2025 marks the 60th anniversary of Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya’s philosophy of ‘Integral Humanism’.
About
In the post-colonial search for an indigenous philosophy of governance, Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya (1916–1968) introduced the doctrine of Integral Humanism (Ekatma Manav Darshan) in 1965.
This ideology aimed to balance material progress with spiritual upliftment and redefine development from an Indian civilisational perspective.
The Ministry of Rural Development launched the second phase of the NAKSHA (NAtional geospatial Knowledge-based land Survey of urban HAbitations) programme.
Why India Needs a NAKSHA-like Programme for Land Management?
Fragmented Land Records System: India has a state-specific, inconsistent system of land record-keeping, often using outdated manual records causing ownership disputes, legal uncertainty for buyers, investors, and institutions.
Land Disputes and Litigation: Over 66% of civil cases in Indian courts are land/property-related. Lack of digitised, tamper-proof land maps is a key cause.
Urbanisation & Infrastructure Push: As per the 2023-24 Economic Survey, nearly 40% of India’s population is expected to be living in urban areas by 2030. Streamlining land and property record systems is essential for the planned development of cities.
Boost to Agrarian Reforms: Digitised khasra maps linked with land records can support: easy credit access, crop insurance schemes, PM-KISAN & other DBT initiatives.
The Centre has asked pharma companies for details of expenditure on marketing in the last one year.
About
The Union government is keeping a close watch on the marketing practice of pharmaceutical companies amid reports of these companies continuing to offer a range of freebies to doctors.
The Uniform Code for Pharmaceutical Marketing Practices (UCPMP) is being implemented to check unethical marketing practices.
The details sought by the Department of Pharmaceuticals (DoP) have to be submitted by 31 July, failing which action will be taken against them.
India leads in grassroots crypto adoption, with $6.6 billion invested by retail investors and 800,000 jobs expected by 2030, but faces unclear and challenging Virtual Digital Assets regulations.
Challenges
India’s strict capital controls and regulated payment systems clash with the decentralized nature of Virtual Digital Assets (VDAs).
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) raised concerns early on, banning financial institutions from crypto dealings in 2018—a ban overturned by courts in 2020.
The government then introduced taxation measures in 2022, including a 1% TDS on VDA transactions above ₹10,000 and a 30% capital gains tax without loss offsetting.
Despite these efforts, most trading shifted offshore, resulting in significant tax revenue losses (over ₹2,488 crore) and high volumes on non-compliant platforms.
Karnataka's Minister of Forest, Ecology, and Environment has ordered a study on the carrying capacity of the Western Ghats following landslips in Dakshina Kannada, Kodagu, and other areas during pre-monsoon rains.
Western Ghats
They are older than the Himalayas and are a mountain range of immense global importance.
They are known for their unique geomorphic, ecological, and climatic influence on the Indian subcontinent.
They affect monsoon weather patterns and moderate the tropical climate.
They are recognized as one of the world’s eight ‘hottest hotspots’ of biodiversity.
They pass through the states of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala.
They are an example of Block Mountains formed as land warped into the Arabian Sea.
They are a biodiversity hot spot, a biologically rich but threatened region, and a UNESCO World Heritage site.
They are home to exceptionally high levels of endemism and at least 325 globally threatened species, including plants, mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles, and fish.
