1. VB-G RAM G Act Replaces MGNREGA; New Wage Floor and Funding Pattern Notified

Why in News?

The Centre has notified a national floor wage of ₹300 per day under the Viksit Bharat–Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) [VB-G RAM G] Act, 2025, effective from 1 July 2026. It replaces the two-decade-old Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), 2005.

Key Points

• Guaranteed employment days raised from 100 to 125 days per rural household per year.
• The scheme shifts from a fully demand-driven model to one with a Centre-fixed "normative allocation" (budget ceiling) for each state.
• Centre–State funding pattern changes from roughly 90:10 to about 60:40, shifting a much larger fiscal burden onto states.
• States now bear full responsibility for unemployment allowance (if guaranteed work cannot be provided) and delayed-wage compensation.
• Highest state wage: Haryana (₹409/day); Sikkim has a special rate of ₹450 for certain panchayats.
• Interim central allocation for 2026-27: ₹95,692.31 crore; pending central dues to states (2025-26): ₹20,422 crore.
• The 2019 Anoop Satpathy Committee had earlier recommended a national minimum wage floor of ₹375/day.

Static Knowledge

• MGNREGA, 2005 guaranteed 100 days of wage employment per household; funded roughly 90:10 (Centre:State).
• Rural Development Ministry currently headed by Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan.
• Minimum Wages Act, 1948 and Code on Wages, 2019 govern India's broader wage-fixation framework.

2. New Telecom Authorisation Rules Notified Under Telecommunications Act, 2023

Why in News?

The government has notified fresh rules under the Telecommunications Act, 2023, covering authorisation for Principal, Captive and Miscellaneous Telecommunication Services, replacing India's colonial-era telecom licensing framework.

Key Points

• Telecommunications Act, 2023 replaces the Indian Telegraph Act, 1885 and the Wireless Telegraphy Act, 1933.
• Term "licence" replaced by "authorisation" for telecom operators and ISPs.
• Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF) renamed the Digital Bharat Nidhi.
• Anti-spam compliance formally added as a statutory obligation.
• Government retains power to seize telecom infrastructure on national-security/war grounds, and senior officials retain phone/internet interception powers.
• Explicit references to Global Mobile Personal Communications by Satellite (GMPCS) were dropped from the final rules; Starlink still awaits launch approval in India.
• Existing licence holders may migrate to the new regime now or continue till their licences expire.

Static Knowledge

• Telecommunications Act, 2023 also covers spectrum administration and right-of-way provisions.
• Department of Telecommunications (DoT) functions under the Ministry of Communications.
• TRAI (Telecom Regulatory Authority of India) was established under the TRAI Act, 1997.

3. Civil Registration System (CRS) 2024 Report: Over 99% Births and Deaths Registered

Why in News?

The CRS 2024 report, released by the Office of the Registrar General of India (ORGI), shows birth and death registration coverage in India has crossed 99%, with a modest improvement in sex ratio at birth in several states.

Key Points

• National sex ratio at birth (2024): 917 females per 1,000 males.
• Best performer: Arunachal Pradesh (1,050 females/1,000 males); weakest: Nagaland and Lakshadweep (865 each).
• Birth registration level: 99.1%; Death registration level: 99.4%.
• Registered births rose from 2.52 crore (2023) to 2.54 crore (2024); registered deaths rose from 86.6 lakh to 89.4 lakh.
• Still births recorded: 81,117, with 69% in urban areas.
• Governed by the Registration of Births and Deaths (RBD) Act, 1969, amended in 2023.

Static Knowledge

• 2011 Census: Haryana (834) and Punjab (846) recorded India's lowest child sex ratios.
• PCPNDT Act, 1994 (amended 2003) is India's key legal safeguard against sex-selective practices.
• ORGI functions under the Ministry of Home Affairs.

4. GI Tag for Khurasani Imli (Baobab Fruit) of Mandu, Madhya Pradesh

Why in News?

Khurasani Imli, the fruit of Mandu's iconic Baobab tree, has been granted a Geographical Indication (GI) tag to protect the species and boost tribal livelihoods.

Key Points

• Baobab (Adansonia digitata) is not native to India; believed introduced to Mandu roughly six centuries ago by Afghan and Arab traders.
• Mandu hosts India's largest naturally occurring concentration of Baobab trees (over 1,000 trees).
• GI granted under the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999.
• Administered by the GI Registry, Chennai, under the CGPDTM, DPIIT, Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
• GI right is collective and non-transferable, valid for 10 years, renewable indefinitely.

Static Knowledge

• India's first GI tag: Darjeeling Tea (2004–05).
• GI framework fulfils India's obligations under the WTO's TRIPS Agreement (Articles 22–24).
• GI Registry is India's sole registry for such tags, based in Chennai.

5. New Blind, Aquifer-Dwelling Fish Species Discovered in Assam

Why in News?

An international team of taxonomists described Gitchak nakana, a new genus and species of blind, groundwater-dwelling fish from a dug well in Assam — the first such record from Northeast India and the Eastern Himalaya.

Key Points

• Placed in a new genus within family Cobitidae (true loaches).
• Name derived from the Garo language: "Gitchak" (red) and "na-tok kana" (blind fish).
• Species is phreatobitic — lives permanently within a groundwater aquifer.
• Previously, such subterranean fish in India were known mainly from the Western Ghats, e.g., Kerala's Blind Catfish (Horaglanis krishnai).
• Neolissochilus pnar, Meghalaya's cave mahseer, is considered the world's largest cavefish.
• Published in the journal Scientific Reports (Nature Portfolio); research involved institutions from Germany, India and Switzerland.

Static Knowledge

• Phreatobitic species: organisms adapted to live permanently in groundwater/aquifer systems.
• Kerala's Blind Catfish (Horaglanis krishnai) was earlier the best-known Indian aquifer fish.
• IUCN SSC Freshwater Fish Specialist Group monitors global freshwater fish conservation status.

6. Sangno Clan Launches Conservation Drive for Endangered Himalayan Fish in Arunachal Pradesh

Why in News?

Members of the Sangno clan in East Kameng district translocated fingerlings of Schizothorax pelzami to protect the species from mahseer predation and sustain traditional community fishing.

Key Points

• 52 fingerlings of Schizothorax pelzami (Transcaspian marinka; local name "Ngarsing") moved from Lapabung stream to Richaso stream, inaccessible to the mahseer.
• Mahseer, called the "tiger of the water," is a predatory fish that threatens smaller native species.
• A five-year fishing ban has been proposed in the Richaso stream to allow population recovery.
• Long-term community plans include eco-angling and stream-trail trekking tourism.

Static Knowledge

• East Kameng district lies in Arunachal Pradesh, part of the Eastern Himalayan biodiversity hotspot.
• Translocation is a recognised in-situ conservation strategy for threatened aquatic species.

7. National AI Token Policy Proposed as India's "Reforms 3.0"

Why in News?

Policy analysts have proposed a National AI Token Policy that would provide free AI compute access to top research institutions and schools, framing Artificial Intelligence as a new wave of Digital Public Infrastructure after Aadhaar and UPI.

Key Points

• Proposal (not a government scheme) suggests free AI tokens for the top 100 R&D institutions/universities and around 5,000 high schools, at an estimated cost of $2 billion/year (~0.06% of GDP).
• Proposed compute-hardware mix: 40% AWS Trainium/AMD, 30% Google TPUs, 30% NVIDIA GPUs, to avoid vendor lock-in.
• India's R&D spending stands at 0.65% of GDP, well below Israel (5.4%), South Korea (4.9%), the US (3.5%) and China (2.4%).
• Key challenges flagged: energy-intensive AI data centres, semiconductor supply-chain dependence on Taiwan's TSMC, and a lack of comprehensive AI governance framework.

Static Knowledge

• "Hindu rate of growth" describes India's subdued ~3–4% average GDP growth for about 45 years post-Independence.
• 1991 reforms (LPG) were triggered by a Balance of Payments crisis.
• UPI handles roughly 250 billion transactions/year worth about $3.4 trillion — nearly half of global real-time payments.

8. Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit Appointed 51st Vice Chief of the Air Staff

Why in News?

Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit assumed charge as the 51st Vice Chief of the Air Staff (VCAS) on 1 July 2026, succeeding Air Marshal Nagesh Kapoor.

Key Points

• VCAS is the second-highest operational post in the Indian Air Force, assisting the Chief of the Air Staff.
• The appointment comes amid continuing modernisation efforts within the IAF.

Static Knowledge

• Indian Air Force was established on 8 October 1932.
• Chief of the Air Staff is the highest-ranking officer of the IAF.

9. GST Collections for June 2026 Rise 13.9% to ₹1.95 Lakh Crore

Why in News?

Gross GST collection for June 2026 rose 13.9% year-on-year to ₹1,94,812 crore, up from ₹1,71,105 crore in June 2025, led by higher import revenue.

Key Points

• Reflects continued economic recovery and improved compliance.
• Import-driven revenue was a key contributor to the rise.

Static Knowledge

• GST was implemented in India on 1 July 2017 under the 101st Constitutional Amendment Act.
• GST Council, chaired by the Union Finance Minister, is the key decision-making body for GST rates.

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