18 Aug 2026 - "Daily Current Affairs" Updates

Madan Lal Dhingra

Modern Indian History | Revolutionary Nationalism

WHY IN NEWS:

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla paid tribute to Madan Lal Dhingra on his martyrdom day, highlighting his courage, patriotism and sacrifice.

IN ONE LINE: Madan Lal Dhingra was a revolutionary freedom fighter associated with India House and Abhinav Bharat who assassinated Curzon Wyllie in London in 1909.

Early life and ideological influence

• Born in 1883 in Amritsar, Punjab, into an affluent family.

• He received his early education in Amritsar and later studied in Lahore.

• In 1906, he moved to Britain and enrolled at University College London to study engineering.

• He was deeply influenced by the revolutionary ideas and strategies of Vinayak Damodar Savarkar and Shyamji Krishna Varma.

Assassination of Curzon Wyllie

• On 1 July 1909, Dhingra shot Sir Curzon Wyllie at a gathering at London's Imperial Institute.

• He viewed the act as a protest against British colonial rule and as retaliation for the oppression and execution of Indian freedom fighters.

• During his trial, he described the act as a patriotic duty and as retaliation for killings of Indians by the British Government.

Martyrdom and return of remains

• He was found guilty and hanged on 17 August 1909.

• He attained martyrdom at the age of 24.

• His family had disowned him because of his anti-British revolutionary activities and refused to claim his body.

• His mortal remains were repatriated to India on 13 December 1976.

Key associations

• India House: A major centre of Indian nationalist and revolutionary activity in London, founded by Shyamji Krishna Varma.

• Abhinav Bharat Mandal: A secret revolutionary organisation founded by Vinayak Damodar Savarkar and Ganesh Savarkar.

MEMORY LOCK: Madan Lal Dhingra | 1883 Amritsar | UCL in 1906 | Savarkar + Shyamji Krishna Varma | Curzon Wyllie, 1 July 1909 | hanged 17 Aug 1909 | India House | Abhinav Bharat

CHECK YOUR RECALL

1. Which two revolutionary thinkers strongly influenced Madan Lal Dhingra?

2. Whom did Dhingra assassinate, and where?

3. Name the two revolutionary organisations or centres associated with him.

FAST-DS

Taxation | Foreign assets | One-time disclosure

WHY IN NEWS: The Government notified the Foreign Assets of Small Taxpayers - Disclosure Scheme (FAST-DS) as a one-time voluntary disclosure mechanism for eligible taxpayers.

IN ONE LINE: FAST-DS is a one-time disclosure scheme under Chapter IV of the Finance Act, 2026, covering certain undisclosed or undeclared foreign assets and foreign income.

What can be disclosed?

• The scheme enables eligible taxpayers to voluntarily declare certain undisclosed foreign assets, undisclosed foreign income or undeclared foreign assets by paying the prescribed tax or fee.

• For the scheme, an 'asset' includes immovable property, jewellery, artistic works, shares, securities and other assets or income held abroad.

Category 1 - undisclosed foreign assets or income

• Covers foreign assets or foreign income that were not previously disclosed or offered to tax.

• Aggregate threshold: up to ₹1 crore.

• Tax: 30% of the fair market value of the asset or 30% of undisclosed income.

• Additional payment: another 30% income tax in lieu of penalty.

• Benefit: immunity from prosecution and penalties relating to valid disclosures.

Category 2 - previously taxed but undeclared foreign assets

• Covers foreign assets already offered to tax, or assets acquired while the taxpayer was a non-resident, but not reported in the relevant income-tax return schedule.

• Threshold: asset value up to ₹5 crore.

• Declaration fee: fixed ₹1 lakh.

• Benefit: immunity from penalties and prosecution for valid declarations.

What immunity does FAST-DS provide?

• Protection from further penalties relating to the disclosed assets or income.

• Protection from prosecution under the Black Money (Undisclosed Foreign Income and Assets) and Imposition of Tax Act, 2015.

• Eligible disclosures are treated as a final settlement for the declared foreign assets or income.

MEMORY LOCK: FAST-DS | Finance Act 2026, Chapter IV | Category 1: ₹1 crore + 30% tax + 30% additional tax | Category 2: ₹5 crore + ₹1 lakh fee | immunity from penalty/prosecution

CHECK YOUR RECALL

1. What is the threshold under Category 1 of FAST-DS?

2. What payment is required under Category 2?

3. Which 2015 law is specifically mentioned in relation to prosecution immunity?

RSVC-AMRIT Platform

Rural innovation | Technology transfer | NABARD + OPSA

WHY IN NEWS: The Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India launched the RSVC-AMRIT Platform.

IN ONE LINE: RSVC-AMRIT is the digital backbone of the RuTAGe Smart Village Centre ecosystem, designed to support rural technology discovery, validation, deployment, collaboration and knowledge management.

Who developed it and why?

• Developed by NABARD in collaboration with the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser (OPSA) to the Government of India.

• It supports rural innovation, technology transfer and wider adoption of appropriate technologies in rural areas.

• It covers the full RSVC lifecycle - from technology discovery and validation to deployment tracking, collaboration, monitoring and knowledge management.

• It is intended to progressively connect innovators, technology providers, startups, validators, accelerators, implementation partners, funding agencies, academic institutions and rural communities.

Key functions

• Technology discovery: identifying suitable technologies for rural applications.

• Validation support: assessing technologies before large-scale deployment.

• Deployment tracking: monitoring implementation in rural areas.

• Knowledge management: maintaining a central repository of information, experiences and best practices.

• Collaboration: bringing multiple rural technology stakeholders onto a common framework.

RuTAG - the institutional background

• Rural Technology Action Group (RuTAG) is an initiative of the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser.

• It was launched in 2004.

• It was conceptualised to provide a higher level of Science and Technology intervention for rural areas.

• RuTAG works with NGOs, Self-Help Groups, community organisations and startups to identify sector-specific rural technology needs.

• It supports demand-driven technologies, prototype validation, scalability assessment and commercialisation.

MEMORY LOCK: RSVC-AMRIT = NABARD + OPSA | digital backbone of RSVC | discover -> validate -> deploy -> track -> share knowledge | RuTAG launched 2004 | demand-driven rural technologies

CHECK YOUR RECALL

1. Which two institutions developed RSVC-AMRIT?

2. List the main stages of the technology lifecycle supported by the platform.

3. When was RuTAG launched and what is its broad purpose?

Leucas droupadiae

Biodiversity | New plant species | Coromandel Coast

WHY IN NEWS: Botanists discovered a previously unknown plant species named Leucas droupadiae along the sandy shores of the Coromandel Coast.

IN ONE LINE: Leucas droupadiae is a newly discovered Lamiaceae plant from coastal dunes in Cuddalore district, Tamil Nadu, provisionally classified as Data Deficient.

Discovery and habitat

• It belongs to the mint family, Lamiaceae.

• It was discovered during a survey of coastal dunes in Cuddalore district of Tamil Nadu along the Coromandel Coast.

• It thrives in nutrient-poor, sandy coastal habitats.

How is it different from close relatives?

• Growth habit: it grows as a single upright, unbranched stem, unlike close relatives that usually grow as creeping vines or branched shrubs.

• Typical height: about 15 cm.

• Root system: shallow fibrous roots that anchor it in sandy soil; it lacks a single deep taproot.

• Fruits: oblong nutlets that are bright golden yellow and covered with irregular dark-brown spots.

Name and conservation status

• The species is named after Smt. Droupadi Murmu, the 15th President of India.

• Because its known distribution is limited and ecological information remains insufficient, it has been provisionally classified as Data Deficient.

• Further surveys are required to establish its population size, range and conservation needs.

MEMORY LOCK: Leucas droupadiae | Lamiaceae | Cuddalore | Coromandel Coast | sandy coastal dunes | upright unbranched stem | shallow fibrous roots | golden-yellow spotted nutlets | Data Deficient

CHECK YOUR RECALL

1. Where was Leucas droupadiae discovered?

2. What growth habit distinguishes it from related species?

3. Why is it currently classified as Data Deficient?