One-Liner Current Affairs

Zero MDR on UPI/RuPay mandated January 2020; new 0.4% applies only to transactions >₹2,000.

Payment operators argued zero MDR eroded margins and discouraged infrastructure investment.

Retailers Association warned fee accumulation may trigger merchant reversion to cash payments.

Windfall tax introduced July 2022; recalibrated fortnightly based on Brent Crude benchmarks

Current rates: ₹20/liter diesel, ₹0.5/liter petrol (down from ₹25 and ₹1.5 respectively)

Revenue feeds Central Excise Act collections; benefits major domestic refiners

Supreme Court mandates RBI enforcement of Fair Practices Code banning forcible vehicle repossession without due process compliance.

Banks/NBFCs face regulatory penalties under Banking Regulation Act, 1949 for deploying musclemen or illegal recovery tactics.

Prior written notice, SOP compliance, and identification badges for recovery agents are non-negotiable regulatory requirements.

Article 21 (life & personal liberty) encompasses right to choose religion and partner—family interference cannot override this.

Articles 21 & 25 together protect freedom of conscience, religious practice, and bodily autonomy as intrinsic liberty.

Constitutional morality supersedes societal orthodoxy in protecting consenting adults.

NGT imposed 10:1 compensatory afforestation ratio (not standard 2:1) with 100% survival rate mandate

Order operates under Forest Conservation Act 1980 and CAMPA 2016 framework

Quarterly satellite monitoring and field audits required for compliance verification

1963 Trans-Karakoram Tract Agreement: Pakistan ceded 5,180 sq km Shaksgam Valley to China illegally per India's position.

India invokes Article 1 of Constitution and international law principle that disputed territories cannot be unilaterally transferred.

CPEC infrastructure through Gilgit-Baltistan is India's core opposition at multilateral forums.

US Presidential Determination under FAA 1961 is mandatory annual exercise, not punitive action.

SHS 2026 theme: 'Swachhata Mein Sahbhag, Swachh Bharat, Viksit Bharat' launched by Jal Shakti Minister C.R. Patil

Campaign precedes Gandhi Jayanti, operationalizes SBM's two verticals (Urban/Gramin) via mass mobilization

Links sanitation governance to Viksit Bharat 2047 roadmap's civic accountability framework

COLREGs (1972) governs collision prevention; UNCLOS defines maritime boundaries and conduct in international waters.

Pakistani Navy's aggressive shadowing poses persistent SLOC security risks affecting India's maritime trade.

Diplomatic protest alone insufficient; enforceable bilateral maritime safety codes critical.

Dadasaheb Phalke Award instituted in 1969 by Ministry of Information & Broadcasting—India's highest cinema honor

First recipient: Devika Rani (1969); latest: Anant Nag (2026)

Award includes ₹10 lakh cash prize, Swarna Kamal medallion, and shawl