1 . Bharat India Stack
Syllabus Mapping: GS II: Governance • E-Governance • Digital Public Infrastructure | GS III: Land Reforms • Inclusive Growth • Technology
- A high-level delegation from the African Union Commission, Ethiopia, Malawi, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Zambia and UNDP engaged with the Department of Land Resources (DoLR) to study India’s digital transformation in land governance. The engagement focused on DILRMP, ULPIN/Bhu-Aadhaar, NGDRS and NAKSHA.
- Digital India Land Records Modernisation Programme (DILRMP) aims to modernise land administration through computerisation, digitisation and integration of land records.
- Over 58 crore land parcels have been assigned the 14-digit alphanumeric Unique Land Parcel Identification Number (ULPIN/Bhu-Aadhaar).
- ULPIN/Bhu-Aadhaar provides a unique geospatial identity to land parcels and is intended to improve interoperability and transparency in land administration.
- 96% of Sub-Registrar Offices (SROs) have been computerised; 17 States/UTs use the centralised National Generic Document Registration System (NGDRS) while 17 use state-specific digital registration systems.
- 11% of Revenue Courts have been computerised under the Revenue Court Case Management System (RCCMS), enabling litigation status to be reflected on property records.
- Bharat Land Stack is an integrated GIS-based architecture combining georeferenced cadastral maps, RoRs, registration data, satellite/drone imagery, zoning/master plans, building approvals, encumbrances, litigation, circle rates and tenancy information.
- NAKSHA (National Geospatial Knowledge-based Land Survey of Urban Habitations) is an urban land-records initiative using modern geospatial and aerial-survey technologies.
- NAKSHA uses 2D Nadir cameras, 5-camera Oblique systems and LiDAR sensors mounted on drones for high-precision urban mapping.
2. 12 Years of Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY)
Syllabus Mapping: GS II: Government Policies & Interventions • Financial Inclusion • Social Justice • Welfare Schemes | GS III: Inclusive Growth • Digital Economy
- PMJDY was launched in 2014 as India’s national mission for financial inclusion, with the initial objective of providing a bank account to every household; since 2018, the focus has been every unbanked adult.
- Implementing ministry: Ministry of Finance, through the Department of Financial Services (DFS).
- Any Indian citizen aged 10 years and above can open a PMJDY account. There is no upper age limit.
- It provides access to basic banking, credit, remittances, insurance, pension and digital payments.
- PMJDY accounts are Basic Savings Bank Deposit Accounts (BSBDA) with no minimum balance requirement.
- Accounts can be opened through bank branches as well as Business Correspondents (Bank Mitras), extending banking services to underserved areas.
- RuPay debit card is provided to account holders, along with accident insurance cover of ₹1 lakh, enhanced to ₹2 lakh for accounts opened after August 2018.
- Overdraft facility: up to ₹10,000, subject to eligibility and satisfactory operation of the account for 6 months.
- PMJDY acts as an important channel for DBT and is linked with PM-JJBY, PM-SBY, APY and MUDRA, connecting financial access with social-security and livelihood schemes.
- As on 19 August 2026: 09 crore accounts, including 32.92 crore female beneficiaries; deposits stood at ₹3.16 lakh crore and 41.29 crore RuPay cards had been issued.
- PMJDY is closely associated with the JAM Trinity — Jan Dhan, Aadhaar and Mobile, which enables more efficient and targeted delivery of benefits.
- Business Correspondents/Bank Mitras function as an extended arm of banks for providing basic banking services, particularly where conventional branch networks are limited.
- Financial Inclusion Index increased from 9 in 2018 to 67 in 2026, indicating broader access to financial services.
3. Samarthak – First Indigenous Multi-Purpose Vessel of Indian Navy
Syllabus Mapping: GS III: Defence Technology • Indigenous Defence Production • Aatmanirbhar Bharat • Maritime Security
- Samarthak, the Indian Navy’s first Multi-Purpose Vessel (MPV), was delivered on 27 August 2026.
- The vessel has been built by Larsen & Toubro (L&T) at Kattupalli and has over 75% indigenous content, supporting India’s push towards Aatmanirbhar Bharat in defence.
- It has been conceived as a versatile trial and evaluation platform, enabling the Navy to undertake multiple maritime activities through a single platform.
- Key roles: maritime surveillance and reconnaissance, offshore patrolling, and Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR)
- Samarthak means “The Proponent”, reflecting its role as a dependable enabler for multiple missions.
- A Multi-Purpose Vessel (MPV) is designed for multiple operational roles, unlike specialised vessels built primarily for a single function.
4. PM SVANidhi Completes One Year of Restructuring
Syllabus Mapping: GS II: Government Schemes • Financial Inclusion • Urban Poverty • Social Security | GS III: Inclusive Growth • Entrepreneurship • Digital Economy
- PM SVANidhi (Prime Minister Street Vendor’s AtmaNirbhar Nidhi) was launched on 1 June 2020 to provide collateral-free working capital loans to urban street vendors.
- PM SVANidhi is a Central Sector Scheme of the Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs (MoHUA).
- The scheme was introduced in the context of the livelihood disruption faced by street vendors due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Its core objective is to provide working-capital credit without collateral to eligible street vendors and encourage their formalisation and digital financial inclusion.
- SVANidhi se Samriddhi is the component that moves beyond credit by connecting street vendors and their families with social-security/welfare schemes.
- Census Towns are settlements that satisfy specified demographic and occupational criteria but are notified as urban areas under the relevant administrative framework
- The scheme was restructured on 27 August 2025 and lending has been extended up to 31 March 2030; the restructured scheme targets 15 crore street vendors, including 50 lakh new beneficiaries.
- The restructured scheme expands the focus from credit to formal credit, digital financial inclusion, social security, capacity building and entrepreneurship.
- UPI-linked RuPay Credit Card with credit limit up to ₹30,000 has been introduced for eligible vendors.
- Digital Lending Platform (DLP) enables end-to-end digital processing of loans, from application and verification to approval and disbursement.
- Since inception, 68 lakh street vendors have accessed more than 1.18 crore loans worth ₹19,171 crore.
5. Snow Leopard Conservation – India–Russia Cooperation
Syllabus Mapping: GS III: Environment & Ecology • Wildlife Conservation • Species Conservation • International Cooperation
- India participated in the Russian-Indian Roundtable Meeting on Snow Leopard Study and Conservation held on 26 August 2026 in Moscow, Russia.
- The meeting was organised under the Partnership Agreement between the Interregional Association ‘Irbis’ and the International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA), signed in December 2025.
- India highlighted its science-based approach to snow leopard conservation, particularly through:
- Population estimation
- Radio telemetry for monitoring movement and habitat use
- Genetic analysis for understanding populations and genetic diversity
- The Wildlife Institute of India (WII) is involved in scientific assessment and monitoring of snow leopards in India.
- Snow Leopard (Panthera uncia) is a high-altitude mountain species found in the Himalayas and other Central Asian mountain ranges.
- In India, its range includes Ladakh, Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh.
- Snow leopard is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List and is included in CITES Appendix I.
- In India, it is protected under Schedule I of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972.
- The species is also a flagship species for high-altitude Himalayan ecosystems, making its conservation important for protecting fragile mountain habitats.
- The International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA) provides a platform for international cooperation in the conservation of big cat species and their habitats.
