GK One-Liners

What: Union Home Minister Amit Shah unveiled ‘Pragati’ (female) and ‘Vikas’ (male) as the official mascots for Census 2027 — India’s first fully digital census. The exercise carries an outlay of Rs 11,718 crore and will, for the first time since 1931, include caste enumeration data.

How: The Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) has developed a suite of digital tools for the census: the Household Listing Booklet Creator (HLBC), House Listing Operations (HLO) App, Supervisory Enumerator (SE) Portal, and a Census Monitoring & Management System (CMMS). Phase 1 (house listing) runs from April to September 2026, and Phase 2 (population enumeration) is scheduled for February 2027.

Why: Census is a perennial UPSC topic — expect questions on constitutional provisions (Article 246, Union List Entry 69), the role of the Registrar General of India, and the significance of resuming caste data collection after nearly a century. The digital-first approach also links to e-governance and Digital India themes relevant to GS-II.

What: The Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO), at its 239th Central Board of Trustees (CBT) meeting, approved a pilot for auto-settlement of inoperative Employee Provident Fund (EPF) accounts with balances of Rs 1,000 or less. Phase 1 covers approximately 1.33 lakh accounts involving Rs 5.68 crore, with funds credited directly to Aadhaar-seeded bank accounts without any paperwork.

How: The system leverages Aadhaar-based verification to identify eligible dormant accounts and automatically transfer balances to linked bank accounts. No claim application is required from subscribers. The EPFO plans to gradually expand the threshold to cover higher-balance inoperative accounts. Separately, the CBT retained the EPF interest rate at 8.25% for FY2025-26 — the third consecutive year at this rate.

Why: EPFO reforms are relevant for UPSC GS-III (Indian Economy) and SSC/Banking exams. The auto-settlement pilot illustrates the government’s push toward faceless, paperless welfare delivery using Aadhaar infrastructure. The EPF interest rate (8.25% for FY26) is a frequently tested factual recall point in Banking and SSC exams.

What: Lt Gen Dhiraj Seth, currently the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief (GOC-in-C) of Southern Command, has been appointed as the next Vice Chief of Army Staff (VCOAS), effective 1 April 2026. He succeeds Lt Gen P. P. Singh. The VCOAS is the second-highest-ranking officer in the Indian Army.

How: Lt Gen Seth belongs to the Armoured Corps and was commissioned in December 1986. He previously commanded the XXI Strike Corps based in Mathura — one of the Indian Army’s key offensive formations. His appointment follows the standard succession process for senior military leadership positions.

Why: Senior defence appointments are staples of CDS, NDA, and UPSC Prelims. Key facts to retain: VCOAS = 2nd highest rank in the Indian Army, the role of Strike Corps in India’s military doctrine, and the distinction between the five operational Commands (Northern, Eastern, Western, Central, Southern). The Armoured Corps link is also useful for defence-specific papers.

What: The State Bank of India (SBI) has launched a USD 500 million social loan with a greenshoe option, making it the world’s largest gender-themed loan by an Indian financial institution. The proceeds are earmarked for women-led Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), Self-Help Groups (SHGs), and women’s livelihood programmes.

How: The loan has been arranged by Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MUFG), Japan, and aligns with United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 5 (SDG-5: Gender Equality). The issuance marks a significant Environment, Social, and Governance (ESG) milestone for SBI as it links international capital market access to measurable social outcomes for women’s economic empowerment.

Why: ESG-linked finance, SDG alignment, and SHG-bank linkage are growing focus areas in UPSC Economy and Banking exams. Aspirants should note the SDG number (SDG-5), the arranger (MUFG), and the “greenshoe option” concept — a mechanism that allows the borrower to upsize the loan based on investor demand. SBI’s role as India’s largest PSB makes this a high-recall fact.

What: Researchers at the University of Waterloo, Canada, have developed a photocatalytic method that converts plastic waste into acetic acid — the primary component of vinegar — using only sunlight. The process requires no external heat or electricity, offering a sustainable upcycling pathway as an alternative to incineration or landfilling.

How: The technique employs a photocatalyst that, when activated by sunlight, breaks the chemical bonds in plastic polymers and rearranges the carbon chains into acetic acid molecules. Because the energy input comes entirely from solar radiation, the method has a near-zero operational carbon footprint. Acetic acid is a high-value industrial chemical used across the food, textile, and pharmaceutical sectors.

Why: Plastic waste management and circular economy innovations are high-frequency UPSC Science & Technology topics. This discovery connects to India’s ban on single-use plastics, Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) rules, and the broader push toward a circular economy. The photocatalysis angle is also useful for Chemistry-optional aspirants.

What: The Election Commission of India (ECI) has notified biennial elections for 37 Rajya Sabha seats, with polling scheduled for 16 March 2026. These vacancies arise as the terms of sitting Members of Parliament expire in April 2026. In the full 2026 cycle, a total of 72 Rajya Sabha seats will be filled.

How: Rajya Sabha members are elected by the elected members of State Legislative Assemblies through the single transferable vote system of proportional representation. The upper house has a maximum strength of 245 members — 233 elected from states and Union Territories, and 12 nominated by the President under Article 80 of the Constitution. The allocation of seats among states is governed by the Fourth Schedule.

Why: Rajya Sabha composition, election method, and constitutional provisions (Article 80, Fourth Schedule) are perennial Polity questions in UPSC, SSC, and State PSC exams. Key distinctions to remember: Rajya Sabha is a permanent body that never dissolves, one-third of members retire every two years, and the election is indirect — conducted by state legislators, not the general public.