The Centre notified the draft Tar-balls Management Rules, 2026, to combat marine pollution caused by toxic oil leak residue.

Key Provisions

• Covers Lifecycle: generation, collection, storage, transport, treatment and disposal.
• ‘Polluter pays’ principle: Fixes responsibility on oil operators, environmental compensation provision.
• States Stakeholder Responsibilities: E.g. CPCB, Coast Guard etc.
• Mandates monitoring, reporting and declaration of ‘State disaster’ for severe cases.

About Tar balls

• Sticky lumps created due to weathering of oil following leaks, spills, and marine accidents. 
• They form through various physical, chemical, and biological processes when oil mixes with water and other contaminants. 
• Classified as hazardous waste requiring safe handling and disposal.

National Statistics Office (NSO), Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI), launched Annual Survey of Incorporated Services Sector Enterprises (ASISSE).

About ASISSE

• First annual survey covering incorporated service enterprises across all States/UTs (FY 2024-25 reference).
• Coverage: Incorporated service sector enterprises registered under the Companies Act, 1956, or Companies Act, 2013, or Limited Liability Partnership Act, 2008.
  • Covers sectors like trade, transport, IT, health, education, hospitality.
• Aim: To build a reliable database for policymaking and economic analysis.
• Uses Goods and Services Tax Network (GSTN) database; ~1.21 lakh enterprises surveyed.
• Complements ASI (Annual Survey of Industries) and ASUSE (Annual Survey of Unincorporated Sector Enterprises) for holistic non-agricultural economy data.

Ministry of Mines notified Minerals (Other than Atomic and Hydro Carbons Energy Minerals) Concession (Second Amendment) Rules, 2026. 

• Rules provide detailed mechanism for inclusion of contiguous area in mining lease (ML) and composite licence (CL) of deep-seated minerals and inclusion of associated minerals in mining leases of major and minor minerals.

Major and Minor Minerals

• Classification: Under Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) (MMDR) Act, 1957.
• Minor minerals: Means building stones, gravel, ordinary clay, ordinary sand other than sand used for prescribed purposes, and any other mineral which Central Government may declare. 
• Major minerals:  Includes all minerals other than minor minerals. E.g., Coal, Iron, Zinc, Limestone etc.

The Reserve Bank of India notified limits for investment in debt and sale of Credit Default Swaps by Foreign Portfolio Investors (FPIs) for FY 2026-27.

• The limits for FPI investment in Government Securities (G-Secs), State Government Securities (SGSs) and corporate bonds remain unchanged.

About Credit Default Swaps

• Definition: It is a financial derivative instrument that allows an investor to swap or offset their credit risk with that of another investor.
• Working Mechanism: It works like an insurance on bonds, where the buyer pays regular premiums and the seller pays if a default or restructuring occurs.
• Uses: Used for hedging, speculation, and arbitrage, credit risk management.
• Risks: Counterparty risk, complexity.

RBI proposed revised Banking Correspondent (BC) classification, based on three types of delivery points — bank branches, Business Correspondent-Banking Outlet (BC-BO) and Business Correspondent-Banking Touchpoint (BC-BT).

• BC-BO: It is a fixed-point service delivery unit, operated by a BC / BC sub-agent, 
• BC-BT: It is a service delivery point working exclusively for one bank, offering limited services, and having flexible hours of operations. 

About Business Correspondents

• BC means as an entity (juridical person) or individual (other than its own employee) who has been engaged by a bank to provide banking and other financial services, on behalf of the bank.
• Role: Assigned in remote areas to perform retail banking operations, expanding the reach of banks and helping in financial inclusion.