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- The United Nations Development Programme’s 2025 Human Development Report, titled "A Matter of Choice: People and Possibilities in the Age of AI," emphasizes the growing influence of artificial intelligence in shaping future development. India climbed three places to rank 130 out of 193 countries, remaining in the medium human development category with an HDI value of 0.685.
- Life expectancy in India reached a record 72 years in 2023, and the average years of schooling rose to 13. However, challenges persist—India’s GNI per capita ranks seven spots below its HDI rank, and gender inequality remains a concern, with India ranking 102nd on the Gender Inequality Index.
- Globally, human development progress has slowed to its weakest pace since 1990, with widening disparities. On the AI front, India leads in self-reported AI skills, ranks 4th in the Global AI Index, and retains 20% of its AI researchers domestically—up from near-zero in 2019.
- While hearing a bail application, the Supreme Court observed the lack of a clear legal framework governing virtual currencies in India. It compared cryptocurrency trading—particularly Bitcoin—to a more advanced version of the traditional Hawala system, citing similarities in anonymity and informality. Cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum operate on blockchain technology, a decentralized and transparent digital ledger.
- Unlike fiat currencies, they function independently of central banks and lack intrinsic value.
- Hawala, meanwhile, is an informal value transfer system where funds move through a trusted network of brokers without actual cash transfers.
- The Court highlighted how nodes in a blockchain resemble hawaladars, maintaining the system through mutual trust and consensus. Both systems operate outside traditional banking structures, making them vulnerable to illicit use.
They are cost-effective, avoid regulatory fees, and lack transaction transparency—cryptocurrencies through encrypted anonymity, and hawala via undocumented cash deals. This convergence raises concerns over financial security and regulatory oversight.
- The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has notified the Cashless Treatment Scheme for Road Accident Victims, 2025, under the authority of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988.
- The scheme ensures that any individual injured in a road accident involving a motor vehicle on public roads is eligible for cashless treatment up to ₹1.5 lakh for seven days at designated hospitals.
- These include facilities empanelled under Ayushman Bharat. The State Road Safety Council acts as the nodal agency, while hospitals submit claims verified by the State Health Agency and reimbursed from the Motor Vehicle Accident Fund within 10 days.
- Oversight is provided by a MoRTH-chaired committee. The scheme is part of broader efforts to reduce India’s high road accident rate—4.6 lakh cases and 1.68 lakh deaths reported in 2022.
- Complementary measures include stricter penalties under the Motor Vehicles Act, road safety audits, the e-DAR project, and incentives for Good Samaritans aiding victims.