Revamped Khelo India Scheme
Context: The Union Cabinet approved a revamped Khelo India Scheme and enhanced Assistance to National Sports Federations (ANSFs) Scheme.
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About Revamped Khelo India Scheme
- The Khelo India National Programme for Development of Sports was launched in 2017 with the objective to strengthen the entire sports ecosystem by promoting mass participation and nurturing excellence in sports across India.
- Objective: To build an integrated sports ecosystem covering grassroots talent identification, athlete development and elite performance, aligned with the National Sports Policy 2025 and National Education Policy 2020.
- Budget outlay and Implementation Period: ₹36,441 crore for 2026–27 to 2030–31.
Salient Features
- Sports Ecosystem: It will strengthen National Centres of Excellence (NCOEs), Khelo India Centres of Excellence (KICoEs), Sports Authority of India (SAI) Training Centres, Khelo India Accredited Academies, Khelo India Centres and Armed Forces Youth Sports Companies.
- School Sports: New initiatives like Khelo India Feeder Schools (KIFS) and Khelo India Utkrishta Vidyalayas (KIUV) will promote early talent identification and integrate sports with mainstream education.
- Athlete Development: The Emerging Khelo India Athletes (E-KIA) category will expand structured athlete development through scientific coaching, sports science and long-term mentoring.
- Talent Identification: Talent scouts, zonal committees, High Performance Directors and Managers will create a progression pathway from grassroots competitions to the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS).
- Competitive Opportunities: The scheme will support school, university, regional and sport-specific leagues, national championships, National Games and major international sporting events.
- Inclusive Sports: Special focus will be placed on women’s sports, para sports and indigenous games.
- Long-Term Sporting Goals: The revamped framework seeks to strengthen India’s sporting ecosystem and support ambitions related to the 2030 Commonwealth Games and India’s bid to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Key Institutional Reforms
- Coach Accreditation: A National Coach Accreditation Board (NCAB) will standardise coaching qualifications and improve coaching standards.
- Digital Platform: A unified digital sports platform will integrate athlete databases, competitions, coaching resources, infrastructure, talent assessments and funding for data-driven management.
- ANSFs Support: The enhanced Assistance to National Sports Federations (ANSFs) Scheme will fund coaching, sports science, equipment, international exposure, training camps, foreign experts and international competitions.
- Originally launched in 2001 by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports and newly approved by the Union Cabinet for an enhanced period from 2026 to 2031, ANSF Scheme is a central initiative designed to financially empower recognized sports federations.
- Expansion: The Fit India Movement will be expanded through nationwide awareness and community initiatives to promote physical activity and healthy lifestyles, particularly among youth.
Favara–UPI Cross-Border Payment Corridor
Context: The Favara–UPI cross-border payment corridor has been operationalised, enabling real-time person-to-person (P2P) transfers from the Maldives to UPI-enabled bank accounts in India.
What is Favara–UPI cross-border payment corridor?
- It is a real-time cross-border payment corridor integrating the Maldives’ Favara Instant Payment System with India’s Unified Payments Interface (UPI).
Key Features
- Instant Transfers: Users in the Maldives can send Maldivian Rufiyaa (MVR) through the Favara Instant Payment System, with beneficiaries receiving Indian Rupees (INR) directly in their UPI-linked bank accounts.
- Participating Banks (Phase I): Bank of Maldives Plc, Maldives Islamic Bank Plc.
- Permitted Transactions: Family-maintenance remittances, Gift-related remittances permitted under foreign exchange regulations.
- Implementation: Developed jointly by Maldives Monetary Authority (MMA), Reserve Bank of India (RBI), NPCI International Payments Limited (NIPL), participating banks and other stakeholders
- Future Expansion: Subsequent phases will include QR code-based merchant payments and other cross-border digital payment solutions.
About Unified Payments Interface (UPI)
- Unified Payments Interface (UPI) is an instant real-time payment system developed by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI).
- It enables instant fund transfers between bank accounts through mobile applications.
- UPI’s International Presence: It is currently accepted in Cambodia, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates, France, Mauritius, Nepal, Bhutan, Qatar, and Sri Lanka.
Geological Survey of India (GSI)
Context: Smt. Varsha Ashok Aglawe became the first woman Director General of the Geological Survey of India (GSI), assuming charge as its 54th Director General.
About Geological Survey of India (GSI)
- Introduction: The Geological Survey of India (GSI) is India’s premier geoscientific organisation under the Ministry of Mines.
- Establishment: Established in 1851 by the East India Company to identify coal deposits for railway expansion
- Headquarter: Kolkata, with six regional offices and state units across the country.
- Key Areas of Work
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- Mineral Exploration: GSI explores and evaluates ferrous, non-ferrous, precious and critical mineral resources, strengthening India’s mineral security and resource planning.
- Geological Mapping and Surveys: It undertakes systematic geological, geophysical, geochemical, airborne and marine surveys to create reliable national geoscientific databases.
- Natural Hazard Studies: GSI conducts research on earthquakes, landslides, avalanches, glacial hazards and other geological risks, supporting disaster risk reduction and public safety.
- Specialised Geoscientific Research: The organisation carries out advanced studies in palaeontology, palynology, glaciology, seismotectonics, geo-environmental science and offshore mineral exploration.
- Scientific Advisory Role: GSI serves as the principal provider of earth science information to the government, industry and academia, facilitating evidence-based policymaking and infrastructure development.
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World Breastfeeding Week
Context: Recently , the Ministry of Women and Child Development observed World Breastfeeding Week 2026 from August 1–7 through a nationwide awareness campaign.
About World Breastfeeding Week
- Introduction: World Breastfeeding Week is observed annually from August 1–7 to promote breastfeeding, improve child health and create supportive environments for mothers.
- Origin: The observance commemorates the 1990 Innocenti Declaration on the protection, promotion and support of breastfeeding and is coordinated globally by the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA).
- WABA is a global network founded in 1991, to protect, promote, and support breastfeeding worldwide.
- It acts on the Innocenti Declaration and holds consultative status with UNICEF and the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)
World Breastfeeding Week 2026
- Theme: The 2026 theme is “Breastfeeding for a Sustainable Start in Life: Strengthen What Works,” emphasising proven breastfeeding practices and sustainable child nutrition.
- India’s Observance: India will promote early initiation within one hour of birth, exclusive breastfeeding for six months, and continued breastfeeding up to two years and beyond with complementary feeding.
- Key Focus: The campaign will encourage colostrum feeding, skin-to-skin contact, frequent breastfeeding and support from ASHA workers, Anganwadi workers and healthcare professionals.
Breastfeeding and Its Importance
- Optimal Infant Nutrition: Breast milk provides an ideal balance of proteins, fats, vitamins and nutrients, is easily digestible, and naturally adapts to the infant’s changing nutritional needs.
- Immunity and Disease Prevention: Breast milk transfers protective antibodies, particularly IgA, and lowers the risk of infections such as diarrhoea, respiratory illnesses and ear infections while supporting long-term health.
- Maternal Health Benefits: Breastfeeding promotes uterine contraction and postpartum recovery while reducing the mother’s long-term risk of breast and ovarian cancers, type 2 diabetes and hypertension.
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PM Vidyalaxmi Scheme
Context: Recently, the Ministry of Education highlighted the PM Vidyalaxmi Scheme as an initiative promoting inclusive access to quality higher education.
PM Vidyalaxmi Scheme
- PM Vidyalaxmi is a flagship initiative of the Ministry of Education providing collateral-free and guarantor-free education loans to meritorious students admitted to designated Quality Higher Educational Institutions (QHEIs).
- Origin: Approved by the Union Cabinet in November 2024, the scheme advances the National Education Policy (NEP), 2020 and Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4).
- Budget: ₹3,600 crore for 2024–25 to 2030–31.
- Key Features
- Collateral-Free Loans: Eligible students can obtain education loans without collateral or third-party guarantees, with no fixed ceiling on the loan amount.
- Repayment: Up to 15 years, excluding the course period plus one-year moratorium.
- Credit Guarantee: The Government provides a 75% credit guarantee on loans up to ₹7.5 lakh, reducing lending risks for banks.
- Interest Subvention: Students with annual family income up to ₹8 lakh receive 3% interest subvention on loans up to ₹10 lakh during the moratorium period.
- Interest rate is capped at Externally Benchmarked Lending Rate (EBLR) + 0.5%.
- Additional Subsidy: Under PM-USP Central Sector Interest Subsidy Scheme (CSIS), eligible students with family income up to ₹4.5 lakh receive full interest subvention during the moratorium period for eligible technical and professional courses.
- Unified Portal: Students can submit common loan applications, select banks, track applications, request interest subvention and raise grievances through a digital platform.
- Digital Rupee Wallet: Eligible interest-subvention benefits are credited through the PM Vidyalaxmi Digital Rupee App (Central Bank Digital Currency Wallet) and transferred to the education loan account.
- Coverage and Eligibility
- Institutions: The scheme currently covers 1,425 QHEIs, including eligible public and private institutions selected using National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) criteria.
- Courses: Education loans are available for all degree and diploma programmes in eligible institutions.
- Admission: Students must secure admission on merit; management quota and Non-Resident Indian (NRI) quota admissions are excluded.
- Conditions: Students must register through Aadhaar, remain enrolled and maintain satisfactory academic performance to continue receiving benefits.
- Expected Beneficiaries: Around 7 lakh fresh students to receive interest-subvention benefits over seven years ( 2024–25 to 2030–31).
1 Aug 2026
