Jan Dhan Yojana
National financial-inclusion mission providing basic bank accounts, credit, insurance and pension access to the unbanked.
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On UPSC.wiki
Current affairsHigh-Level Committee on Banking for Viksit Bharat: Government Constitutes Reform Panel Under Former CVC Suresh N. PatelThe Union Government constituted the "High-Level Committee on Banking for Viksit Bharat" on October 30, 2026, chaired by former Central Vigilance Commissioner Suresh N. Patel, to recommend structural, regulatory, and legislative reforms to make Indian banks globally competitive, financially inclusive, and resilient by 2047. The committee has a six-month tenure and includes the RBI Deputy Governor and two former senior banking officials as members. Current affairsWorld Bank Poverty and Equity Brief October 2026: India Lifted 496 Million from Poverty — One of the Fastest Declines GloballyThe World Bank's October 2026 Poverty and Equity Brief reports that India lifted an estimated 496 million people out of poverty between 2011 and 2023, with the share living in extreme poverty falling from 27.1% to 2.6% — described as one of the fastest poverty declines in the world. The Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) fell from 53.8% (2005–06) to 16.4% (2019–21), though wage stagnation and geographic concentration of poverty in eastern India remain key challenges. Current affairsCensus 2026–27: Population Enumeration from January 25 to February 28, 2027 — India's First Fully Digital Census ExplainedThe Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India has announced that the Population Enumeration phase of Census 2026–27 will be conducted from January 25 to February 28, 2027, with March 1, 2027 as the reference date. India's first fully digital census — with self-enumeration through a mobile app and Aadhaar-linked verification — follows the House Listing and Housing Census phase that commenced on April 1, 2026. Current affairsFarmer ID Scheme: India Creates 11 Crore Digital Farmer IDs Ahead of ScheduleIndia achieved its target of creating 11 crore (110 million) Farmer IDs on 23 October 2026 — five months ahead of the 31 March 2027 deadline — under the Digital Agriculture Mission. The Farmer ID functions as an Aadhaar-linked unique digital identity for farmers, dynamically linked to state land records and crop data, enabling seamless access to government schemes, credit, insurance, and disaster relief. Current affairsSEBI MF Lite Framework: 1 Finance Gets First In-Principle Approval for Passive-Only AMC; Closing Auction Rules Revised1 Finance received SEBI's first in-principle approval for an Asset Management Company (AMC) licence under the new MF Lite framework on October 19, 2026 — a lighter regulatory regime designed exclusively for passively managed mutual fund schemes (index funds and ETFs). Separately, SEBI revised the equity market Closing Auction Session (CAS) framework effective December 7, 2026, restructuring the 10-minute closing window while retaining the 30-minute VWAP method for derivatives settlement. Current affairsPM-AJAY Scheme: 18,093 Villages Declared Adarsh Grams, Rs 1,730 Crore Released for SC DevelopmentThe Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has declared 18,093 villages as Adarsh Grams under the Pradhan Mantri Anusuchit Jaati Abhyuday Yojana (PM-AJAY) — a 100% centrally sponsored scheme launched in FY 2021-22 to uplift Scheduled Caste-dominated villages. Separately, Rs 1,730 crore has been released to states under the scheme's Grants-in-Aid component to skill over 2.5 lakh SC beneficiaries. The scheme merges three earlier SC welfare schemes into a unified framework. Current affairsLakshadweep Becomes India's First 100% Literate Union Territory Under ULLAS SchemeLakshadweep was declared India's first 100% literate Union Territory on October 11, 2026, under the ULLAS (Understanding Lifelong Learning for All in Society) — Nav Bharat Saaksharta Karyakram. All 1,113 identified adult non-literates in the island territory passed the Foundational Literacy and Numeracy Assessment Test (FLNAT), completing a landmark in India's adult education mission aligned with the National Education Policy 2020. Current affairsUIDAI Aadhaar Samvaad 2026: Five New Initiatives Launched on 17th Aadhaar Day in KolkataThe Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) held its annual 'Aadhaar Samvaad' stakeholder conference in Kolkata on September 29, 2026, marking the 17th Aadhaar Day. Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) Jitin Prasada was the chief guest at the event, which saw over 600 stakeholders participate. Five new initiatives were unveiled: Face Authentication for the electronic Public Distribution System (ePDS), SWIK Portal 2.0, Sub-AUA/Sub-KUA LITE Framework, a New Token Management System, and a revamped UIDAI website. Current affairsGender Snapshot 2026 (UN Women & UN DESA): 1 in 3 Gender Equality Institutions Weakened, SDG 5 Off Track by 171 YearsUN Women and UN DESA jointly released the Gender Snapshot 2026 on September 17, 2026, revealing that 1 in 3 national gender equality institutions lost institutional power in just two years, while bilateral aid for gender equality fell 13% between 2023 and 2024. Not a single SDG 5 (Gender Equality) indicator is on track by 2030, and gender equality globally is 171 years away at the current pace of progress. Current affairsUPI MDR Policy Clarification 2026: P2P Transactions Remain Free; 0.4% MDR on Select Merchant Payments Above ₹2,000The Ministry of Finance and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) clarified on September 15, 2026, that all person-to-person (P2P) UPI transactions will remain completely free. A Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) of 0.4% — capped at ₹300 — will now apply on select person-to-merchant (P2M) UPI payments above ₹2,000. The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) is implementing the change to make the zero-MDR model financially sustainable for payment ecosystem participants. Current affairsRBI Proposes On-Tap Licensing for Urban Cooperative Banks (UCBs): Ending a 22-Year Pause, Tier Framework, and Banking Sector SignificanceThe Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is proposing to resume licensing of Urban Cooperative Banks (UCBs) after a 22-year pause — licensing was stopped in 2004 following the failures of the 1993–2001 liberalisation era. RBI issued a Discussion Paper in January 2026 and Governor Sanjay Malhotra announced in August 2026 that draft guidelines would be issued shortly for public consultation. The on-tap model means applications will be accepted on a continuous rolling basis once eligibility criteria are met, rather than in periodic windows. Current affairsG20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors Meeting, Asheville 2026: Debt Restructuring, Digital Assets, Cross-Border Payments, and India's Priorities Under the US PresidencyG20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors met at Asheville, North Carolina, USA on 31 August – 1 September 2026 under the 2026 US G20 Presidency. India's Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman participated, with key agenda items spanning debt transparency, global imbalances, digital asset regulation, cross-border payments reform, and private-sector-led growth — each with significant implications for India's financial diplomacy and economy.
In previous-year questions
- Mission Samriddh Gaon's pilot is being implemented in Budni block (Sehore district) and Khategaon block (Dewas district) — both in Madhya Pradesh. The mission relies on which of the following Self-Help Group (SHG) programmes as the primary vehicle for women's economic empowerment?UPSC · Current Affairs
- The Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) completed 12 years in August 2026, having been launched on 28 August 2014. As of August 19, 2026, the average deposit per PMJDY account stood at ₹5,356 — approximately how many times higher than in 2014?UPSC · Current Affairs
- Under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY), one account per household is eligible for an overdraft (OD) facility of up to ₹10,000. This OD is preferably given to accounts operated by women. What is the minimum account activity period required before a PMJDY account becomes eligible for this overdraft?UPSC · Current Affairs
- India's Financial Inclusion Index (FI-Index) improved from 53.9 in 2018 to 67.0 in 2026. This index is computed annually by the Reserve Bank of India and captures three dimensions. Which of the following correctly lists these three dimensions?UPSC · Current Affairs
- As of August 2026, what percentage of Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) accounts are held in rural and semi-urban areas, reflecting the scheme's reach into unbanked hinterlands?UPSC · Current Affairs