GK One-Liners

What: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh approved the Defence Procurement Manual (DPM) 2025, replacing the 2009 edition after a 16-year gap. The new manual streamlines revenue procurement of spares, ammunition, and equipment, prioritizes indigenization through innovation partnerships with private sector and startups, and introduces procurement flexibilities including a 15% growth provision for evolving requirements and limited tendering up to ₹50 lakh for niche items that require specialized vendors.

How: DPM 2025 simplifies the procurement process by reducing bureaucratic layers, establishing fast-track mechanisms for urgent operational requirements, creating provisions for emergency purchases, and strengthening the “Buy (Indian)” category to promote domestic manufacturing. The manual integrates provisions from the Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP) 2020 for revenue procurement, clarifies delegation of financial powers, mandates offset obligations for large imports to promote technology transfer, and establishes innovation challenge funds to engage MSMEs and startups in defence solutions. The 15% growth provision allows services to procure additional quantities beyond initial contracts without re-tendering, crucial for maintaining operational readiness.

Why: This reform is critical for UPSC Mains (GS3 – Defence & Security) questions on defence procurement reforms, indigenization efforts, and Aatmanirbhar Bharat in defence. Questions may focus on comparing DPM 2025 with previous procurement frameworks, challenges in balancing urgency with transparency, the role of Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSUs) versus private sector, offset policy effectiveness, and India’s progress toward the goal of ₹1.75 lakh crore defence production with ₹35,000 crore exports by 2025. The manual supports “Make in India” by creating predictable procurement processes that encourage long-term private sector investment in defence manufacturing.

What: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) issued comprehensive directions for banks to settle deceased customers’ claims within 15 days, covering deposits, safe deposit lockers, and safe custody items. The 2025 directions mandate simplified documentation for claims below ₹5 lakh (for cooperative banks) and ₹15 lakh (for commercial banks), treat nominee/survivor payouts as full legal discharge of the bank’s liability, and require implementation by 31 March 2026, significantly improving timelines compared to the previous norm of 30-45 days.

How: Banks must establish dedicated claim settlement cells, maintain digital claim tracking systems, and provide nominee/heir claimants with a checklist of required documents. For accounts with nominees, banks can settle claims based on nominee’s claim form and death certificate alone, without requiring succession certificates or legal heir certificates. For accounts without nominees but with joint holders, the surviving account holders can access funds immediately. Only for accounts exceeding threshold limits or those without nominees/survivors will banks require succession certificates or probate. The directions also mandate training for bank staff on inheritance laws and claim settlement procedures to reduce procedural delays and harassment of grieving families.

Why: This regulation addresses a long-standing consumer grievance and is relevant for UPSC Mains (GS2 – Governance, GS3 – Banking Sector) questions on banking sector reforms, consumer protection mechanisms, and financial inclusion. Questions may focus on RBI’s role as a regulator balancing bank security with customer convenience, the importance of nominee registration in bank accounts, challenges in implementing succession laws across diverse personal laws in India, and the broader theme of improving ease of living through administrative reforms. This also connects to the Banking Regulation Act provisions and the concept of fiduciary responsibility of banks toward depositors.

What: The Government of India appointed Shirish Chandra Murmu, currently serving as Executive Director at the Reserve Bank of India, as Deputy Governor for a three-year term starting 9 October 2025. He succeeds Rajeshwar Rao, whose tenure concludes on 8 October 2025. Murmu brings extensive experience in banking supervision, currency management, and cooperative banking regulation, having held various positions within RBI since joining the central bank in the early 1990s.

How: The RBI’s organizational structure includes the Governor, four Deputy Governors (typically a mix of RBI career officers and external experts from finance, economics, or banking), and Executive Directors who oversee specific departments. Deputy Governors supervise various portfolios including monetary policy implementation, banking regulation and supervision, financial markets, currency management, and financial inclusion. Murmu’s appointment follows the established practice of promoting senior RBI executives to Deputy Governor positions, ensuring institutional continuity and deep organizational knowledge. The Deputy Governors work collectively with the Governor on the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) and oversee implementation of RBI’s regulatory mandates across commercial banks, cooperative banks, and non-banking financial companies.

Why: This appointment is significant for UPSC Mains questions on institutional governance, RBI’s organizational structure, and central banking in India (GS3 – Indian Economy). Questions may focus on the role and functions of RBI Deputy Governors, the importance of internal promotions versus external appointments for regulatory credibility, the composition and decision-making process of the Monetary Policy Committee, RBI’s regulatory mandate over banking and financial sectors, and challenges in maintaining regulatory independence while coordinating with government fiscal policy. The appointment also reflects continuity in RBI’s supervisory approach during a period of banking sector consolidation and digital transformation.

What: Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched Bihar’s Mukhyamantri Mahila Rojgar Yojana via video link, transferring ₹10,000 each through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) to 75 lakh women beneficiaries, totaling ₹7,500 crore in initial disbursement. The scheme provides seed capital for women to start or expand small enterprises, with provisions to scale support up to ₹2 lakh based on enterprise performance, business plan viability, and impact assessment, promoting women’s economic empowerment and entrepreneurship across Bihar.

How: The scheme operates through a digital platform where eligible women register with Aadhaar-linked bank accounts. The initial ₹10,000 is transferred directly to beneficiaries’ accounts to be used as working capital for income-generating activities like tailoring, handicrafts, food processing, retail shops, or agricultural enterprises. District administrations provide skill training, market linkage support, and mentorship through Self-Help Groups (SHGs) and existing Bihar Rural Livelihoods Promotion Society (BRLPS) networks. Performance-based subsequent tranches require beneficiaries to demonstrate business progress through revenue generation, employment creation, and asset building, ensuring accountability while providing growth capital.

Why: This scheme is crucial for UPSC Mains (GS2 – Social Justice & Welfare) questions on women’s economic empowerment, financial inclusion, and state-level welfare initiatives. Questions may focus on the role of Direct Benefit Transfer in improving welfare delivery efficiency, comparing state schemes with national programs like MUDRA Yojana and Stand-Up India, challenges in ensuring sustainable livelihoods beyond cash transfers, the importance of entrepreneurship development for women’s empowerment, and how such schemes address gender gaps in workforce participation and asset ownership. The scheme also connects to broader themes of cooperative federalism, where states design programs aligned with local needs while leveraging central infrastructure like DBT and Aadhaar.

What: Pakistan announced it will host the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in 2027 at Islamabad, following the 2026 summit scheduled for Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. The SCO, founded in 2001 and headquartered in Beijing, is a Eurasian political, economic, and security organization that has expanded from its original six members to 10 full members including India, China, Russia, Pakistan, Iran, and Belarus, plus several observer states and dialogue partners, making it one of the world’s largest multilateral organizations by population coverage.

How: SCO operates through annual summit meetings of heads of state, foreign ministers’ meetings, and permanent working groups focusing on security cooperation, economic integration, and cultural exchanges. Member states coordinate on counter-terrorism through the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) based in Tashkent, promote trade and investment connectivity aligned with Belt and Road Initiative, and conduct joint military exercises. India’s participation presents diplomatic complexities—while engaging with Russia and Central Asian states serves strategic interests, attending summits in Pakistan amid ongoing tensions requires careful navigation. India typically sends appropriately-ranked officials based on bilateral relations with the host country, sometimes participating virtually when political considerations necessitate.

Why: This announcement is relevant for UPSC Mains (GS2 – International Relations) questions on India’s multilateral engagement strategy, balancing competing interests in regional organizations, and India-Pakistan relations. Questions may address the significance of SCO for India’s Central Asian connectivity ambitions, how India manages participation in China-led multilateral forums while maintaining strategic autonomy, the contrast between SCO’s economic rhetoric and limited actual integration, and whether India should prioritize bilateral relationships over multilateral obligations when they conflict. The scenario also tests understanding of diplomatic protocols—whether India should send its Prime Minister or Foreign Minister to Pakistan, given security concerns and political optics.

What: The Indian Army conducted Exercise Siyom Prahar from 8-10 September 2025 to test the integration of drones (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles or UAVs) in military operations for surveillance, reconnaissance, target acquisition, and precision strikes under realistic tactical conditions. The exercise demonstrated the Army’s shift toward technology-driven battlefield readiness, incorporating lessons from recent conflicts including the Russia-Ukraine war and the Azerbaijan-Armenia conflict where drones proved decisive in modern warfare.

How: The exercise involved multiple drone categories: tactical mini-UAVs for company-level reconnaissance, medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) drones for brigade-level surveillance and strike missions, kamikaze loitering munitions for precision targeting, and counter-drone systems to defend against enemy UAVs. Soldiers practiced integrating real-time drone footage with ground maneuvers, using drones to identify enemy positions beyond line-of-sight, directing artillery fire based on drone-acquired coordinates, and executing strikes with armed drones. The exercise also tested drone swarm tactics, night operations with thermal imaging drones, and electronic warfare capabilities to jam enemy communications while protecting friendly drone operations from interference.

Why: This exercise is critical for UPSC Mains (GS3 – Defence & Security) questions on military modernization, technology adoption in warfare, and preparing for future conflicts. Questions may focus on the lessons from drone warfare in Ukraine and Nagorno-Karabakh, challenges in integrating technology with traditional military doctrine, the importance of indigenous drone manufacturing under Aatmanirbhar Bharat (India operates many imported drones currently), counter-drone capabilities as an emerging domain, and how terrain conditions along India’s borders (mountains, jungles) affect drone deployment compared to plains warfare. The topic also connects to the Army’s Theatre Command reforms, which emphasize joint operations and technology integration across services.