2 July 2025

• Polity: The debate over removing "Secular" and "Socialist" from the Preamble intensified. The RSS General Secretary publicly backed the move.
• Governance: Digital India completes 10 years. Internet connections grew from 25 crore (2014) to 96.96 crore (2024).
• Economy: The Employment Linked Incentive (ELI) Scheme, with an outlay of 99,446 crore rupees, is set to launch in August 2025.
• Defence: INS Udaygiri, the second Project 17A stealth frigate, moved towards commissioning.
• History: The 170th anniversary of the Santhal Rebellion (Hul) was observed on 30 June.

GS area: Polity (constitutional law)

The RSS General Secretary Dattatreya Hosabale backed removing the words "Secular" and "Socialist" from the Preamble. These were inserted by the 42nd Constitutional Amendment in 1976 during the Emergency.

• Original Preamble (1949): Did not contain these two words. The Preamble was adopted on 26 November 1949.
• 42nd Amendment (1976): Added "Socialist" and "Secular" along with changing "unity of the nation" to "unity and integrity of the nation."
• Legal status of the Preamble: The Preamble is not enforceable in courts. Courts use it to interpret constitutional provisions.
• Basic Structure: The Supreme Court in Kesavananda Bharati v. State of Kerala (1973) established the Basic Structure Doctrine. In S.R. Bommai v. Union of India (1994) the Court held secularism to be a basic structure feature. Any amendment that destroys a basic structure element is unconstitutional.
• Counterargument: The Court in St. Xavier's College v. Gujarat (1974) held that secularism was inherent in the Constitution even before 1976. The word was always implied.

The difficulty for any government attempting removal is not political but legal. The basic structure bar is a judicial lock, not a parliamentary one.

Static linkage: Polity (Preamble, 42nd Amendment, Basic Structure Doctrine).

GS area: Governance, Economy (digital economy)

Digital India was launched on 1 July 2015 by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY). The programme rests on nine pillars ranging from broadband highways to electronics manufacturing.

• Internet connections: Grew from 25 crore (2014) to 96.96 crore (2024).
• Digital payments: India accounts for 49 per cent of global real-time payment transactions.
• Digital economy share: 11.74 per cent of GDP in 2022-23, projected at 13.42 per cent for 2024-25.
• BharatNet: 2.18 lakh Gram Panchayats connected with optical fibre.
• DigiLocker: 53.92 crore registered users.
• 5G towers: 4.74 lakh towers covering 99.6 per cent of districts.
• Mobile data cost: Approximately 10 rupees per GB, among the world's lowest.
• DBT transfers: 44 lakh crore rupees distributed under Direct Benefit Transfer since the programme began.

The persistent gaps: digital divide between urban and rural women is sharp, regional language content is thin, and infrastructure in hilly and tribal areas lags. Digital access without digital literacy compounds the gap.

Static linkage: Governance (e-governance, DBT, BharatNet), economy (digital economy).

GS area: Economy (employment), Governance (schemes)

The Ministry of Labour and Employment announced the ELI Scheme with an outlay of 99,446 crore rupees. The scheme runs from August 2025 to July 2027 and targets 3.5 crore new jobs.

• Part A (first-time employees): One month of EPF wage up to 15,000 rupees, paid in two instalments. Eligibility: salary up to 1 lakh rupees; must be EPFO-registered; six months of continuous service required plus a financial literacy course.
• Expected beneficiaries under Part A: 1.92 crore workers.
• Part B (employers): Monthly incentive of 1,000 to 3,000 rupees per new employee for two years. Manufacturing sector gets four-year support.
• Employer eligibility: EPFO-registered firms hiring two or more new employees if the firm has fewer than 50 workers, or five or more if the firm has 50 or more.
• Payment channel: Direct Benefit Transfer via Aadhaar for employees. PAN-linked for employers.

Static linkage: Economy (EPFO, employment policy, DBT).

GS area: Defence, Science and Technology

INS Udaygiri is the second stealth frigate built under Project 17A. Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited built it in 37 months.

• Project 17A: A series of seven stealth frigates. The first was INS Nilgiri.
• Name legacy: Named after the earlier INS Udaygiri which served from 1976 to 2007, a span of 31 years.
• Armament: Supersonic surface-to-surface missiles, medium-range surface-to-air missiles, a 76 mm main gun and close-in weapons (30 mm and 12.7 mm).
• Propulsion: CODOG (Combined Diesel or Gas) system with controllable pitch propellers.
• Technology: Integrated Platform Management System for shipboard automation.
• Hull: 4.54 per cent larger than Project 17 vessels. Built using modular pre-outfitting blocks.

Static linkage: Science and technology (indigenous defence, naval shipbuilding).

GS area: History (freedom struggle and tribal revolts)

The 170th anniversary of the Santhal Rebellion was observed as Hul Diwas on 30 June 2025. The rebellion began on 30 June 1855 at Bhognadih in the Santhal Parganas.

• Leaders: Sidhu Murmu, Kanhu Murmu, Chand Murmu and Bhairav Murmu. Women fighters Phulo and Jhano Murmu also led contingents.
• Mobilisation: Over 10,000 Santhals took up arms.
• Causes: Land alienation under the Permanent Settlement, debt traps at usurious interest, forced labour (kamioti/harwahi system) and colonial administrative harassment.
• Location: The Damin-i-Koh region, Santhal Parganas, present-day Jharkhand.
• Outcome: British military suppression. Both Sidhu and Kanhu Murmu were killed in 1856.
• Administrative consequence: The Santhal Parganas was created as a separate administrative unit in 1856. The Santhal Parganas Tenancy Act of 1876 then gave tribal land rights some statutory protection.

The rebellion is a precursor to later tribal movements and sits in the same lineage as the Birsa Munda uprising. The Permanent Settlement's role in triggering it is worth remembering for both Prelims and Mains.

Static linkage: History (tribal revolts, colonial land policy, freedom struggle).

GS area: Economy (renewable energy), Governance

The Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) was established in 2011 as a central PSU under the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy. In 2024 it was granted Navratna status.

• Navratna status: Allows independent investment decisions up to 1,000 crore rupees without central government approval.
• Milestone: Over 60 GW of Power Sale Agreements executed for solar, wind and hybrid projects.
• Planned rename: Renewable Energy Corporation of India (RECI), reflecting its expanded mandate beyond solar.
• Functions: Power Sale Agreements, scheme implementation for VGF and solar parks, hybrid renewable energy solutions and turnkey development for PSUs.

Static linkage: Economy (renewable energy, PSUs, green energy policy).

GS area: International Relations

PM Modi made a bilateral visit to Trinidad and Tobago, the first PM-level visit from India to the country. The agenda centred on Global South engagement.

• Location: Southeastern West Indies, northeast of Venezuela, separated by the Gulf of Paria.
• Capital: Port of Spain. Main islands: Trinidad (4,800 sq km) and Tobago (300 sq km).
• Notable geography: Pitch Lake, the world's largest natural asphalt deposit, is in Trinidad. Mount Aripo (940 m) is the highest peak.
• India angle: Persons of Indian origin form the largest ethnic group in Trinidad and Tobago, tracing ancestry to indentured labour from the 19th century.

Static linkage: International relations (India-Caribbean, Global South, diaspora), world geography.

• RailOne App: Developed by CRIS (Centre for Railway Information Systems), the app integrates unreserved tickets, live tracking, e-catering and porter services. An R-Wallet offers 3 per cent discounts on unreserved tickets. A December 2025 upgrade will support 1.5 lakh ticket bookings per minute.
• One Big Beautiful Bill (US): The US Senate advanced a 940-page fiscal package. It adds an estimated 3.3 trillion dollars to federal debt over a decade. Medicaid and SNAP cuts offset extended tax concessions and 158 billion dollars in defence spending increases.