Daily Briefing Current Affairs

GS-3FISCAL POLICY & DIRECT TAX COLLECTION

Net Direct Tax Mop-Up Rises 23% So Far - But What's Actually Driving It?

The figures, disclosed by the Finance Ministry in a Rajya Sabha reply, come alongside data showing retail inflation easing from 5.4% in 2023-24 toward levels the government describes as within RBI's comfort band and a newly simplified three-tier GST structure. Refund disbursals grew just 3.8% year-on-year - far slower than collections - meaning the government is both collecting significantly more and returning proportionally…

Sub TopicCOMPOSITION OF INDIA'S DIRECT TAX BUOYANCY - STT SURGE…SourceINCOME TAX DEPARTMENT
UPSC Relevance9/10
Time to Read3 min read
Total Views32,182
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GS-3SCIENCE AWARDS & STATISTICAL PHYSICS

The Work That Won Deepak Dhar the Dirac Medal

The Dirac Medal, established in 1985 and awarded annually on Paul Dirac's birthday, honours physicists who have made outstanding theoretical contributions but have not yet won a Nobel, Fields or Wolf Prize - several past winners, including Edward Witten and Stephen Hawking, went on to receive exactly those honours later. Dhar shares this year's medal with Bernard Derrida, Marc Mézard and Haim Sompolinsky, all recognised for…

Sub TopicDEEPAK DHAR'S ABELIAN SANDPILE MODEL AND SELF-ORGANISED…SourceTHE HINDU
UPSC Relevance9/10
Time to Read3 min read
Total Views28,483
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GS-3DIGITAL PAYMENTS SECURITY & AI RISK

When the Attacker Is an AI: UPI's Free Model Meets a New Threat Class

The report surfaces just as the Taxation and Other Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026 passed in the Lok Sabha, opening a legal pathway for the government to permit charges on UPI transactions for the first time since the zero-MDR mandate of January 2020. It also follows an April 2026 meeting between Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, MeitY Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and bank heads specifically convened to assess risks from…

Sub TopicZERO-MDR UPI VERSUS AI-DRIVEN CYBERSECURITY COSTSSourceTHE INDIAN EXPRESS
UPSC Relevance9/10
Time to Read3 min read
Total Views37,750
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GS-3AGRICULTURE, MONSOON & FOOD SECURITY

Monsoon Revived, But Why There's Still a Cloud Over the Farm

June 2026 recorded zero low-pressure systems - a first in a month that normally sees three - making it the driest June since 2014 and the sixth-driest since 1901, even though El Niño was still only weak-to-moderate at the time. The subsequent turnaround, while real, arrives against a backdrop of India spending close to $25 billion importing pulses, oilseeds and cotton in 2025-26, a bill El Niño's typical lagged impact on the…

Sub TopicKHARIF SOWING RECOVERY, EL NIñO LAG EFFECTS AND INDIA'S…SourcePRESS INFORMATION BUREAU
UPSC Relevance9/10
Time to Read3 min read
Total Views46,266
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