August 2025 Current Affairs Part-1
- Pradhan Mantri Viksit Bharat Rozgar Yojana (PM-VBRY) – Launched 15 August 2025
On 15 August 2025, PM Modi announced the Pradhan Mantri Viksit Bharat Rozgar Yojana, a ₹1 lakh crore Employment Linked Incentives scheme under the “Viksit Bharat 2047” vision. It targets creation of 3.5 crore jobs in two years, offering wage support to youth and hiring incentives to employers.
Key Points:
- Scheme Outlay & Timeline: ₹99,446 crore approved; job generation valid from 1 August 2025 to 31 July 2027.
- Beneficiaries: Aims to create 3.5 crore jobs, with nearly 1.92 crore first-time workers supported.
- Dual Incentives: Part A supports employees (e.g., partial wage support); Part B incentivizes employers for job creation.
- Implementation Mode: Benefits transferred directly to beneficiaries for transparency and efficiency.
- Link with Vision: Aligns with “Viksit Bharat 2047”, turning demographic potential into formal employment-led growth.
The PM-VBRY is a critical instrument to translate India’s demographic dividend into sustainable growth. By blending employee-driven wage support with employer incentives, it fosters immediate job creation while embedding long-term structural reform.
UPSC Prelims‑style MCQs:
- The Pradhan Mantri Viksit Bharat Rozgar Yojana (PM-VBRY), launched on 15 August 2025, aims to create how many jobs?
- A) 1 crore
- B) 2 crore
- C) 3.5 crore
- D) 5 crore
- Under PM-VBRY, scheme benefits are designed to be transferred:
- A) Through state governments
- B) Via banks only
- C) Directly to beneficiaries
- D) Through NGOs
- Which aspect of PM-VBRY refers to financial support to employers for job generation?
- A) Part A
- B) Part B
- C) Part C
- D) Part D
- The PM-VBRY scheme is intended to operate within which timeline?
- A) Aug 2025 – Jul 2027
- B) Jan 2025 – Dec 2026
- C) Aug 2025 – Aug 2028
- D) Jan 2026 – Dec 2027
- Next‑Generation GST Reforms – Effective from 22 September 2025
As announced under India’s “Next‑Generation GST Reforms,” the GST Council on 3 September streamlined the tax system into two rate slabs—5% (merit) and 18% (standard)—plus a 40% demerit rate for sin and luxury goods. Additionally, essential items and insurance received tax relief; reforms aim to simplify compliance and boost affordability.
Key Points:
- Simplified Slab Structure: GST reduced from four slabs (5%, 12%, 18%, 28%) to two—5% and 18%—with 40% applied only to sin and luxury goods.
- Tax Relief for Common Goods: Everyday essentials—from toiletries and packaged foods to soap, hair oil, butter, and paneer—now attract reduced or zero GST.
- Insurance Exemption: All individual life and health insurance policies (including ULIPs and senior citizen plans) are now fully exempt from GST.
- Rationalization & Structural Reforms: The reform corrects inverted duty structures, resolves classification disputes, and improves compliance through facilitation measures.
- Effective Date & Impact: Implemented from 22 September 2025. Expected to lower consumer prices, boost demand, and reinforce ease of doing business.
This overhaul marks a bold policy reset—from complexity to citizen-centricity. By aligning taxation with consumption patterns and prioritizing transparency, the reforms simultaneously ease household burdens and modernize the compliance architecture, signaling India’s taxation maturity and fiscal sensitivity.
UPSC Prelims‑style MCQs (choose correct answer):
- Under the “Next‑Generation GST Reforms” of 2025, what are the standard and merit slabs?
- A) 5% and 12%
- B) 5% and 18%
- C) 12% and 18%
- D) 18% and 28%
- Which category is entirely exempt from GST under the 2025 reforms?
- A) Motorcycles under 350cc
- B) Small cars
- C) Individual life and health insurance policies
- D) Beauty and wellness services
- The demerit GST rate of 40% applies to:
- A) Essential food items
- B) Indian breads and paneer
- C) Sin and super luxury goods
- D) Agricultural inputs
- From what date did the 2025 Next‑Generation GST Reforms become effective?
- A) Diwali 2025
- B) 15 August 2025
- C) 22 September 2025
- D) 1 January 2026
- Environment Audit Rules, 2025 – Notified on 29 August 2025
The Environment Audit Rules, 2025 were notified to formalize and institutionalize environmental auditing in India. They aim to transition from punitive enforcement to a proactive compliance regime by introducing certified auditors, audit frameworks, and oversight mechanisms—marking a major step toward accountable ecological governance.
Key Points:
- Introduces a two-tier environmental audit system for industries, replacing inconsistent monitoring norms.
- Requires mandatory registration and certification of Environmental Auditors to ensure professionalism.
- Designates a national agency to accredit auditors, manage quality control, and ensure oversight.
- Ensures audit reports are submitted annually, including emission records, mitigation plans, and compliance status.
- Designed to complement—rather than replace—existing pollution control board functions and environmental laws.
This reform signals a shift from reactive policing to structured environmental accountability. By embedding third-party audit systems into regulatory architecture, the state builds capacity for both enforcement and self-regulation—paving the way for transparent and investor-friendly environmental governance.
UPSC Prelims‑style MCQs:
- The Environment Audit Rules, 2025 aim primarily to:
- A) Regulate construction near protected forests
- B) Institutionalize certified environmental audits
- C) Promote solar manufacturing industries
- D) Replace the Environment Protection Act, 1986
- Which of the following is a key feature of the 2025 audit rules?
- A) Carbon pricing mechanism
- B) Compulsory annual environmental audits
- C) Disbanding of State Pollution Control Boards
- D) Creation of an Environment Tribunal
- The Environment Audit Rules are administered under which Ministry?
- A) Ministry of Power
- B) Ministry of Finance
- C) Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change
- D) Ministry of Law and Justice
- Which of these is true under the new rules?
- A) All pollution control boards are abolished
- B) Only multinationals require audits
- C) Audit reports must include compliance and mitigation data
D) Forests are now fully privatized
