Call Us Now

+91 9606900005 / 04

For Enquiry

legacyiasacademy@gmail.com

PIB Summaries 17 October 2025

  1. State Mining Readiness Index (SMRI) 2025
  2. National Consumer Helpline


Why in News

  • The Ministry of Mines (16 Oct 2025) released the State Mining Readiness Index (SMRI) and State Rankings — a first-of-its-kind initiative to encourage mining sector reforms at the State level.
  • This fulfills a key Union Budget 2025–26 announcement aimed at enhancing transparency, competitiveness, and sustainability in non-coal mineral development.

Relevance:

  • GS 1 (Geography): Resource distribution, regional disparities.
  • GS 2 (Governance): Cooperative & competitive federalism; Centre-State coordination.
  • GS 3 (Economy/Environment): Mining policy reforms, sustainable resource use, data-driven governance.

Context

  • Mining in India is governed by a federal structure — States play a major role in granting mineral concessions and ensuring operational efficiency.
  • Yet, performance varies widely across States in exploration, auctioning, and environmental compliance.
  • Hence, the SMRI was developed to:
    • Evaluate readiness, efficiency, and reform orientation of States, and
    • Encourage best-practice sharing and competitive federalism.

About the State Mining Readiness Index (SMRI)

Feature Description
Launched by Ministry of Mines, Government of India
Purpose To assess and rank States on their readiness for mining sector reforms and operational efficiency
Coverage Focus on non-coal minerals
Structure of Index Comprises indicators under four key dimensions:
1️⃣ Auction Performance Timeliness and transparency of auctioning mining leases
2️⃣ Early Mine Operationalization Speed of converting auctioned mines into production
3️⃣ Exploration Thrust Investment, technology adoption, and survey activity for new mineral resources
4️⃣ Sustainable Mining Practices Compliance with environment, safety, and community engagement norms

Categorization of States

States are grouped into three categories based on mineral endowment (extent and diversity of mineral resources):

Category Description Top 3 States (2025)
Category A Mineral-rich States 🥇 Madhya Pradesh 🥈 Rajasthan 🥉 Gujarat
Category B Moderately endowed States 🥇 Goa 🥈 Uttar Pradesh 🥉 Assam
Category C Lesser-endowed States 🥇 Punjab 🥈 Uttarakhand 🥉 Tripura

Significance

  1. Promotes Cooperative & Competitive Federalism
    1. Encourages States to benchmark and improve their mining governance.
  2. Policy Feedback Tool
    1. Identifies bottlenecks in auctioning, approvals, or sustainability compliance.
  3. Supports Atmanirbhar Bharat Goals
    1. Enhances domestic mineral availability for industries (steel, cement, electronics, etc.).
  4. Transparency & Accountability
    1. Publicly ranking States creates pressure for reforms and faster operationalization.
  5. Data-driven Governance
    1. Introduces measurable indicators to track State-level progress.

Sustainability and Environmental Focus

  • SMRI includes sustainable mining parameters:
    • Land reclamation, water use efficiency, waste management, and CSR outreach.
    • Aligns with Indias Vision 2047 for Responsible Mining.

Wider Policy Context

  • Union Budget 2025–26: Announced creation of SMRI to enhance States’ participation in mineral value chain.
  • Reforms Complementing SMRI:
    • Amendments to MMDR Act (2021) — greater private exploration participation.
    • District Mineral Foundation (DMF) strengthening for local development.
    • National Mineral Exploration Policy (NMEP) update for advanced exploration.
    • Critical Minerals Mission (2024) — ensures strategic mineral security.

Implications

  • SMRI bridges the policy-to-performance gap by ranking States on measurable outcomes rather than intent.
  • It could reshape India’s mineral federalism, shifting from resource dependency to resource efficiency.
  • Future integration with critical minerals strategy and digital mine monitoring (e.g., TAMRA portal) can make it a central tool for governance reform.


Why in News

  • On 16 October 2025, the Department of Consumer Affairs highlighted major progress of the National Consumer Helpline (NCH) — its growing digital reach, refund facilitation, corporate partnerships, and new integration with the Next-Gen GST Reforms 2025.
  • The NCH has emerged as a tech-enabled grievance redressal system empowering citizens, improving accountability, and reinforcing India’s consumer protection ecosystem.

Context

  • The Consumer Protection Act, 2019 expanded India’s consumer rights architecture — including e-filing, product liability, and misleading advertisement regulation.
  • Within this framework, the National Consumer Helpline (NCH) serves as a frontline mechanism for grievance redressal before litigation, strengthening consumer trust in governance.

Relevance:

  • GS 2: Governance, e-Governance initiatives, citizen-centric services.
  • GS 3: Consumer protection, ethical business practices, technology in governance.

About the National Consumer Helpline

Feature Description
Launched by Department of Consumer Affairs, Government of India
Platform consumerhelpline.gov.in
Nature Integrated Grievance Redress Mechanism (INGRAM)
Objective To guide consumers, resolve complaints, and create awareness about their rights and responsibilities
Coverage All consumer-related sectors including e-commerce, banking, travel, telecom, and FMCG
Languages Supported 17 Indian languages
Helpline Numbers 1800-11-4000 or 1915 (toll-free)

Digital Transformation and Growth

Indicator 2015 2024–25 Growth
Monthly Calls 12,553 (Dec 2015) 1,55,138 (Dec 2024) 10x Increase
Avg. Monthly Complaints 37,062 (2017) 1,70,585 (2025) ~4.6x Increase
Digital Mode Complaints 65% (2025) Major Shift
WhatsApp Complaints Share 3% (Mar 2023) 20% (Mar 2025) Rapid Digitization

This surge reflects increased citizen awareness, greater digital access, and trust in online redressal systems.

Consumer Refund Facilitation (July 2025 Snapshot)

Sector Complaints Resolved Refunds Facilitated
E-commerce 3,594 ₹1.34 crore
Travel & Tourism ₹31 lakh
Total (27 sectors) 7,256 grievances ₹2.72 crore refunds

Compared to April 2025: only 1,079 grievances with ₹62 lakh refunds — showing a 4x rise in refunds and 6x rise in cases resolved within three months.

Convergence Initiative (Corporate Collaboration)

Year Number of Partner Companies
2017 263
2025 1,142

Purpose:

  • Enables real-time complaint forwarding to companies for direct resolution within 30 days.
  • Builds corporate accountability, consumer trust, and social responsibility.

Benefits for Companies:

  • Resolve disputes before escalation.
  • Improve customer retention & brand loyalty.
  • Demonstrate good governance & transparency.

Empowering Students – Refund Disputes (Feb 2025)

  • Refunds worth ₹1.56 crore secured for 600+ students from coaching centres (Civil Services, Engineering, etc.).
  • Enabled through NCH, ensuring transparency and student protection.
  • Coaching institutes directed to adopt student-friendly refund policies.

Integration with Next-Gen GST Reforms 2025

Event Details
Context Integration aligned with GST Council’s 56th meeting (Sep 2025) post GST rate revisions (from 22 Sep 2025).
New NCH Category Dedicated “GST-related complaints” section on INGRAM portal.
Calls Received (till 2 Oct 2025) 3,981 GST-related calls — 31% queries, 69% formal grievances.
Forwarded Cases 1,992 → CBIC, 761 → Convergence partner companies

Major Complaint Themes:

  • Misconception over milk & milk product GST exemptions.
  • E-commerce firms not passing GST rate benefits (TVs, ACs, etc.).
  • Confusion over LPG and petrol pricing.

Outcome:
Consumers actively engaging → shows rising awareness and system trust post-GST reforms.

Significance

  1. Strengthens Consumer Protection Framework under CPA 2019.
  2. Pre-litigation Redressal: Saves time and legal costs for citizens.
  3. Tech-driven Governance: Multi-channel access with AI-based tracking.
  4. Transparency & Corporate Accountability: Via convergence partnerships.
  5. Empowered Citizenry: Educates people on rights, duties, and processes.
  6. Policy Synergy: Integrates with GST reforms, Digital India, and UMANG.

Implications

  • Governance Innovation: NCH exemplifies India’s “preventive justice” model — resolving disputes before escalation.
  • Data-Driven Administration: Analytics from NCH feed into policy feedback loops on consumer behavior and sectoral malpractices.
  • Social Equity Lens: Accessible in 17 languages, ensuring inclusivity in grievance redress.
  • Next Step: Integration with AI chatbots and predictive grievance analytics can enhance real-time policy corrections.

Conclusion

The National Consumer Helpline has evolved into a pillar of citizen-centric governance, combining technology, transparency, and trust. By facilitating quick refunds, resolving GST-linked issues, and promoting cooperative accountability between the State, citizens, and industry, NCH is not just a grievance platform — it is the digital backbone of India’s consumer protection ecosystem.


October 2025
M T W T F S S
 12345
6789101112
13141516171819
20212223242526
2728293031  
Categories