National

Social Security, Labour & Governance

• EPFO Wage Ceiling Hike:
  • Cabinet Decision: The Union Cabinet approved raising the monthly wage ceiling for mandatory coverage under the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) from ₹15,000 to ₹25,000 per month, effective from September 17 (Vishwakarma Jayanti).
  • Coverage: The revision expands mandatory coverage to an estimated 51 lakh additional workers, extending access to Provident Fund savings, the Employees’ Pension Scheme (EPS), and the Employees’ Deposit Linked Insurance (EDLI) scheme.
• Global Gender Gap Index 2026 (WEF):
  • India’s Rank: India stood at 131st position globally with a gender parity score of 64.5% in the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Index 2026.
  • Top Countries: Iceland, Finland, and Norway retained the top three spots.

• Dadasaheb Phalke Award 2024:
  • Veteran Kannada actor Anant Nag was selected for the Dadasaheb Phalke Award 2024 (India’s highest cinema honour) for his 5-decade contribution to Indian cinema.