NATIONAL NEWS

Government Approves Two-Phase Digital Census 2027

The central government has approved the 2027 population census to be conducted in two phases in digital mode and will also include caste enumeration. In 1931, the British conducted the last caste census in the country.

On 30th April 2025, the Union Cabinet approved the inclusion of caste enumeration in the forthcoming population census.

Phase I will include house listing, and Phase II will include population enumeration, including caste.

The central government will release the schedule for Phase I and Phase II later in June 2025.

The 2027 Population census will be conducted in digital mode.

There will be a dedicated census portal that will maintain the census data.

The census enumerator will go door to door and collect people’s data on tablets or smartphones linked with the portal.

People can also fill in their details on the census portal. After filling in the data at the portal, a unique ID will be generated and sent to the person's mobile number.

 

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

President of International Institute of Admin Sciences

V. Srinivas of India has been elected President of the Council of Administration of the International Institutte of Administrative Sciences (IIAS) for the 2025-28 term.

He will replace Ra’ed Ben Shams of Bahrain as the President of the Council of Governance. The Council of Governance is the main governing body of the IIAS.

India is represented at the IIAS through the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances.

V. Srinivas is the Secretary, Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances, Government of India.

The General Assembly of the IIAS elects the President of the IIAS Council of Administration.

India hosted the IIAS General Assembly meeting in New Delhi from 10 to 14 February 2025 for the first time.

The process for electing a new president of the IIAS Council of Administration was initiated during the General Assembly meeting in New Delhi.

Four countries, India, Austria, Bahrain, and South Africa, nominated candidates for the IIAS Council of Administration President post.

India nominated V.Srinivas for the Presidency post.

The International Institute of Administrative Sciences (IIAS) is a registered international non-profit organisation in Brussels, Belgium.

India Elected to UN ECOSOC

India has been elected to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) by the United Nations General Assembly on 4 June 2025.

India was one of 18 countries to be elected for a term of three years starting from 1 January 2026. India secured 181 votes out of the 189 countries that voted in the election.

193 countries are members of the United Nations General Assembly.

The ECOSOC is one of the six main organs of the United Nations, and it plays an important role in recommending policies related to economic and social issues.

The ECOSOC is a 54 member body of the United Nations. One-third of the members, or 18, are elected annually by the United Nations General Assembly through secret ballots.

The ECOSOC membership is divided among the United Nations member countries grouped geographically.

 

BANKING

Canara Bank Waives Minimum Balance Penalty for Savings Accounts

Canara Bank has announced the removal of charges for non-maintenance of minimum balance across all types of Savings Bank (SB) accounts.

This waiver applies to regular, salary, and Non-Resident Indians (NRI) accounts.

The policy will be effective from June 1, 2025.

Canara Bank is the first major public sector bank to implement a blanket waiver on minimum balance penalties for all SB account categories.

Earlier, account holders had to maintain a specified Average Monthly Balance (AMB) or face penalties.

With this change, minimum balance fees will no longer apply, providing more flexibility and financial relief to customers.

HDFC Bank’s NBFC Arm, HDB Financial Services, Gets SEBI Nod

HDB Financial Services, a non-banking financial company (NBFC) and arm of HDFC Bank, received approval from Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) to launch one of the largest Initial Public Offerings (IPOs) in the NBFC sector.

This IPO is set to be the largest NBFC IPO and the fifth-largest IPO in the domestic market.

The company filed its Draft Red Herring Prospectus (DRHP) with SEBI in October 2024.

The IPO comprises ₹10,000 crore Offer for Sale (OFS) by HDFC Bank

and ₹2,500 crore Fresh Issue (Total IPO size: ₹12,500 crore

HDB Financial Services is mandated to list by September 2025 as per Reserve Bank of India (RBI) regulations for upper layer NBFCs.

HDFC Bank currently holds 94.36% stake in HDB Financial Services. Post-IPO, HDB Financial Services will remain a subsidiary of HDFC Bank.

RBI Approves Global FinTech Wise for Cross-Border Payment Aggregation

Global FinTech Wise has received in-principle approval from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to operate as a Payment Aggregator – Cross Border for export transactions.

This approval strengthens Wise’s role in India’s cross-border payments ecosystem, especially supporting freelancers and SMEs in the export economy.

India accounts for 10% of all money sent from abroad through Wise’s platform, making it a key market for the company.

Wise has expanded its domestic presence by launching a full-stack office in Hyderabad and appointing Smrithi Ravi as the APAC Head of Engineering.

Wise introduced new product features tailored for India, such as receiving international payments in eight major currencies (USD, GBP, EUR, etc.) through its international account details

Wise operates under its own Authorised Dealer II (AD-II) licence, making transactions faster and more cost-effective

The cost to send INR 1 lakh abroad through Wise is approximately 1.5%.

 

RANKS, INDICES & REPORTS

Khichan And Menar Wetlands In Rajasthan To The Ramsar Sites In India

The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has added Khichan and Menar wetlands in Rajasthan to the Ramsar sites in india. With the addition of these two sites, the total number of Indian wetlands as Ramsar sites stands at 91.

India, with 91 sites, has the largest number of Ramsar Wetland Sites in Asia.

Menar Wetland is a freshwater monsoon wetland formed by the Braham, Dhand and Kherodo ponds.

During the monsoon, the agricultural land adjacent to these ponds is flooded.

It becomes the habitat for 110 species of waterbirds, including 67 migratory birds.

Khichan Wetland site is a desert wetland in the Northern Thar Desert formed by the Ratri River and Vijaysagar Pond.

It is a habitat for over 150 bird species.

 

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

President of the 80th UN General Assembly

Annalena Baerbock, former German Foreign Minister, was elected President of the 80th session of the UN General Assembly.

She won 167 votes in a secret ballot, defeating write-in candidate Helga Schmid who got 7 votes; 14 delegations abstained.

Baerbock is the first woman from the Western European group and the fifth woman overall to hold the post.

At 44 years old, she is one of the youngest leaders to become GA President.

The UN General Assembly presidency rotates among five regional groups.

Her election comes amid global challenges: ongoing conflicts, deadlock in the Security Council, faltering development goals, and the upcoming selection of the next UN Secretary-General.

The Assembly acts as a platform for accountability through initiatives like the Veto Initiative (2022), ensuring issues blocked in the Security Council are debated.

 

IMPORTANT DAYS

World Environment Day

Every year the 5th of June has been observed as World Environment Day to raise awareness about environmental pollution and the need to protect the Earth’s environment.

Theme of the World Environment Day 2025- Beat Plastic Pollution.

The Rajasthan government has launched a statewide “Vande Ganga water conservation campaign” to address the issue of water scarcity in the state.

Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma launched the campaign, which aims to make it a jan bhagidari for water conservation.

The campaign was launched on the 5th of June 2025, which is also World Environment Day.

The campaign also coincides with the Ganga Dusshera, which is being observed on 5th June 2025.

Ganga Dusshera is celebrated to mark the descent of Goddess Ganga from Swarg to Earth.

The Vande Ganga water conservation campaign commenced on 5th June 2025 and will continue till 20th June 2025.

The campaign will be conducted in all 41 districts of the state.

The Karmabhoomi se Matribhumi campaign is inspired by the Catch the rain campaign, which focuses on rainwater collection and recharging of groundwater replenishment.

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