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.
About
- 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.
- Central excise duties on many items were repealed with the introduction of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) in 2017, except for certain items such as tobacco and tobacco products.
- Tobacco and tobacco products continue to face a three-layered taxation structure comprising GST, GST compensation cess, and central excise duty.
Key Provisions of the Bill
- 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%.
- Chewing tobacco: From 25% to 100%.
- Hookah or gudaku tobacco: From 25% to 40%.
- Smoking mixtures for pipes and cigarettes: From 60% to 325%.
- Cigarettes: Current duty under the Act ranges from ₹200 to ₹735 per 1,000 cigarettes.
- The Bill proposes a significant increase to ₹2,700 to ₹11,000 per 1,000 cigarettes.
Source: PRS
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.
What is Sanchar Saathi?
- In 2025, the Department of Telecommunications launched the Sanchar Saathi Mobile App for both Android and iOS 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.
Source: TH
Masala Bond
Syllabus: GS3/Economy
In News
- The ED has issued a show-cause notice to Kerala CM over alleged Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) violations linked to the masala bond issued by the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB).
| Do you know? – KIIFB is a body corporate developed by the Kerala government for mobilising funds for infrastructure development, and has floated ‘masala bond’ in the London Stock Exchange and the Singapore stock exchange to raise funds to the tune of ₹2,672.8 crore under external commercial borrowing (ECB). |
Masala bond
- It is an instrument for raising rupee-denominated resources internationally.
- The name itself is meant to give a local flavour— ‘masala’ literally meaning ‘blend of spices’— to the debt instrument.
- According to RBI FAQ, any corporate, body corporate, and Indian bank is eligible to issue rupee-denominated bonds overseas.
Benefits
- It eliminates currency risk, provides cost-effective funding, and diversifies access to global investors.
- It reduces dependence on single sources, and supports India’s goal of globalising the rupee while financing infrastructure.
- It offers higher interest rates, tax advantages, and rupee-linked exposure to India’s growth, with potential gains if the rupee appreciates
Source :TH
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 .
The Pradhan Mantri Virasat Ka Samvardhan (PM VIKAS)
- It is a Central Sector Scheme of the Ministry of Minority Affairs which converges five erstwhile schemes viz. ‘Seekho Aur Kamao’, ‘Nai Manzil’, ‘Nai Roshni’ and ‘USTTAD’ & ‘Hamari Dharohar’ .
- It focuses on upliftment of six notified minority communities through skill development; entrepreneurship and leadership of minority women; and education support for school dropouts.
- It also provisions to facilitate credit linkages by connecting beneficiaries with loan programs offered by the National Minorities Development & Finance Corporation (NMDFC).
- 3 percent of the total seats are reserved for Persons with Disability (PwDs) across all the scheme components.
Objectives
- It aims to provide targeted skill training and livelihood support.
- It aims to preserve and promote cultural heritage, including traditional arts, crafts, and literature.
- It aims to empower minority women through leadership and entrepreneurship training.
- It aims to enhance employability and livelihood opportunities via market and credit linkages.
| Do you know? – India is a diverse nation where the empowerment of minority communities is a top priority for the government. – The Ministry of Minority Affairs has launched several programs to support the six officially recognized minority groups—Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, and Zoroastrians (Parsis)—on socio-economic fronts. |
Source :PIB
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.
About
- 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.
- Sensors and Systems: Equipped with Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), electro-optical systems, and SIGINT sensors, the platform provides comprehensive ISR capabilities even in challenging weather conditions.
- Operational Flexibility: Its fully automated take-off and landing systems, coupled with encrypted satellite communication, enable remote operations, flexible mission planning and deployment across varied theatres without ground-based line-of-sight control.
- Significance: Heron drones are primarily deployed for long-range surveillance on both the Chinese and Pakistani frontiers and have proven highly effective.
Source: TH
Oxford Dictionary’s Word of the Year, ‘Rage bait’
Syllabus: Miscellaneous
In News
- The Oxford Dictionary has chosen “rage bait” as its Word of the Year 2025, reflecting the growing influence of digital culture.
| Do you know? – Oxford chose “rage bait” as Word of the Year 2025 through a combination of public voting and expert analysis by lexicographers, who track emerging words, language trends, and culturally significant events. – The final shortlist also included “bio hack” (methods to improve health) and “aura farming” (efforts to appear charming or cool). |
“Rage bait”
- It is defined as online content deliberately designed to provoke anger or outrage to boost traffic and engagement
- It differs from “brain rot” (2024’s word) by being intentional and targeted.
- It resembles clickbait but relies on negative provocations, often amplified by social media algorithms that reward provocative posts, leading to practices like “rage farming.”
- It now spans fabricated stories, polarising political posts, and conspiracy theories, feeding an engagement-driven ecosystem that is hard for users—especially younger generations—to resist.
Source: IE
Dr Tessy Thomas honoured with Paulos Mar Gregorios Award
Syllabus: Miscellaneous
Context
- Dr. Tessy Thomas, known as the “Missile Woman of India,” has been honored with the eighth Dr. Paulos Mar Gregorios Award 2025 for her significant contributions to science and women’s empowerment.
About Dr. Tessy Thomas
- Pioneering Scientist: Dr. Thomas is a renowned scientist at the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the first woman in India to lead a missile project.
- Key Contributions: She played a pivotal role as the Project Director for the Agni-IV and Agni-V long-range ballistic missile systems.
- Her work earned her the nickname “Agniputri” (one born of fire).
About the Dr. Paulos Mar Gregorios Award
- The Dr. Paulos Mar Gregorios Award is instituted by the Sophia Society of the Malankara (Indian) Orthodox Church and is presented biennially.
- It is given in memory of the late Dr. Paulos Mar Gregorios, a world-renowned philosopher, scholar, theologian, and the first Metropolitan of the Delhi Diocese.
- Fields in which this international award has been given earlier include inter-faith dialogue and cooperation, education, holistic health practices, and community self-renewal.
- The award carries a cash prize of ₹5 lakh, a citation, and a medallion.
Source: IE
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