Current Affairs Quiz 1 July 2026

Article 246A gives both Parliament and State legislatures the power to make laws on GST; Article 269A governs the levy and apportionment of Integrated GST (IGST) on inter-State supply; Article 279A establishes the GST Council, chaired by the Union Finance Minister, where decisions require a three-fourths majority (the Centre holding one-third of the vote weight and the States two-thirds together). The 122nd Amendment Bill was the bill that, when enacted, became the 101st Amendment Act.
GST subsumed excise, service tax and VAT into a destination-based, multi-stage value-added tax with input tax credit.

The pre-reform structure had four main slabs plus cesses. GST 2.0 (September 2025) merged them into a two-rate structure with a special high rate for demerit goods such as tobacco and high-end products.
GST collections have risen from about Rs 7.4 lakh crore in FY18 to roughly Rs 22.27 lakh crore in FY26, and the taxpayer base has grown from about 6.65 million in 2017 to around 16 million. Bringing petroleum products and electricity under GST, and the sunset of the compensation cess, remain part of the unfinished agenda.

The report recommended a 90-day multiple-entry Tourist Visa-on-Arrival for select countries, collapsing e-visa sub-categories, and single health-trade and liquor licences for hotels. Tourism contributed about Rs 15.73 lakh crore, roughly 5.22 per cent of GDP, and about 84.6 million jobs in FY24.
India’s UN Tourism Visa Openness Index score of 38.14 trails the global average and regional peers such as Thailand and Malaysia. Because tourism is largely a State subject, cooperative federalism is central to reform.

The SUMAN Roadmap 2030 covers 130 districts across 13 high-focus States and uses four-stage high-risk-pregnancy tracking (antenatal, third-trimester, intrapartum and postnatal), with a SUMAN Panchayat for community accountability. It was launched alongside the first-ever Operational Guidelines on National Ambulance Services (NAS), 2026, which introduce Integrated Command and Dispatch Centres, AIS-125 vehicle standards, and integration with the emergency number 112.
The initiative reflects a shift from mere access to assured quality of maternal care.

Dr B.C. Roy was a distinguished physician associated with the founding of the Indian Medical Association. National Doctors’ Day has been observed since 1991.
Recent observances have highlighted violence against healthcare workers and the demand for a central law to protect healthcare personnel, a debate that intensified after the 2024 R.G. Kar incident. The National Medical Commission (NMC) replaced the Medical Council of India in 2020 as the regulator of medical education, an important institutional change to know.

The ABC operationalises the National Credit Framework (NCrF) and is housed on DigiLocker and the National Academic Depository. It is linked to APAAR (Automated Permanent Academic Account Registry), a unique 12-digit “One Nation, One Student ID”, with about 26.30 crore verified IDs generated as of June 2026.
Credit portability allows a student to accumulate credits from different institutions and re-enter education later, supporting lifelong learning. Data privacy under the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 is a key concern for a universal student ID.

The policy, with an outlay of about Rs 15,000 crore, offers full road-tax and registration-fee exemption for electric cars priced up to Rs 30 lakh and purchase incentives for two-wheelers. Its phase-out timeline bars new petrol or CNG two-wheelers from April 1, 2028, and restricts new autorickshaw registrations to electric from January 1, 2027.
The policy links to the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), and India’s EV30@30 aspiration of 30 per cent electric-vehicle sales by 2030.

Chartered accountants are central to auditing, assurance, taxation and financial reporting, underpinning trust in corporate and public finances. The ICAI sets accounting and auditing standards, regulates the profession, and conducts the CA examinations.
It is distinct from the Institute of Cost Accountants of India (ICMAI) and the Institute of Company Secretaries of India (ICSI), which are separate statutory professional bodies. The reliability of audited financial statements is a foundation of investor confidence and market integrity.

The Code on Wages was enacted in 2019 and the other three Codes in 2020. Under the 50 per cent wage rule, basic pay (basic plus dearness and retaining allowances) must be at least half of total remuneration, which increases retirement and gratuity contributions but may reduce take-home pay.
The Codes also extend social-security coverage towards gig and platform workers. Labour is on the Concurrent List, so States must frame rules, which is why implementation has been phased.

The fiscal deficit is the excess of the government’s total expenditure over its total non-borrowed receipts, financed through borrowing. The FY27 target of 4.3 per cent of GDP continues the path of fiscal consolidation under the amended fiscal-responsibility framework.
Early-year deficit figures often show front-loading. Capital expenditure has been rising, reflecting an investment-led growth strategy.
Distinguishing the CGA (accounting) from the CAG (audit) and from the Finance Ministry (policy) is a recurring exam point.

India’s AI strategy includes the IndiaAI Mission, which funds compute capacity, datasets, skilling and safe-and-trusted AI, and the Semiconductor Mission for domestic chip capability. Sovereign AI concerns include control over data, model weights, and the hardware stack, as well as guarding against strategic vulnerabilities.
It connects to the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, and to the broader debate on digital public infrastructure. The tension is between openness (access to the best global technology) and autonomy (reducing dependence).

India’s maritime approach is expressed through SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region) and its successor framing, Vision MAHASAGAR, and through the Quad (India, Japan, United States, Australia). India protects freedom of navigation and a rules-based order while avoiding formal alliances, consistent with strategic autonomy.
The Japanese Prime Minister’s July 2026 visit was the immediate peg. India’s Indian Ocean geography gives it a central role in securing critical sea lanes through which much of global trade and energy flows.

Vertical fiscal imbalance arises because taxation is centralised while spending responsibilities are more decentralised. The Finance Commission recommends how the divisible pool of taxes is shared between the Centre and States (tax devolution) and among States (horizontal distribution).
States raise funds through State Development Loans in the market, typically at higher yields than Union securities. Giving States cheaper access to domestic savings for capital investment, without undermining fiscal discipline, is a central reform question.
Article 293 governs State borrowing.

Article 246A gives concurrent GST-legislating power to the Centre and States; Article 269A deals with IGST on inter-State supply; Article 279A creates the GST Council. Article 280, by contrast, establishes the Finance Commission, a different body dealing with the sharing of the divisible pool of taxes.
In the GST Council, the Centre holds one-third of the vote weight and the States together hold two-thirds, and no decision can pass without a three-fourths majority, giving both levels a meaningful role.

About 26.30 crore verified APAAR IDs had been generated as of June 2026. APAAR records are housed on DigiLocker and the National Academic Depository, and the framework operationalises the National Credit Framework (NCrF).
A universal student ID raises questions of data privacy and consent, governed by the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, and of equity, ensuring that students without digital access are not excluded. The ID is distinct from Aadhaar, though it can be linked to it for verification.