Government Approves Polymer Banknotes for Field Trials: The Government has approved the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) proposal under Section 25 of the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934 to introduce one billion pieces each of Rs 10 and Rs 20 polymer banknotes for field trials. Polymer notes will be issued alongside existing paper-substrate banknotes […]
Category: Economics Current Affairs
What Is Cess?
What Is Cess? The Himachal Pradesh government imposed a widow and orphan cess of 60 paise per litre on petrol and high-speed diesel. A cess is a specialized, targeted tax levied by the government over and above basic taxes to generate revenue for a specific, pre-determined purpose (e.g., education, road development, worker welfare). Once the […]
NAVYA Programme
NAVYA Programme: The Minister of State (Independent Charge), Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) informed the Lok Sabha about the NAVYA Programme. The NAVYA (Nurturing Aspirations through Vocational training for Young Adolescent Girls) was launched in 2025. It aims to empower adolescent girls (AGs) aged 16–18 years in aspirational districts by equipping them with […]
Merchant Discount Rate
Merchant Discount Rate: The Govt recently said the proposed merchant discount rate (MDR) for UPI transactions will be nominal and apply only to a limited set of merchants for transactions above a threshold. Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) is the fee charged to a merchant for accepting a digital payment. When a customer pays a business […]
What is the Care Economy?
What is the Care Economy? NITI Aayog has released the report “Reimagining Care: Strategies for Empowering Caregivers in Viksit Bharat@2047”, proposing a roadmap to build a professional, inclusive, and future-ready caregiving ecosystem while positioning India as a global hub for skilled caregivers. NITI Aayog’s “Reimagining Care” report proposes a comprehensive roadmap to professionalise India’s caregiving […]
Licensing Urban Cooperative Banks
Licensing Urban Cooperative Banks: Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor announced that the central bank will soon issue draft guidelines for the resumption of on-tap licensing of Urban Cooperative Banks (UCBs).Licensing Urban Cooperative Banks (UCBs) refers to the regulatory authorization granted by the Reserve Bank of India under Section 22 (read with Section 56) of […]
Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development (Amendment) Bill, 2026
Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development (Amendment) Bill, 2026: Parliament passed the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development (Amendment) Bill, 2026, after its approval by the Rajya Sabha. The MSME Development (Amendment) Bill, 2026 amends the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Act, 2006 to improve the business environment for MSMEs through faster payments, streamlined […]
India’s Private Capex Revival
India’s Private Capex Revival: India’s private sector capital expenditure (Capex), often regarded as the missing pillar of the country’s post-pandemic growth story, is witnessing a strong revival. Reserve Bank of India (RBI) data showing industrial credit growth of 19.2% year-on-year (YoY) in June 2026, up from 6.3% a year earlier, signals a transition from public […]
Scheme of Venture Capital Fund for Scheduled Castes
Scheme of Venture Capital Fund for Scheduled Castes: The Scheme of Venture Capital Fund for Scheduled Castes is enabling Scheduled Caste entrepreneurs to establish technology-driven manufacturing enterprises, generate quality employment and contribute to India’s vision of self-reliance. It was launched in 2014-15 by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. Purpose is to provide concessional […]
Bank of Baroda Data Breach on Dark Web
Bank of Baroda Data Breach on Dark Web: Public sector lender Bank of Baroda (BoB) has initiated a forensic investigation following an alleged data breach that reportedly leaked around 1 TB of customer-related data onto the dark web, raising fresh concerns over cybersecurity in the banking sector. The bank stated that its core banking systems […]
