Context: Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Bihar Deputy CM link up with Makhana farmers in Darbhanga just a couple of days prior to PM Modi’s Bihar visit. At PM Modi’s behest, 19th PM Kisan Nidhi installment brought out and development projects inaugurated. Key Highlights: Importance of Makhana in Politics and Economics What is Makhana Important For Government Initiatives
Investment in Gold
Context: Gold tops all other financial assets in 2024, rising 42 per cent at a dollar price, and over 13 per cent in rupees. Aggressive buying by central banks continues to add on for 2024, 1,045 tonnes into three years’ consecutive purchases of above 1,000 tonnes. The Reasons for Gold Prices Going Up Economic and Political Factors Market Trends & Their Effects in Investment Gazing into Investment Opportunities & Risks Will Gold Continue Its Bull Run?
Prudence vs. Populism
Key Findings from 2025-26 Budgets of Five Big States Uttar Pradesh: Balancing Growth & Welfare Gujarat: Strong Fiscal Position Odisha: High Capital Investment, Low Debt West Bengal: Fiscal Struggles Continue Rajasthan: Rising Debt, Low Investment Gujarat and Odisha have the strongest fiscal positions; both states are with high own tax revenue and manageable debt. UP is maintaining revenue surplus, yet a lot of dependency on central funds.WB and Rajasthan are confronted with severe debts and deficits, which impede any possibilities for their investment potentials.
IRDAI Pushes Insurer to Capitalize ₹300 Crore
Context: IRDAI has directed insurance companies to infuse ₹300 crores into the upcoming digital insurance marketplace called Bima Sugam, by the end of February. This was discussed at ‘Bima Manthan’, a two day event at which the insurers interface with the regulator on industry matters. Key Highlights: What is Bima Sugam? Launch Timeline and Industry Participation
Tough Days for Banking Sector
Context: Some banks of which City Union Bank, Karnataka Bank, Bandhan Bank, South Indian Bank, DCB Bank, and Punjab & Sind Bank have net NPAs over 1%. Key Highlights: NPAs Trend Analysis The Effect of RBI’s Unsecured Loan Measures Interest Income & Profits CASA Ratio (Current & Saving Accounts Deposits) Declining Net Interest Margin (NIM) Under Stress Keeping aside investments, banks will brighten up the bad loans while facing challenges from low cost funding and with profit shrinkage. The rate cuts from the RBI and the war over deposits would keep the banks on their toes for the coming quarters.
Current Deposit Insurance Framework
Context: Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation of India (DICGC) covers every depositor up to ₹5 lakh in all banks. Challenges and Considerations Is a Shift to Risk Based Deposit Insurance Needed? Should Deposit Insurance Cover NBFCs? Global Context: Where India Stands The Road Ahead An appropriately calibrated deposit insurance program shall prove imperative for financial stability and depositor confidence.
Qualified Institutional Buyers (QIB)
Context: Markets regulator Sebi is looking to expand the definition of qualified institutional buyers (QIB) and remove the 200-investor cap, allowing angel funds to access a broader pool of accredited investors. What is Qualified Institutional Buyers (QIB)? Key Highlights: Why It Is Important? It is expected that before implementation of such changes SEBI would first issue a consultation paper where it would adopt a more balanced strategy between protecting the investors and expanding the market.
Rupee Swap by RBI
Context: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has introduced a dollar denominated rupee swap auction to inject $10 billion into the economy. This is done to meet long term liquidity concerns of domestic banks. Comparison with Earlier Swap Auctions Reason Behind the Action Existing Economic Drags Long Term Economic Effect This newest dollar rupee swap isn’t a proactive measure, just like the first; rather, it’s stabilization of the rupee with possible liquidity constraints. How well the additional liquidity gets put to use by Indian banks would determine how effective the change proves to be.
India’s TB Eradication
Context: The PM’s ambition of eradicating TB by 2025 is stymied due to lackluster bureaucratic action.TB screening AI chest X ray tools have been evaluated and approved by health agencies but are not being used in any capacity by the national programme.Central TB Division (CTD) of the Health Ministry is supporting an unverified AI tool DeepCXR while neglecting two highly researched, effective, and affordably priced avenues qXR and Genki. AI Options for TB Screening DeepCXR (Institute for Plasma Research, Gandhinagar) Bureaucratic Delays and Inconsistencies Importance of AI Assisted TB Screening The Central TB Division must take urgent action on validated AI tools; that is, qXR and Genki must be rolled out for immediate acceleration in TB detection.Clear policy guidelines are needed to avoid bureaucratic red tapes.Ensuring AI solutions undergo independent validation prior to their adoption into national programmes.
Quantum Computing
Quantum Computing Becomes Even More Important What Is a Quantum Chip? Qubit Quality vs. Quantity Research Advances in Quantum Error Correction Quantum Supremacy and Future Applications What Is Happening in 2025? This year 2025 is poised to mark a watershed moment in quantum computing, with predictions of breakthroughs being made in scalability, error correction, and applicable real-world uses.The fully functioning quantum computer is still a distant goal, but the imminent preparations for it will build the foundation for tomorrow’s computers. Source: The Hindu
