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PIB Snippets — August 28, 2026: PMJDY, Snow Leopard, JJM-SBM, PM SVANidhi, DPI Land, INS Samarthak

PIB Snippets 6 Topics UPSC Prelims & Mains

PIB Snippets — August 28, 2026

Today’s official releases — PMJDY’s 12 years of financial inclusion, snow leopard conservation, JJM-SBM convergence, PM SVANidhi, DPI in land governance, and INS Samarthak
🏦 PMJDY — 12 Years 🐆 Snow Leopard Conservation 💧 JJM 2.0 & SBM-G 2.0 🛒 PM SVANidhi 🗺️ DPI in Land Governance ⚓ INS Samarthak
🏦

Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY): 12 Years

Illustration of PMJDY's 12 years of financial inclusion in India

News Context

  • Launched on 28 August 2014, PMJDY — the world’s largest financial inclusion initiative — has completed 12 years, transforming banking access for the unbanked.

Key Features — Key Facts for Prelims

  • Zero-balance basic bank account with no maintenance charges; free RuPay debit card with ₹2 lakh accident insurance cover; overdraft facility up to ₹10,000.
  • Gateway to Jan Suraksha schemes — PM Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (life) and PM Suraksha Bima Yojana (accident).

Scale (as on 19 Aug 2026)

59.09 crore accounts opened; deposits of ₹3.17 lakh crore; 41.29 crore RuPay cards issued.

Inclusion Reach

55.7% account holders are women; 77.8% accounts in rural/semi-urban areas; average deposit ₹5,356 (up 3.4x).

JAM Trinity (Jan Dhan–Aadhaar–Mobile): Enables direct, transparent, diversion-proof welfare delivery via Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT), eliminating middlemen and leakages.
Source: PIB
🐆

Snow Leopard Conservation

Illustration of snow leopard conservation efforts in the Indian Himalayas

News Context

  • India participated in the Russian-Indian Roundtable on Snow Leopard Conservation (26 August 2026, Moscow), highlighting population estimation, radio telemetry and genetic studies under the India-Russia Irbis-IBCA partnership.

Snow Leopard — Key Facts for Prelims

  • Panthera uncia, nicknamed “Ghost of the Mountains”; found in Ladakh, J&K, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh.
  • IUCN: Vulnerable (not Endangered); CITES Appendix I; CMS Appendix I; Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.

SPAI Report (2024)

India’s first scientific population assessment — ~718 snow leopards; Ladakh has the highest population, followed by Uttarakhand and HP.

Key Initiatives

Project Snow Leopard (2009), SECURE Himalaya (UNDP-GEF), HIMAL Sanrakshak (2020); global GSLEP (2013) and India-led IBCA.

Source: PIB
💧

Convergence for Rural Development: JJM 2.0 & SBM-G 2.0

Illustration of JJM 2.0 and SBM-G 2.0 convergence for rural water and sanitation

News Context

  • DDWS and the Ministry of Rural Development asked States/UTs to combine JJM 2.0 and SBM-G 2.0 work under the VB-G RAM G Act, 2025, to improve rural water security, sanitation and resilience.

JJM 2.0 (Approved 10 Mar 2026)

Focuses on drinking-water source sustainability, groundwater recharge and greywater management (original JJM 2019 — “Har Ghar Jal”).

SBM-G 2.0

Scientific solid and liquid waste management (SLWM) and ODF-Plus status for sanitation and public health.

Key Convergence Measures

  • Integrated planning via Viksit Gram Panchayat Plans (VGPPs); dedicated nodal officers; geo-tagging on the Viksit Bharat National Rural Infrastructure Stack.
Source: PIB
🛒

PM SVANidhi: One Year of Restructuring

Illustration of PM SVANidhi scheme supporting street vendors in India

News Context

  • PM SVANidhi’s restructured phase (approved 27 August 2025) completes one year, with lending extended to 31 March 2030 and enhanced focus on formal credit and digital inclusion.

Scheme — Key Facts for Prelims

  • Launched 1 June 2020 (Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs); collateral-free working capital loans in progressive tranches — ₹10,000 → ₹20,000 → ₹50,000.

Restructured Targets

1.15 crore street vendors, including 50 lakh new beneficiaries; UPI-linked RuPay Credit Card up to ₹30,000.

New Components

Digital Lending Platform, vendor portability across ULBs, 50 Street Food Hubs, SVANidhi se Samriddhi convergence with 8 welfare schemes.

Source: PIB
🗺️

India’s Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) in Land Governance

Illustration of India's Digital Public Infrastructure in land governance and record digitisation

News Context

  • A delegation from the African Union Commission, six African nations and UNDP visited the Department of Land Resources (DoLR) to study India’s DPI in land administration — a South-South Cooperation showcase.

Bharat Land Stack & Bhu-Aadhaar

Combines maps, records, registration and zoning; Bhu-Aadhaar (ULPIN) gives each land parcel a 14-digit unique ID — 40.58+ crore parcels covered.

Digitisation Milestones

99.90% of RoRs computerised; 97.43% of cadastral maps digitised; NAKSHA uses drone-mounted LiDAR for urban land mapping.

Source: PIB
⚓

INS Samarthak — First Indigenous Multi-Purpose Vessel

Illustration of INS Samarthak, India's first indigenous multi-purpose naval vessel

News Context

  • Samarthak, the first Multi-Purpose Vessel (MPV) built by L&T at Kattupalli, was delivered to the Indian Navy on 27 August 2026.

Key Facts for Prelims

  • Name means “The Proponent”; over 75% indigenous content, supporting Aatmanirbhar Bharat in defence.
  • Used for trials, maritime surveillance, offshore patrol and HADR operations — strengthens indigenous shipbuilding and Indian Ocean maritime security.
Source: PIB

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