UPSC Current Affairs — 23 Aug 2026 Daily Briefing

Sunday, 23 August 2026

EDITORIALUPI'S ZERO-MDR REGIME AND DIGITAL PUBLIC INFRASTRUCTURE FUNDING

A Public Good Needs Funding. Who Should Actually Pay For It?

Parliament recently passed the Taxation and Other Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026, rewriting Section 10A of the Payment and Settlement Systems Act so that instead of an absolute prohibition on charging fees for BHIM-UPI and RuPay transactions, the government now has the power to notify in future which modes may carry a charge. While no fee applies today, the change comes as the government's UPI incentive outlay is projected to…

Sub TopicDIGITAL PUBLIC INFRASTRUCTURE AND PAYMENT ECOSYSTEM POLICYSourceINDIAN EXPRESS, RBI, APTIPLUS…

UPSC Relevance9/10

Time to Read3 min read

Total Views26,020

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EDITORIALFACIAL RECOGNITION AND PROTEST SURVEILLANCE

When Public Order Technology Runs Ahead of the Law Meant to Govern It

In an affidavit to the Supreme Court, Delhi Police defended its use of a facial recognition system, AI-enabled cameras, smart spectacles, a mobile surveillance van and a command-and-control vehicle at a recent protest site, with the van and spectacles reportedly tied to private contractors. The absence of any dedicated statute governing facial recognition deployment, combined with unanswered questions about data retention…

Sub TopicRIGHT TO PRIVACY AND SURVEILLANCE GOVERNANCESourceTHE HINDU, INDIAN EXPRESS…

UPSC Relevance9/10

Time to Read3 min read

Total Views25,477

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Daily Briefing Current Affairs

A Public Good Needs Funding. Who Should Actually Pay For It?

When Public Order Technology Runs Ahead of the Law Meant to Govern It