NPS Vatsalya Scheme Guidelines 2025

Context: The Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) has issued the NPS Vatsalya Scheme Guidelines 2025, providing comprehensive information on the National Pension System (NPS) Vatsalya Scheme.

National Pension System Vatsalya (NPS Vatsalya) Scheme Guidelines 2025

• Scheme Nature & Objective: NPS Vatsalya is a specific-purpose contributory pension scheme for minors, aimed at nurturing a culture of savings, financial literacy, and long-term financial security from an early age.
• Eligibility & Account Operation: The scheme is open to Indian citizens, NRIs, and OCIs below 18 years. The account is opened and operated by a parent or legal guardian, while the minor remains the sole beneficiary until attaining majority.
• Contributions & Investment: The minimum contribution is ₹250 per year, with flexibility for higher contributions. Funds are invested through PFRDA-registered Pension Funds across government securities, debt, money market instruments, and equity, with equity exposure up to 75%.
• Transition on Attaining Majority: On turning 18 years, the subscriber must complete fresh KYC and can either seamlessly migrate to the regular NPS (All Citizen Model), partially withdraw as per norms, or exit subject to corpus-based conditions.
• Withdrawal & Exit Provisions: Partial withdrawals (up to 25% of contributions) are permitted after three years for education, specified illnesses, or severe disability.
• Regulation & Oversight: The scheme is regulated by PFRDA under the PFRDA Act, 2013, governed by the NPS Vatsalya Scheme Guidelines 2025, issued under Section 14 of the Act, with defined rules for charges, grievance redressal, and stakeholder responsibilities.

National Pension System Vatsalya (NPS Vatsalya)

• NPS Vatsalya is a contributory long-term savings and financial security scheme for minors, announced in the Union Budget 2024–25 and launched on 18 September 2024 by the Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs.
• The scheme enables parents or legal guardians to open and contribute to a pension account in the name of a minor, promoting early financial planning and wealth creation through compounding.
• Contributions made during childhood help build a corpus for long-term financial security, instilling disciplined savings habits from an early age.
• Upon attaining majority (18 years), the account can be seamlessly transitioned to the regular National Pension System (NPS), ensuring continuity of pension savings.

India’s Electric Vehicle Sales Reach 2.3 Million in 2025

Context: The electric vehicle sector in India showed rapid expansion in 2025, reflecting policy support, rising investments and faster adoption across states and vehicle segments.

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• The report was published by the India Energy Storage Alliance (IESA), highlighting strong growth across segments and regions.

• The electric vehicle market accounted for 8 percent of new vehicle registrations in 2025, with total sales reaching 2.3 million units as per data from the Vahan Portal.

• The electric two-wheeler segment led growth with 1.28 million units sold, accounting for 57 percent of total EV sales.
• The electric three-wheeler segment recorded 0.8 million units, contributing 35 percent of EV sales, driven mainly by urban and last-mile mobility demand.
• The electric four-wheeler segment sold 1.75 lakh units, with rising adoption in small and light commercial electric goods carriers.

• The broader automobile market recorded 28.2 million vehicle registrations in 2025, with two-wheelers forming 72 percent of total sales.

• The state of Uttar Pradesh emerged as the largest EV market with over 4 lakh units, followed by Maharashtra and Karnataka.

• The smaller states showed faster adoption as Tripura recorded an EV to ICE ratio of 18 percent and Delhi and Assam recorded 14 percent each.

• The electric vehicle sector attracted over 1.4 billion dollars in funding in 2025, marking a 27 percent increase over 2024.

India Energy Storage Alliance (IESA)

• IESA, founded in 2012, is a leading industry alliance focused on the development of advanced energy storage, green hydrogen, and e-mobility technologies in India.

• IESA’s vision is to make India a global hub for R&D, manufacturing, and adoption of advanced energy storage, e-mobility, and green hydrogen technologies.

• The headquarters of the India Energy Storage Alliance (IESA) is located in Pune, Maharashtra.

APEDA Inaugurates Regional Office in Raipur

Context: The Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) inaugurated its regional office in Raipur during the 2nd India International Rice Summit held in Chhattisgarh.

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• The new regional office is expected to support agriculture and processed food exports from Chhattisgarh by acting as a facilitation and coordination hub.
• The office will provide export registration advisory services, market intelligence certification support, infrastructure facilitation and market linkages to farmers, producer organisations, cooperatives and exporters.
• Chhattisgarh has strong export potential due to its high-quality non-basmati rice varieties and GI-tagged products such as Jeeraphool Rice and Nagri Dubraj Rice.
• The state also produces fruits, vegetables and minor forest produce, including mahua, tamarind and medicinal plants, which offer opportunities for export diversification.
• The Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh stated that the APEDA office is a step towards connecting farmers with the global economy and promoting high-value, sustainable agricultural exports.
• The APEDA regional office in Raipur has already facilitated exports of fortified rice kernels to Costa Rica and Papua New Guinea.
• The inauguration coincided with the India International Rice Summit and a Chintan Shivir, which focused on boosting exports of organic and non-basmati rice, including GI-tagged varieties.

Agricultural and Processed Food Export Development Authority (APEDA)

• It was established by the Government of India under the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority Act passed by the Parliament in 1985. 

• APEDA is mandated with the responsibility of export promotion and development of scheduled products under the APEDA Act.

• The following functions have been assigned to the Authority.

• Development of industries relating to the scheduled products for export. 
• Registration of persons as exporters of the scheduled products. 
• Fixing of standards and specifications for the scheduled products for the purpose of exports;
• Carrying out inspection of meat and meat products in slaughter houses, processing plants, storage premises, conveyances or other places where such products are kept or handled for the purpose of ensuring the quality of such products

Henley Passport Index 2026

Context: Recently, the Henley Passport Index 2026 was released in which India improved to 80th rank compared to the 85th rank the country had in 2025.

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• The Indian passport grants holders visa-free entry to a total of 55 destinations around the world.
• According to the most recent data, Singapore retained its position as the world’s most powerful passport for the third consecutive year in 2026, offering visa-free access to 192 of the 227 destinations assessed.
• Japan and South Korea are tied for second place, each offering visa-free access to 188 destinations.
• Denmark, Luxembourg, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland occupy the third spot, with their passports granting visa-free access to 186 destinations.
• Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, the Netherlands, and Norway share the fourth position in the Henley Passport Index 2026, each offering visa-free entry to 185 destinations.
• Hungary, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, and the UAE round out the top five in this year’s Henley Passport Index, providing visa-free access to 184 destinations.
• The United States slipped to 10th place in the Henley Passport Index 2026, with visa-free access to 179 destinations.
• Pakistan rose five places to 98th in the 2026 ranking but remains near the bottom, with visa-free access to just 31 destinations, alongside Yemen.
• Only Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan are ranked below Pakistan in the Henley Passport Index 2026.

About Henley Passport Index 2026

• The annual Henley Passport Index ranks all the world’s passports according to the number of destinations their holders can access without a prior visa. 
• The index is based on exclusive data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA). 
• The 2026 Henley Passport Index compared the visa-free access of 199 different passports to 227 travel destinations.

Renewable Energy and Jobs Annual Report 2025

Context: Recently, the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and the International Labour Organisation (ILO) released a report, Renewable Energy and Jobs – Annual Review 2025 

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• According to a 2025 IRENA–ILO report, Renewable energy job growth slowed for the first time, even as global installations hit a record.

• Employment rose just 2.3% from 2023 to 16.6 million in 2024, reflecting geopolitical tensions, geoeconomic frictions, and increased automation. 

• Workforce growth remains uneven: 

• China led renewable energy employment with an estimated 7.3 million jobs, accounting for 44% of the global total.
• The European Union maintained 1.8 million jobs, unchanged from 2023.
• Brazil employed 1.4 million in the sector.
• India and the United States saw modest growth, reaching approximately 1.3 million and 1.1 million jobs, respectively.  

• The report emphasised the need for greater inclusion and equity in the renewable energy workforce, highlighting that women and people with disabilities continue to be significantly underrepresented.

• Renewable Energy and Jobs Globally: 

• Solar photovoltaics (PV) remained the largest renewable energy employer, driven by rapid growth in installations and panel manufacturing, with 7.3 million jobs in 2024.

                Asia dominated the PV workforce, hosting 75% of global solar jobs,

• Liquid biofuels ranked second, employing 2.6 million people worldwide.
• Hydropower supported 2.3 million jobs.
• Wind energy provided 1.9 million jobs.

Second Global Summit on Blue Food Security: Sea the Future

Context: The ‘Second Global Summit on Blue Food Security: Sea the Future’ was held in Eilat, Israel from January 13 to 15. 

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• The Fisheries Minister of India participated in the global summit on blue food security, focused on enhancing food production in extreme climates through breakthrough technologies.

• Minister to meet CEOs of leading Israeli companies and startups in agriculture, fisheries, and aquaculture, underscoring the growing strategic and economic engagement between India and Israel.

• Blue foods are derived from aquatic animals, plants, or algae that are caught or cultivated in freshwater and marine environments.

• The global Discussions aimed to boost bilateral cooperation via policy alignment, institutional partnerships, and the promotion of sustainable fisheries and modern aquaculture technologies.

• The programme includes visits to key institutions and innovation hubs, providing insights into Israel’s cutting-edge technological ecosystem in fisheries and aquaculture.

• The discussions are expected to focus on:

• Strengthening bilateral cooperation through policy alignment and institutional partnerships
• Promoting sustainable fisheries management and modern aquaculture technologies
• Enhancing research, capacity building, and innovation linkages
• Facilitating trade and investment through improved market access and standards
• Advancing joint R&D in advanced aquaculture
• Supporting the blue economy agenda, with emphasis on sustainability, climate resilience, and food security