Skills Outcomes Fund

Syllabus: GS3/ Economy

In Context

The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) has launched a campaign to establish the Skills Outcomes Fund.

Skills Outcomes Fund

Objective – This initiative is designed to create better career opportunities for young people from economically disadvantaged backgrounds.
Implementing Body: It is managed by the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC).
Financing Model: Uses a blended finance approach, combining government funding with capital from private sector CSR, philanthropic organizations (like the Gates Foundation), and development agencies.
Target Beneficiaries: Aims to support over 2 lakh youth from low-income backgrounds over four years, with a significant focus on low-income women.
High-Growth Sectors: Training is demand-driven and employer-led, focusing on sectors like BFSI, IT-ITeS, Green Jobs, Healthcare, Logistics, and Electronics.

Decline of Lakes in Jammu & Kashmir

Syllabus: GS3/Environment

Context

Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) finds nearly half of Jammu and Kashmir’s lakes have vanished since 1967, warns of ecological crisis.

Major Causes

Unchecked human activities and encroachment;
Weak institutional coordination;
Absence of a unified regulatory framework, leading to land-use changes.

Major Lakes of J&K, Ladakh UT

Dal Lake: Famous freshwater lake known for houseboats, shikaras, and floating gardens (Raad).
Wular Lake: Wular Lake is the largest freshwater lake in India and has been formed due to tectonic activity. It is fed by the Jhelum River and is recognized as a Ramsar site.
Pangong Tso: It is a high-altitude brackish water lake extending into Tibet, known for its changing colors and strategic importance.
Tso Moriri: It is another high-altitude brackish lake and a Ramsar site.
Manasbal Lake: It is considered one of the deepest freshwater lakes in the region and the Mughal garden Jaroka Bagh, built by Nur Jahan, overlooks the lake.
Hokersar Wetland: Often referred to as the “Queen of Wetlands”.
Surinsar Lake and Mansar Lake: They are twin lakes and are Ramsar sites.

RBI Holds Repo Rate at 5.25 per cent

Syllabus: GS3/ Economy

Context

The Monetary Policy Committee of the Reserve Bank of India decided to keep the repo rate unchanged at 5.25%.

Monetary Policy Committee (MPC)

Established under – The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) constituted by the Central Government under Section 45ZB of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Act, 1934.
Meeting – The MPC is required to meet at least four times in a year.
Composition: The committee comprises six members.

Out of the six members, three are internal -including the RBI governor who chairs the committee.

RBI’s deputy governor is the second internal member.
The third member is one RBI official who is nominated by the central board of RBI. Usually, it is the executive director in-charge of monetary policy.
The other three are external members who are appointed for four years.

Voting: Each member of the MPC has one vote, and in the event of an equality of votes, the Governor has a second or casting vote.
Significance of constituting the MPC: MPC was set up consequent to the agreement reached between Government and RBI to task RBI with the responsibility for price stability and inflation targeting.
- The Reserve Bank of India and Government of India signed the Monetary Policy Framework Agreement.
Functions: The MPC determines the policy repo rate required to achieve the inflation target. It acts as a benchmark for all other interest rates in the economy.

Monetary Policy Tools in India

Repo Rate: Rate at which RBI lends short-term funds to banks against collateral.
Reverse Repo Rate: Rate at which RBI absorbs liquidity from banks.
Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR): Portion of deposits banks must keep with RBI in cash.
Statutory Liquidity Ratio (SLR): Portion of deposits kept in liquid assets (gold, cash, securities).
Open Market Operations (OMO): Buying/selling of government securities to control liquidity.
Marginal Standing Facility (MSF): Emergency borrowing by banks at a penal rate.
Liquidity Adjustment Facility (LAF): Framework for repo/reverse repo operations.
Market Stabilisation Scheme (MSS): Bonds issued to absorb excess liquidity.

Phasing Down Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) in India

Syllabus: GS3/ Environment

Context

The Government of India has directed that no new environmental clearances will be granted for hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) production projects beyond December 31, 2027.
It is aligned with India’s commitments under the Montreal Protocol and the Kigali Amendment.

Montreal Protocol

Enforcement – It was agreed upon in 1987 in Montreal, Canada and entered into force in 1989.
Objective – To protect the Ozone layer by reducing the production of substances that are supposed to be responsible for Ozone layer depletion.
Kigali Agreement – The protocol was further strengthened with the ratification of the legally binding Kigali Agreement in 2016 in Kigali, Rwanda.
Significance – It seeks to phase out the production of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) that are potent greenhouse gases by the late 2040s.

Kigali Amendment

The Kigali agreement is an amendment to the Montreal Protocol.
Objective – To phase down hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) by curbing both their production and consumption.
Target – To achieve over 80% reduction in HFC consumption by 2047 which will curb a global increase of temperature by up to 0.5 degrees Celsius by the end of the century.

Connect with the basics – Basics – Ozone Layer (O₃)

It is a highly reactive molecule containing three oxygen atoms.
Found in – It is present between 10 and 50 km above the earth’s surface, called the stratosphere, and is present in a thin layer of ozone.
Function – This ozone layer serves as a natural filter for blocking deadly incoming UV radiation from the sun.
Significance – This ozone shield is necessary for the survival of human life on the earth.

OZONE LAYER DEPLETION

Definition – The decrease in ozone concentration in the middle layers of the atmosphere – mainly in the stratosphere is referred to as the depletion of the ozone layer.
Caused by – It is caused by emissions of anthropogenic halogenated hydrocarbons such as CFCs, HCFCs, Halons, Carbon tetrachloride and Methyl bromide.
Ozone hole – Since the early 19705, the levels of stratospheric ozone have thinned markedly over certain regions of the earth, particularly over the Antarctic region.

Vinayak Damodar Savarkar

Syllabus: GS1/ Modern History

Context

A criminal defamation case involving remarks on Vinayak Damodar Savarkar has brought attention to the origin of the title Swatantryaveer, before a Pune court.

Vinayak Damodar Savarkar (1883–1966),

He was popularly known as Veer Savarkar, was a prominent freedom fighter, political thinker, and writer.
He is associated with the development of the Hindutva ideology and played a significant role in revolutionary nationalism during the freedom struggle.
Education: Savarkar studied at Fergusson College in Pune and later travelled to London to study law.
Role in freedom struggle: He founded the Abhinav Bharat Society in 1904, a secret organisation dedicated to armed revolution against British rule.
While in London, he led the India House and the Free India Society, training Indian students in methods of sabotage and assassination.
Hindu Mahasabha: He served as the president of the Hindu Mahasabha from 1937 to 1943, advocating for a “Hindu Rashtra” (Hindu Nation).
Social Reform: Savarkar was a staunch opponent of the caste system and untouchability.
Literary Work: He authored The Indian War of Independence, 1857, which was the first work to describe the 1857 rebellion as India’s first struggle for independence.

Central Armed Police Forces

Syllabus: GS3/ Internal Security

In News

The Centre has notified the Central Armed Police Forces (General Administration) Act, 2026, which creates a unified legal framework to regulate the recruitment, deputation, promotion, and conditions of service for officers.

Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF)

Functions under – Ministry of Home Affairs.
Mandate – They are responsible for border guarding, internal security, counter-insurgency, and infrastructure protection.
Significance – The forces include CRPF, BSF, CISF, ITBP, SSB, NSG, and Assam Rifles, designed to assist state police and maintain law and order.

Key Components and Roles:

Border Guarding: Border Security Force (BSF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), and Assam Rifles (AR) patrol borders.
Internal Security: Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) acts as the primary force for counter-naxal and counter-insurgency operations.
Industrial Security: Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) secures critical infrastructure and airports.
Special Operations: National Security Guard (NSG) serves as a specialized commando unit.