Mobile Phone Manufacturing Scheme (MPMS)
Context: The Union Cabinet approved the Mobile Phone Manufacturing Scheme (MPMS) to strengthen India’s mobile manufacturing ecosystem.
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About Mobile Phone Manufacturing Scheme (MPMS)
- It is a Central Sector Scheme approved by the Union Cabinet to promote large-scale mobile phone manufacturing, deepen domestic value addition, and strengthen India’s position in global electronics value chains.
- Objective: To scale up mobile phone production, enhance domestic value addition, build resilient supply chains, promote Indian brands, encourage design and R&D, and achieve technological sovereignty while boosting exports and employment.
- Nodal Body: Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).
- Budget Outlay: ₹62,500 crore
- Implementation Tenure: The scheme will be implemented for five years (FY 2026–27 to FY 2030–31).
- Incentives: Provides incentives of 2.25%–5% on eligible mobile phone sales, an additional up to 1.5% for domestic sourcing of key components, and 3% incentive for Indian brands undertaking product design and R&D.
Status of Mobile Manufacturing in India
- Global Position: India is the world’s second-largest mobile phone manufacturer by volume, with 99.2% of mobile phones sold domestically manufactured in India.
- China is the world’s largest mobile phone manufacturer, producing an estimated 70% to 80% of all global smartphones.
Abathsahayeswarar Temple
Context: The 12th-century Abathsahayeswarar Temple at Thukkachi received the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Award of Distinction (2024) for exemplary heritage conservation.
About Abathsahayeswarar (Thukkachi) Temple
- A 12th-century living Hindu temple at Thukkachi, Thanjavur (Tamil Nadu), showcasing later Chola architecture.
- Built by: Associated with Kulottunga I and Vikrama Chola; regarded as the only major temple built entirely during Vikrama Chola’s reign. Kulottunga I endowed it for Thevaram recitation.
Key Features
- Unique Chola Architecture: A rare Kara Kovil, with the sanctum designed like a processional chariot.
- Shaivite Significance: Inscriptions refer to it as Thenthirukalathi/Vikramacholeeswaram; it houses one of the oldest stone icons of Lord Sarabeshwarar.
- UNESCO Recognition: Won the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Award of Distinction (2024) for conservation of a living heritage monument.
- Conservation Approach: Restoration combined traditional Sthapatya Veda, Agama Shastra and sthapathis with modern techniques such as drone surveys, digital mapping, photogrammetry and precision anastylosis.
Assisted Dying
Context: The French Parliament approved a landmark assisted-dying bill, allowing eligible terminally ill adults to seek medically assisted death under strict legal safeguards.
About Assisted Dying
- Assisted dying allows eligible terminally ill adults to voluntarily end their lives by taking prescribed medication under a legally regulated process with strict medical and procedural safeguards.
- Key Features
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- Medical Safeguards: Eligibility is assessed by two independent medical professionals, followed by a mandatory reflection period before approval, ensuring informed and voluntary decision-making.
- Self-Administration Principle: In most jurisdictions permitting assisted dying, the patient must self-administer the prescribed medication, while active euthanasia (direct administration by another person) remains prohibited in many countries.
- Conscientious Objection: Healthcare professionals may decline participation on ethical or religious grounds, but are generally required to refer the patient to another willing practitioner.
India’s Stand on Assisted Dying
- Judicial Recognition: The Supreme Court, in Common Cause v. Union of India (2018), recognised the Right to Die with Dignity under Article 21, legalising passive euthanasia and recognising living wills under strict safeguards.
- Present Legal Position: Active euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide remain illegal in India and are punishable under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, while the legal framework governing passive euthanasia is based entirely on Supreme Court judgments, not parliamentary legislation.
- Procedural Reforms: In 2023, the Supreme Court simplified the implementation of passive euthanasia by allowing certification through a single medical board and removing the earlier requirement for judicial approval.
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Ravidassias
Context: The Ravidassia community has renewed its demand for a separate religion category in the 2027 Census, citing its distinct religious identity and practices.
About Ravidassias
- Ravidassias are followers of Guru Ravidas and constitute a prominent Dalit religious community with distinct places of worship, scriptures, symbols and religious traditions.
- Distribution: The largest concentration of Ravidassias is found in the Doaba region of Punjab (Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur, Kapurthala and Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar), with a significant diaspora in Europe, North America and the United Kingdom.
- Demand for Separate Religion: The community seeks a separate religion category in the Census, arguing that Ravidassia Dharma has evolved into a distinct faith.
- Establishment as Distinct Faith: The Ravidassia community formally declared a separate religion in 2010, primarily led by Dera Sachkhand Ballan.
- Scripture: The holy book is Amritbani Guru Ravidass Ji, which compiles 200 hymns of Guru Ravidas.
- Core Rules & Beliefs: The faith rejects the caste system, follows the concept of Begampura , uses the motto “Jai Gurudev,” and adopts the symbol Har.
Provision for Separate Religion in Census
- Census Enumeration: The Census records the religion declared by each respondent, including faiths other than the six pre-coded major religions (Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Sikh, Buddhist, and Jain), ensuring self-identification is faithfully documented.
- Legal Implications: A separate Census religion category only enables demographic enumeration and does not automatically confer minority status, reservation benefits or any separate legal recognition.
About Guru Ravidas
- Guru Ravidas (15th–16th century) was a revered Bhakti Movement saint, mystic poet and social reformer whose devotional hymns are included in the Guru Granth Sahib.
- Key Contributions
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- Begampura: Guru Ravidas envisioned Begampura, an ideal society free from caste discrimination, fear, injustice and social inequality, where all people enjoy equal dignity.
- Equality and Social Justice: He rejected untouchability and caste hierarchy, emphasising human equality, compassion and the dignity of labour as the foundation of a just society.
- Devotion over Ritualism: He advocated personal devotion (Bhakti), moral conduct and inner purity, rather than ritualistic practices, as the true path to spiritual liberation.
- Legacy: Guru Ravidas Jayanti, observed on Magh Purnima, commemorates his birth and celebrates his enduring contributions to social equality, religious harmony and the Bhakti tradition.
China’s ‘Great Green Wall’
Context: China’s ‘Great Green Wall’ (Three-North Shelterbelt Program) has significantly slowed desertification in northern China. However, scientists emphasise that sustained efforts are needed to preserve these gains.
About the ‘Great Green Wall’ (Three-North Shelterbelt Program)
- Launch: It is a large-scale afforestation and ecological restoration programme launched by China in 1978.
- Coverage: Extends across northern, northwestern, and northeastern China, covering nearly half of the country’s land area.
- Scale: It is one of the world’s largest ecological restoration programmes
Key Technique: Straw Checkerboard
- This is a sand dune stabilisation technique widely used in China’s Great Green Wall programme to control desertification.
- Method: Straw sticks are inserted in intersecting rows to form grid-like checkerboards over shifting sand dunes.
- Helps in:
- Sand Stabilisation: Reduces wind erosion and prevents sand movement.
- Moisture Conservation: Traps moisture and reduces water loss.
- Afforestation Support: Creates favourable conditions for planting saplings.
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Global Recognition of the Programme
- UNCCD Recognition: The UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) has recognised the programme as a successful model for combating desertification.
16 Jul 2026
