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UPSC Prelims & Mains
PIB Snippets — September 3, 2026
EPFO’s one-time amnesty for PF Trusts under the EPF Scheme 2026, and the IBCA–ADB MoU signed at the International Tiger Landscapes Workshop — today’s official releases for Prelims and Mains.
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EPF Scheme 2026 — Amnesty for Provident Fund Trusts
News Context
- EPFO has invited applications under the new Amnesty provisions of the EPF Scheme 2026 — a one-time opportunity for PF Trusts to get their exemption status regularised retrospectively.
Key Facts for Prelims
- Amnesty provision: a transitional, one-time measure in the EPF Scheme 2026 (notified 29 June 2026), allowing retrospective regularisation of PF Trusts’ exemption status. Validity: six months, up to 28 December 2026.
- It targets trusts recognised under the Income Tax Act, 1961 but lacking a formal exemption order under the EPF laws.
- PF Trust (Exempted Establishment): companies managing employees’ provident fund via their own trust instead of depositing with EPFO.
Relevant Laws
Section 17, EPF & MP Act, 1952 (exemption of establishments); Section 143, Code on Social Security (CoSS), 2020 (corresponding new exemption provision); Income Tax Act, 1961 (recognition basis).
About EPFO
Statutory body under the Ministry of Labour and Employment, established under the EPF & MP Act, 1952; administered by a tripartite Central Board of Trustees (CBT).
About the Code on Social Security, 2020
- One of four Labour Codes consolidating India’s labour laws; subsumes the EPF & MP Act, 1952 and other social security laws.
- The four Labour Codes: Code on Wages, 2019; Industrial Relations Code, 2020; Code on Social Security, 2020; Occupational Safety, Health & Working Conditions Code, 2020.
Source: PIB
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IBCA–ADB MoU & International Tiger Landscapes Workshop
News Context
- The Union Environment Minister inaugurated a 2-day international workshop on tiger conservation, bioeconomy and ecotourism in New Delhi, where the International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA) and Asian Development Bank (ADB) signed an MoU on landscape conservation and nature-positive financing.
Key Facts for Prelims
- IBCA: launched by PM Modi on 9 April 2023 at Mysuru, during “Commemorating 50 Years of Project Tiger”; headquartered in New Delhi; established through the NTCA under the MoEFCC; modelled on the International Solar Alliance (ISA).
- India committed ₹150 crore over 5 years (2023-24 to 2027-28); IBCA became a full treaty-based inter-governmental organisation on 23 January 2025, after ratification by India, Nicaragua, Eswatini, Somalia and Liberia. First Director General: Dr. S.P. Yadav.
- Seven Big Cats under IBCA: Tiger, Lion, Leopard, Snow Leopard, Cheetah, Jaguar, Puma — only five are found in India (Jaguar and Puma are found only in the Americas).
Workshop Themes
Recognising tiger landscapes as natural capital; community-based ecotourism and nature-positive financing; codifying traditional knowledge; moving beyond species-centric conservation.
Project Tiger & NTCA
Project Tiger launched 1973 from Jim Corbett National Park. NTCA is a statutory body under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 (2006 amendment), conducting the All-India Tiger Estimation every 4 years.
Do You Know
- International Tiger Day: 29 July. St. Petersburg Declaration (2010): tiger-range countries pledged the TX2 goal (double tiger numbers). IUCN status of Tiger: Endangered; Tiger is India’s National Animal.
- 2026 marks 40 years of the ADB–India partnership; ISA, the model for IBCA, was co-founded by India and France.
Source: PIB
