NATIONAL – DAIRY OF EVENTS

Mann Ki Baat

• • Context: The Prime Minister addresses the nation every month on the last Sunday through the ‘Mann Ki Baat’ (Voice of the Heart) radio programme.
  • Accordingly, the Prime Minister’s address during the 135th episode of ‘Mann Ki Baat’, broadcast on Sunday (June 28), highlighted the following:

• He spoke about the achievements of the Pradhan Mantri Accident Insurance Scheme and the Pradhan Mantri Life Insurance Scheme.

Pradhan Mantri Accident Insurance Scheme

• The Pradhan Mantri Accident Insurance Scheme is a one-year accident insurance plan. It provides coverage for death or disability resulting from an accident and can be renewed annually.
• Individuals aged between 18 and 70 who hold a personal bank account or a post office account are eligible to join this scheme.
• By paying an annual premium of Rs. 20, a sum of Rs. 2 lakh is provided in the event of accidental death or disability (Rs. 1 lakh for partial disability).

Achievements

• So far, more than 58 crore people have joined this scheme.
• Of these, over 28 crore are women.
• More than Rs. 3,700 crore has been disbursed to affected families through this scheme to date.

Pradhan Mantri Life Insurance Scheme

• The Pradhan Mantri Life Insurance Scheme is a one-year life insurance plan.

• It is renewable annually. It provides compensation upon death, regardless of the cause.
• Individuals aged between 18 and 50 who hold a personal bank account or a post office account can register under this scheme. 
• Individuals who join the scheme before turning 50 can continue the life insurance coverage up to the age of 55 by paying the regular premium.
• For those paying an annual premium of ₹436, a life insurance payout of ₹2 lakh is provided in the event of death due to any cause.

Achievements

• • Similarly, the Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY) is a significant scheme.

• If an insured person under this scheme unfortunately passes away, their family receives an insurance payout of ₹2 lakh.

• • Over 27 crore people have joined this scheme so far.

• To date, approximately 11 lakh families have received insurance payouts totaling nearly ₹22,000 crore.

 

Rural Internal Audit Portal

• Context: Ahead of the implementation of the Viksit Bharat  Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) from July 1, Union Rural Development Minister  launched a “Rural Internal Audit Portal”.

Key Features of the Rural Internal Audit Portal

• End-to-End Digital Audit Management
• Action Taken Reports (ATRs) and Para Settlement
• Centralized Audit Repository
• Multilingual and User-Friendly Interface
• Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Advanced Analytics

Objectives of the Rural Internal Audit Portal

• Digitize the internal audit process.
• Simplify audit procedures.
• Improve efficiency, transparency, and accountability.
• Create a centralized audit repository.
• Enable risk-based audit planning.
• Detect systemic weaknesses using technology.

Benefits

• Replaces manual, paper-based audit processes.
• Makes audits faster, transparent, and efficient.
• Supports better monitoring and decision-making.

 

Muzhiyan Kulam

• Context: The Union Finance and Corporate Affairs Minister inaugurated the renovated Muzhiyan Kulam, a historic pond that is over 400 years old.

About Muzhiyan Kulam

• Location: A two-acre water body near Thavalakuppam in Pooranankuppam, Puducherry.

• Historical background: Originates from the Pallava era.

• Significance:

• • Traditionally used as a key source of drinking water and irrigation for the local community.
  • Contains four natural wells fed by springs.
  • Restoration basis: Inspired by the traditional Naangu Mozhi system, an ancient South Indian water management technique focused on rainwater harvesting and groundwater recharge.

• Structure: A central pond (kulam) connected through underground channels to four separate wells (mozhi), forming an integrated water system.

 

PM–Family Care Tracker (PM-FCT)

• Context: Union Home Minister launched the pilot project of the PM-Family Care Tracker (PM-FCT) here and said the integrated digital platform would ensure no beneficiary of the Centre’s welfare schemes related to women and children is left out.
• The digital platform would ensure that pregnant women, mothers and children receive all eligible government benefits through continuous monitoring and timely intervention.

Key Features

• Integrated digital platform developed for Gandhinagar Lok Sabha constituency.

• Combines data from ICDS, RCH, Poshan Abhiyaan, and School Health Programmes.

• • Uses the Birth Registration Number (BRN) as a unique ID to link records.

• Integrates TeCHO+, Poshan Tracker, and Child Tracking System (CTS) databases.

• Tracks the health, nutrition, and education of children from pregnancy to 18 years.
• Covers 16 welfare schemes across health, nutrition, education, and social welfare.

Working mechanism

• Sends alerts if a child misses vaccination.
• Flags school dropouts for follow-up by officials.
• Identifies underweight, stunted, or special-care children for early support.
• Monitors maternal health from pregnancy to the breastfeeding period.

Schemes Covered

• Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY)
• Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY)
• Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram (JSSK)
• PM Poshan
• Mission Vatsalya
• Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK)
• Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana (SSY)

Monitoring & Alerts

• Tracks maternal health, child vaccination, malnutrition, school enrolment, dropouts, adolescent girls’ health, and education.
• Uses an automated alert system to notify officials at taluka, district, and state levels until action is completed.

 

GST – 10 Years: Use of AI to Enhance Efficiency

• Context: July 1, 2026, marks the completion of 10 years since the introduction of the Goods and Services Tax (GST).
• In this regard, the Central Government is taking steps to make GST administration more efficient through Artificial Intelligence (AI) and data integration.

Introduction of GST

• GST was launched by the then President Pranab Mukherjee at midnight on July 1, 2017, in the Central Hall of the old Parliament House.

• The then Prime Minister noted that this tax system would alleviate the various indirect tax-related complexities faced by traders and small business owners.
• The former Finance Minister played a pivotal role in implementing GST by securing the cooperation of the states.

Changes in Tax Rates

• Initially, there were four tax slabs: 5%, 12%, 18%, and 28%.

• Subsequently, the structure was simplified into two main rates: 5% and 18%.
• A decision was made to levy a 40% tax exclusively on luxury goods.

GST Growth (2017–2025)

• Average monthly GST collection in 2017–18: ₹89,700 crore.

• • It rose to ₹1.85 lakh crore in 2025–26.
  • Registered taxpayers:

• 2017: 66.5 lakh

• 2025: Approximately 1.6 crore

New Measures to Enhance GST Efficiency

• • Using Artificial Intelligence (AI) for:

• Detecting tax evasion.

• • Improving risk assessment.
• Strengthening information sharing by integrating data from GST, Income Tax, and Customs departments.
• Accelerating the tax refund process. 
• Expanding technological facilities to enable Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) to easily comply with tax regulations.

Significance

• Enhances transparency, speed, and efficiency in tax administration.
• Helps curb tax evasion and fraudulent billing practices.
• Provides businesses with simplified compliance procedures.
• Strengthens digital tax administration while increasing government revenue.

 

Pax Silica Summit

• Context: The second Pax Silica summit was held in Washington.

• Thirty-five nations, including India, joined and signed a US-led initiative to create secure and reliable global supply chains for Artificial Intelligence (AI) and critical technologies.

About Pax Silica

• Pax Silica is a multinational technology partnership initiative launched by the US in December 2025.

• Its objective:
  • To build secure and robust global supply chains for:
  • Semiconductors,
  • Artificial Intelligence (AI), and
  • Rare Earth Elements (REEs).

• Meaning of the name ‘Pax Silica’

• “Pax” – Signifies peace, stability, and cooperation.
• “Silica” – Refers to the silicon raw material used in semiconductor manufacturing.
• The name represents a secure, stable, and cooperative global technology ecosystem.

Key objectives of the Pax Silica Declaration

• Reducing over-reliance on a single country for critical technologies and raw materials.
• Creating secure, reliable, and resilient supply chains for semiconductors, AI, and other critical technologies.
• Building secure and reliable digital infrastructure through cooperation among partner nations.

Significance

• Helps mitigate economic and geopolitical risks arising from excessive dependence on a single country for essential technologies and critical minerals.
• Strengthens resilience and international cooperation in the technology sector by diversifying supply sources. 
• It makes a significant contribution to establishing a secure supply system for the global AI and high-tech sectors.

• Improves farmers’ access to scientific, localized, and real-time agricultural information. 

• Enhances awareness and accessibility of government schemes. 
• Supports better farm decision-making, higher productivity, and improved farm incomes through technology-driven advisory services.