Current Affairs, 10 April 2026

Launch

The Womaniya initiative on GeM was introduced in 2019.

Ministry

It works under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

Onboarding

Women MSEs are onboarded digitally through Udyam verification and essential documents.

Procurement target

Women MSEs got 5.6% of GeM's total orders, above the mandated 3% target.

GeM launch

GeM was launched in 2016 as a paperless, cashless and contactless procurement platform.

Don’t confuse with Womaniya vs SWAYATT: Womaniya is for women MSEs and SHGs only. SWAYATT is the wider GeM programme covering startups, women, youth, MSEs, SHGs and marginalised groups.

Don’t confuse with SHG vs MSE: An SHG is an informal group of about 10 to 20 members who pool savings. An MSE is a registered enterprise, verified through Udyam.

Schemes: 52 Prelims questions since 2013, 10 in Prelims 2026 alone. They test features, the period and who funds it. In Mains, 33 news-triggered questions, mostly GS3.

1. 2017Mains GS2 · Q16Examine SHGs' role in development and government measures to promote them.
2. 2014Mains GS2 · Q11Do schemes protecting resources for backward communities exclude them from urban business?
3. 2020Mains GS2 · Q17Evaluate SHGs' role in microfinance, asset creation, and women's empowerment.
4. 2016Prelims Q26Which statements on Stand Up India scheme for SC/ST and women entrepreneurs are correct?

UPSC’s own questions that come close to this issue, from our Prelims and Mains banks.

Length and cost

The corridor is 213 km long, six-lane and access-controlled, built at over ₹12,000 crore.

States covered

It passes through Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

Elevated wildlife corridor

A 12 km elevated wildlife corridor is described as one of the longest in Asia.

Other wildlife features

Eight animal passes, two elephant underpasses of 200 m each, and a 370 m tunnel near the Daat Kali temple.

Traffic management

The corridor has an Advanced Traffic Management System (ATMS).

Publishers

The report was released by NHAI in collaboration with the Wildlife Institute of India.

Study area

The study covered an 18 km stretch between Ganeshpur and Asharodi, split into three zones.

Method

A 40-day monitoring used 150 camera traps and 29 AudioMoth acoustic recorders.

Noise effect

Generalists like golden jackal and wild boar tolerate traffic noise; elephants and spotted deer prefer quieter segments.

Don’t confuse with Elevated corridor vs underpass: An elevated stretch lets animals pass beneath a raised road; an underpass is a tunnel-like passage under a road at ground level. Both are wildlife crossing structures.

Don’t confuse with Underpass vs overpass: An underpass lets animals pass beneath the road, often under an elevated section; an overpass (green bridge) carries them over it.

Don’t confuse with WII vs NHAI: WII is the research body that did the study; NHAI is the highway builder that commissioned and released it.

Reports and indices: 14 Prelims questions since 2013; they test who publishes a report and what it measures.

1. 2019Mains GS1 · Q15How to restore mountain ecosystems damaged by development and tourism.
2. 2026Mains GS3 · Q7How to manage infrastructure development versus disaster-risk reduction in ecologically sensitive areas.
3. 2016Mains GS3 · Q14Measures to mitigate rehabilitation impacts of major development projects.
4. 2023Prelims Q10Which statements on India's connectivity projects and economic corridors are correct?

UPSC’s own questions that come close to this issue, from our Prelims and Mains banks.

Who and what

NSO under MoSPI did the first such effort in decades to estimate key indicators for unincorporated construction and own-account household construction.

Link to ASUSE

The pilot ran with ASUSE 2025 in the same FSUs, from July to December 2025.

Use in national accounts

Findings helped the National Accounts Division update rates and ratios for construction in the new series of national accounts.

Coverage

Construction was defined as NIC 2008 two-digit codes 41, 42 and 43.

Don’t confuse with ASUSE vs ASISSE: ASUSE covers unincorporated enterprises. ASISSE is the new annual survey of incorporated services sector enterprises, which is to cover incorporated construction.

Don’t confuse with GVA vs NVA: GVA is output minus intermediate consumption. NVA is GVA minus depreciation (consumption of fixed capital).

Reports and indices: 14 Prelims questions since 2013; they test who publishes a report and what it measures.

1. 2023Mains GS3 · Q11Examine the methodology for computing unemployment in India and suggest improvements.
2. 2017Mains GS4 · Q13Ethical response to a illegal building collapse killing migrant construction labourers.

UPSC’s own questions that come close to this issue, from our Prelims and Mains banks.

Status and parent ministry

NSFDC is a Central Public Sector Enterprise under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.

Who evaluated it

An external agency, DOORS, did the impact study in FY 2025-26 on a sample basis.

Loan use and assets

93.34% used the aid for the intended purpose and 93.54% still hold the assets created.

Self-employment

Self-employed beneficiaries rose from 46.62% to 73.95% after assistance.

Women

Of 705 homemakers, 674 (95.60%) became self-employed.

Record disbursement

NSFDC disbursed ₹775.26 crore in FY 2025–26, up 27% on the previous year and its highest ever.

VISVAS Yojana

This interest subvention scheme saw ₹26.09 crore disbursed to 98,748 individuals.

SEED Scheme

₹11.18 crore went to 1,450 Self Help Groups across four States.

NFSC

Under the National Fellowship Scheme for Scheduled Castes, ₹215.39 crore supported 4,219 scholars in higher education.

Capital and cumulative reach

Authorised share capital is ₹1,800 crore and paid-up capital ₹1,515 crore. Cumulative disbursement is ₹9,567.14 crore, reaching over 16.96 lakh people by 31 March 2026.

Don’t confuse with NSFDC vs NSKFDC: NSFDC serves Scheduled Caste persons. The National Safai Karamcharis Finance and Development Corporation (NSKFDC) serves safai karamcharis and scavengers.

Schemes: 52 Prelims questions since 2013, 10 in Prelims 2026 alone. They test features, the period and who funds it. In Mains, 33 news-triggered questions, mostly GS3.

1. 2014Mains GS2 · Q11Whether welfare protections for backward communities exclude them from urban business establishment.
2. 2020Mains GS2 · Q17Evaluate microfinance and SHGs for asset creation, income security, and women's empowerment.
3. 2023Mains GS2 · Q18Analyse linkages between education, skill development, and employment, given skilling programmes' success.
4. 2024Mains GS1 · Q18Why underprivileged sections don't get full affirmative action benefits despite policies
5. 1999Prelims Q22Which social group had highest poverty per 1990s government statistics, including Scheduled Castes
6. 2026Prelims Q59Statements on the Parliamentary Committee on Welfare of SCs and STs: composition and chairperson.
7. 2026Prelims Q57Statements on SC/ST constitutional provisions: Fifth Schedule, tax exemptions, Panchayat seat reservation.

UPSC’s own questions that come close to this issue, from our Prelims and Mains banks.

Publisher

NITI Aayog released both reports. Its Vice Chairman, Suman Bery, and MoS (Independent Charge) Science & Technology, Dr Jitendra Singh, released them.

Two reports

The reports are the main report and a separate survey report. They were released on 9 April 2026 in New Delhi.

Scale of the exercise

The work took about nine months. It reached 400+ institutional leaders and drew on 850+ scientists and researchers.

Focus areas

Recommendations cover funding mechanisms, institutional governance, regulatory frameworks and research translation.

Private sector role

Speakers urged more private participation in R&D funding, including through CSR, and greater flexibility in financial norms.

Don’t confuse with NITI Aayog vs Office of Principal Scientific Adviser: NITI Aayog is the government's policy think tank and produced these reports. The Principal Scientific Adviser advises the government on science policy; he spoke at the launch but was not the publisher.

Reports and indices: 14 Prelims questions since 2013; they test who publishes a report and what it measures.

1. 2015Mains GS3 · Q12Robots for hazardous labour; boosting research in premier institutes
2. 2014Mains GS3 · Q10Why university science research is declining; critically comment on career attractiveness
3. 2016Mains ESSAY · Q4Innovation as the key determinant of growth and welfare

UPSC’s own questions that come close to this issue, from our Prelims and Mains banks.

Why old records fail

Boundaries were recorded on traverse sketches and non-geo-referenced maps. This caused misclassified forest, untraceable encroachment and overlapping Forest Rights Act claims.

Funding and timeline

Each State/UT must make a time-bound action plan in its Annual Plan of Operations for 2026-27, funded from NPV under Rule 5(3)(g) of the CAF Rules, 2018, over three years.

Role of National Authority

It will be the apex body for policy oversight, technical standards, a National Technical Partner, a central National GIS Repository, and quality monitoring.

Don’t confuse with NPV vs compensatory afforestation levy: Net Present Value is paid for the loss of forest ecosystem services on diversion. The compensatory afforestation charge pays for planting trees on other land. Both go into the CAMPA funds.

Environment: Prelims tests bodies, programmes and the law behind them; Mains asks why plans fall short.

1. 2020Mains GS1 · Q17Examine status of India's forest resources and impact on climate change.
2. 2025Mains GS4 · Q8Ethical case for diverting ecologically sensitive forest land for housing the poor.

UPSC’s own questions that come close to this issue, from our Prelims and Mains banks.