UniFocus IAS ( UNIFOCUS UNIVERSAL )

In its recent order, Supreme Court of India directed States and Union Territories to form Board of Visitors to oversee prisons.  During the hearing ( IN RE: DISCRIMINATION INSIDE PRISONS IN INDIA ) reported that as on date, none of the States/Union Territories has constituted Board of Visitors District-wise. According to him, it is very much important and necessary for each State/UT to constitute Board of Visitors in each of the Districts where are sub-jails. In responce to this, Court directed states and UTs to form Board of Visitors under the Model Prison Manual, 2016, more particularly, Clause 29.01 read with 29.03 respectively including the State Prison Manual respectively. Order further reeds " all the State Governments/Union Territories to ensure that Board of Visitors is constituted district – wise headed by the Principal District Judge of that particular District, within a period of four weeks from today. Board of Visitors shall be constituted accordingl...

Gyan Bharatam Mission (GBM), announced during Union Budget 2025-26, is an initiative of the Ministry of Culture (MoC), Government of India to undertake manuscripts related activities. The objectives of this initiative are as follows: To leverage advanced technology to significantly enhance the pace of digitization and documentation of manuscripts. Conducting survey and registration of manuscripts. To document and catalogue Indian manuscripts, wherever they may be, maintain accurate and up-to-date information about them and the conditions under which they may be conserved. To facilitate usage of manuscripts and promote ready access to these manuscripts through publications, both in book form as well as machine readable form. To facilitate conservation and preservation of manuscripts through training awareness and financial support. To boost scholarship and research in the study of Indian languages and manuscriptology. To build up a National Digital Repository (NDR). To support the initi...

  The Government of India has reaffirmed its commitment to eliminating manual scavenging and ensuring the safety, dignity and welfare of Sewer and Septic Tank Workers (SSWs) through legislative measures and targeted welfare initiatives. The Government informed the Rajya Sabha that a fresh survey conducted across all districts of the country under the provisions of the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013 (MS Act, 2013) found no manual scavengers . Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Shri Ramdas Athawale Shares Details in Written Reply to Shri Derek O' Brien in Rajya Sabha. The House was informed that the National Action for Mechanised Sanitation Ecosystem (NAMASTE) Scheme , launched during 2023-24, aims to ensure the safety and dignity of Sewer and Septic Tank Workers through mechanisation and comprehensive welfare measures. Under the scheme, 89,915 Sewer and Septic Tank Workers have been validated across the country...

The country has achieved near-universal banking coverage, with 99.92% of inhabited villages (6,00,868 out of 6,01,328) now served by a banking outlet (Bank branch / Business Correspondent / India Post Payments Bank (IPPB)) within a radius of 5 km, as per the data uploaded by banks on Jan Dhan Darshak (JDD) App. This banking expansion is supported by a robust infrastructure of over 1.81 lakh bank branches, 17.36 lakh Business Correspondents (BCs), and 1.65 lakh IPPB centers, as on 17.07.2026. To ensure accessibility of banking services in rural and remote areas, the endeavor of the Government is to provide a banking outlet (Bank branch / Business Correspondent / India Post Payments Bank) within 5 kilometers radius of all inhabited villages in the country. Further, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has permitted Commercial Banks, Small Finance Banks, Payments Banks, Local Area Banks and Regional Rural Banks, to open bank branches anywhere in India without prior approval, provided 25% are in un...