About Yuva Sahakar Scheme:

• Yuva Sahakar Cooperative Enterprise Support and Innovation Scheme” aims to encourage newly formed cooperative societies with new and/or innovative ideas.
• It encourages young entrepreneur Cooperative Societies which are in operation for a minimum of 3 months.
• Loan facility: The loan provided under the scheme is a long-term loan (up to 5 years) and as an incentive, NCDC provides 2% interest subvention on its applicable rate of interest on term loan for the project activities.
• Implementation: It is being implemented by National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC) across the country.
• Features of Yuva Sahakar Scheme:
  • NCDC has produced a dedicated fund with liberal traits entitling youth to avail the scheme.
  • It provides more incentives to the cooperatives working in the North-Eastern region and the aspirational districts.
  • Exclusive benefits are provided for women, Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe candidates.

About AI Stack:

• An AI stack is the complete set of tools and systems that work together to build and run AI applications. 
• It makes artificial intelligence work in the real world, from the apps people use every day to the data, computing power, networks etc.
• It is made up of five layers:
  • Application Layer
    • It represents the user-facing component of the AI stack.
    • It includes AI-powered apps and services such as health diagnostic tools, farming advisory platforms, chatbots, and language translation applications.
    • This layer turns complex AI processes into simple, user-friendly services that people can easily use.
  • AI model layer
    • It acts as the brain of AI systems. AI models are trained on data to recognize patterns, make predictions, and take decisions.
    • It is the core intelligence that determines how effectively applications can understand, predict, and respond to real-world needs. 
    • Example: They help detect diseases from X-rays, predict crop yields, translate languages, or answer questions through chatbots.
  • Compute layer
    • It provides the computing power required to train and run AI models. During training, compute processes vast amounts of data so the model can learn and improve. 
    • It is the critical enabler that determines the scale, speed, and sophistication of AI innovation.
  • Data Centres and Network Infrastructure Layer
    • Data centres are where AI systems are stored and operated, while networks like the internet, broadband, and 5G move data between users, computers, and AI models.
    • The data centres and network infrastructure layer provides the foundational backbone that enables AI systems to operate at scale and in real time. 
  • Energy Layer: It keeps the entire AI stack running. AI data centres consume large amounts of electricity because powerful computers are needed to train and operate AI systems.

About Bharat Taxi:

• Bharat Taxi is India’s first cooperative-led ride-hailing platform registered under the Multi-State Cooperative Societies Act, 2002.
• It is a government-supported initiative developed under the Union Ministry of Cooperation and the National e-Governance Division (NeGD).
• It is India’s first cooperative taxi network, allowing drivers to become shareholders and co-owners.
• Promoted: It is being jointly promoted by leading cooperative and financial institutions including NCDC, IFFCO, AMUL, KRIBHCO, NAFED, NABARD, NDD Band NCEL.
• Key Features of Bharat Taxi Initiative:
  • Driver-Owned Fleet: Drivers can purchase shares and become cooperative members, giving them transparency and decision-making power.
  • Zero Commission: Unlike private cab aggregators that take a large cut, Bharat Taxi transfers the full fare to the driver.
  • Transparent, No-Surge Pricing: Fares will remain predictable, with no surge charges.
  • Platform Integration & Technical Architecture: Integration of the Bharat Taxi platform with national digital platforms such as DigiLocker, UMANG, and API Setu.
  • Security, Compliance & Infrastructure: Ensuring adherence to Government of India’s data protection norms and cybersecurity standards and advising on robust technical infrastructure.

About BRICS Centre for Industrial Competencies:

• It was launched in partnership with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO).
• Objective: It serves as a one-stop centre providing integrated support services to manufacturing companies and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) across BRICS countries.
• It is a network-driven initiative under UNIDO, supporting SMEs, industrial modernization, and digital transformation in BRICS.
• It focuses on strengthening Industry 4.0 competencies.
• Implementation: The National Productivity Council (NPC) has been designated as the India Centre for BRICS Industrial Competencies. 

Key Facts about BRICS:

• It is a group of major emerging economies that work together for economic cooperation, development, and global governance reforms.
• The acronym ‘BRIC’ was coined by Jim O’Neill(Goldman Sachs economist) in 2001 to denote four emerging economies – Brazil, Russia, India, and China.
• Aim: To strengthen South-South cooperation and increase the voice of developing countries at the global level.
• Member Countries: Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia, and Indonesia.

Why in the News?

• Denotified, nomadic and semi-nomadic tribes have demanded constitutional recognition and a separate column in the 2027 Census to address long-standing political and administrative marginalisation.

What’s in Today’s Article?

• Denotified Tribes (Background, Socio-Economic Status, Classification, Govt Initiatives)
• News Summary (Demand for Constitutional Recognition)

Denotified Tribes in India: Background and Evolution

• Denotified Tribes (DNTs) are communities that were historically labelled as “criminal tribes” under colonial rule.
• The Criminal Tribes Act, 1871, empowered the British administration to notify entire communities as criminal by birth, subjecting them to surveillance, restrictions on movement, and social stigma.
• This law was later amended in 1924, further institutionalising discrimination.
• Following Independence, the Criminal Tribes Act was repealed in 1952, and the affected communities were officially “denotified”.
• Since then, these groups have been known as Denotified, Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Tribes (DNTs).
• However, repeal of the law did not automatically translate into social acceptance or legal empowerment.
• The stigma of criminality continued through policing practices and social exclusion.

Socio-Economic Status of Denotified Tribes

• Denotified Tribes remain among the most marginalised communities in India, facing severe deficits in education, health, housing, and livelihood security.
• Many DNT communities follow nomadic or semi-nomadic lifestyles, limiting access to land ownership, ration cards, caste certificates, and welfare schemes.
• Studies and official committees have repeatedly highlighted that literacy levels among several DNT groups are extremely low, with some communities reporting negligible school completion rates.
• Economic survival often depends on informal labour, traditional occupations, or seasonal migration, making them vulnerable to exploitation.

Administrative Classification and Policy Gaps

• Unlike Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs), Denotified Tribes do not have a dedicated constitutional Schedule.
• Over time, many DNT communities were subsumed under SC, ST or OBC categories, while others were left completely unclassified.
• The Idate Commission (2017) identified around 1,200 denotified, nomadic and semi-nomadic communities, of which about 267 communities were not included in any constitutional category.
• Even those included within SC, ST or OBC lists often fail to access benefits due to intense competition with relatively better-off groups.
• This administrative misclassification has resulted in policy invisibility, as there is no reliable population data on DNTs at the national level.

Government Initiatives for Denotified Tribes

• The Union government has introduced welfare measures, including the Scheme for Economic Empowerment of DNTs (SEED), covering education, health insurance, housing and livelihood support.
• However, utilisation remains low due to the absence of proper DNT certificates issued by States and Union Territories.
• Between 2020 and 2025, actual spending under SEED remained significantly below allocated amounts, reflecting implementation challenges rather than a lack of need. 

News Summary

• In the run-up to the 2027 caste-based Census, Denotified, Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Tribes across northern India have renewed demands for a separate Census column and code.
• They argue that without explicit enumeration, they will once again be statistically erased.
• The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has recommended their inclusion to the Office of the Registrar General of India, which has agreed in principle to include them in the caste enumeration exercise.
• However, community leaders stress that mere inclusion is insufficient without a distinct category.
• Additionally, there is a growing demand for constitutional recognition through a separate Schedule, similar to SCs and STs.
• Leaders also seek sub-classification within DNTs to recognise “graded backwardness” between settled and nomadic groups, drawing support from recent Supreme Court judgments allowing sub-classification within reserved categories.

Significance of the Demand

• A separate Census entry would provide credible population data, strengthening the basis for targeted welfare schemes, budgetary allocation, and political representation.
• Constitutional recognition would acknowledge historical injustice and provide legal backing for affirmative action.
• Without these reforms, DNTs risk remaining trapped between categories, unable to compete within SC, ST or OBC lists, yet lacking an identity of their own.

Why in News?

• A series of major disasters struck India in 2025, exposing serious gaps in the identification and management of disaster victims.
• In response to this, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has released India’s first comprehensive Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for handling Mass Fatality Incidents (MFIs).
• The guidelines, titled “National Disaster Management Guidelines on Comprehensive Disaster Victim Identification and Management”, were released on Republic Day by the Ministry of Home Affairs, marking 25 years since the 2001 Gujarat earthquake.

What’s in Today’s Article?

• Need for these Guidelines
• Key Objectives of the Guidelines
• Salient Features of the SOP
• Institutional and Operational Framework
• Challenges Highlighted in the Document
• Way Forward Suggested by NDMA
• Conclusion

Need for these Guidelines:

• India witnessed at least five major mass fatality events in 2025, including -
  • Air India crash, Ahmedabad (June)
  • Chemical factory explosion, Sangareddy, Telangana (June)
  • Gambhira bridge collapse, Vadodara (July)
  • Flash floods, Dharali, Uttarakhand (August)
  • Delhi car bomb blast (November)
• Several victims in such incidents remained unidentified or were identified after significant delays, causing prolonged distress to families and administrative challenges.

Key Objectives of the Guidelines:

• Ensure: Scientific, coordinated and humane identification of disaster victims.
• Enable: Dignified handling and handover of human remains.
• Address: Institutional, logistical and forensic gaps.
• Standardise: Roles of multiple stakeholders across local, State and Central levels.

Salient Features of the SOP:

• Four-stage victim identification process: The guidelines lay down a globally accepted, structured approach -
  • Systematic recovery of human remains
  • Collection of post-mortem data (physical, dental, forensic details)
  • Collection of ante-mortem data from families (medical records, dental records, personal identifiers)
  • Reconciliation and identification, followed by release of remains to families
• National Dental Data Registry:
  • One of the most notable and innovative recommendations.
  • As teeth and jaws often survive fire, explosions and decomposition, dental records can serve as reliable identifiers.
  • Aligns with Interpol Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) standards.
• Use of advanced forensic disciplines:
  • For example,
    • Forensic odontology: Dental identification.
    • Forensic archaeology: Identification of remains months or years after disasters, especially in landslides or buried sites.
  • Brings together multiple forensic branches under one coordinated framework.
• Humanitarian forensics approach: Recognises that mass autopsies may not always be feasible, emphasising -
  • Sensitivity to community customs and religious practices
  • Emotional support and counselling for families
  • Focus on dignity, not merely procedural compliance

Institutional and Operational Framework:

• The expansive document details the role of all stakeholders in the aftermath of a disaster.
• For example,
  • Composition of identification teams.
  • Coordination among police, medical, forensic, administrative and disaster response agencies.
• It acknowledges the reality of multi-agency presence and overlapping jurisdictions at disaster sites.

Challenges Highlighted in the Document:

• Operational challenges:
  • Fragmentation and commingling of remains.
  • Rapid decomposition in hot and humid climates.
  • Charring in fires and displacement during floods.
• Logistical gaps:
  • Inadequate mortuary capacity.
  • Lack of cold chain transport and storage.
  • Absence of reliable manifests or records in many disaster scenarios.
• Institutional lacunae:
  • Shortage of trained forensic manpower.
  • Weak inter-agency coordination.
  • Leadership and command challenges during large-scale disasters.

Way Forward Suggested by NDMA:

• Creating: Organisational structures for Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) across India.
• Training: Experts from all relevant forensic fields.
• Forming: Specialised DVI teams, ideally in each State.
• Fast-tracking: Implementation on a “war footing”.
• Adaptation: Interpol best practices, contextualised for Indian conditions.
• Others:
  • Strengthen Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) and post-disaster governance.
  • Integrate science, technology and humanitarian values.
  • Reinforce India’s compliance with international forensic standards.

Conclusion:

• The NDMA’s first-ever SOP on Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) marks a critical shift from ad hoc responses to an institutionalised, humane and scientific framework for managing mass fatalities.
• By combining global best practices with indigenous realities, and by placing dignity of victims and emotional well-being of families at the centre, the guidelines represent a mature evolution of India’s disaster management architecture.
• Effective implementation and sustained capacity-building will determine whether this landmark initiative translates into real relief on the ground during future disasters.

Why in news?

The Union Budget’s allocation of ₹20,000 crore over five years for carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) signals a major push towards cutting emissions from hard-to-abate sectors.

By backing CCUS technologies, the government aims to lower industrial carbon footprints and support India’s long-term goal of achieving net-zero emissions.

What’s in Today’s Article?

• About Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) Solutions
• Budget Push for Carbon Capture in India
• Economic Benefits of CCUS

About Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) Solutions

• Capturing carbon emissions - CCUS refers to a set of technologies that capture carbon dioxide (CO₂) released during industrial activities before it enters the atmosphere. CO₂ is the main driver of global warming and climate change.
• Storage or reuse of captured CO₂ - Once captured, CO₂ can either be stored safely underground in geological formations for long periods or utilised by converting it into useful products such as chemicals, fuels, or construction materials.
• Not a single technology - CCUS is not one technology, but a range of methods and processes aimed at preventing CO₂ emissions. Different industries use different capture, transport, storage, or utilisation techniques.
• Limited deployment so far - Although CCUS technologies have existed for decades, their use has been limited due to high costs, safety concerns, and scaling challenges. Deployment has picked up only recently.
• Global status of CCUS - Most active CCUS projects are currently in the US, Europe, and China. Even so, only about 50 million tonnes of CO₂ are captured annually—less than 0.5% of global emissions.
• Crucial for net-zero goals - With global emissions remaining high, CCUS is increasingly seen as essential. There is no credible pathway to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050 or controlling global warming without large-scale adoption of CCUS technologies.

Budget Push for Carbon Capture in India

• With emissions expected to rise in the near and medium term due to rapid industrialisation and infrastructure expansion, CCUS is crucial for India to meet its long-term net-zero by 2070 commitment.
• India’s CCUS journey so far
  • Since announcing its net-zero goal at the 2021 Glasgow climate summit, India has accelerated efforts to develop indigenous CCUS technologies tailored to domestic conditions.
  • Pilot and demonstration CCUS projects are already running in steel, cement and chemical sectors.
  • Potential large-scale capture and storage sites have been mapped, and Centres of Excellence—such as at IIT Bombay and JNCASR Bengaluru—are driving research.
  • While CCUS science is well understood, major engineering, process and material innovations are needed across capture, transport, storage and utilisation to improve efficiency, safety and affordability.
  • 
• Policy and R&D roadmap
  • In December, the Department of Science and Technology released a CCUS R&D roadmap for 2030, identifying key technology, finance and policy bottlenecks slowing adoption.
• Role of the ₹20,000 crore budget outlay
  • The five-year budget allocation aims to bridge the critical funding gap for field testing and scale-up.
  • Many CCUS solutions have proven laboratory success but require real-world deployment to reach commercial readiness.
  • The funding seeks to raise technology readiness levels so systems can capture or store 100–500 tonnes of CO₂ per day.
  • Experts expect several CCUS technologies to reach commercial deployment in India within five years.

Economic Benefits of CCUS

• Hard-to-abate industries - CCUS is crucial for sectors like steel and cement, where carbon dioxide emissions arise not just from fuel use but are an inherent part of the production process. Switching to renewable power alone cannot eliminate these emissions.
• Only viable decarbonisation route - In cement and steel, most CO₂ emissions come from chemical processes rather than energy consumption. CCUS is therefore the only practical solution to significantly reduce their carbon footprint.
• Budget focus on major emitters - The ₹20,000 crore budget allocation is aimed at end-use CCUS applications in power, steel, cement, refineries and chemicals—industries that together account for the bulk of India’s CO₂ emissions.
• Boosting export competitiveness - Indian exporters in these sectors face carbon-related trade barriers such as the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM). CCUS adoption can help lower embedded emissions, making Indian products more competitive in global markets.

Why in news?

In a significant hearing, the Supreme Court of India sharply questioned the data practices of Meta, the parent company of WhatsApp, suggesting that the extraction of user data may resemble “theft” rather than voluntary exchange.

A three-judge Bench observed that in markets dominated by a few digital platforms, user consent may be illusory, as individuals have little real choice but to accept data-sharing terms. The court indicated that market dominance can convert consent into coercion, raising concerns that go beyond privacy to challenge the very economic foundations of data-driven business models.

The observations signal a possible judicial rethink on how consent, competition, and data ownership are understood in India’s rapidly expanding digital ecosystem, with far-reaching implications for Big Tech regulation in the world’s largest internet market.

What’s in Today’s Article?

• Meta–WhatsApp Regulatory Friction
• Why Meta Took the Dispute to the Supreme Court
• What Happens Next?

Meta–WhatsApp Regulatory Friction

• The dispute began in 2021, when WhatsApp introduced a “take-it-or-leave-it” privacy policy update.
• The revised policy enabled greater data sharing between WhatsApp and its parent company, Meta.
• Although WhatsApp maintained that end-to-end encryption continued to protect message content, regulators flagged concerns over the use of metadata for advertising and business profiling.
• Competition Commission of India’s Intervention
  • The Competition Commission of India (CCI) viewed the update as an abuse of dominant market position.
  • Key observations included:
    • For most Indian users, opting out of WhatsApp is not a realistic choice
    • WhatsApp functions as India’s “digital town square”, making consent effectively coerced
  • Penalty imposed: ₹213.14 crore (≈ $25 million) on Meta
  • While financially modest for a trillion-dollar firm, it marked a strong regulatory signal.
  • Meta challenged the CCI order before the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT).
• NCLAT’s Nuanced Verdict
  • The NCLAT delivered a split decision:
    • Upheld the CCI’s finding that Meta had abused its dominant position
    • Retained the monetary penalty
    • Set aside a critical CCI directive that would have barred Meta from sharing WhatsApp user data with its other entities for five years for advertising purposes
  • The NCLAT’s reasoning rested on:
    • A traditional view of corporate integration, treating data-sharing between parent and subsidiary as a common digital-age practice
    • Concern that a five-year moratorium would be a disproportionate “structural remedy”, potentially disrupting Meta’s platform synergies
    • Preference to let privacy-specific legislation, rather than competition law, govern data flows
• With the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 on the horizon, the tribunal appeared inclined to defer finer questions of consent and data use to the emerging data protection regime.

Why Meta Took the Dispute to the Supreme Court?

• Dissatisfied with both the financial penalty and the reasoning adopted by the NCLAT, Meta appealed to the Supreme Court of India.
• Meta sought relief from what it viewed as excessive regulatory interference in its data-sharing practices and business model.
• Supreme Court’s Hard Line on Market Dominance
  • The apex court showed little inclination to dilute scrutiny.
  • Chief Justice remarked that opting out of WhatsApp in India is akin to “opting out of the country”, underlining the network effects that lock users into dominant digital platforms.
  • This observation reinforced the idea that user consent in monopolistic markets may be illusory.
• Shift from Privacy to Economic Value of Data
  • A more far-reaching argument came from Justice Joymalya Bagchi, who reframed the debate beyond privacy to the economic value of personal data.
  • India’s Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 primarily safeguards informational privacy
  • However, the law is largely silent on “rent-sharing”—who benefits economically when platforms monetise user data
  • Justice Bagchi questioned: if behavioural data of Indian users fuels targeted advertising, who owns the profits generated from that data?
• Towards a ‘Data-as-Property’ Approach
  • The court’s reasoning hinted at a data-as-property framework, aligning India closer to the Digital Services Act of the European Union, rather than the more laissez-faire approach associated with the United States.
  • By impleading the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), the court compelled the government to reflect on a deeper policy question:
    • Is privacy protection alone sufficient, or
    • Does the economic value of citizens’ digital footprints warrant a new form of sovereign and regulatory protection?

What Happens Next?

• Court’s Growing Discomfort with the ‘Free Internet’ Model - The remark that users are “not only consumers, but also products” captures the court’s unease with digital business models built on harvesting personal data. Targeted ads following private conversations are seen as intrusions, not innovation.
• Transparency vs Real Understanding - The court signalled that formal consent does not equal informed consent in a country with uneven digital literacy.
• Ultimatum to Meta - The court has issued a clear warning: Meta must give an undertaking to stop sharing personal data, or risk dismissal of its case and the imposition of “very strict conditions”.
• Message from the Judiciary - The judiciary’s stance is unmistakable—Indian users are no longer passive data sources. The long-tolerated model of invisible data extraction may be nearing its end.