GK One-Liners

What: Maharashtra topped all Indian states in Goods and Services Tax (GST) collection for FY2024–25 with ₹3,18,497 crore, and also led in April 2025 alone with ₹41,645 crore. India’s total GST collection for FY25 reached ₹21.36 lakh crore — the highest since GST was introduced in 2017 — representing an 8.86% year-on-year growth. Gujarat ranked 2nd (₹1,74,938 crore) and Karnataka 3rd (₹1,43,023 crore).

How: GST is a unified indirect tax levied on the supply of goods and services, governed by the GST Council established under Article 279-A of the Constitution via the 101st Constitutional Amendment Act, 2016. The Council is chaired by the Union Finance Minister (currently Nirmala Sitharaman) with state finance ministers as members. Maharashtra’s dominance reflects its large industrial and commercial base, including major metros like Mumbai and Pune.

Why: GST collection data is a key economic indicator tested in UPSC Prelims and State PSC exams — questions often target constitutional provisions (Article 279-A), the year of introduction (2017), top-performing states, and year-on-year growth figures. The milestone of ₹21.36 lakh crore as the highest-ever collection is a high-yield fact for Economy sections.

What: The Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI), headquartered in Noida and established in 1986 under the Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterways (MoPSW), opened a new operational office at Transport Bhawan, Srinagar on 13 May 2025. The office will oversee development of river navigation infrastructure on three National Waterways (NWs) in Jammu & Kashmir: NW-26 (Chenab), NW-49 (Jhelum), and NW-84 (Ravi).

How: The development is anchored in a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between IWAI and the J&K government in March 2025. The IWAI, chaired by Vijay Kumar, will work on infrastructure like jetties, navigation aids, and terminal facilities on these rivers to make them operationally navigable for cargo and passenger movement.

Why: This development is significant for UPSC’s GS-II (Governance, J&K integration) and GS-III (Infrastructure) sections. Inland waterways are a low-cost, eco-friendly transport mode — developing them in J&K also has strategic and connectivity significance post the reorganisation of the union territory. Candidates should note the three waterway numbers and their corresponding rivers.

What: According to Ethnologue 2025 — the world’s most comprehensive catalogue of languages — five Indian languages rank in the global top 20 by number of speakers: Hindi (3rd, 609.1 million), Bengali (7th), Urdu (11th), Marathi (16th), and Telugu (18th). Globally, English leads with 1.53 billion speakers across 188 countries, followed by Chinese Mandarin (1.18 billion; largest by native speakers) and then Hindi.

How: Ethnologue, published by SIL International, tracks total speakers (native + second language) for thousands of languages worldwide. Hindi’s ranking reflects its role as India’s most widely spoken language and its growing diaspora footprint globally. The top four globally are English, Mandarin, Hindi, and Spanish (558.5 million; official in 20+ countries).

Why: Language rankings and India’s linguistic diversity are tested in UPSC Prelims (GS-I — Indian Society) and also appear in Banking and SSC exams. Key facts to retain: Hindi at 3rd globally, five Indian languages in the top 20, and the distinction between total speakers vs. native speakers (Mandarin leads natively but English leads overall).

What: The Global Report on Internal Displacement (GRID) 2025, released on 13 May 2025 by the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC, Geneva, established 1998) and the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC, Oslo), reported that global Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) reached a record 83.4 million by end-2024 — the highest ever and double the figure from 2018. Sudan led with 11.6 million IDPs due to civil war. India recorded 5.4 million displacements (a 12-year high), with floods accounting for 66% of them, including 2.5 million in Assam alone.

How: IDPs are people forced to flee their homes due to conflict, violence, or disasters but who remain within their country’s borders — distinct from refugees who cross international borders. GRID tracks both conflict-driven and disaster-driven displacement. Of the global total, 45.8 million displacements were due to disasters in 2024 — the highest since IDMC began tracking in 2008.

Why: IDMC and NRC reports are recurring sources for UPSC Prelims questions on international bodies, displacement statistics, and climate-linked migration. Key facts: IDMC established in 1998, based in Geneva; Sudan as the worst-affected country; India’s disaster-displacement link (floods in Assam); and the global doubling of IDPs since 2018. This also feeds into UPSC Mains essay topics on climate refugees and humanitarian crises.

What: State Bank of India (SBI), established in 1955 and headquartered in Mumbai, entered Bloomberg’s global list of the 100 most profitable companies at rank 98 in FY2024–25, with a net profit of USD 9.2 billion (₹77,561 crore). This makes SBI only the 3rd Indian company to achieve this distinction — after Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) in 2009 and Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) in 2021. SBI’s net profit grew at a 31% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) over the past five years.

How: SBI’s improved profitability is driven by reduced non-performing assets (NPAs), higher net interest income, and a diversified portfolio post its 2017 merger with five associate banks and Bharatiya Mahila Bank (BMB). The global top of the Bloomberg list is led by Alphabet (USD 111 billion) and Saudi Aramco (USD 105 billion), with the USA contributing 43 entries.

Why: SBI’s financial milestones are standard fare in Banking and UPSC Economy sections. Memorise: SBI established 1955, 2017 merger, current Chairman Challa Sreenivasulu Setty, FY25 net profit ₹77,561 crore, Bloomberg rank 98. The broader context — India’s banking sector turnaround from NPA crisis — is a relevant Mains GS-III theme on the Indian economy.

What: The Principal Scientific Adviser (PSA) Prof. Ajay Kumar Sood launched a report identifying India’s 10 Priority Highway Corridors for Zero Emission Trucking. The study was developed by the Centre of Excellence for Zero Emission Trucking (CoEZET) at IIT Madras in collaboration with Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI, USA) and pManifold (Nagpur) as knowledge partners. Trucks currently account for approximately 40% of India’s total transport sector emissions, making this a critical decarbonisation lever.

How: The 10 corridors were shortlisted from 230 candidate routes through a 3-phase process involving toll data analysis, stakeholder consultations, and field research. The report is positioned as a reference for the PM E-DRIVE scheme (launched 2024 by the Ministry of Heavy Industries with a ₹500 crore outlay), which promotes the adoption of electric and zero-emission commercial vehicles including trucks.

Why: This topic is high-yield for UPSC GS-III (Environment, Energy, Infrastructure) and also relevant for State PSC exams focused on transport policy. Key anchors: PM E-DRIVE scheme (2024, ₹500 crore, Ministry of Heavy Industries); CoEZET at IIT Madras; trucks = 40% of transport emissions; 3-phase corridor selection methodology. This also connects to India’s Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) commitments under the Paris Agreement.