The Government e-Marketplace (GeM) portal celebrated its 10th anniversary with an awards ceremony for top buyers and sellers.

GeM was launched in August 2016 to enable online procurement of goods and services by Central Government ministries and departments, replacing the Directorate General of Supplies and Disposals (DGS&D) process.

• Prelims hook: GeM is a 100% government-owned portal under the Ministry of Commerce & Industry; it is not a CPSE but a special-purpose government platform; nodal body is the GeM SPV (Special Purpose Vehicle).
• Key fact: GeM procurement is mandatory for Central Government entities above threshold values; State governments are encouraged but not mandated to use it.

The National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) has introduced India's first accreditation scheme for mobile food testing laboratories, enabling field-level testing of food adulteration and quality parameters without requiring samples to be transported to fixed laboratories.

• Prelims hook: NABL operates under the Quality Council of India (QCI), which is a joint initiative of the Government of India and Indian industry (CII, FICCI, ASSOCHAM). NABL accreditation follows ISO/IEC 17025 standards.
• Regulatory link: Food safety enforcement in India is governed by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.

The Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) facilitated the first-ever export of mustard honey by the Dergang Farmer Producer Organisation (FPO) from Tripura to Dubai, marking a milestone in Northeast India's agricultural export diversification.

• Prelims hook: APEDA is a statutory body under the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority Act, 1985; it operates under the Ministry of Commerce & Industry. It promotes export of scheduled products including honey, fruits, vegetables, and processed foods.
• FPO significance: Farmer Producer Organisations receive support under the Formation & Promotion of 10,000 FPOs scheme (2020) — a joint initiative of the Agriculture Ministry and NABARD.

The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) has removed the requirement for physical duty payment challans (documents) in applications for Export Obligation Discharge Certificates under the Advance Authorisation (AA) and Export Promotion Capital Goods (EPCG) schemes, moving to a fully digital process.

• Prelims hook: Advance Authorisation allows duty-free import of inputs physically incorporated in export products. EPCG scheme allows import of capital goods at zero/concessional customs duty for producing export goods. Both are administered by DGFT under the Foreign Trade Policy.

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has initiated phase-wise implementation of the 1601-series numbering block for service and transactional calls by utilities (electricity, gas, water boards), courier companies, and logistics entities — enabling consumers to distinguish legitimate service calls from spam or fraud calls.

• Prelims hook: TRAI is a statutory body established under the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India Act, 1997. It regulates telecom services, tariffs, and quality of service, but licensing authority rests with the Department of Telecommunications (DoT).

The Independence Day celebrations in 2026 are themed around '150 Years of Vande Mataram' and 'Yuva Shakti for Viksit Bharat@2047'. Vande Mataram was composed by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay in his 1882 novel Anandamath; the song's 150th anniversary falls in 2026, counting from the novel's first publication.

• Prelims hook: Vande Mataram was first sung at the 1896 session of the Indian National Congress. The first two stanzas were adopted as the National Song of India (not National Anthem). Composed in Sanskrit and Bengali. The National Anthem, Jana Gana Mana, was composed by Rabindranath Tagore.

Scientists have discovered an unusual elevated ozone layer in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere above the North Bay of Bengal, a region critical to the Indian Summer Monsoon.

The ozone anomaly is linked to convective activity during the monsoon season and has implications for understanding monsoon dynamics and UV radiation over South Asia.

• Prelims hook: The ozone layer is located in the stratosphere, approximately 15–35 km above the Earth's surface. The Montreal Protocol (1987) — the international treaty for ozone protection — is considered the most successful environmental treaty globally. In India, the ozone layer is monitored by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) and institutions under the Ministry of Earth Sciences.

Parliament was informed of the socio-economic impact of PM SVANidhi (PM Street Vendor's AtmaNirbhar Nidhi), launched in June 2020 to provide collateral-free working capital loans to urban street vendors displaced by COVID-19, with digital payment incentives and linkage to social protection schemes.

• Prelims hook: PM SVANidhi provides loans of ₹10,000 (1st), ₹20,000 (2nd), and ₹50,000 (3rd) tranches; administered through MicroFinance Institutions, SHGs, Scheduled Commercial Banks; nodal ministry is the Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs; implemented under the Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act, 2014.

Under the SMILE (Support for Marginalised Individuals for Livelihood and Enterprise) scheme, 2,824 children — identified in begging-prone areas — have been rescued and rehabilitated through shelter homes, education linkages, and skill training programmes.

• Prelims hook: SMILE is a Central Sector scheme under the Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment that subsumes the earlier Comprehensive Rehabilitation of persons engaged in Begging (NCRPB) scheme. It covers both adults and children and includes a sub-scheme for the welfare of transgender persons, complementing the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019.

The implementation of PM-YASASVI (PM Young Achievers Scholarship Award Scheme for Vibrant India) in Maharashtra was reviewed, with corrective measures identified to improve scholarship coverage among eligible students from OBC, EBC (Economically Backward Classes), and DNT (De-Notified Tribes) communities.

• Prelims hook: PM-YASASVI replaces the earlier Dr. Ambedkar Post-Matric Scholarship scheme; targets students from OBC, EBC, and DNT communities in Classes IX–XII; administered through the National Testing Agency (NTA) via an entrance test (YET); nodal ministry is the Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment.

The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) released the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) Quarterly Bulletin for April–June 2026. PLFS is the primary source of labour market statistics in India, measuring employment and unemployment rates using the Current Weekly Status (CWS) and Usual Status methodologies.

• Prelims hook: PLFS was launched in 2017, replacing the Employment and Unemployment Survey (EUS) of the earlier NSS rounds. It uses a rotational panel design in urban areas for quarterly data and an annual rural component. Key metrics: Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR), Worker Population Ratio (WPR), Unemployment Rate (UR).

Parliament was informed of the progress of the Jiyo Parsi scheme, which provides financial assistance for medical treatment (including IVF/fertility treatments), childcare, and elderly care to members of the Parsi (Zoroastrian) community — whose population in India has been in demographic decline.

• Prelims hook: Jiyo Parsi was launched in 2013–14 by the Ministry of Minority Affairs to reverse the declining Parsi population. Parsis are not constitutionally notified as a minority community under the National Commission for Minorities Act, 1992; the scheme is implemented by the Parzor Foundation (an NGO) with government funding. Six notified minorities in India: Muslim, Christian, Sikh, Buddhist, Zoroastrian (Parsi), Jain.

The Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs launched NYPS 2.0, an upgraded digital portal for the National Youth Parliament Scheme, which organises mock parliament sessions in schools and colleges to familiarise students with parliamentary procedures, debate norms, and democratic institutions.

• Prelims hook: The National Youth Parliament Scheme was started in 1966 by the Ministry of Education; administrative responsibility transferred to the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs in 1988. It is distinct from the Youth Parliament Competition organised by Lok Sabha Secretariat for university students.

The Indian Ports Association (IPA) has extended ₹5 crore to the Chief Minister's Relief Fund of Assam for flood relief operations, following the annual Brahmaputra and Barak valley floods that affect millions of people across the state each monsoon season.

• Prelims hook: The Indian Ports Association (IPA) is an apex body of 12 Major Ports in India, functioning under the Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterways. Major Ports are governed under the Major Port Authorities Act, 2021 (which replaced the Major Port Trusts Act, 1963). Assam's flood vulnerability is linked to the Brahmaputra river system and its tributaries; the state records among India's highest annual flood damage figures.