GST revenues up 14% in June amid dependence on imports

The government's Goods and Services Tax (GST) revenue grew 13.9% to 1.95 lakh crore in June 2026 compared with the corresponding period in 2025, the highest year-on-year growth rate in 13 months. However, the bulk of this growth came from imports, with the tax collected from domestic transactions growing far slower.

The data shows that GST revenue from domestic transactions grew 6.5% to about 1.35 lakh crore in June 2026. This made up 69% of the total GST revenue earned that month, down from the 74% share it held in June last year.

Centre fixes wage; VB-G RAM G to offer minimum ₹300 a day

The Central government has fixed a floor wage of ₹300 per day under the Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) Act, 2025, which came into effect on Tuesday replacing the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), 2005.

The 21 States and Union Territories that paid less than 300 per day under the MGNREGA have had their wage rates increased to this level, while States already paying above ₹300 saw more minimal hikes. 

U.S. administration stand dents World Bank's climate finance targets

Following disapproval from the U.S. administration, the World Bank Group (WBG) has indicated that it would do away with its funding target for climate-centric projects.

"We will complete our shift from inputs to out-comes to maximise development impact. We will retire the 45% climate co-benefits target and the 35% target in the Climate Change Action Plan [CCAP]. We have done significant work in answering client demand and needs," the World Bank said in its June 29 statement on its CCAP. Launched in 2020 and over a five-year period ending 2026, the CCAP mandated the WBG to allocate 35% of its total financing for projects that reduced emissions or helped communities adapt to climate change. The goal was increased to 45% in 2023. 

Arunachal clan launches drive to conserve endangered ray-finned fish, sustain tradition

A clan in Arunachal Pradesh has launched an initiative to conserve a Himalayan ray-finned fish with a dual purpose: to protect it from the predatory mahseer and to make traditional community fishing sustainable in the long run.

Often referred to as the 'tiger of the water' in Himalayan and sub-Himalayan rivers, the mahseer is a prized sport fish among anglers. 

The case for building India's coal chemistry capability

There are two ways a country can survive an energy shock: by managing it skilfully through diplomacy, diversification, and fiscal measures, or by reducing dependence on the disrupted resource. India excelled at the first during the disruption in the Strait of Hormuz in 2026, with its refineries demonstrating exceptional technical flexibility in adapting to crude supply disruptions. 

Yes and no

Governments must respect the decision-making of gram sabhas

A new report, based on Rural Development Ministry surveys, opens a rare data-backed window into the erosion of India's grassroots democracy. But where the state has framed the issue as one of "vibrancy", the report high-lights a paradox. It acknowledges that "participation fatigue" has kept citizens from engaging in gram sabhas whereas its solutions, such as more meetings and oversight, are a recipe to further alienate the rural working class. The 73rd Amendment empowers gram sabhas, but governments have reduced them to clearinghouses for central and State schemes. This fundamental aspect must change. 

A unified policy architecture for India's energy future

India has made remarkable progress in transforming its energy landscape over the past decade. From achieving near-universal household electrification and expanding access to clean cooking fuel to becoming one of the world's fastest-growing renewable energy markets, it has demonstrated a strong commitment to ensuring energy access while advancing sustainable development.  

A new identity for Hyderabad

Global Capability Centres (GCCs) have emerged as the new identity of Hyderabad, symbolising a major shift for the Telangana capital. They are a new dimension to a city known for software development and which hosts large facilities of tech giants such as Microsoft, Google, Salesforce, and Amazon. Hyderabad is home to more than 355 GCCS as per reliable estimates. They work in the areas of cybersecurity, supply chain management, cloud computing, Al/ML research etc. 

Under VB-G RAM G, States' expenditure could go up six-fold

The Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G), which completely over-hauls the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), came into force on July 1, despite serious concerns raised by many States.

One of the key concerns is the shifting of a significant part of the financial burden of this landmark employment guarantee scheme, which has been in force since 2005, from the Centre to the States. 

Why has the govt. notified a new set of telecom rules?

The Telecommunications Act, 2023, saw a clutch of rules being notified this month, namely the Telecommunications (Authorisation for Provision of Principal Telecommunication Services) Rules, 2026; the Telecommunications (Authorisation for Captive Telecommunication Services) Rules, 2026; and the Telecommunications (Authorisation for Provision of Miscellaneous Telecommunication Services) Rules, 2026. 

Centre's demography panel to send questionnaire to States

The High-Level Committee Demographic Changes (HLCDC) led by a retired Supreme Court judge is all set to send questionnaires to Chief Secretaries of all States seeking details of population changes and increase in settlements since the last Census was conducted in 2011, a government source told The Hindu.

"We will compare the 2011 Census data with the present scenario to understand the scale of change and will also visit those areas. The questions pertain to changes post 2011 Census," said the source.

The final data for the next Census after 2011, the Population Census 2027, which is being done after a gap of 16 years, are yet to be known. 

Army chief unveils road map 'VIJAY' for a future-ready force

Chief of the Army Staff General Dhiraj Seth on Wednesday unveiled a road map titled "VIJAY", outlining his vision for transforming the Indian Army into a technology-enabled, future-ready force capable of operating across multiple domains. The road map, inspired by the Defence Minister's vision for the Decade of Transformation, was unveiled a day after he assumed charge as the 31st Chief of the Army Staff. 

Over 99% of births, deaths registered in 2024: report

India's latest civil registration data, CRS 2024, released on Wednesday, suggest that registration is improving across the country, and that sex ratio at birth is improving in some places, but progress remains uneven across the States and Union Territories.

India's sex ratio at birth is 917 females per 1,000 males, meaning that 917 girls are born for every 1,000 boys. 

Steep freight costs continue to alarm MSME exporters

For exporters in the small and micro, medium enterprises (MSME) segment, the rise in freight costs due to the West Asia conflict continues to be a burden.

The cost for a 20 twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU) container from Thoothukudi or Kochi to Colombo, which used to be $400, is now $600. There is no sign of the prices reducing yet, said V. Rangaswamy, president of the Coimbatore District Small Industries Association (CODISSIA).

Anthropic's top models Fable, Mythos to return to India

Anthropic PBC, the firm that develops the Al tool Claude, announced on Wednesday that it would resume access to Fable and Mythos, two of its most powerful Large Language Mo-dels (LLMs).

The models had been pulled out globally after the United States government put out an export order restricting their use for anyone who was not a "U.S. person".

The June 12 ban came just days after Indian organisations [it is yet to be announced which] obtained access to Mythos, the more advanced model which has not been made available to the public. Anthropic claims that Mythos is skilled at cybersecurity tasks, specifically combing large codebases to find vulnerabilities that even human reviewers have not discovered for decades. 

Ireland hopeful of delivering on EU-India FTA by year end: Kelly

Finalisation of the India-EU Free Trade Agreement will be among the priorities of the European Union, Ambassador of Ireland Kevin Kelly said on Wednesday.

Speaking at an event here to mark the inauguration of the Irish Presidency of the Council of the Euro-pean Union, Mr. Kelly de-scribed India as one of the "most important strategic partners" of Europe. 

Manufacturing PMI slows to 54.2 in June, second-lowest in 4 years

Manufacturing activity slowed to 54.2 in June, its second-lowest level in four years, according to a private sector survey. This was driven by a broad-based slowdown, including in new orders and output.

The only time the HSBC India Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) was lower during the last four years was in March 2026, the first month of the West Asia conflict. 

U.S., Iran enter technical talks to secure peace deal, restart shipping

The U.S. and Iran held technical talks in Doha on Wednesday as they seek to agree on the flow of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and secure a lasting ceasefire, a source with direct knowledge of the talks and an Iranian official said. 

Unchecked progress in Al may pose grave risks, warns UN panel

Developments in artificial intelligence are outpacing scientific understanding and government policy, meaning there are no guarantees the technology will not cause catastrophic harm, a United Nations independent panel warned on Wednesday.

A preliminary report by the UN's Independent International Scientific Panel on Artificial Intelligence said policymakers face a growing dilemma: they need robust evidence to regulate Al effectively, yet such evidence is struggling to keep pace with the technology's rapid evolution. 

Survival of the wittiest? Scientists debate if wit helped evolve language

By identifying 'living fossils' in modern human speech, some researchers are arguing that language evolved the way life evolved; the theory suggests verbal humour was sexually selected over physical fighting, using visual brain regions to build the foundation of complex grammar.