GK One-Liners

What: The Election Commission of India (ECI) issued a crucial clarification during Bihar’s Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, emphasizing that documents like Aadhaar cards, voter ID cards, or ration cards alone cannot establish voter eligibility. Citizenship, as defined under the Constitution of India, remains the primary and non-negotiable criterion for voter registration. This clarification addresses confusion arising from multiple identity documents being used interchangeably and reinforces that electoral registration requires proof of Indian citizenship, not merely identity or residency.

How: Under the Representation of the People Act, 1950, a person must be an Indian citizen, at least 18 years of age, ordinarily resident in the constituency, and not disqualified under any law to be eligible for voter registration. While Aadhaar, voter ID, and ration cards serve as supporting documents for identity and address verification, they do not independently confer voting rights. The Special Intensive Revision process involves door-to-door verification, cross-checking existing voter lists, and adding new eligible voters while removing ineligible entries including deceased persons, duplicates, and those who have relocated.

Why: This is critical for UPSC Mains GS II (Elections, Constitutional Provisions) and State PSC polity sections. Questions cover Article 326 on universal adult franchise, the distinction between citizenship and residency, the ECI’s superintendence powers under Article 324, voter registration procedures, and the ongoing debate over linking Aadhaar with voter ID. The clarification is particularly relevant given concerns about voter list accuracy, prevention of bogus voting, and ensuring electoral integrity while protecting genuine citizens’ voting rights.

What: The Delhi Legislative Assembly inaugurated the NeVA Seva Centre to enable completely paperless legislative proceedings through the National eVidhan Application (NeVA). This initiative provides Members of Legislative Assembly (MLAs) with digital devices (tablets/laptops) and comprehensive training to access bills, amendments, questions, committee reports, and other legislative documents electronically. NeVA represents a significant step toward modernizing legislative functioning, reducing environmental impact, and improving efficiency in lawmaking processes across Indian state legislatures and Parliament.

How: NeVA is a centralized digital platform developed by the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs in collaboration with the Digital India Corporation (formerly Media Lab Asia). The application provides real-time access to legislative business, allows paperless tabling of questions and responses, enables electronic voting during divisions, facilitates digital committee workflows, and maintains searchable archives of proceedings. MLAs receive training on navigating the interface, accessing documents, participating in debates using the system, and utilizing analytical tools for legislative research. The system ensures security through encryption and multi-factor authentication.

Why: This is relevant for UPSC Mains GS II (Governance Reforms, Digital India) and questions on legislative modernization. Topics include the benefits of e-governance in legislatures (transparency, accountability, cost savings), the One Nation One Application vision for uniform legislative technology across states, how digital tools enhance legislative productivity by providing instant access to reference materials, and challenges like digital literacy among legislators, cybersecurity concerns, and ensuring public access to legislative information despite digitalization.

What: India has set an ambitious target to raise tourism’s contribution to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) from the current approximately 5-6% to 10% by 2047, aligned with the government’s vision of achieving a $32 trillion economy. This growth strategy focuses on three core pillars: cultural tourism leveraging India’s UNESCO World Heritage Sites and spiritual destinations, nature and adventure tourism exploiting diverse ecosystems from Himalayas to coastal regions, and medical tourism capitalizing on India’s cost-effective, quality healthcare infrastructure with a special emphasis on Ayurveda and traditional medicine.

How: The strategy involves infrastructure development including improved connectivity to tourist destinations through dedicated rail corridors and upgraded airports under the UDAN scheme, streamlined visa processes like e-visas for tourists from major markets, development of tourism circuits under Swadesh Darshan and Prashad schemes, capacity building in hospitality and tour guide services through skill development programs, and aggressive international marketing campaigns. Medical tourism growth requires accreditation of hospitals to international standards (JCI, NABH), facilitating medical visas, and creating integrated wellness tourism packages combining treatment with leisure.

Why: This is crucial for UPSC Mains GS III (Economic Development, Service Sector) and questions on employment-intensive sectors. Tourism is a major job creator, employing over 40 million Indians directly and indirectly across hospitality, transportation, handicrafts, and ancillary services. Questions cover the multiplier effect of tourism spending, how India can compete with Southeast Asian tourism destinations, the role of sustainable tourism in preserving heritage sites, challenges like safety perceptions affecting female and solo travelers, and opportunities in niche segments like Buddhist circuit tourism, eco-tourism, and cruise tourism following infrastructure investments.

What: Gita Gopinath announced her decision to step down as First Deputy Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) at the end of August 2025 to return to Harvard University as an economics professor. Gopinath has been a prominent voice at the IMF, serving first as Chief Economist (2019-2022) before being elevated to First Deputy Managing Director, the second-highest position in the organization. Her tenure saw the IMF navigate global economic challenges including pandemic recovery, inflation management, and debt sustainability issues in developing economies.

How: As First Deputy Managing Director, Gopinath oversees key IMF functions including surveillance of global economic conditions, lending operations to member countries facing balance of payments crises, and policy advice on macroeconomic management. She played a crucial role in shaping the IMF’s response to post-pandemic inflation, advocating for calibrated monetary tightening, and addressing debt distress in low-income countries. Her departure creates a vacancy in senior IMF leadership at a time when global economic uncertainties including geopolitical tensions, climate finance needs, and monetary policy normalization require coordinated international responses.

Why: This is relevant for UPSC Mains GS II (International Organizations, Indian Diaspora Contributions) and questions on global governance. Topics include the IMF’s role in international financial stability, India’s relationship with Bretton Woods institutions, the significance of Indians in leadership positions at multilateral organizations (World Bank, IMF, WTO), and how such representation influences global economic policy perspectives to include developing country concerns. Gopinath’s work on exchange rate economics and international macroeconomics has influenced IMF’s analytical frameworks and policy recommendations.

What: Fino Payments Bank launched the ‘GATI’ savings account designed specifically for expanding digital banking access in rural and semi-urban areas with features including instant transactions, a zero-balance account option (no minimum balance requirement), and a one-time fee of ₹100. The product targets financially underserved populations, small traders, migrant workers, and rural households seeking formal banking services without the burden of maintaining minimum balances that traditional banks often mandate, typically ranging from ₹1,000 to ₹10,000.

How: As a payments bank licensed by the RBI under the differentiated banking framework, Fino operates under specific restrictions: it cannot lend money or issue credit cards but can accept deposits up to ₹2 lakh per customer, facilitate remittances, and offer payment services. The GATI account leverages Fino’s extensive network of banking points operated through retail partnerships in unbanked regions, uses Aadhaar-based eKYC for instant account opening, provides UPI integration for digital payments, and offers basic insurance and pension products. The zero-balance feature eliminates a major barrier preventing rural customers from maintaining bank accounts.

Why: This is important for UPSC Prelims (Banking Structure) and Banking exams covering financial inclusion. Questions focus on the payments bank model’s role in the Jan Dhan-Aadhaar-Mobile (JAM) trinity, how zero-balance accounts support direct benefit transfer (DBT) of government subsidies to beneficiaries, the regulatory differences between payments banks and small finance banks, and challenges payments banks face in achieving profitability given their restricted business model. GATI represents innovation in serving the bottom-of-pyramid customers aligned with RBI’s financial inclusion objectives.

What: The International Cricket Council (ICC) awarded hosting rights for the World Test Championship (WTC) finals in 2027, 2029, and 2031 to England and Wales, continuing a pattern established when Lord’s Cricket Ground in London successfully hosted the inaugural WTC final in 2021 and The Oval hosted in 2023. The WTC represents the pinnacle of Test cricket, where the top two teams from a league phase spanning approximately two years compete in a final match to determine the world champion in cricket’s longest format.

How: The WTC operates as a league competition where the nine Test-playing nations compete in bilateral series with standardized points allocation based on series wins. Teams accumulate points over a two-year cycle, with the top two teams qualifying for the final. Hosting the final requires world-class infrastructure, neutral venue credibility (though England as a participant creates potential conflicts), favorable weather conditions during typical final scheduling (June-July), and proven capability to organize high-profile cricket events. England’s selection reflects its historical significance in Test cricket and infrastructure quality, though concerns exist about neutral venue principles.

Why: This is relevant for UPSC Prelims current affairs and questions on international sports governance. Topics include the ICC’s role in cricket administration, the commercial versus sporting considerations in venue selection, how the WTC was designed to provide context and meaning to bilateral Test series that previously lacked tournament structure, and debates about hosting major finals in countries that regularly compete (unlike neutral venue policies for tournaments like the World Cup). The WTC has helped sustain interest in Test cricket amid competition from shorter formats like T20 and franchise leagues.