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- Why in News?
- The Central Empowered Committee (CEC), set up by the Supreme Court to oversee environmental matters, has submitted a report on the management of Compensatory Afforestation (CA) Funds.
- Key Provisions:-
- The report states that India has achieved 85% of its overall CA target between 2019–20 and 2023–24. CA refers to afforestation efforts undertaken to compensate for forest land diverted for non-forestry purposes under the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980. The Compensatory Afforestation Fund Act, 2016—arising from the Supreme Court's directions in T.N. Godavarman v. Union of India—established CAMPA bodies at national and state levels to manage CA funds.
- However, CEC pointed out issues like delays in Annual Plan of Operation (APO) submissions, redundant approvals, understaffed CAMPA offices, monitoring gaps, and fund misuse. The Committee recommended stronger institutional coordination, regular meetings of CAMPA bodies, improved transparency via geo-tagging and digital platforms (e.g., e-Green Watch, PARIVESH 2.0), and streamlined fund disbursal mechanisms.
- Why in News?
- India's digital payment ecosystem has experienced remarkable growth, recording over 65,000 crore transactions valued at more than ₹12,000 lakh crore in the past six financial years. This surge reflects the country's rapid shift toward a cashless economy.
- Key Provisions:-
- To track this transformation, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has developed the Digital Payments Index (DPI), which is released biannually. The DPI is designed to gauge the level of digital payment adoption nationwide. It evaluates four key dimensions: Payment Enablers, Payment Infrastructure (both demand and supply-side factors), Payment Performance, and Consumer Centricity.
- According to the latest RBI-DPI update, digital payment penetration in India has expanded more than four times since 2018. This steady progress highlights growing user trust, better infrastructure, and policy initiatives driving digital financial inclusion across urban and rural regions alike. The DPI continues to serve as a crucial benchmark for monitoring India’s digital economy journey.
- Why in News?
- The Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship recently highlighted the Social Impact Bond (SIB) as a successful example of achieving tangible social outcomes.
- Key Provisions:-
- SIB is India's first Development Impact Bond specifically focused on skill development and employment generation. Launched in 2021, the initiative aims to train and place 50,000 young Indians in jobs over a span of four years, with a strong emphasis on gender inclusion—targeting 60% of the beneficiaries to be women.
- This results-based financing model is implemented by the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship through the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC). Under this model, private investors fund the program initially, and the government repays them only upon the achievement of agreed-upon outcomes, such as employment and retention rates.
- SIB represents a shift toward outcome-oriented funding in public programs, encouraging accountability, innovation, and partnerships to address India’s growing demand for skilled labor.