Parliament Passes Health and National Security Cess Bill, 2025
In a significant legislative move, the Indian Parliament has passed the Health Security and National Security Cess Bill, 2025. The Rajya Sabha approved and returned the legislation to the Lok Sabha after thorough discussion. This Bill proposes to levy a cess on the production of demerit goods, such as pan masala, and other items as notified by the central government. The revenue generated from this cess will be strategically utilized to bolster public health initiatives and strengthen national security. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman stated that this cess provides a viable mechanism to enhance citizens' health and the nation's military preparedness, emphasizing that it will not be levied on essential items.
PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana Achieves Milestone
The 'PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana' continues its robust implementation, with Union Minister of State for New and Renewable Energy Shripad Yesso Naik informing the Rajya Sabha that over 24 lakh households have successfully installed rooftop solar systems under the scheme. This represents nearly 24% of the ambitious target to cover one crore households in the residential sector by the financial year 2026-27. The scheme, which is demand-driven, allows residential consumers with grid-connected electricity to avail benefits by applying through the national portal.
India to Unveil Voice-Based Large Language Model (LLM)
Ahead of the global AI summit in New Delhi in 2026, the Government of India has announced plans to launch a new voice-enabled Large Language Model (LLM). Abhishek Singh, Director General of the National Informatics Centre (NIC), highlighted India's ambition to scale its economy to USD 30 trillion by 2047, with AI playing a pivotal role. The LLM aims to support voice-based interaction, making AI-driven services, including government schemes, healthcare, and agricultural support, more accessible, especially for India's diverse and multilingual population. This initiative builds on India's existing digital public infrastructure like Aadhaar and UPI.
'Prashasan Gaon Ki Ore' Campaign to Address Public Grievances
A nationwide campaign titled 'Prashasan Gaon Ki Ore' is slated for launch from December 19-25, 2025, during the 5th Good Governance Week. This initiative aims to address public grievances and improve service delivery across all districts, states, and Union Territories of India. Over 700 District Collectors are expected to participate, with officials visiting Tehsils and Panchayat Samiti Headquarters. This campaign is a decentralized version of the Special Campaign 5.0 and seeks to create a national movement for good governance.
Progress Under National Green Hydrogen Mission Highlighted
The Government of India provided an update on the National Green Hydrogen Mission (NGHM), which aims to establish India as a global hub for green hydrogen production, usage, and export. Key achievements include the awarding of contracts for 3000 MW per annum electrolyser manufacturing capacity and 8,62,000 tonnes per annum of green hydrogen production capacity. Furthermore, prices have been discovered for the supply of 7,24,000 MTPA of Green Ammonia to fertilizer units, and several pilot projects for hydrogen use in steel, transportation, and port bunkering facilities have been sanctioned.
Electronics Manufacturing Sees Sixfold Growth with Policy Support
India's electronics manufacturing output has witnessed a nearly sixfold increase over the past 11 years, rising from Rs 190 billion in 2014-15 to Rs 1.132 trillion in 2024-25. This growth is attributed to sustained policy support, including the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme for large-scale electronics manufacturing, launched in 2020. Additionally, the government introduced the Electronics Components Manufacturing Scheme (ECMS) in 2025 to strengthen upstream capabilities, focusing on components like printed circuit boards and camera modules.
Emphasis on Gender-Inclusive Policies for Women in Platform Economy
Experts at a roundtable discussion organized by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER) called for stronger gender-inclusive policies to boost women's participation in India's platform economy. NITI Aayog member Arvind Virmani underscored the importance of skill development and increased female labor force participation for India's economic growth. The government is committed to improving women's participation through policy measures and new Labour Codes, aiming to ensure equal opportunities and social security.