Current Context: Santhal Hul or the Santhal Rebellion, began in June 1855, marks its 170th anniversary in 2025. Observed as ‘Hul Diwas’ annually on June 30 in Jharkhand

About the Rebellion:

• Organised tribal uprising by the Santhal community against British colonialism
• Led by Sidhu and Kanhu Murmu, along with Chand and Bhairav
• Took place in the region of Damin-i-Koh (now in Jharkhand)

Causes:

• Exploitative practices by British officials, zamindars, and moneylenders
• Land alienation, bonded labour (kamioti/harwahi), and broken promises of cultivation rights
• Initiated after prolonged oppression since Santhal settlement in 1832

Course of Rebellion:

• Started on 30 June 1855 at Bhognadih
• Around 60,000 Santhals rose in revolt
• Fought using guerrilla tactics, but were ultimately defeated by the British military
• Leaders Sidhu and Kanhu were captured and executed

About the Santhal Tribe:

• Originally from Birbhum and Manbhum (Bengal Presidency)
• Migrated due to the 1770 Bengal famine and British land policies
• Now one of India’s largest tribal groups, residing mainly in Jharkhand, Bihar, Odisha, and West Bengal
• First large-scale tribal uprising in India (preceded 1857 Revolt)
• Led to administrative reforms like the Santhal Pargana Tenancy Act, 1876.

Current Context: The Bihar Cabinet, led by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, approved the Mukhya Mantri Pratigya Yojana to support youth with paid internships after Class 12.

About the Scheme:

• Aimed at youth aged 18–28 years to enhance their employability through industry-oriented internships.
• Eligible candidates:
• Class 12 pass-outs
• ITI/diploma holders
• Graduates and postgraduates
• Internship duration: 3 to 12 months

Stipend Structure:

• Class 12 pass-outs: ₹4,000/month
• ITI/Diploma holders: ₹5,000/month
• Graduates/Postgraduates: ₹6,000/month
• Additional Allowance:
• ₹2,000/month for inter-district internships
• ₹5,000/month for out-of-state internships (max 3 months)

Current Context: NCB recently busted “Ketamelon”, one of India’s largest darknet narcotics rings in Kochi.

About Operation Melon

• Seizures: 1,127 LSD blots, 131 g Ketamine, ₹70 lakh in USDT
• Tools seized: TAILS OS (for darknet access), crypto wallets
• Significance: Highlights growing darknet drug smuggling and the use of cryptocurrency as payment.

Current Context: On July 1, 2025, the Union Cabinet approved the ELI scheme—an ₹99,446 crore, two-year programme to generate 35 million jobs by subsidising companies and first-time workers .

About ELI Scheme

• Ministry: Labour & Employment
• Budget: ₹99,446 crore (Aug 2025–Jul 2027)
• Jobs targeted: 35 million (including 19.2 million first-time workers)
• First-time employees: One-time wage subsidy up to ₹15,000
• Employers: ₹3,000/month per new worker (₹1,000–₹3,000 based on salary slab)

Manufacturing firms: Incentives extended by 2 more years

Current Context: The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) implemented the SACHET SMS alert system nationwide and is now testing the Cell Broadcast (CB) system.

SACHET (SMS Alerts):

• Uses geo-targeting to send SMS warnings for disasters (cyclones, floods, storms).
• Developed by C-DOT using the Common Alerting Protocol (CAP).
• Operational across all 36 States/UTs.

Cell Broadcast (CB) Alerts:

• Broadcasts urgent alerts to mobile phones in affected areas instantly.
• Supports multi-language emergency warnings.
• Better suited for tsunamis, earthquakes, lightning, gas leaks.

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.