calls it historic pact, while Ursula says it will reduce strategic dependence amid global turmoil.
• Officials say document will undergo legal scrubbing before it can be ratified by European Parliament
• After almost two decades of negotiation, India and the European Union (EU) finalised a free trade agreement (FTA) on Tuesday billed as the “mother of all deals”, that will see the EU drop tariffs on 99.5% of Indian exports to the 27-nation bloc.
• India has given tariff concessions on 97.5% of imports from the EU, with European wines and luxury cars set to become less expensive here as a result.
• Beyond the economics, both sides stressed the geopolitical significance of a deal between two economies that together account for a third of global trade in the shadow of uncertainty sparked by the U.S. tariff regime.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared that the partnership would “strengthen stability” at a time of global turmoil, while European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said it would reduce strategic dependency at a time when global trade is increasingly fractious.
• “We have delivered the mother of all deals,” she said. “Two giants who choose partnership, in a true win-win fashion. A strong message that cooperation is the best answer to global challenges.”

‘Largest-ever FTA’

• Noting that this is India’s largest-ever FTA, Mr. Modi said: “This historic agreement will facilitate access to the European market for our farmers and small industries, create new opportunities in manufacturing, and strengthen cooperation in our services sectors.”
• Both sides, however, made sure to exclude their respective sensitive sectors. India’s strategic agricultural and dairy sectors remain protected, while the EU will maintain its current tariffs on beef, sugar, rice, chicken meat, milk powder, honey, bananas, soft wheat, garlic, and ethanol.
• India-EU FTA talks were first launched in 2007. Following several hiccups and pauses, they were resumed in 2022 with both sides agreeing to exclude issues on which agreement had been elusive.
• According to Commerce Ministry officials, the language in the document will first be cleaned up over the next 10 to 15 days, following which it will undergo “legal scrubbing”. It will then have to be translated and sent to all 27 EU member states, before it can be ratified by the European Parliament.
• “We do hope that we should be able to celebrate the entry into force of this agreement within calendar 2026 itself,” said Union Minister Piyush Goyal.
• According to the Commerce Ministry, India has gained tariff reductions across 97% of tariff lines, covering 99.5% of trade value. Of this, 90.7% of India’s exports will see duties eliminated entirely on the first day of the deal’s implementation, including labour-intensive sectors such as textiles, apparel, leather, footwear, tea, coffee, spices, sports goods, toys, gems and jewellery, and certain marine products, amongst others.
• Another 2.9% of India’s exports will see duty elimination over three to five years.
• This would include certain marine products, processed food items, and arms and ammunition. Over and above this, 6% of India’s exports will see tariff reductions including certain poultry products, preserved vegetables, bakery products, amongst others.
• “Key labour-intensive sectors comprising more than ₹2.87 lakh crore [$33 billion] of exports that are currently subjected to import duty between 4% to 26% in the EU and are crucial for employment generation, will enter zero duty from entry into force of the FTA and thus gain enhanced competitiveness in the EU market,” the Ministry said in a release.
• In particular, of the sectors that India primarily exports to the EU, the following will see duties eliminated entirely: marine products (current duties of up to 26%), chemicals (12.8% currently), plastic and rubber items (6.5%), leather footwear (17%), textiles and apparel (12% each), base metals (10%), gems and jewellery (4%), furniture and allied consumer goods (10.5%), and toys and sports goods (4.7%).
• On services, the EU has agreed to commitments across 144 services sub sectors, including IT/ITeS, professional services, education, and other business services.

What India has conceded

• Overall, India is offering duty elimination and reductions on 92.1% of the tariff lines, which comprises 97.5% of the EU exports to India. Within this, 49.6% of the tariff lines will see an immediate duty elimination once the agreement comes into effect.
• Another 39.5% of the tariff lines will be subject to a phased elimination of tariffs over five, seven, and 10 years. An additional 3% of products will see phased tariff reductions.
• “Imports of EU’s high technology goods are expected to diversify India’s import sources, thereby reducing input costs for businesses, benefit consumers and will create opportunities for Indian businesses to integrate into global supply chains,” the statement added.
• Notably for the EU, the following European sectors will see duty-free access to the Indian markets: machinery and electrical equipment, aircraft and spacecraft, optical, medical and surgical equipment, plastics, precious stones and metals, chemicals, motor vehicles, iron and steel, pharmaceuticals, and various agricultural products.
• On services, India has agreed to open up 102 sub sectors covering EU priorities such as professional, business, telecommunications, maritime, financial, and environmental services.
• It has been learnt that negotiations over a few sectors such as automobiles and wine had caused some problems, but the two sides agreed to quota based systems that were satisfactory to both sides.

Aajeevika Mission

• Aajeevika Mission a revolution, says Chouhan

Context: Union Minister for Rural Development, Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Sunday said the Aajeevika Mission had grown beyond a government programme to become a “revolution and a movement”, driven by the economic and social empowerment of women in self-help groups (SHGs).

• Lauding the work of SHG members, Mr. Chouhan said the women had demonstrated remarkable strength and resilience.
• Mr. Chouhan reiterated the Centre’s target of creating three crore ‘Lakhpati Didis’, calling it “a mantra” that would be achieved soon.
• Nearly 10 crore women were currently associated with SHGs, he noted.

Lakkundi excavation yields give a push to bid for UNESCO tag

Context: Excavations which began on January 16 on the premises of the Kote Veerabhadreshwar temple in Lakkundi village of Gadag district have yielded relics dating back to the Neolithic period, giving a fillip to the push for its nomination for inclusion in the UNESCO World Heritage Sites list.

• The yield of Neolithic relics came close on the heels of a “treasure” being found by a family in the village while digging to lay the foundation for a house.

Hundred wells

• The excavation here — about 12 kilometres from district headquarters Gadag and once known as ‘village of hundred wells and temples’ — are part of sustained efforts to restore the historical significance of Lakkundi.
• It is believed that several architectural wonders still remain covered by houses and other structures or buried beneath the ground in the village. Earlier known as Lokkigundi, the village finds mention in inscriptions dating back to the 11th and 12th centuries. In these inscriptions the place is compared to Amaravati, the capital of Indra in terms of affluence.
• Lakkundi was also known for its “tankashale” (mint). Lakkundi was under the rule of the Chalukya, the Yadava, and the Hoysala kings, and was the capital of Hoysala king Eradane Ballala (Veeraballala) in 1192 A.D.
• Lakkundi was the “Karmabhoomi” of queen Attimabbe, an ardent follower of Jainism known for her philanthropic works.
• It is said that the queen who lived in the 11th century, built many temples and Jain basadis and also sank wells for the benefit of people. An award in her name (Daana Chintamani Attimabbe Prashasti) has been instituted by the State government.
• While Jainism prospered in Lakkundi, it also gave shelter to 12th century sharanas like Shivasharana Ajaganna and Sharane Muktayakka who propagated Basaveshwara’s message.
• Several of Lakkundi’s architectural wonders no longer exist now and the Mumbai State Gazetteer mentions only 13 temples having architectural style of Kalyana Chalukyas. Even the wells in Lakkundi are known for their carvings.

Pending project

• Uncovering the buried temple structures and wells has been a long pending project, and under the initiative of H.K. Patil, Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs and also Tourism, it has been revived.
• As a prelude to the excavation, the Karnataka State Tourism Department Corporation (KSTDC) along with the Archaeology Museums and Heritage Department had launched an initiative in November, 2024, to collect historical relics from the households in the village. Under this, 1,050 historical relics were received from the residents and 13 inscriptions identified. Several of them now find a place in the open museum at Lakkundi for the establishment of which, the residents have joined hands with Lakkundi Heritage Area Development Authority by parting with their lands.

With INTACH

• The Tourism Department is also giving a push to the proposal to include a group of monuments at Lakkundi along with temples from surrounding places in the UNESCO’s tentative list of World Heritage Sites. This is in line with the Budget announcement on getting UNESCO tag for Lakkundi.
• The State has tied up with the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) to finetune the proposal.
• “So far, two meetings have been held in this regard and they (INTACH) are in the process of finalising the proposal,” Commissioner of Lakkundi Heritage Area Development Authority Sharanu Gogeri told The Hindu.
• There are seven ASI protected monuments in Lakkundi and the State has declared 16 temple structures in the village as protected monuments and plans to add eight more to the list by the month-end. The authority has been directed to carry out a comprehensive study and submit a report on including 20 more temples and other structures to the list, which is likely to happen in February.

Shifting village?

• There is also a proposal to shift the village to facilitate restoration of the ancient monuments, but any decision on the relocation will be based on the outcome of the excavation and other surveys of ancient structures being carried out simultaneously.

Padma Shri awardees

• Actor Madhavan, ex-UGC chief among 113 Padma Shri awardees

Context: The Centre announced the names of 113 recipients of the Padma Shri, India’s fourth-highest civilian award, for 2026.

• Among the awardees are M. Jagadesh Kumar, former Chairman of the University Grants Commission; R.V.S. Mani, former Under Secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs; Shashi Shekhar Vempati, former CEO of Prasar Bharati; and archaeologist Budha Krishna Mani, who led excavations in Ayodhya and Sarnath.
• Aerospace scientist Chandramouli Gaddamanugu, who directed the Akash missile system from development to deployment during Operation Sindoor, and ISRO scientist A.E. Muthunayagam, who led the cryogenic propulsion system, have also been awarded the Padma Shri. Actors R. Madhavan, Prosenjit Chatterjee, Arvind Vaidya (known for Sarabhai vs Sarabhai), Anil Kumar Rastogi, and Gadde Babu Rajendra Prasad are also among the awardees.
• The sportspersons recognised include cricketers Rohit Sharma, captain of India’s T20 World Cup-winning team, and Harmanpreet Kaur, who led India to its first women’s ODI World Cup victory, as well as hockey players Savita Punia and Baldev Singh, and para-athlete Praveen Kumar.
• K. Vijay Kumar, the former CRPF D-G and chief of the STF that killed poacher Veerappan; Ramamurthy Sreedher, the founder of community radio in India; and Satyanarayan Nuwal, the founder of India’s first licensed private defence company, which pioneered manufacturing of indigenous ammunition, have also been awarded the Padma Shri.
• The award has also been given to Ashok Khade, a self-made entrepreneur from a Dalit cobbler family, who established a cutting-edge offshore fabrication company; Ashok Kumar Singh, an agriculture scientist who developed over 25 rice varieties; and Dalit author Asok Kumar Haldar, who wrote inspiring literature while being a railway guard.
• Forty-five people were named under the “unsung heroes” category of the award.

Ashok Chakra for Shubhanshu Shukla

Context: On the eve of Republic Day, President Droupadi Murmu approved the conferment of Gallantry and Distinguished Service Awards on personnel of the Indian Army, the Indian Navy, and the Indian Air Force, recognising acts of exceptional courage in operations and sustained distinguished service across key operational and command appointments.

• Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla of the Indian Air Force has been honoured with the Ashok Chakra, the nation’s highest peacetime gallantry award. The honour follows his ground-breaking mission to the International Space Station in June 2025.
• In the Chakra series of gallantry awards, the President approved the conferment of one Ashok Chakra, three Kirti Chakras, and 12 Shaurya Chakras, including one Shaurya Chakra (posthumous). The gallantry awards include one Bar to Sena Medal (Gallantry) and 44 Sena Medals (Gallantry), of which five are posthumous. Additionally, six Nao Sena Medals (Gallantry) were awarded to Navy personnel and two Vayu Sena Medals (Gallantry) to Air Force personnel.
• The President also approved a total of 301 military decorations to Armed Forces and other personnel. These include 30 Param Vishisht Seva Medals, four Uttam Yudh Seva Medals, 56 Ati Vishisht Seva Medals, nine Yudh Seva Medals, two Bars to Sena Medals (Distinguished), 43 Sena Medals (Distinguished), eight Nao Sena Medals (Distinguished), and 14 Vayu Sena Medals (Distinguished).
• Further, 135 Vishisht Seva Medals and 98 Mention-in-Despatches were approved for personnel involved in various operations, including Operation Rakshak, Operation Snow Leopard, Operation Hifazat, Operation Orchid, and Operation Meghdoot, as well as rescue and casualty evacuation tasks. Of these, five mentions are posthumous, with 81 awards going to personnel of the Army.