National Strategy For Financial Inclusion 2025–30 | Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) | The Central Excise (Amendment) Bill, 2025 | Sanchar Saathi App | Pradhan Mantri Virasat Ka Samvardhan (PM VIKAS) | Heron Mk II UAVs

National Strategy For Financial Inclusion 2025–30

Syllabus: GS3/ Economy

Context

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has released the National Strategy for Financial Inclusion (NSFI) 2025–30, outlining a five-year plan (Panch-Jyoti) to deepen and widen financial inclusion in India.

Strategic Pillars of the Panch-Jyoti

1. Enhancing Financial Services: Provide equitable, responsible, and affordable financial services for households and micro-enterprises.
2. Gender-Sensitive Inclusion: Implement women-centric strategies and support vulnerable and underserved groups.
3. Linking Livelihoods and Finance: Integrate skill development and livelihood programmes with formal financial services.
4. Financial Education: Use financial literacy to promote responsible financial behaviour and discipline.
5. Consumer Protection: Strengthen customer protection and grievance redressal mechanisms for better reliability and accessibility.

Government initiatives for financial inclusion

• Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana (PMMY): It was launched in 2015, to support small and micro enterprises with loans up to ₹10 lakh.
• Financial Inclusion Index (FI-Index) – It was launched by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to track the process of ensuring access to financial services.
• Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY): Launched in 2015, PMSBY is an accident insurance scheme covering death and disability.
• Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY): Launched in 2015, PMJJBY is a government-backed life insurance scheme.
• Atal Pension Yojana (APY): It was launched in 2015 and provides social security to unorganised sector workers.
• Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY): Launched in 2014, PMJDY aimed to bring the unbanked into the formal financial system by expanding access to savings accounts, credit, remittance, insurance, and pensions.

Biological Weapons Convention (BWC)

Syllabus: GS2/Global Grouping in India’s Interest; GS3/Security

Context

• 50 Years of Biological Weapons Convention (BWC)

Bioterrorism

• Definition – It refers to the deliberate release of biological agents — such as bacteria, viruses, or toxins — to cause illness or death among humans, animals, or plants.
• Examples – Bacillus anthracis (anthrax), Variola major (smallpox), and toxins like botulinum.
• The Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) serves as the key international treaty prohibiting the development, production, and possession of biological weapons.

Biological Weapons Convention (BWC)

• It was established and entered into force on March 26, 1975.
• Uniqueness – It is the first multilateral disarmament treaty to ban an entire category of weapons of mass destruction.
• Objective – It prohibits the development, production, acquisition, transfer, stockpiling, and use of biological and toxin weapons.
• Implementation – United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA).
• Membership: 189 countries including India.

The Central Excise (Amendment) Bill, 2025

Syllabus: GS2/ Polity and Governance

Context

• The Central Excise (Amendment) Bill, 2025 was introduced in Lok Sabha on December 1, 2025.

The Central Excise (Amendment) Bill, 2025

• The Bill seeks to amend the Central Excise Act, 1944.
• The Act provides for the levy and collection of central excise duties on goods manufactured or produced in India.
• The Bill increases central excise duty on unmanufactured tobacco, manufactured tobacco, tobacco products, and tobacco substitutes.
• Unmanufactured tobacco (such as sun-cured tobacco leaves) from 64% to 70%.

Sanchar Saathi App

Syllabus: GS2/Government Initiatives

Context

• Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has directed phone makers to pre-install the Sanchar Saathi app on devices sold from March 2026 onwards.

Sanchar Saathi

• Launched by – Department of Telecommunications
• Objective – to help users report and protect against mobile related fraud and theft.

Key Features

• Chakshu: Users report suspected fraud via calls, SMS, or WhatsApp, targeting scams like fake KYC updates.​
• IMEI Tracking and Blocking: Tracks and blocks lost/stolen phones nationwide across all telecom networks.​
• Verify Mobile Handset Genuineness: Checks if a device is authentic using IMEI or barcode scan.​
• Report Masked International Calls: Flags calls from abroad disguised as local (+91 followed by 10 digits).​
• Know Your Internet Service Provider: Searches wireline ISPs by PIN code, address, or name.​

Pradhan Mantri Virasat Ka Samvardhan (PM VIKAS)

Syllabus: GS2/Welfare Schemes

In News

• PM VIKAS is uplifting minority communities through skill development and  promoting entrepreneurship .

Pradhan Mantri Virasat Ka Samvardhan (PM VIKAS)

• Financing – Central Sector Scheme
• Implementation – Ministry of Minority Affairs
• It converges five erstwhile schemes vi ‘Seekho Aur Kamao’, ‘Nai Manzil’, ‘Nai Roshni’ and ‘USTTAD’ & ‘Hamari Dharohar’ .
• Aim – It focuses on upliftment of six notified minority communities through skill development; entrepreneurship and leadership of minority women; and education support for school dropouts.

Do you know?

• Six officially recognized minority groups in India —Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, and Zoroastrians (Parsis)—on socio-economic fronts.

Heron Mk II UAVs

Syllabus: GS3/ Defence

Context

• India has initiated the procurement of Heron MK-II drones from Israel under emergency provisions invoked after Operation Sindoor.

Heron Mk II UAVs

• Developer: Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI)
• Capability: The Heron Mk II is a medium-altitude, long-endurance (MALE) UAV.
• It can carry close to 500 kg of payload and sustain more than 24 hours of continuous flight.