Centre Disburses Over ₹4 Lakh Crore Under PM-KISAN Scheme

What’s the News?

• Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, informed the Lok Sabha that the Centre has disbursed over ₹4 lakh crore under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) scheme since its inception.
• The benefit has reached more than 11 crore farmers across the country through 21 installments.
• Uttar Pradesh has received the highest amount, with over ₹90,000 crore transferred to beneficiaries in the state.

PM-KISAN Scheme

• Objective:
  • Provide assured income support to landholding farmer families to meet agricultural and household expenses .
  • Reduce dependence on informal credit and supplement farm incomes, especially for small and marginal farmers (SMFs).
• Financial Support:
  • ₹6,000 per year per eligible family.
  • Released in three equal installments of ₹2,000 each.
• Coverage & Eligibility:
  • Initially targeted SMFs with ≤2 hectares of land, but scope later expanded to all landholding farmers .
  • Primary criterion: ownership of cultivable land as per official land records.
  • Certain exclusions apply (e.g., income tax payers, constitutional post-holders, institutional landholders).
• Administrative Framework:
  • Central Sector Scheme - 100% funded by the Government of India .
  • Implemented by the Department of Agriculture, Cooperation & Farmers Welfare, under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare.

Additional Info

• Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN):
  • Launch: Launched by the Prime Minister on February 24, 2019, from Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh (effective retrospectively from December 1, 2018).
  • Type: It is a Central Sector Scheme with 100% funding from the Government of India.
  • Eligibility: All landholding farmer families (Husband, Wife, and Minor Children) subject to exclusion criteria.
• Exclusion Criteria:
  • Institutional Landholders.
  • Farmer families holding Constitutional Posts (former/present).
  • Income Tax Payers in the last assessment year.
  • Professionals (Doctors, Engineers, Lawyers, CAs, Architects).
  • Pensioners (Retired) with a monthly pension of ₹10,000 or more.
• Implementation Mechanism:
  • Identification: Responsibility of identifying eligible beneficiary farmer families rests with the State/UT Governments.
  • Technology: e-KYC is mandatory for registered farmers. A dedicated PM-KISAN Portal and Mobile App manage the database.

Sources

• Newsonair

IMF Declares UPI as World’s Largest Real-Time Payment System

What’s the News?

• The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has officially recognized India's Unified Payments Interface (UPI) as the world's largest retail fast-payment system (FPS) by transaction volume.
• This recognition was highlighted in the IMF report titled "Growing Retail Digital Payments (The Value of Interoperability)" (June 2025).
• According to the report, India’s UPI now accounts for nearly 49% of the global real-time payment system transaction volume, cementing its position as a global leader in digital finance.

Global Dominance

• Global Comparison: The ACI Worldwide report "Prime Time for Real-Time 2024" provides a detailed breakdown of global real-time transactions:
  • India: 129.3 billion transactions (49% global share).
  • Brazil: 37.4 billion transactions (14% share).
  • Thailand: 20.4 billion transactions (8% share).
  • China: 17.2 billion transactions (6% share).
  • South Korea: 9.1 billion transactions (3% share).
• Transaction Growth: As of November 2025, UPI processed over 19 billion transactions in a single month, valued at ₹24.58 lakh crore, reflecting a 23% year-on-year growth in volume.

Government Initiatives Driving Growth

• Infrastructure Expansion:
  • Under the Payments Infrastructure Development Fund (PIDF), approximately 5.45 crore digital touchpoints have been deployed in Tier-3 to Tier-6 centers as of October 2025.
  • A total of 56.86 crore QR codes have been deployed to cover 6.5 crore merchants by FY 2024-25.
• Policy Support:
  • The government has implemented incentive schemes for promoting low-value BHIM-UPI transactions.
  • Efforts are underway to deepen RuPay and UPI adoption across public services, transport, and e-commerce platforms nationwide.

Additional Info

• Unified Payments Interface (UPI):
  • Developed by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI).
  • Regulated by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
  • Launched in 2016 to enable instant real-time fund transfers between bank accounts using mobile devices.
• Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI):
  • UPI is a key component of India's India Stack, which also includes Aadhaar (Digital Identity) and Data Empowerment and Protection Architecture (DEPA).
  • The IMF report emphasizes interoperability as a critical factor for UPI's success, allowing users to choose their preferred apps while transacting across different banks.
• Global Expansion:
  • UPI is now operational or in partnership stages with several countries, including Singapore, UAE, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Mauritius, and France, aiming to facilitate cross-border person-to-person (P2P) and person-to-merchant (P2M) transactions.

Sources

• PIB

International Anti-Corruption Day 2025

What’s the News?

• The United Nations commemorated International Anti-Corruption Day 2025 on December 9 with the theme “Uniting with Youth Against Corruption: Shaping Tomorrow’s Integrity”.
• The theme underscores youth as critical agents of change in building transparent, accountable institutions and calls for intergenerational collaboration to strengthen anti-corruption frameworks globally and in India.

Global & National Significance

• Youth as Integrity Leaders:
  • With 1.9 billion young people worldwide, the campaign emphasizes their potential to drive integrity through education, digital tools (e.g., AI, blockchain, reporting apps), and community-level advocacy.
  • Youth-led innovation can improve transparency, facilitate anonymous reporting, and challenge corrupt practices in public service delivery.
• India’s Anti-Corruption Landscape:
  • Legal Framework:
    • Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988: Defines offences & penalises public servants.
    • Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023: Replaces IPC; modernises punishment for bribery & misconduct.
    • Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013: Establishes independent ombudsmen for central & state-level complaints.
    • Whistle Blowers Protection Act, 2014: Shields individuals reporting corruption (pending full operationalisation).
  • Supporting Laws:
    • Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002
    • Benami Transactions (Prohibition) Act, 1988
    • Black Money Act, 2015
• Accountability Metrics:
  • In the 2024 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), India ranked 96th out of 180 countries with a score of 38/100 - down from 93rd (score 39) in 2023.

Additional Info

• International Context:
  • UNCAC (UN Convention Against Corruption): Adopted in 2003; enforced from December 2005; India ratified it in 2011.
  • Upcoming Global Event: The 11th Conference of States Parties to UNCAC will be held in Doha, Qatar (December 15–19, 2025).
• Constitutional Anchors:
  • Article 51(c): Promotes international law & treaty obligations (incl. UNCAC).
  • Article 39(b) & (c): Directive Principles calling for equitable resource distribution & prevention of wealth concentration.
  • Right to Information Act, 2005: Statutory embodiment of transparency under Article 19(1)(a) (freedom of speech & expression).
• Institutional Mechanisms in India:
  • Central Vigilance Commission (CVC): Apex body for vigilance matters.
  • Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI): Investigates major corruption cases.
  • National e-Governance Plan & Digital India: Reduce interface-based corruption via process automation.
• United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC):
  • Adopted by the UN General Assembly on October 31, 2003.
  • It is the only legally binding universal anti-corruption instrument.
  • Covers five main areas: preventive measures, criminalization/law enforcement, international cooperation, asset recovery, and technical assistance.

Sources

• UNODC
• News18

Rajasthan Becomes First State to Fully Digitise Voter Rolls Under SIR-2026

What’s the News?

• Rajasthan has become the first state in India to achieve 100% digitisation of its electoral rolls under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR)-2026, a nationwide voter list update drive led by the Election Commission of India (ECI).
• The state has also completed over 97% voter mapping, significantly simplifying verification and reducing document submission burden for voters.
• The draft electoral roll will be published on December 16, 2025, followed by a window for claims and objections.

Special Intensive Revision (SIR)-2026

• Purpose:
  • Ensure inclusion of all eligible citizens, especially marginalised, migrant, and first-time voters (e.g., newly turned 18-year-olds).
  • Purify rolls by removing duplicates, deceased entries, and non-residents.
  • Achieve geo-tagged, verified, digitised voter data for accuracy and transparency.
• Implementation Framework:
  • Door-to-door enumeration by Booth Level Officers (BLOs) using enumeration forms and BLONet mobile app.
  • Multi-layer verification: BLOs (local govt/semi-govt staff, familiar with electors) → Supervisors → District Election Officers.
  • SIR Phase-II launched on November 4, 2025 across 12 states/UTs, including Rajasthan.
• Timeline & Scale:
  • SIR-2026 aligns with upcoming state assembly elections and 2029 Lok Sabha polls.
  • Rajasthan’s achievement sets a benchmark for other states in data integrity and operational efficiency.

Additional Info

• Constitutional & Legal Anchors:
  • Article 324: Grants ECI superintendence, direction, and control over electoral rolls and elections.
  • Representation of the People Act, 1950 (Sections 13–16): Mandates periodic revision of rolls and empowers ECI to conduct special revisions.
• Technological Enablers:
  • National Electoral Roll Purification & Authentication Programme (NERPAP): Aadhaar-seeded deduplication.
  • GIS-based mapping: Links electors to polling stations and households for spatial accuracy.
  • e-Patrika & e-EPIC: Digital EPIC generation and dissemination.
• Significance for Governance:
  • Strengthens electoral integrity and inclusive democracy by reducing exclusion/inclusion errors.
  • Facilitates targeted welfare delivery and civic engagement through reliable voter databases.
  • Supports Election Commission’s Vision 2026 - “100% verified, authenticated, and digital-ready electoral roll”.

Sources

• Economic Times
• Free Press Journal