Current context: On April 24, 2025, the SVAMITVA Scheme (Survey of Villages and Mapping with Improvised Technology in Village Areas) marked its 5th anniversary.

About SVAMITVA Scheme:

• Launched on: April 24, 2020 (National Panchayati Raj Day).
• Ministry: Ministry of Panchayati Raj.
• Objective: To provide legal ownership of land and property in villages using drone and mapping technology.
• Key Benefits: Helps in accessing loans, resolving disputes, and supporting better planning in rural areas.
• Implementing Agencies: Survey of India, with National Informatics Centre Services Inc. (NICSI) as the tech partner.
• Budget: ₹566.23 crores (FY 2020-21 to 2024-25), extended to FY 2025-26.

Progress:

• Property Cards: Over 2.42 crore property cards issued for 1.61 lakh villages.
• Drone Surveys: Completed in 3.20 lakh villages, covering 68,122 sq. km.

Current Context: India has imposed a 12% provisional safeguard duty for 200 days on five categories of steel products to protect domestic industries from a surge in low-cost imports.

Key Points:

• Definition: A safeguard duty is a temporary measure imposed to protect a domestic industry from serious injury caused by a sudden surge in imports.
• WTO Compliance: It is permitted under the rules of the World Trade Organization (WTO) as a trade remedy measure.
• Application: Unlike anti-dumping duties, safeguard duties are imposed at a uniform rate on imports from all countries, regardless of pricing practices.
• Purpose: Acts as an emergency response to give domestic industries time to recover and adjust without facing unfair competition from imports.
• Duration: Safeguard duties are time-bound and subject to review and investigation before imposition.

Current Context: Poshan Tracker Application Won the Prime Minister’s Award for Excellence in Public Administration 2024 under the Innovation category.

Key Points:

• Developed by the Ministry of Women and Child Development (MoWCD).
• A digital tool for real-time monitoring of nutrition and childcare services.
• Used by Anganwadi Workers (AWWs) across all Anganwadi Centres (AWCs).
• Tracks key indicators under the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) – maternal health, child nutrition, growth, and immunization.
• Enables data-driven policymaking, targeted interventions, and transparency in service delivery.
• Supports goals of POSHAN Abhiyaan (Prime Minister’s Overarching Scheme for Holistic Nutrition) and aligns with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) on health and nutrition.
• Serves as an example of technology-enabled governance reform and grassroots digital empowerment

• Observed on April 26, established by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in 2000.​
• The 2025 theme is “IP and Music: Feel the Beat of IP”, highlighting the role of intellectual property in supporting the music industry.
• Engagement: Encourages understanding of how IP rights foster creativity and innovation, particularly in music.​
• Significance: Emphasizes the importance of protecting creators’ rights to promote cultural and economic development

General Studies Paper-3

Context: According to the April 2025 edition of the IMF’s World Economic Outlook, India will remain the fastest growing major economy over the next two years.

World Economic Outlook Report

• The World Economic Outlook (WEO) is the International Monetary Fund’s key report on global economic trends and policy challenges.
• Published twice a year it provides projections for the near and medium term, covering advanced, emerging, and developing economies.

Key highlights

• India’s Growth outlook: India is projected to remain the fastest-growing large economy and is expected to grow by 6.2 percent in 2025 and 6.3 percent in 2026.
• Global Growth outlook: The global economic growth will be much lower, at 2.8 percent in 2025 and 3.0 percent in 2026.
• Emerging Asia: The region is also expected to grow strongly, led by India, but faces downward revisions due to global trade disruptions.

Reasons for slowdown in world economy

• Tariff War 2.0: Since early 2025, new tariffs by the US on imports, coupled with retaliatory measures, have triggered a fresh wave of trade tensions.
• Slowing Consumer Confidence: As new tariffs increase costs and lower disposable incomes, consumer spending has weakened, especially in the US and Europe.
• Inflation: While headline inflation has cooled from its peak, core inflation remains sticky, particularly in services.
• Diminished Policy Space: High public debt and rising interest rates have limited the ability of governments to respond with countercyclical policies.
• Aging populations in countries like Japan, Germany, and China are reducing the available workforce, constraining long-term growth.

Reasons for India’s Resilience

• Domestic Demand: India’s growth remains largely driven by robust domestic consumption and investment, particularly in infrastructure and services.
• This has weakened global investor sentiment, triggered financial market volatility, and elevated policy uncertainty to unprecedented levels
• Structural Strengths:
  • A young population and expanding digital economy.
  • A growing middle class with increasing consumption power.
  • Government-led capex push and PLI schemes that bolster industrial activity.

Way Ahead

• Structural reforms: Durable structural reforms across several areas, including labor markets, education, regulation and competition, and financial sector policies, can jointly lift productivity and potential growth and support job creation.
• Technological Integration: Technological progress, related to digitalization and AI, can enhance productivity and potential growth.
• Fiscal Prudence: Maintaining fiscal sustainability amid high global debt and rising interest rates is critical.

Context: Himachal Pradesh Government has banned Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) bottles ≤500 ml in all indoor official events from June 1, 2025 due to environmental concerns.

Key Highlights

• Applies to: Government departments, boards, Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (HPTDC), and advisory to private hotels.
• Alternatives: Glass bottles, water dispensers, steel containers.
• Mandatory ‘car bins’: In taxis, Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC), and public-private transport vehicles.
• Fine ₹1,500: For littering biodegradable waste.
• Fine ₹10,000: For non-installation of garbage bins in vehicles.

Current Context: The Supreme Court of India has directed the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) to assess the impact of glass industries on the Taj Mahal, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

About NEERI

• Established: 1958 in Nagpur, Maharashtra (initially as Central Public Health Engineering Research Institute – CPHERI).
• Renamed: NEERI in 1974 by PM Indira Gandhi.
• Governing Body: Operates under Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Ministry of Science and Technology.
• Mission: Provide sustainable, science-backed environmental solutions for the government, industry, and marginalized communities.

About Taj Mahal

• Location: Agra, on the southern bank of the Yamuna River.
• Built by: Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in 1632 in memory of his wife, Mumtaz Mahal.
• Architecture: Ivory-white marble, representing the pinnacle of Mughal architecture.
• UNESCO Status: Declared a World Heritage Site in 1983.

Current Context: Indian shooters concluded their campaign at the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup Lima 2025 with a total of 7 medals — 2 gold, 4 silver, and 1 bronze  securing third place in the medal tally behind China and USA.

Key Highlights:

• Dates & Location: Held in Lima, Peru from 13-22 April 2025.

Medal Winners:

Gold Medals:

• Suruchi Singh (Women’s 10m Air Pistol)
• Saurabh Chaudhary & Suruchi Singh (10m Air Pistol Mixed Team)

Silver Medals:

• Manu Bhaker (Women’s 10m Air Pistol)
• Arjun Babuta (Men’s 10m Air Rifle)
• Simranpreet Kaur Brar (Women’s 25m Pistol, her first World Cup medal)
• Rudranksh Patil & Arya Borse (10m Air Rifle Mixed Team)
• Bronze Medal:Saurabh Chaudhary (Men’s 10m Air Pistol)

Current Context: Achyuta Samanta, founder of KIIT (Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology) and KISS (Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences), was honored with the Gurudev Kalicharan Brahma Award 2025 in Kokrajhar, Assam.

Key Highlights:

• Award Instituted By: Gurudev Kalicharan Brahma Trust
• Purpose: The award recognizes individuals contributing significantly to education and social empowerment.
• Occasion: Presented on the 166th birth anniversary of Gurudev Kalicharan Brahma, a prominent social reformer and spiritual leader of the Bodo community.
• Prize: Dr. Samanta received a citation, memento, and a cash award of ₹1 lakh, which he donated back to the Trust for its development.

Current context: The International Monetary Fund (IMF) forecasts artificial intelligence (AI) will boost global GDP by 0.5% annually from 2025-2030, with growth surpassing the environmental costs of increased emissions from data centres.

About

• Launched by: International Monetary Fund (IMF)
• Energy Consumption Surge: Global electricity demand may triple to 1,500 terawatt-hours (TWh) by 2030, increasing emissions by 1.2%.
• Environmental Implications: AI-related emissions could cost $50.7–66.3 billion, exacerbating climate concerns.
• Energy Efficiency Potential: AI could improve energy efficiency and reduce emissions with targeted policies and R&D (Research and Development).
• Role of Policy and Industry: Collaboration among governments, tech companies, and energy sectors is essential to ensure AI benefits the environment and addresses inequalities.