Prelims Focus 31st July 2026

Guru Ravidas

In News: The year of the 650th birth anniversary of Sant Guru Ravidas began on Guru Purnima.

• Guru Ravidas was a 15th–16th century Bhakti saint, poet and social reformer whose message was of equality, devotion and social justice. 
• He is regarded as the founder of Ravidassia.

Life and Teachings

• He was a strong opponent of discriminatory practices based on caste and worked towards the upliftment of the marginalised people. 
• He had a vision of a society which he called ‘Beghumpura’ (A city without sorrow), where there is no suffering, no fear, and no discrimination.
• He was delivering a very generic message to society “Karma” by popularising the Hindi phrase “Mann Changa to Kathauti Mein Ganga” (If your mind is pure, then the Ganges is in your tub).

Legacy

• His devotional verses are contained in the Guru Granth Sahib, the Sikhs’ holy scripture. 
• Saint Ravidas’ compositions are also found in the Panch Vani text in the Dadu Panthi tradition of Hinduism.
• The Chief Architect of the Constitution, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, was the living exemplification of the Constitutional principles associated with the values as expressed in Guruvind Ravidasji.

Atmanirbhar Panchayat Programme

In News: Union Minister of Panchayati Raj launched the Atmanirbhar Panchayat Programme, the SAMARTH Panchayat Portal and released the Model OSR (Own Source of Revenue) Rules for Panchayati Raj Institutions.

• Atmanirbhar Panchayat Programme is an initiative of the Ministry of Panchayati Raj under which the Gram Panchayats and Block Panchayats identify local assets and opportunities and develop them into bankable, revenue-generating projects with dedicated technical support from the Ministry, which develops sustainable OSR. 
• Finance across Public Private Partnerships, CSR contribution, convergence with other schemes/schemes under bank finance, NABARD and HUDCO as institutional partners. 
• Gram Panchayats having the lowest OSR of Rs. Till now, the population of 50 lakh and Block Panchayats having minimum OSR of Rs. Eligibility for applying is at least three years remaining service in the case of 1 crore, while for special category States a flexible criterion has been kept.

BIMCO-ICS Seafarer Workforce Report 2026

In News: The new BIMCO-ICS Seafarer Workforce Report 2026 indicates that India is the second largest supplier of seafarers in the world.

• India has 311,936 maritime professionals in the global shipping industry.
• It is second only to the Philippines in terms of percentage of seafarers to the world workforce, with 12.16% compared to 11.19% for the Philippines, 9.5% for China, 8.5% for the Russian Federation and 7.6% for Indonesia.
• India’s officer strength stands out clearly with 13.41% of the world’s officer population.
• The gap between the global supply of 2.57 million and demand of 2.55 million shows that the world’s labour market is becoming tighter. 
• Vision for the Nation: Target to increase India’s seafaring workforce from 12.16% to 20% of the total workforce in the world. 
• India’s growing maritime education ecosystem, internationally recognised training norms and progressive policy framework ensure the country’s strong foothold to cater to the future maritime requirements of the world in the wake of the worldwide shortage of competent officers in the shipping industry.

DAANVEER initiative

In  News: The DAANVEER initiative is a citizen-powered crowdsourcing platform launched by the Ministry of Panchayati Raj with the tagline “Give Back to Your Village”.

Key Details

• Platform: Accessible via the Meri Panchayat mobile app integrated with DigiHaat.
• Collaborators: National Informatics Centre (NIC) and DigiHaat.
• Function: Enables individuals, organizations, and the diaspora to donate pre-approved, state-specific standardized computer bundles directly to eligible Gram Panchayats.
• Transparency: Features end-to-end digital tracking from dispatch to installation, concluding with a digital certificate of appreciation.

Significance for Governance

• Bridges Digital Divide: Equips rural local bodies lacking basic hardware to effectively run digital tools like e-GramSwaraj and AuditOnline.
• Promotes Particpatory Democracy: Institutionalizes voluntary public contribution, aiding the broader vision of Digital India and Viksit Bharat.

Coal Exchange Rules, 2026

In News: The Coal Exchange Rules, 2026 establish a regulatory framework for transparent, market-driven electronic trading of coal and lignite in India. Notified under the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957, they shift coal marketing from legacy allocation models to competitive many-to-many platforms. 

Key Highlights 

• Nodal Authority: Coal Controller Organisation (CCO) regulates and registers the exchanges.
• Participants: Captive miners, commercial miners, and non-regulated sector consumers can trade delivery-based contracts.
• Objective: Ensures fair price discovery, quality-adjusted pricing, and prevents market manipulation. 

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