Current Context: Quad FMs (US, India, Japan, Australia) met in Washington (July 1–2, 2025). They condemned the April 22 Kashmir attack and launched the Critical Minerals Initiative.

Key Highlights

• Condemnation of Kashmir terror attack; demanded perpetrators be brought to justice — without naming Pakistan.
• Launched ‘Critical Minerals Initiative’ to diversify supply chains and counterbalance China’s dominance
• Reaffirmed commitment to free, rules-based Indo‑Pacific and opposition to unilateral actions.

What is Quad?

• Informal strategic forum formed in 2007, revived in 2017, comprising USA, India, Japan, Australia, focusing on regional security and shared prosperity.

Current Context: Under the Wilmington Declaration, the QUAD Coast Guards launched the first “At Sea Ship Observer Mission” on June 30, 2025—enhancing multinational maritime cooperation.

Highlights:

• Participants: Coast Guards of India, Japan, USA, and Australia.
• Operation: Two officers (including women) from each country boarded USCGC Stratton en route to Guam.
• Objectives:
  • Enhance interoperability, joint training, and domain awareness
  • Focus on Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR)
  • Promote gender inclusion and reinforce India’s SAGAR and Indo‑Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI) vision

Strategic Importance:

• Strengthens non-military maritime collaboration.
• Builds regional trust and aligns with a free, open, rules-based Indo-Pacific.

Current Context: UNITED NATIONS CONFERENCE ON TRADE AND DEVELOPMENT (UNCTAD) 2025 report reveals global public debt has surged to unprecedented levels, with developing countries under immense stress.

Key Facts:

• Global Public Debt: Reached US $102 trillion in 2024—a record high (+US $5 trillion since 2023).
• Debt Growth in Developing Nations: These countries hold US $31 trillion, with debt doubling twice as fast as developed nations since 2010.
• Interest Burden: Developing nations paid a record US $921 billion in 2024—10% more than in 2023.
• High Debt Ratios: In 61 developing countries, interest payments exceed 10% of government revenue—diverting funds from health and education.

Impact for Development:

• Vital services like health, education, and infrastructure are underfunded.
• Risk of “lost development decade” for low-income countries.

Recommended Measures:

• Introduce multilateral debt relief (e.g., G20 Common Framework reforms, SDR reallocations).
• Create a shared debt information hub and build national capacity to manage risk.

Current Context: In FY 2024–25, India’s Goods and Services Tax (GST) collections reached a record ₹22.08 lakh crore, doubling over five years—indicative of stronger economic activity and compliance.

 ABOUT GST COLLECTIONS

• Record High: ₹22.08 lakh crore in FY 2024–25, marking a 9.4% year‑on‑year (YoY) growth.
• Five-year Trend: GST doubled from ₹11.37 lakh crore in FY21 to FY25.
• Monthly Average: ₹1.84 lakh crore/month in FY25; June 2025 collected ₹85 lakh crore (+6.2% YoY).
• Taxpayer Base: Active GST registrations grew from 0.65 crore in 2017 to over 1.51 crore by April  

Imp. FACTS

• GST Launch: Introduced on 1 July 2017 as a unified indirect tax replacing 17 taxes and 13 cesses.
• Rate Structure: Five slabs—0%, 5%, 12%, 18%, 28%—plus special rates (e.g., gold, diamond).
• Objective: Simplify taxation, reduce cascade effects, enhance transparency, and ease interstate business.

General Studies Paper-3

Context: The Telangana Gig and Platform Workers’ Union (TGPWU)urged the State government to ensure minimum wages, legal recognition, and comprehensive welfare schemes, for gig and platform workers.

Who are gig workers?

• The World Economic Forum defines the gig economy as short-term, task-based work facilitated by digital platforms connecting workers with customers.
• In India, gig workers are considered “self-employed,” with increasing female participation.
• Gig work includes web-based tasks like content writing and software development, and location-based services like driving and food delivery through platforms such as Ola and Zomato.
• Gig workers are paid per task, enjoying flexible work outside the traditional 9-to-5 model.

Related Steps

• The 2025 Union Budget introduced steps to formally recognise gig and platform workers and extended social protection schemes to them.
• The Code on Social Security, 2020, legally defined gig and platform workers as those engaged in non-traditional employer-employee arrangements.
• Recent initiatives like e-Shram registration, digital ID cards, and health coverage under Ayushman Bharat show the government’s recognition of gig workers.

Challenges

• The revised Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) 2025 has not made significant changes to accurately reflect the diverse nature of gig and platform work.
• Despite projections estimating the gig workforce to reach 23.5 million by 2029-30, India’s main labour survey still categorizes gig workers under broad groups like ‘self-employed’ or ‘casual labour,’ leading to their statistical invisibility.
• This lack of clear classification hampers effective policy-making and equitable access to social security schemes established under the Code, such as the Social Security Fund and National Social Security Board, which depend on accurate data for inclusive welfare planning.

Conclusion and Way Forward

• The 2025 PLFS revision improved sample size and rural coverage; it still does not clearly define or capture gig work.
• To ensure inclusive policymaking, India can revise PLFS classifications or add specific modules for gig workers.
• Governments and platforms must collaborate to define clear legal protections and offer tailored social security like health and pension plans.
• Platforms should ensure transparency, fair pay, and good working conditions.

Current Context: India’s first-ever wooden Gurdwara, “Sri Nanak Niwas,” was inaugurated in Fazilka, Punjab, on June 30, 2025, highlighting sustainable and community-driven spiritual architecture.

 ABOUT SRI NANAK NIWAS

• Location: Fazilka Police Lines, Fazilka district, Punjab.
• Structure & Material: Built from durable Finnish Deodhar wood; insulative and eco-friendly.
• Design Influence: Inspired by Hemkunt Sahib’s architecture; 40 × 40 ft in size.

Current Context: In the 2020–25 MEE of 438 national parks and wildlife sanctuaries, Kerala (76.22%) and Chandigarh (85.16%) topped state/UT rankings .

 ABOUT MEE

• Conducted by: Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change via Wildlife Institute of India (ICCON, Dehradun) .
• Scale & Criteria:
  • 438 protected areas across India
  • Evaluated every 5 years on 32 parameters (habitat management, species monitoring, anti-poaching, eco-tourism)
  • Scores graded: Excellent, Very Good, Good, Fair, Poor
• National Findings:
  •  National average improved from 60.5% to 64.4%
  • 84 sites rated ‘Very Good’
  • Ladakh scored lowest (34.9%)

 KERALA & PROTECTED AREAS

• Kerala MEE Score:22% – highest among states.
• Top Parks:
  • Eravikulam National Park (92.97%) – tied with Dachigam, excelled in community-led conservation.
  • Mathikettan Shola NP (90.6%), Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary (89.8%) – both Kerala parks in top six.
• Areas for Improvement:
  • Mangalavanam Bird Sanctuary (Kochi): suffers pollution and urban pressure.
  • Idukki & Wayanad sanctuaries: face challenges like cattle intrusion and human-wildlife conflict

Current Context: India ranked 131st out of 148 countries in the Global Gender Gap Report 2025, with a gender parity score of 64.4%, showing slight improvement (+0.3 %) but slipping in rank due to faster progress by others .

 ABOUT THE GLOBAL GENDER GAP INDEX

• Developer: World Economic Forum (annual since 2006)
• Assessments based on four pillars: Economic Participation & Opportunity; Educational Attainment; Health & Survival; Political Empowerment.
• Global Status:
• – Overall parity: ~68.8% closed
• – Time to full parity: ~134 years at current rates.

INDIA’S PERFORMANCE

• Overall score:4% – marginally improved, but dropped in global ranking.
• Economic participation: Slight gain; women’s income parity remains low (<30%).
• Education: Enrollment near parity, but female literacy lags; minor decline .
• Health & Survival: Nearly full parity (≈96%) .

Political empowerment: Weakest link – women now 13–14 % in Parliament and ministries, down from 2024 .

Current Context: From August 2025 onwards, every post office counter in India will accept Unified Payments Interface (UPI) transactions via dynamic QR codes—part of India Post’s “IT 2.0” digital upgrade to modernize services, especially in rural and remote areas.

ABOUT THE INITIATIVE

• Implementing Agency: Department of Posts, Ministry of Communications.
• Technology:
• UPI launched by National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) in 2016—now handles over 7 billion monthly transactions.
• Dynamic QR codes generate a fresh code per transaction, improving security and reliability over static QR.
• Pilot Success: Trials in Karnataka (Mysore & Bagalkot) showed 95% uptime and swift customer adoption.
• Scale & Reach: Over 155,000 post offices nationwide—India Post is the world’s most extensive postal network.
• Benefits:
• Financial Inclusion: Brings digital payments to unbanked populations via village-level post offices.
• Speed & Convenience: Cuts cash handling time; enables instant receipts.
• Digital India Synergy: Aligns with the 2015 Digital India programme to extend e‑services across the country.

Imp. FACTS

• Department of Posts: Established in 1854; now under the Ministry of Communications.
• Headquarters: Dak Bhawan, New Delhi.
• Digital India Initiative (2015): Aims to provide digital infrastructure, governance, and services; rolling out e‑Payment at post offices strengthens this vision.
• UPI Highlights:
• Peer‑to‑peer and merchant payments directly from bank accounts.
• Interoperable across all major banks and payment apps.

Current Context: Parag Jain, a seasoned 1989-batch IPS officer of Punjab cadre known for his role in Operation Sindoor, will assume charge as Secretary, Research & Analysis Wing (RAW) on July 1, 2025, succeeding Ravi Sinha.

• Experience & Background: Served as head of Aviation Research Centre, station chief in Sri Lanka, and has handled Pakistan desk, Kashmir operations, and counter-Khalistani efforts in Canada. Well-versed in both HUMINT and TECHINT
• Tenure: Appointed for a fixed two-year term (July 1, 2025 – June 30, 2027).

ABOUT RAW

• Full form : Research and Analysis Wing
• Formation: Established on 21 September 1968, post the 1962 India‑China War to handle foreign intelligence separately from the Intelligence Bureau.
• Role & Mandate:
• Primary functions: Collect foreign intelligence, conduct counter‑terrorism & counter‑proliferation ops, and advise Indian policymakers.
• Structure: Operates under the Cabinet Secretariat, headed by Secretary (Research), reporting directly to the Prime Minister and National Security Advisor .
• Sub-agencies:
  • Aviation Research Centre (ARC) – aerial surveillance
  • Electronics and Technical Services – signal and cyber intelligence
  • Radio Research Centre – intercept communications
  • Special Group – covert operations unit