Article 3
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Current affairsFrontier Nagaland Territorial Authority (FNTA) Act 2026: Presidential Assent and Autonomy for Six Eastern Nagaland DistrictsPresident Droupadi Murmu gave her assent to the Frontier Nagaland Territorial Authority (FNTA) Bill 2026, which was unanimously passed by the Nagaland Legislative Assembly on September 3, 2026. The Act creates a 62-member autonomous authority with powers over 46 subjects for six underserved eastern Nagaland districts, addressing a longstanding demand of the Eastern Nagaland People's Organisation (ENPO). Current affairsJ&K Accession Day 2026: 79th Anniversary of the Instrument of Accession (October 26, 1947)October 26 marks Jammu and Kashmir Accession Day, commemorating the signing of the Instrument of Accession by Maharaja Hari Singh on 26 October 1947, under which Jammu and Kashmir acceded to the Dominion of India. In 2026, this is the 79th anniversary of that accession. The day is a public holiday in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir and carries deep constitutional, historical, and strategic significance. Current affairsIndia Renames 28 Ladakh Sites: Survey of India Standardises Names Along LAC, China ObjectsIndia standardised names of 28 strategic geographical features in Ladakh on October 2, 2026, via official Survey of India maps. China protested, claiming the sites belong to China and refusing to recognise Ladakh's UT status. India's MEA firmly rebuffed the objection, reaffirming Ladakh as an integral part of India. The exercise mirrors China's own naming exercises in Arunachal Pradesh and escalates the cartographic dimension of the India-China territorial dispute. Current affairsProposed Article 371-K for Ladakh: MHA's Sui Generis Constitutional Safeguard for the Union TerritoryThe Ministry of Home Affairs has proposed inserting a new Article 371-K in the Constitution to provide Ladakh with an elected legislative body empowered over land, culture, language, forests, and natural resources — a constitutionally unprecedented move that would extend Article 371-type safeguards to a Union Territory for the first time. Current affairsKerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026: Parliament Renames Kerala as "Keralam" — Article 3, First Schedule, and Constitutional ProcedureParliament passed the Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026 in both Houses — Lok Sabha on August 11 and Rajya Sabha on August 12, 2026 — to rename the state from "Kerala" to "Keralam" in the First Schedule of the Constitution. The Bill awaits Presidential assent. It follows the constitutional procedure under Article 3, requiring only a simple majority, not a constitutional amendment under Article 368.
In previous-year questions
- Which Article of the Indian Constitution empowers Parliament to alter the name of an existing state, and what legislative procedure does it require?UPSC · Current Affairs
- In which Schedule of the Constitution will the renamed state "Keralam" appear upon enactment of the Kerala Alteration of Name Bill, 2026?UPSC · Current Affairs
- The proviso to Article 3 of the Constitution requires that before introducing a Bill to alter the name of a state, the President must:UPSC · Current Affairs
- States renamed under the Article 3 procedure — such as Kerala being renamed to Keralam — require which legislative process, distinguishing it from a Constitutional amendment?UPSC · Current Affairs
- The Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019 bifurcated the state of Jammu and Kashmir into two Union Territories. Which of the following is the correct distinction between the two UTs created?UPSC · Current Affairs
- Consider the following statements about the FNTA Act 2026: (1) It grants six eastern Nagaland districts the status of a separate state. (2) One-third of elected seats are reserved for women. (3) The Act comes into force on a date notified by the Nagaland state government. Which are correct?UPSC · Current Affairs