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Investor Education and Protection Fund Authority (IEPFA) | Current Affairs | Vision IAS
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Posted 02 Aug 2025

9 min read

Investor Education and Protection Fund Authority (IEPFA)

IEPFA is set to launch its Integrated Portal, a unified digital platform designed to streamline claim processes and enhance accessibility for both investors and companies.

About IEPFA:

  • Established: in 2016, under the provisions of sub-section 5 of Section 125 of the Companies Act, 2013
  • Functioning under: the Ministry of Corporate Affairs.
  • Functions:
    • administration of the Investor Education Protection Fund (IEPF), 
    • making refunds of shares, unclaimed dividends, matured deposits/debentures etc. to investors, 
    • promoting awareness among investors, and protecting the interests of the investors. 
    • advancing financial literacy nationwide. 
  • Initiatives taken: Niveshak Didi, Niveshak Panchayat, and Niveshak Shivir.
  • Tags :
  • Investor Education and Protection Fund Authority (IEPFA)

71st National Film Awards

71st National Film Awards for the year 2023 were announced  in different categories.

About National film award

  • Established: 1954
  • Aim: To highlight films that contribute significantly to Indian cinema and culture.
  • Presented by: President of India (annually)

Awards for the year 2023 

  • Best Feature Film:12th Fail
  • Best Actor: Shah Rukh Khan (Jawan) and Vikrant Massey (12th Fail)
  • Best Actress: Rani Mukerji (Mrs. Chatterjee Vs Norway)
  • Best Short Film: Giddh The Scavenger
  • Best Non-Feature Film: Flowering Man
  • Tags :
  • 71st National Film Awards

Centres of Excellence recognised under the National Critical Mineral Mission (NCMM)

The Ministry of Mines has recognized 7 institutes as Centres of Excellence (CoE) under the NCMM. They include:

  • IIT Bombay
  • IIT Hyderabad
  • IIT - ISM Dhanbad
  • IIT Roorkee
  • CSIR – IMMT, Bhubaneswar
  • CSIR – NML, Jamshedpur
  • NFTDC, Hyderabad
  • These CoEs will operate in a hub and spoke model and leverage R&D in critical minerals.
  • Critical minerals are essential for clean energy technologies like solar panels, wind turbines, EVs, and energy storage systems. To secure these resources, India launched the NCMM to ensure their long-term availability and processing.
  • Tags :
  • Centres of Excellence recognised under the National Critical Mineral Mission (NCMM)

UN-India Global Capacity-Building Initiative

India launches projects with the UN under Global Capacity Building Initiative for Asia, Africa and Caribbean countries.

About Global Capacity Building Initiative

  • Genesis: India and the United Nations jointly launched it in September 2023 .
  • Objective: Share India’s development experiences, best practices, and expertise with Global South nations through capacity-building and training programs for accelerating progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
  • Implemented through the new UN India SDG Country Fund as well as the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation Programme (ITEC).
  • Tags :
  • UN-India Global Capacity-Building Initiative

New UPI rules

New UPI rules will be implemented from August 1. 

  • Unified Payments Interface is an instant real-time payment system developed by NPCI to facilitate inter-bank transactions through mobile phones.

About new rules

  • New rules will apply to all payment service providers like Google Pay, PhonePe, or Paytm.
  • The new rules will regulate activities like checking bank balance, processing autopayments and accessing bank details.

It allows users to find the link of accounts linked to their mobile by a particular account provider. 

  • Tags :
  • New UPI rules

Landraces

Odisha has launched a new roadmap to integrate Landraces, into formal seed systems. 

About Landraces

  • Meaning: Traditional seed varieties or Landraces are genetically diverse crop populations, evolved over generations with traditional farmer practices through a combination of natural adaptation and human selection. 
  • Significance: Tuned to local agro-climatic conditions with traits like climate resilience, yield stability, pest tolerance, and nutritional richness, etc. 
  • Threat: Genetic Erosion due to changes in agricultural practices, land use, use of pesticides, etc. 
  • Tags :
  • Landraces
  • Traditional Seed Varieties

Alpine Musk Deer

Central Zoo Authority (CZA)  report revealed a mix-up in identifying Alpine musk deer for conservation breeding, mistaking it for its Himalayan counterpart. 

About Alpine Musk Deer

  • Habitat: Temperate climate in alpine meadows, shrub lands, birch, blue pine and fir forests from 3,000-4,500m above sea level. 
    • Native species of India, Nepal, Bhutan and China.
  • Key Characteristics: Solitary and shy, herbivorous, with a gestation period 180-200 days.
    • Musk Deer is unique with fangs and without antlers and gall bladder. 
  • Threat: Poaching for  muskpod used in perfumes and traditional medicines.
  • Conservation Status: Endangered (IUCN); Schedule I (Wildlife Protection Act, 1972). 
  • Tags :
  • Endangered
  • Alpine Musk Deer

Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN)

Prime Ministry released the 20th instalment of PM-KISAN. 

About PM-KISAN

  • Genesis: 2019
  • Type: Central Sector Scheme
  • Ministry: Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare
  • Objective: Provide income support to all landholding farmers' families, which have cultivable landholding in their names. 
  • Exclusion Criteria: All institutional Land holders; and Farmer families with members holding former and present constitutional posts, employees of central/state governments, professionals like Doctors, engineers, etc. 
  • Financial Benefits: Rs.6000/- per annum per family payable in three equal instalments of Rs.2000/- each, every four months through the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT).
  • Tags :
  • Farmers
  • PM-KISAN

India Post Payments Bank (IPPB)

India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) has launched Aadhaar-Based Face Authentication. 

  • Developed under the framework of UIDAI (Unique Identification Authority of India).
  • Enables customers to perform banking transactions through facial recognition, eliminating fingerprints or OTPs causing inclusive banking, fast transactions, etc.

About India Post Payments Bank (IPPB)

  • Genesis: 2018  
  • Ministry: Department of Posts, Ministry of Communication 
  • Aim: Leverages the extensive postal network to bring banking services to the doorstep of every citizen. 
  • Equity: 100% owned by Government of India. 
  • Tags :
  • UIDAI
  • India Post Payments Bank (IPPB)
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