EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
- Fortnightly export levies on petrol, diesel and ATF notified (from 1 June 2026): SAED on petrol set at ₹1.5/litre, diesel at ₹13.5/litre, and ATF at ₹9.5/litre (RIC nil), with no change to domestic excise rates for petrol/diesel.
- Temporary customs duty exemption on cotton imports (1 June–31 Oct 2026): All customs duties on cotton imports temporarily exempted to lower textile input costs during the cotton off-season while balancing domestic farmer interests.
- “Khet Bachao Abhiyan” launched as a month-long, village-to-state campaign (1–30 June): Focus on balanced/judicious fertiliser use, soil-test-based guidance, weather-linked advisories, and INM demonstrations, with panchayat-level execution and scheme benefits delivered alongside.
- PM-SETU operationalization step: first Strategic Investment Plan approved (Visakhapatnam ITI cluster): National Steering Committee approved ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel India’s Strategic Investment Plan—the first SIP cleared under PM-SETU and first industry partnership operationalized in Andhra Pradesh under the hub-and-spoke model.
- CPGRAMS AI voice chatbot “Samadhan Didi” launched for multilingual grievance filing: AI-enabled voice interface lets citizens lodge grievances by speaking in native language; system auto-classifies and routes to the correct ministry/department, with phased expansion of supported languages.
- Border security directives for Gujarat’s India-Pakistan belt (Bhuj review): DM/SP-led monitoring of demographic changes, zero-tolerance removal of unauthorized encroachments within 0–15 km, formation of district Security Coordination Groups, and intensified vigil on hawala/financial crimes and related enforcement.
- Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission milestone: ABHA accounts cross 90 crore: ABDM reports 90 crore+ ABHA created (with state/UT saturation highlights), reinforcing consent-based digital health record continuity via ABDM building blocks.
- Digi Yatra scale-up signal: 10 crore journeys across 38 airports; next expansion planned: Digi Yatra reports 10 crore+ seamless journeys; active at 38 airports with 27 more airports planned next year, plus language expansion roadmap.
- Critical minerals innovation pipeline: S&T-PRISM 5.0 interactive workshop + technical evaluation: Ministry of Mines runs cluster-based competition/evaluation across the critical minerals value chain (exploration to recycling/value-addition), with 31 proposals grouped into 7 clusters.
- ECI legal-strategy coordination forum: National Conference of ECI Counsels 2026: Election Commission convenes a conference focused on “legal challenges… and the way forward,” covering electoral roll management, SIR, polling/counting, EVM demos, and emerging legal reforms.
- Youth engagement implementation push: MY Bharat + NSS Chintan Shivir concludes: Department of Youth Affairs’ two-day conclave emphasizes district-level implementation, coordination, and youth participation; best-performing states/districts and FY 2025–26 performers were recognized.
- Agriculture policy alignment: 22 State Agriculture Ministers commit to natural farming + balanced fertiliser agenda: National Kharif Conference outputs include state-level commitment to experiment with natural farming, simplify procedures, and advance Khet Bachao Abhiyan with monitoring/control-room mechanisms.
- Customs/industry compliance capacity building: EPFO at Core executive programme launched: PDUNASS and GNLU launch a 3-month online executive development programme on labour laws and social security compliance (EPFO at core), with oversubscribed inaugural batch and consideration of a second batch.
DETAILED NOTES:
Fortnightly export levies on petrol, diesel and ATF notified (from 1 June 2026)
- What happened:
- Central Government notified revised SAED/RIC export levies for petrol, diesel and ATF for the fortnight starting 1 June 2026.
- Rates notified: Petrol ₹1.5/litre (SAED ₹1.5; RIC nil), Diesel ₹13.5/litre (SAED ₹13.5; RIC nil), ATF ₹9.5/litre (SAED only).
- No change reported in existing excise duty rates on petrol and diesel for domestic consumption.
- Why it matters:
- Signals continued use of export disincentives to protect domestic availability of petroleum products amid external volatility.
Temporary customs duty exemption on cotton imports (1 June–31 Oct 2026)
- What happened:
- Government temporarily exempted all customs duties on cotton imports from 1 June 2026 to 31 October 2026.
- Rationale given: augment cotton availability for the Indian textile sector, reduce input costs, and support MSMEs.
- Measure is framed as balancing domestic farmer interests while improving textile competitiveness.
- Why it matters:
- Directly impacts cost structure for textile and apparel supply chains during the cotton off-season.
“Khet Bachao Abhiyan” launched as a month-long, village-to-state campaign (1–30 June)
- What happened:
- Agriculture Ministry announced Khet Bachao Abhiyan to run 1–30 June, with execution from panchayat to state and centre.
- Core focus: balanced/judicious fertiliser use, soil-test-based and weather-linked advice, and INM demonstrations (including green manures and bio-products).
- Campaign design includes KVKs as key coordinators, formation of over 1,600 teams, and delivery of scheme benefits alongside advisories.
- Why it matters:
- Moves fertiliser management from messaging to ground-level delivery, with measurable implementation structures.
PM-SETU operationalization step: first Strategic Investment Plan approved (Visakhapatnam ITI cluster)
- What happened:
- National Steering Committee approved the Strategic Investment Plan for the Visakhapatnam ITI Cluster submitted by ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel India.
- Approval is described as the first SIP cleared under PM-SETU and makes Andhra Pradesh the first state to operationalize an industry partnership under the scheme.
- NSC also reviewed PM-SETU progress and measures to strengthen industry participation, governance, and financial sustainability of SPVs.
- Why it matters:
- Indicates PM-SETU is entering a more concrete industry-managed ITI implementation phase.
CPGRAMS AI voice chatbot “Samadhan Didi” launched for multilingual grievance filing
- What happened:
- DARPG launched the CPGRAMS AI-enabled Voice Chatbot “Samadhan Didi” in collaboration with Bhasini.
- Citizens can lodge grievances by speaking in native language; the system auto-identifies the correct ministry/department/category and files the grievance.
- Government also stated efforts to expand linguistic accessibility beyond existing scheduled languages via phased inclusion of additional regional/indigenous languages.
- Why it matters:
- Expands access to grievance filing through voice + multilingual AI routing, reducing user burden to navigate departmental categorization.
Border security directives for Gujarat’s India-Pakistan belt (Bhuj review)
- What happened:
- Home Minister chaired a border security review in Bhuj, Gujarat, focusing on India-Pakistan border and coastal districts.
- Directives include DM/SP monitoring of demographic changes, zero tolerance for unauthorized encroachments within 0–15 km of the international border, and watch on centres of radicalization.
- Ordered formation of district Security Coordination Groups (BSF, Coast Guard, IT, ED, Lead Bank Manager) and intensified vigil on hawala/financial crimes, with IT Department surveys in coordination with RBI.
- Why it matters:
- Clarifies a district-led enforcement model combining security, financial-crime monitoring, and administrative reporting.
Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission milestone: ABHA accounts cross 90 crore
- What happened:
- ABDM reported 90 crore+ ABHA accounts created across India, with growth cited from 14.7 crore (2021) to 90 crore+ (2026).
- ABDM reiterated ABHA’s role as a consent-based digital health identity enabling longitudinal records and secure sharing.
- States/UT saturation highlights included full saturation for some UTs and high saturation percentages for several larger states.
- Why it matters:
- Reinforces momentum in digital health infrastructure adoption and interoperability foundations.
Digi Yatra scale-up signal: 10 crore journeys across 38 airports; next expansion planned
- What happened:
- Digi Yatra reported 10 crore+ seamless journeys and 2.4 crore+ downloads across iOS/Android.
- Claimed operational impact: average airport entry processing reduced from 15 seconds to 5 seconds per passenger.
- Stated Digi Yatra is active at 38 airports; 27 more airports planned to be enabled next year, alongside language expansion.
- Why it matters:
- Signals continued scaling of biometric/document-light passenger processing and broader rollout.
Critical minerals innovation pipeline: S&T-PRISM 5.0 interactive workshop + technical evaluation
- What happened:
- Ministry of Mines conducted a two-day interactive workshop and technical evaluation under S&T-PRISM 5.0 at JNARDDC, Nagpur.
- 31 proposals were grouped into 7 clusters spanning exploration, extraction/separation, refining/purification, recycling/recovery, and value-added metals/alloys/equipment.
- Event included expert technical inputs and handholding from multiple research bodies and a competition-based evaluation framework.
- Why it matters:
- Shows a structured pipeline for startup/ MSME critical minerals technologies moving toward evaluation and potential support.
ECI legal-strategy coordination forum: National Conference of ECI Counsels 2026
- What happened:
- Election Commission inaugurated the 2nd National Conference of ECI Counsels 2026 focused on strengthening ECI’s legal framework and strategy.
- Conference covered electoral roll management, Special Intensive Revision (SIR), polling/counting procedures, and EVM demonstrations.
- Stated intent to strengthen coordination between ECI and legal representatives and to address emerging legal challenges.
- Why it matters:
- Reinforces ECI’s emphasis on legal preparedness and coordination with counsel across courts.
Youth engagement implementation push: MY Bharat + NSS Chintan Shivir concludes
- What happened:
- Department of Youth Affairs’ two-day Chintan Shivir concluded at IIM Shillong, bringing together MY Bharat and NSS stakeholders.
- Focus areas included strengthening youth engagement, institutional coordination, and district-level implementation for the Viksit Bharat 2047 vision.
- Best-performing states/districts and FY 2025–26 performers were felicitated.
- Why it matters:
- Signals continued priority on grassroots execution and coordination between youth programmes.
Agriculture policy alignment: 22 State Agriculture Ministers commit to natural farming + balanced fertiliser agenda
- What happened:
- National Kharif Conference (May 28–29) brought together agriculture/horticulture ministers from 22 states at PUSA, New Delhi.
- Ministers committed to support natural farming not only at policy level but also by adopting/experimenting on their own farms.
- Conference proposed advancing Khet Bachao Abhiyan with coordinated implementation mechanisms and monitoring/control-room approaches.
- Why it matters:
- Aligns state leadership behind a fertiliser/natural farming agenda with an execution and monitoring emphasis.
Custom/industry compliance capacity building: EPFO at Core executive programme launched
- What happened:
- PDUNASS and GNLU launched an inaugural batch of a 3-month executive development programme on “Labour Laws and Social Security Compliance (EPFO at Core)”.
- Programme is designed for practice-oriented compliance capability in the post-Labour Codes environment and includes online classes plus a contact programme at GNLU.
- Inaugural batch enrolled 66 against a planned 60, with demand prompting consideration of a second batch.
- Why it matters:
- Indicates a push to build compliance professionals aligned with evolving labour governance and EPFO administration.