Current Affairs – July 24, 2026

{GS2 – Governance} Can Police Hide Their Identity During Protests? *

• Context (IE): Police identification came into focus after videos from the ‘Sansad Chalo’ protest in New Delhi allegedly showed Police and RAF personnel in plain clothes or without nameplates, raising transparency and accountability concerns.

Legality of Police Hinding Identity

• Police Must Be Identifiable: Although no single law explicitly mandates visible nameplates during every public order situation, India’s legal framework strongly favours police identification.
• Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023: While it empowers magistrates and police officers to disperse unlawful assemblies, the statute implicitly presumes that the entity exercising coercive authority is an identifiable statutory authority.
• D.K. Basu vs. State of West Bengal (1997): SC directed that police personnel carrying out arrests must bear clear, visible, and accurate identification.
  • Although the judgment specifically dealt with arrests and detention, its underlying principle of transparency and accountability is equally relevant to crowd-control operations.

Why Police Sometimes Avoid Visible Identification?

• Publicly visible identity exposes officers and their families to physical threats, violent backlash, targeted retaliation and privacy breaches (doxxing) from organized groups or agitators.
• The practice of withholding identity originated in counter-insurgency operational theaters (e.g., Jammu & Kashmir, Punjab, and Chhattisgarh/LWE regions) as a necessary tactical safeguard against militant targeting.

Arguments Against Concealing Identity

• Erosion of Statutory Accountability: Conceling identification prevents citizens and oversight bodies from identifying decision-makers, attributing the specific use of force, or auditing whether coercive measures were proportionate.
• Institutional Impunity: Anonymous policing removes individual responsibility, severely hindering administrative inquiries, judicial oversight, and internal disciplinary proceedings against misconduct.
• Breakdown of Public Trust & Rule of Law: Unidentifiable enforcement personnel undermine the perceived legitimacy of state authority, alienating citizens and eroding confidence in procedural fairness.

{GS2 – MoSJE} PM-YASASVI Scheme *

• Context (PIB): Government of India reaffirmed its commitment to expanding educational opportunities for disadvantaged students through the PM-YASASVI scheme.

• Prime Minister Young Achievers Scholarship Award Scheme for Vibrant India (PM-YASASVI) is an umbrella initiative of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.
• Objective: Provide financial assistance and residential infrastructure to students from disadvantaged communities, removing geographic and financial barriers to quality education.
• Beneficiaries: OBC, Economically Backward Classes (EBC), and Denotified, Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Tribes (DNT) students with an annual family income below ₹2.50 lakh.
• Scholarship: Funds students at different stages of their academic lifecycle:
  1. Pre-Matric Scholarship: ₹4,000 per annum for Class 9 and 10 students enrolled full-time in Government Schools.
  2. Post-Matric Scholarship: ₹5,000 to ₹20,000 annual allowance for post-matriculation courses, varying by course group tier.
  3. Top Class School Education: Up to ₹75,000 per annum for Class 9-10 and up to ₹1,25,000 for Class 11–12, covering tuition, hostel, and institutional charges.
  4. Top Class College Education: Full tuition reimbursement up to ₹2 lakh per annum in private institutions, along with ₹3,000 monthly living expenses, ₹5,000 book allowance, and a one-time ₹45,000 laptop grant.
  5. Hostel Construction: ₹3.00 lakh to ₹3.50 lakh per seat for residential hostels, prioritising rural pockets and areas with low literacy rates.
• A minimum of 30% of total slots is reserved for girl students and 5% for Persons with Disabilities (PwD).

{GS2 – MoSJE} SMILE Scheme

• Context (DDN): The SMILE (Support for Marginalised Individuals for Livelihood and Enterprise) scheme successfully rehabilitated over 10,200 individuals engaged in begging across 216 cities.

• It is a Central Sector Scheme by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, providing comprehensive rehabilitation and economic reintegration for transgenders and persons engaged in begging.
• Key Target: To cover 35,000 persons across 295 cities by 2030-31, focusing on metropolitan, religious, tourist and historical centres.
• Implementation: Requires coordination among the Central Government, State, Urban Local Bodies, and NGOS while converging with schemes like DAY-NULM, NRLM, and Mission Vatsalya.
• Key Sub-Schemes:
  1. Comprehensive Rehabilitation for Welfare of Transgender Persons: Provides scholarships from Class IX to post-graduation, Garima Grehs, PM-JAY-linked gender-reaffirmation healthcare, PM-DAKSH training and Transgender Protection Cells.
  2. Comprehensive Rehabilitation of Persons Engaged in Begging: Advances “Bhiksha Vritti Mukt Bharat” through identification and rescue, shelter with medical care and counselling along with PM-DAKSH training and documentation assistance.

• SMILE-Beggary National Portal registers beneficiaries and tracks rehabilitation centres and their outcomes.

• It shifts the focus from punitive anti-beggary laws (like Bombay Prevention of Begging Act, 1959) to rights-based rehabilitation.
• Milestone: Indore (Madhya Pradesh) became India’s first officially declared beggar-free city in 2025.

{GS2 – Polity} Fast-Track Courts (FTCs) in India **

• Context (IE): PM announced the operationalisation of fast-track courts to address NEET examination paper leaks under the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024.

Evolution of Fast-Track Courts (FTCs)

• FTCs are specialised, temporary judicial benches that expedite priority cases and reduce court backlogs.
• They were institutionalised following the 11th Finance Commission (2000), which recommended 1,734 FTCs to dispose of long-pending lower-court cases.
• After the 2012 Nirbhaya case, the Union government created the Nirbhaya Fund and set up fast-track Mahila Courts for sexual violence cases.
• The 14^th Finance Commission (2015–2020) recommended 1,800 FTCs for heinous crimes and property disputes pending over five years.
• In 2019, the government launched the FTSCs Scheme to establish Fast Track Special Courts using the Nirbhaya Fund for quick trials of rape cases and cases under the POCSO Act.
  • It’s a Centrally Sponsored Scheme with a 60:40 Centre-State funding ratio, and 90:10 support for Himalayan and Northeastern states.

Constitutional Safeguards and Statutory Framework

• Article 14 & 21: Supreme Court affirms the right to a speedy, fair trial as part of the right to life and liberty (Article 21) and requires special courts to be based on objective classification (Article 14).
• Article 247: Empowers Parliament to establish additional courts for better administration of Union laws.
• Criminal Law Amendment, 2018: Establishes the legal basis for FTSCs and sets a two-month timeline for completing rape investigations and trials.
• POCSO Act, 2012: Sections 28 and 35 require State Governments to establish Special Courts and complete trials within one year.
• Public Examinations Act, 2024: Provides the legal basis for prosecuting organised examination fraud and for prosecuting syndicates involved in paper leaks.

Structural and Operational Challenges of FTCs

• Conviction Deficit: Data show very low conviction rates (below 5% in some states) despite quicker case resolution, raising concerns over the evidentiary quality of faster trials.
• Ad Hoc Infrastructure: FTCs often rely on contractual staff or retired judges amid a 23% lower rate of judicial vacancies, weakening operational continuity.
• Constitutional Friction: Fast-tracking individual cases may violate Article 14 unless classification is based on victim vulnerability or offence-specific criteria.
• Fiscal Disparities: State cost-sharing constraints create uneven court infrastructure and regional disparities in access to timely justice.

{GS3 – IE} Foreign Investment in E-Commerce Inventory Model *

• Context (IE): Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) permitted Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in inventory-based model of E-commerce.

• Earlier, 100% FDI was allowed under automatic route in marketplace model, but FDI was not permitted in the inventory-based model of e-commerce.

Significance of the Allowing FDI

• Easing Exports: By removing restrictions on exports of domestically manufactured goods, it would ensure easier exports and increased access to global markets.
• Untapped Potential: Experts say that Indian exports through e-commerce currently stand at only $5 billion, whereas China’s exports have reached $300 billion.
• Address Current Loopholes: India’s current e-commerce export provisions are a patchwork of rules framed for regular B2B exporters creating a compliance burden on small firms.
• Dominance of Small Businesses: That export products valued between $25 and $1,000, with items like handicrafts, art, books, etc. with the potential to reach $350 billion by 2030 (GTRI).
• Democratising Competition: Earlier, MSMEs faced several compliance-related challenges related to paperwork, testing and labelling resulting only 12,000 MSMEs to do e-commerce exports.

Read More> Small Businesses Powering India’s E-Commerce I E-Commerce Policy

{GS3 – S&T} Regulation of Virtual Digital Assets (VDA) **

• Context (IE): Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance called for an appropriate regulatory framework for Virtual Digital Assets (VDAs).

• Virtual Digital Assets (crypto assets) refer to any digital representation of value that can be digitally traded, transferred or used for payment. It does not include digital representation of fiat currencies.

Regulatory Position of VDAs

• Presently, India does not have a dedicated legal regime for VDAs like cryptocurrencies and the sector is subject to regulation for the purposes of anti-money laundering and taxation.
• Though the definition of securities under Securities Markets Code, is technology-neutral, VDAs that do not exhibit the defining characteristics of a security/derivative under the Code remain outside its scope.

Key Recommendations of the Committee

• Address the Regulatory Grey Area: In view increased retail participation in the VDA ecosystem, regulatory ambiguity creates a heightened risk of fraud, market manipulation.
  • Many VDAs resemble securities or derivatives but fall outside the Code because their underlying asset or index is not recognised.
• Self-Regulatory Organisations: Pending establishment of comprehensive legislative framework, committee recommends introducing an interim mechanism under the oversight of designated regulator to mitigate risks.

Read More> Virtual Digital Assets

{Prelims – Envi} Five New Species of Allographa Discovered

• Context (PIB): Researchers have discovered five new species of lichen-forming fungi belonging to the genus Allographa from the biodiversity-rich Western Ghats of India.

• Allographa is a genus of script lichens. It comprises more than 200 known species worldwide. They are characterized by elongated, script-like fruiting bodies.
• These are lichen-forming fungi, in which a fungus lives in a symbiotic association with algae or cyanobacteria to form a lichen.
• Allographa species are considered important bioindicators of forest health and environmental quality due to their high sensitivity to air pollution and habitat disturbances.

{Prelims – IE} Credit Deposit (CD) Ratio

• Context (TH): Indian banks’ credit deposit (CD) ratio reached at a 62-year high of 82.6% in the first quarter (Q1) of fiscal 2027.

• The CD ratio is a key financial metric showing lending efficiency, liquidity health, and economic activity. It measures the percentage of total money collected in deposits that a bank gives out as loans.
• It is calculated as the total credit (or advances) divided by the total deposits, expressed as a percentage.

Factors Affecting CD Ratio

1. Deposit Growth: Higher deposit mobilisation increases the funds available for lending, which can lower the CD ratio if credit growth does not keep pace.
2. Credit Demand from Households and Industries: Strong demand for loans increases bank lending, thereby raising the CD ratio.
3. RBI’s Monetary Policy: Changes in policy rates and reserve requirements influence banks’ lending capacity and borrowing costs, affecting the CD ratio.
4. Banks’ Risk Appetite and Asset Quality: Banks lend more when asset quality is strong and risks are low, whereas higher Non-Performing Assets (NPAs) make banks more cautious, reducing the CD ratio.

{Prelims – PIN World} Panama

• Context (PIB): India and Panama held bilateral talks to deepen maritime cooperation.

• Panama, country of Central America located on the Isthmus of Panama, the narrow bridge of land that connects North and South America. Capital: Panama City
• Bordered by Costa Rica (west), and Colombia (east), Caribbean Sea (North) and Pacific Ocean (South).
• One of the few countries in the world that does not maintain a permanent standing army.

• Panama Canal: A 82-km artificial waterway connecting the Atlantic Ocean (Caribbean Sea) and the Pacific Ocean, making it one of the world’s most important maritime trade routes.
• Isthmus of Panama: A narrow land bridge connecting North America and South America.
• Cordillera Central is the principal mountain range. Volcán Barú (3,475 m), the country’s highest peak, is located in this range.

{Prelims – PIN World} Romania

• Context (PIB): President, Smt. Droupadi Murmu, visited Romania, marking the first State Visit by an Indian President to Romania in nearly three decades.

• India and Romania are set to celebrate the 80^th anniversary of diplomatic relations in 2028, which will be commemorated as the “India–Romania Year of Innovation.”

About Romania

• Location: Southeastern Europe, in the Balkan region, along the western coast of the Black Sea.
• Capital: Bucharest. Bordered by: Ukraine (north), Moldova (east), Hungary (west), Serbia (southwest), and Bulgaria (south).
• Mountains: Carpathian Mountains (Eastern, Southern, and Western Carpathians). The highest peak in Romania is Moldoveanu Peak.
• Major Rivers: Danube River (forms much of Romania’s southern border); Prut River (border with Moldova).
• Danube Delta, shared with Ukraine, is one of Europe’s largest wetlands and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
• Member of the European Union (EU) since 2007 and member of NATO since 2004.

{Prelims – MIH} Batukeshwar Dutt

• Context (NOA): Nation paid tributes to Batukeshwar Dutt on his death anniversary (July 20).

• Batukeshwar Dutt, born in 1910 in West Bengal and raised in Kanpur, was a socialist revolutionary and a core member of the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association (HSRA).
• He and Bhagat Singh threw smoke bombs inside the Central Legislative Assembly on 8 April 1929, distributed leaflets and raised “Inquilab Zindabad”.
• During the 1929 Lahore Jail hunger strike, Dutt demanded better conditions for political prisoners.
• Released because of tuberculosis, he joined the Quit India Movement (1942) and was imprisoned again.
• He died in 1965 and was cremated at Hussainiwala, Punjab, beside Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev, and Rajguru.

{Prelims – MIH} Thiru Subramania Siva

• Context (PIB): Vice President paid floral tributes to Thiru Subramania Siva on his death anniversary (July 23).

• Thiru Subramania Siva (4 October 1884–23 July 1925) was a Tamil Nadu-born independence activist, writer and orator. He became the Madras Presidency’s first political prisoner.
• He was inspired by Tilak’s extremist faction and worked with V. O. Chidambaram Pillai and Subramania Bharati. Siva and Pillai organised the 1908 Coral Mill Strike at British-owned mills in Tuticorin.
• Literary Works: Edited the Tamil monthly Gnanabhanu; wrote over 30 books, including Ramanuja Vijayam, Sachithanandha Sivam and translated Swami Vivekananda’s works into Tamil.
• Language Reform: Supported the Tanittamil Iyakkam (Pure Tamil Movement) to remove non-Tamil loanwords from Tamil vocabulary.

{Prelims – S&T} INS Malvan

• Context (AIR): Indian Navy inducted INS Malvan, the second Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft (ASW-SWC) of the Mahe-class.

• It is designed for anti-submarine warfare, sub-surface surveillance, search and rescue, and low-intensity maritime operations in coastal waters.
• It has been built by Cochin Shipyard under the Atma Nirbhar Bharat mission. It features over 80% indigenous equipment and technology.
• Armed with RBU 6000 rockets and DRDO torpedoes and a German-Indian sonar suite, it can play a dominant role in guarding our undersea defence.

{Prelims – Social Sector} SOFI Report 2026

• Context (WFPUSA): 2026 edition of the State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) report was released under the theme “Understanding and addressing the high cost of a healthy diet.”

• Five specialised UN agencies, FAO, IFAD, UNICEF, WFP, and WHO, jointly publish the report, measuring food security through two indicators: (1) Prevalence of Undernourishment (PoU) and (2) Prevalence of Moderate or Severe Food Insecurity (FIES).

Key Findings of SOFI Report 2026

1. Global hunger: Declined for a third consecutive year to 7.8% of the global population (645 million people). Africa surpassed Asia to have the highest absolute number of hungry people, at 309 million.
2. Food security: Improved steadily across Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean. Africa saw its hunger rate decline (from 20.3% to 20%) for the first time in nearly a decade. Moderate or severe food insecurity affected 25.8% of the global population (2.1 billion people) in 2025.
3. Dietary affordability: The average cost of a healthy diet rose to 4.28 PPP dollars per person per day in 2025. Approximately 2.69 billion people cannot afford a healthy diet.
   • 70% to 75% of consumer prices are driven by post-farmgate bottlenecks: inadequate infrastructure, weak cold-chain logistics, unreliable energy, and market inefficiencies.
4. Nutritional outcomes: 150 million children under five remain stunted, and only 30.8% of toddlers (6 to 23 months) receive a minimally diverse diet. Adult obesity rose to 16.2% in 2024, and maternal anaemia continues to worsen.
5. Future Projections: Due to pressures from the Middle East conflict on energy and fertilisers, 510 to 520 million people are projected to face hunger in 2030 (excluding potential extreme weather impacts), leaving the world far off track for UN Sustainable Development Goal 2 (Zero Hunger).