Global HIV funding cuts could lead to over 10 million infections, 3 million deaths by 2030: Lancet

• A sharp decline in international funding for HIV prevention and treatment could result in more than 10 million new infections and approximately 3 million deaths by 2030, according to a study published in The Lancet HIV journal on Thursday.
• Conducted by researchers at the Burnet Institute in Melbourne, the study models the potential impact of a projected 24 percent reduction in global HIV funding by 2026. The cuts follow announced reductions in aid from key donor nations, including the US, Britain, France, Germany, and the Netherlands. These five countries collectively provide more than 90 percent of international HIV assistance.
• Researchers estimate that if these proposed funding cuts are not reversed, an additional 4.4 to 10.8 million new HIV infections and 770,000 to 2.9 million HIV-related deaths could occur between 2025 and 2030.
•  The study highlights the US as the largest contributor to global HIV efforts, noting that all funding was halted on January 20 following the swearing-in of President Donald Trump.
• The withdrawal of the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), combined with other funding reductions, threatens to reverse progress in the global fight against HIV/AIDS, the study warned.
•  US funding cuts have already disrupted access to essential HIV services, including antiretroviral therapy, prevention programs, and testing. The situation could deteriorate further if other donor nations follow suit, potentially undoing decades of progress.
• The study identified sub-Saharan Africa as the most vulnerable region, along with marginalized groups at higher risk of HIV, including people who inject drugs, sex workers, men who have sex with men, and children.
• Beyond limiting testing and treatment programs, funding reductions would also curtail broader prevention efforts, such as condom distribution and access to pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), a medication that reduces the risk of HIV transmission.
• Dr. Brink stressed the urgent need for sustainable financing to prevent a resurgence of the HIV epidemic, warning that the consequences could be devastating not only for sub-Saharan Africa but also on a global scale.

 Lok Sabha passes law to set up Tribhuvan Sahkari University in Gujarat; to train people for the cooperative sector

• The Lok Sabha on Wednesday (March 26, 2025) passed the Tribhuvan Sahkari University Bill, 2025 to establish the country’s first national cooperative university at the Institute of Rural Management Anand (IRMA) in Gujarat. It aims to revolutionise education, research and training in the cooperative sector.
• The university is named after Tribhuvan Das Patel, a pioneer in India''s cooperative movement, who played a pivotal role in the success of Amul under the mentorship of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
• Shah highlighted Amul''s remarkable transformation from a small dairy initiative in 1946 to India''s largest dairy brand with a turnover exceeding Rs 60,000 crore. He criticized the opposition for protesting the bill, attributing their dissent to the absence of a political family name in the university''s title. Shah reminded Parliament of Patel’s immense contributions to the cooperative movement.
• Since the formation of the Ministry of Cooperation three years ago, significant progress has been achieved, with over eight lakh cooperative societies now serving 30 crore members. Shah pointed out that cooperative governance had faced challenges for decades, but the Modi government addressed these issues through transparent digitalization, the expansion of PrimaryAgricultural Cooperative Societies (PACS), and improved financial accessibility.
• The government has also introduced major tax reforms for cooperatives, reduced GST rates on molasses, and launched initiatives like the National Cooperative Export Limited (NCEL) and the National Cooperative Organic Limited (NCOL). Additionally, efforts under White Revolution 2.0 aim to increase daily milk procurement to 1,000 lakh liters by 2028-29, further strengthening the cooperative dairy sector.
• The Tribhuvan Sahkari University, registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860, will be India’s first cooperative university, offering education to nearly 8 lakh students annually. Affiliated colleges will be established nationwide within a year to ensure the development of skilled professionals in the cooperative sector.
• Shah concluded by stating that the university would serve as a cornerstone of a self-reliant India, realizing Tribhuvan Das Patel’s vision of wealth distribution through cooperative principles.

 How will the Tribhuvan Sahkari University be different from other universities?

• The Bill’s Statement of Objects and Reasons says, “The University would be a specialised University, the first of its kind, in the co-operative sector, to impart and promote co-operative education, training, research and development and thereby strengthen the co-operative movement in the country.”
• The university aims to establish sector-specific schools such as dairy, fishery, sugar, banking, rural credit, co-operative finance, co-operative marketing, co-operative accounting, co-operative laws, co-operative audit, multi-state co-operatives, etc., on its campus or in the states that are the leaders in the respective sectors.
• Union Home and Co-operation minister Amit Shah as chief guest at IRMA''s 41st annual convocation ceremony in Anand, in 2022. (Express photo: Nirmal Harindran)
• The government on Monday (February 3) introduced a Bill to establish a new university, the Tribhuvan Sahkari University, on the campus of the Institute of Rural Management Anand (IRMA) in Gujarat.
• The Tribhuvan Sahkari University Bill, 2025 was introduced by the Minister of State for Cooperation, Krishan Pal Gurjar, in Lok Sabha. The new university will be declared an institution of national importance.

What is the proposal?

• At present, IRMA offers specialised courses in rural management. It also provides training in the development sector, including the cooperative sector.
• The new university is aimed at imparting technical and management education and training in the co-operative sector. It also aims to promote co-operative research and development and to attain standards of global excellence.
• Home minister Amit Shah, who is also in charge of the Ministry of Cooperation, had announced the government’s intention to establish a National Cooperative University back in 2021.
• While it will be the first university of its kind in India, several countries, such as Germany, Kenya, Colombia and Spain, have a dedicated university for cooperatives.

How will the Tribhuvan Sahkari University be different from other universities?

• The Bill’s Statement of Objects and Reasons says, “The University would be a specialised University, the first of its kind, in the co-operative sector, to impart and promote co-operative education, training, research and development and thereby strengthen the co-operative movement in the country.”
• The university aims to establish sector-specific schools such as dairy, fishery, sugar, banking, rural credit, co-operative finance, co-operative marketing, co-operative accounting, co-operative laws, co-operative audit, multi-state co-operatives, etc., on its campus or in the states that are the leaders in the respective sectors.
• The university will have at least 4-5 affiliated colleges or institutions in states with a high concentration of co-operative societies, and at least 1-2 affiliated colleges or institutions in states with fewer such societies.
• It will also leverage existing mass e-learning platforms like SWAYAM, a government portal that offers online courses.

Why a cooperative university?

• The cooperative sector plays a significant role in the country’s economy. It accounts for 19 per cent of the agricultural credit availed by farmers, 35 per cent of fertiliser distribution, 25 per cent of fertiliser production, 31 per cent of sugar production, 10 per cent of the production and procurement of milk, 13 per cent of wheat procurement, 20 per cent of paddy procurement, and 21 per cent of fish production.
• The government believes that the present education and training infrastructure in the co-operative sector is fragmented and inadequate to meet the demand for qualified manpower, and capacity building of existing employees, in co-operative societies.
• “It also lacks standardisation and quality monitoring mechanisms. It is, therefore, essential that a comprehensive, integrated and standardised structure is created for education, training and research by establishing a national University to ensure a stable, adequate and quality supply of professionally qualified manpower for different categories of jobs in co-operatives such as managerial, supervisory, administrative, technical, operational, etc., and also address the long pending issue of capacity building of employees and board members in the co-operative sector in a pan-India and focused manner,” reads the Statement of Objects and Reasons of the Bill.

What is the IRMA?

• The IRMA was founded by Dr. Verghese Kurien, the Father of White Revolution in India, in 1979. It was established with support from the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB), the Swiss Agency for Development Cooperation (SDC), the Government of India, government of Gujarat, and the erstwhile Indian Dairy Corporation. It is spread over a 60-acre campus.

What will be IRMA’s role after the new university comes up?

• The IRMA was registered as a society under the Societies Registration Act, 1860. Once the Tribhuvan Sahkari University Bill, 2025 is legislated into an Act and becomes effective, the IRMA society will be dissolved. The IRMA will become one of the schools of the new university and be declared a Centre of Excellence for rural management. Its autonomy and identity will be preserved within the institutional framework of the university

Vikramshila Mahavihara, a center of Tantric Buddhism,

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while addressing the launch of development works in Bhagalpur, Bihar, said that “At its peak, Vikramshila University was a centre of knowledge for the world.
• We have already fused ancient Nalanda university’s glory with the new Nalanda University. After Nalanda, it is the turn of Vikramshila as we are opening a Central university.”
• The project for Vikramshila University was approved in 2015, and Rs 500 crore was also sanctioned. However, the Bihar government was unable to identify suitable land for the project.
•  Recently, the state government has identified 202.14 acres at Antichak village in Bhagalpur, which is 3 km away from the original site.

Key Takeaways:

• 1. Dharmapala, ruler of the Pala dynasty, founded the Vikramshila Mahavihar. It was the only university that specialised in tantric and occult studies. It flourished along with the Nalanda University, which was established during the Gupta period.
• 2. Subjects such as theology, philosophy, grammar, metaphysics, and logic were taught at Vikramshila. But the most important branch of learning was the tantras because Vikramshila flourished in the days of tantricism, when occult sciences and magic were subjects of study both in Buddhism as well as Hinduism.
• 3. The university produced several eminent scholars, among them, Atisa Dipankara, who played a key role in the establishment of Buddhism in Tibet. Many sanskrit texts were translated into tibetan language at this monastery.
• 4. The institution prospered for about four centuries before fading out along with Nalanda around the 13th century — a decline that experts attribute to a combination of factors, from the rising of Hinduism and the decline of Buddhism to the invasion of Bakhtiyar Khalji.
• Bakhtiyar was also instrumental in the burning down of Somapura, Jagaddala, and Odantapuri monasteries.
• 5. Tantric Buddhism is also referred to as Vajrayana, Mantrayana, or tantrayana Buddhism. It is classified as the final period of Buddhism in India. The Pala dynasty played a crucial role in the promotion and propagation of tantric Buddhism. In Vajrayana Buddhism, it is believed that salvation could best be achieved by acquiring magical powers, known as Vajra, meaning thunderbolt or diamond.
• 6. The followers of this sect believed that this form of Buddhism focused on feminine divinities, who represented the force or potency (Shakti) behind male divinities. These feminine ‘spouses’ of the Buddhas or Bodhisattvas in this sect were considered saviouresses (Tārās) of their followers.
• 7. Among the many formulas of tantric Buddhism, one is specially famous is “Om mani padme hum”; such formulae were expected to bestow magical power on the worship and lead to the highest bliss. According to A.L. Basham, this phrase means “Ah! The jewel is indeed in the lotus.”

Pala Dynasty

• 1. In eastern India, after the death of king Shashanka in c. 637 CE, there was situation of political confusion in Bengal and adjoining areas. The Khalimpur Copper plate inscription of Dharampala asserts that “finally Gopala, founder of the Pala dynasty, was elected by the people, rescuing them from matsya-nyaya (chaos).”
• 2. Gopala’s successor Dharmapala (770–810) was able to conquer large parts of northern India. He was the founder of Buddhist monastery at Vikramashila and Somapura monastery. Nalanda and Vikramshila flourished during his reign. A renowned Buddhist scholar, Santarakshita, belonged to his reign.
• 3. Ramapala was the last strong Pala ruler. By 11th century, the Pala dynasty was considerably weakened with many areas engulfed in rebellion. The Sena dynasty under Vijaysena dethroned the Pala dynasty and with that the reign of the last major Buddhist power in the subcontinent ended.

Famous Universities during the Pala Dynasty

• 1. Nalanda Mahavihara flourished during the time of the Gupta and post-Gupta period. However, Nalanda and Vikramshila had a common patron in King Dharmapala. During his reign, Vikramshila reigned supreme and is known to have controlled Nalanda’s affairs as well. It became an important center of Mahayana Buddhism.
• 2. Scholars like Nagarjuna and Aryabhatta were associated with this university. Chinese pilgrim Xuanzang (also known as Hsuan Tsang or Mokshadeva), who travelled across India from 629–645 CE, had spent roughly five years in Nalanda, where he studied under the mahavihara’s grand abbot, Silabhadra.
• 2. Somapuri Monastery, near Paharpur in Bangladesh, was also founded by Dharmapala. It is credited with the grant of 200 villages to the Nalanda University. Another prominent university which was established by Pala ruler Gopala I was Odantapuri University of Biharsharif. It was also associated with the Buddhist teachings.

 Operation Brahma

•  More than 1,000 people have been killed in Myanmar and thousands more injured after a 7.7 magnitude earthquake the day before that was also felt in neighbouring countries. The death toll, at 1,002, was confirmed by BBC citing the country’s Army.
• Most of the fatalities are in Mandalay, Myanmar’s second largest city, and the region closest to the earthquake’s epicentre. India has sent 15 tonnes of relief materials to Myanmar under ‘Operation Brahma’, PTI reported.
• India has a history of successful humanitarian relief and evacuation operations where a huge number of people have been provided humanitarian assistance in their country or Indians have been brought back to the safety of Indian borders.
• In this context, knowing about ‘Operation Brahma’ and other similar rescue and evacuation operations conducted by India becomes essential. Let’s take a look at some of these operations

Key Takeaways :

• 1. Operation Brahma
• 1. India on Saturday (March 29) delivered 15 tonnes of relief materials to Myanmar under its ‘Operation Brahma’ that was launched after a powerful earthquake hit the Myanmar and Thailand. India sent a search and rescue team and a medical team as well as provisions. A C130J aircraft delivered supplies, including tents, blankets, food, water purifiers, and medicines, to Yangon. Two more IAF aircraft carrying aid will depart soon, officials said
• A 2. India has acted as a “First Responder” to assist the people of Myanmar affected by Friday’s massive earthquake, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said.

2. Operation Ajay

• In October 2023, as the Israel-Hamas war escalated and countries scrambled to bring home their people trapped in the fighting or looking for a way out of the war zone, India launched Operation Ajay to repatriate its citizens from Israel and Palestine.

3. Operation Kaveri 

• In April 27, 2023, India launched Operation Kaveri to evacuate its nationals stuck in Sudan, where an intense conflict had broken out between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), rival factions of the country’s military government.
• A The Indian government pressed the IAF’s transport aircraft, the C130J Super Hercules and the C17 Globemaster, and naval ships INS Sumedha and INS Tarkash into action. With the airfield at Khartoum not open for operations, those stranded were brought from various parts of the country to Port Sudan. Over 3,800 Indians were eventually brought back under this mammoth operation.

4. Operation Ganga 

• In 2022, when war broke out between Russia and Ukraine, the government of India had launched Operation Ganga to bring back Indians stranded in Ukraine. It also set up 24×7 control centres to assist in the evacuation of Indians through the border crossing points with Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovak Republic. As many as 90 flights were employed for the task, including 14 Indian Air Force flights.

5. Operation Devi Shakti

• In August 2021, India launched Operation Devi Shakti to evacuate its citizens and Afghan partners from Kabul after its swift takeover by the Taliban.

6. Vande Bharat Mission and Operation Samudra Setu

• In one of the largest evacuation exercises since the 1990 Kuwait airlift, the government launched Vande Bharat mission in 2020 to bring home thousands of Indian nationals stranded abroad due to the coronavirus lockdown. Apart from the flights, the Indian Navy launched ‘Operation Samudra Setu’ (Sea Bridge) as a part of national effort to repatriate Indian citizens from overseas.

7.Operation Raahat

• The Indian government organised Operation Raahat with the help of Indian armed forces to evacuate Indians as well as foreign citizens from conflict-hit Yemen in 2015. The operation was carried out amid Saudi Arabia’s intervention in Yemen when the country was reeling with an internal crisis. The operation started by sea on April 1 and two days later the airlifts started too. The airlifts by the Indian Air Force and Air India resulted in the evacuation of over 4,500 Indians and at least 900 foreign nationals from 41 countries. The airlifts concluded on April 9.

8. Operation Maitri

• Indian Air Force carried out Operation Maitri in 2015 when a massive earthquake hit Nepal. The quake of magnitude 8.8 on the Richter scale brought massive destruction to the country. India evacuated stranded Indians and rescued foreign nationals as well apart from providing humanitarian relief. Over 2,200 people were rescued from critical zones by the forces including foreigners.

9. Operation Safe Homecoming

• Operation Safe Homecoming was organised by the Indian government which was a mixture of air and sea-based evacuation in 2011 from Libya. Around 15,000 stranded Indians were evacuated from the country while 3,000 chose to stay back. India evacuated Indians stuck in Iraq in 2003. The operation was planned for the evacuation of 50,000 people. The numbers of the total people evacuated vary but the official line puts the operation as a success.

10. Operation Sukoon

• Operation Sukoon was carried out during the 2006 Lebanon war when a military conflict broke between Israel and Hezbollah. It was launched to evacuate Indians, Sri Lankans and Nepalese citizens from war-hit Lebanon. Of the 10,000 Indians living in Lebanon at the time, around 2,000 were at a risk and were in the conflict zone. At the end, 2,280 people were evacuated from Lebanon–1,764 Indians, 112 Sri Lankans, 64 Nepalese and seven Nepalese nationals with Indian spouses. The Indian forces also evacuated citizens of some other friendly countries as courtesy.

New WHO guidance calls for urgent transformation of mental health policies

•   The World Health Organization (WHO) launched new guidance to help all countries reform and strengthen mental health policies and systems. Mental health services worldwide remain underfunded, with major gaps in access and quality. In some countries, up to 90% of people with severe mental health conditions receive no care at all, while many existing services rely on outdated institutional models that fail to meet international human rights standards.
• The guidance provides a clear framework to transform mental health services in line with the latest evidence and international human rights standards, ensuring quality care is accessible to all.
• "Despite rising demand, quality mental health services remain out of reach for many people," said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. "This new guidance gives all governments the tools to promote and protect mental health and build systems that serve everyone.”

A blueprint for mental health care transformation

• While effective prevention and treatment interventions exist, most people living with mental health conditions do not have access to these. The new WHO guidance sets out concrete actions to help countries close these gaps and ensure mental health is promoted and protected, with a focus on:
• protecting and upholding human rights, ensuring mental health policies and services are aligned with international human rights standards;
• promoting holistic care with an emphasis on lifestyle and physical health, psychological, social, and economic interventions;
• addressing social and economic factors that shape and affect mental health including employment, housing and education;
• implementing prevention strategies and promote population-wide mental health and well-being; and
• ensuring people with lived experience are empowered to participate in policy planning and design to ensure mental health policies and services are responsive to their needs.
• The guidance identifies five key policy areas requiring urgent reform: leadership and governance, service organization, workforce development, person-centred interventions, and addressing social and structural determinants of mental health.

A tailored approach to strengthening mental health systems

• The WHO guidance serves as a critical tool for governments, policymakers, and stakeholders working to strengthen mental health systems and improve access to mental health care.
• By offering a menu of policy directives, strategies and actions to guide reform efforts, the guidance supports policy makers to prioritize and tailor policies to their specific national context, in line with their available resources and operational structures.
• "This new WHO guidance provides practical strategies for countries to build inclusive, responsive and resilient mental health systems. Designed to be flexible, it allows all countries – whether low- middle- or high-income - to adapt their approach to mental health care based on national context, needs, and priorities,” said Dr Michelle Funk, Unit Head, Policy, Law and Human Rights in the WHO Department for Mental Health and Substance Abuse.
• The World Health Organization (WHO) today launched new guidance to help all countries reform and strengthen mental health policies and systems. Mental health services worldwide remain underfunded, with major gaps in access and quality.
•  In some countries, up to 90% of people with severe mental health conditions receive no care at all, while many existing services rely on outdated institutional models that fail to meet international human rights standards.
• The guidance provides a clear framework to transform mental health services in line with the latest evidence and international human rights standards, ensuring quality care is accessible to all.
• "Despite rising demand, quality mental health services remain out of reach for many people," said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. "This new guidance gives all governments the tools to promote and protect mental health and build systems that serve everyone.”

A blueprint for mental health care transformation

• While effective prevention and treatment interventions exist, most people living with mental health conditions do not have access to these. The new WHO guidance sets out concrete actions to help countries close these gaps and ensure mental health is promoted and protected, with a focus on:
• protecting and upholding human rights, ensuring mental health policies and services are aligned with international human rights standards;
• promoting holistic care with an emphasis on lifestyle and physical health, psychological, social, and economic interventions;
• addressing social and economic factors that shape and affect mental health including employment, housing and education;
• implementing prevention strategies and promote population-wide mental health and well-being; and
• ensuring people with lived experience are empowered to participate in policy planning and design to ensure mental health policies and services are responsive to their needs.
• The guidance identifies five key policy areas requiring urgent reform: leadership and governance, service organization, workforce development, person-centred interventions, and addressing social and structural determinants of mental health.

A tailored approach to strengthening mental health systems

• The WHO guidance serves as a critical tool for governments, policymakers, and stakeholders working to strengthen mental health systems and improve access to mental health care.
• By offering a menu of policy directives, strategies and actions to guide reform efforts, the guidance supports policy makers to prioritize and tailor policies to their specific national context, in line with their available resources and operational structures.
• "This new WHO guidance provides practical strategies for countries to build inclusive, responsive and resilient mental health systems.
• Designed to be flexible, it allows all countries – whether low- middle- or high-income - to adapt their approach to mental health care based on national context, needs, and priorities,” said Dr Michelle Funk, Unit Head, Policy, Law and Human Rights in the WHO Department for Mental Health and Substance Abuse.

Developing and implementing the guidance

• The guidance was developed in consultation with global experts, policymakers and individuals with lived experience.
• The policy guidance also builds on the resources, guidance and tools developed under the WHO QualityRights initiative, aiming to promote a person-centred, recovery-oriented and rights-based approach to mental health. WHO will support countries in implementing the guidance through technical assistance and capacity-building initiatives

UN Commission approves WHO recommendations to place psychoactive substances under international control

• Following recommendations by the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) has decided to place five new psychoactive substances and one medicine under international control.
• The recommendations were developed by WHO Expert Committee on Drug Dependence--ECDD, which consists of global experts analyzing health risks and benefits of psychoactive substances circulating on global markets and alerting to include them under international control if evidence found that their use can cause harm for population health in countries.
• “These substances have been brought to WHO’s attention for being clandestinely manufactured, posing serious risk to public health and society without any recognized therapeutic use,” said Dr Deus Mubangizi, WHO Director for Health Product Policy and Standards.
• “We are pleased that the Commission (on Narcotic Drugs) has accepted the full set of WHO recommendations and added these substances to relevant schedules in the 1961 or 1971 Conventions. We hope countries and communities will increase vigilance and take necessary actions to protect vulnerable groups particularly youth from these substances.”
• Four substances placed in Schedule I of the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs (1961), as amended by the 1972 Protocol are:
•  N-Pyrrolidino protonitazene, also referred to as protonitazepyne, is a synthetic opioid.  It has been described as a beige powder or a white colourless or crystalline solid, and has been identified in falsified pharmaceutical opioid tablets.
•  It is reported to be administered by various routes, including smoking, snorting and by injection. It can cause substantial harm, including death. It has no known therapeutic use.
• N-Pyrrolidino metonitazene, also referred to as metonitazepyne, is a synthetic opioid. It has been described as a beige powder and is reported to be administered by injection. There is evidence that its use causes substantial harm, including death. It has no known therapeutic use.
• Etonitazepipne, also referred to as N-piperidinyl etonitazene, is a synthetic opioid.  It has been described as a crystalline solid and a yellowish-white or yellow powder. There is evidence that use of this substance causes substantial harm, including death. It has no known therapeutic use.
• N-Desethyl isotonitazene, also referred to as norisotonitazene, is a synthetic opioid that has been described as a crystalline solid. It has been identified in falsified pharmaceuticals.
•  Multiple deaths and hospital admissions have been reported in at least two regions. There is evidence that its use causes substantial harm, including death. It has no known therapeutic use.
• Substance placed in Schedule II of the Convention on Psychotropic Substances (1971):
• Hexahydrocannabinol, also known as HHC, is a semi-synthetic cannabinoid described as a colourless viscous oil or resin. Products such as THC cannabis flowers and resins infused or sprayed with the substance, e-liquids and cartridges for electronic cigarettes, edible products such as gummies and marshmallows, tinctures resembling dietary supplements and distillate oils can include HHC.
• There is sufficient evidence that HHC is used in ways to constitute a public health and social problem, warranting placement under international control.
• Substance placed in Schedule IV of the Convention on Psychotropic Substances (1971):
• Carisoprodol is a centrally acting skeletal muscle relaxant sold as a single-ingredient preparation and in combination products. Carisoprodol is available as a pharmaceutical product in tablet form, has been detected in falsified pharmaceuticals and is also found as a white powder.
• There is increasing evidence that nonmedical use of carisoprodol in a number of countries constitutes a significant risk to public health.
• WHO has been convening the ECDD as a scientific advisory body for over 70 years with the mission to protect populations from harmful substances and to ensure that psychoactive substances are available where needed for medical and scientific purposes.
•  The ECDD conducts scientific reviews at the request of the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs and is the only treaty-mandated body to provide health recommendations to the Commission to inform decisions in drug policy.
• With the ongoing emergence of more harmful substances, including clandestinely manufactured synthetic opioids with no medical use such as fentanyl and nitazenes, Member States expressed interest in more scientific reviews of these substances by WHO in the coming period.

Fully-funded Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, is a lifeline for child survival, says WHO

•  Vaccines are one of humanity’s greatest achievements. An estimated 154 million lives have been saved over the past 50 years thanks to global immunization drives as part of the Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI), led by country governments worldwide, including the U.S., and supported by global institutions.  
• Vaccination accounts for 40% of the worldwide improvement in infant survival over these 50 years, and more children now live to see their first birthday and beyond than at any other time in human history.
• Much of this success is a result of the investments entrusted to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, founded in 2000.  
• Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, which includes WHO, UNICEF and the Gates Foundation as core founding members, was created to widen the benefits of EPI by helping the poorest countries in the world benefit from new, life-saving vaccines, and increase the coverage of EPI vaccines.
• These two goals, one to expand the scope of protection and one to expand the scale of protection, have resulted in a greater breadth of protection against an increasing number of vaccine-preventable diseases.
• This intensified effort, including in the most vulnerable parts of the world, has helped to save more lives and further vaccine equity - ensuring children who never receive a single vaccine are reached.  
• Since 2000, Gavi has protected an entire generation – over 1 billion children – against infectious diseases, helping to cut by half child mortality in 78 lower-income countries.
•  From 2000-2023, Gavi supported 637 vaccine introductions and vaccination campaigns to protect children around the world against 16 life-threatening infectious diseases. Not only are vaccines delivering protection and high impact, immunization is a ‘best buy’ in health with a return on investment of $54 for every dollar invested. 
• Decades of progress have made many vaccine-preventable diseases a rarity in the lives of families. Cuts in the investments to Gavi pose a massive threat to unravel this progress.
• Infectious diseases do not stop at borders. Where there are pockets of un- and under-immunized children and adults, measles and other diseases can easily spread, as we’re seeing in the U.S. and around the world.
• This puts all lives at risk, costs individuals and governments substantial resources to respond to outbreaks and stretches already scarce health system resources. This says nothing about the long-term harms and even deaths that occur to what should have been healthy lives.  
• Gavi has been the front line to help keep deadly vaccine-preventable diseases at bay, working hand in hand with WHO, UNICEF and other public and private sector partners, most notably, community health workers and families eager to protect their loved ones.
• Through routine immunization, Gavi has been critical to maintaining vaccine stockpiles for outbreak-prone diseases such as Ebola, yellow fever and meningitis. 
• In the next 5 years, Gavi will protect at least 500 million children from preventable disease and in so doing save an additional 8-9 million lives. Without continued support by the U.S. and other donors, the world is at risk of a dangerous backsliding in immunization coverage – meaning more zero-dose children, more disease outbreaks, more diseases crossing borders, more threats to health and more children who never reach even their 5th birthday.    
• Every child has the right to health. Our best defense against infectious diseases is continued investment in life-saving immunizations for all.
•  We cannot turn our backs on protecting all children and all communities from these diseases. Nobody should be mistaken that reversing the gains of the past 25 years of immunization is anything other than a grave threat to us all. It is critical to continue investment in Gavi so that life-saving immunizations can continue to reach all children.

 ARTEMIS PROGRAMME

• The Artemis Accords are a practical set of principles, guidelines and best practices to enhance the governance of the civil exploration and use of outer space with the intention of advancing the Artemis programme. India has signed the Artemis Accord on June 21, 2023, becoming the 27^th signatory.
•  However, India is not a participant in the NASA led Artemis Programme, which is a mission-driven initiative led by NASA to return humans to the Moon and beyond. India has outlined its own ambitious vision for space exploration under its Space Vision 2047.
• This includes mission such as Chandrayaan series for lunar exploration and Gaganyaan continuation programme leading to Bhartiya Antariksha Station, reflecting India’s vision to advancements in space exploration. However, ISRO will explore the possibilities of participation in the Artemis programme in future.
• India has outlined its own ambitious vision for space exploration under its Space Vision 2047.

Artemis Accords

• Grounded in the Outer Space Treaty of 1967 (OST), the Artemis Accords are a non-binding set of principles designed to guide civil space exploration and use in the 21st century. 
• These principles, which include transparency, peaceful purposes, registering of space objects and release of scientific data, help make the space environment safer and more predictable, and allow all nations – even those without space programmes – to benefit from the data obtained in space.
• Co-led for the United States by the Department of State and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the Artemis Accords were launched on October 13, 2020 with Australia, Canada, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and the United States. 
• Currently, there are 53 signatories.
• From the original eight nations in 2020, Artemis Accords signatories now hail from every part of the globe and possess a variety of space capabilities and interests. 

The Outer Space Treaty

• The creation of a special regime for outer space and celestial bodies was necessitated by the commencement of space activities with the launch of the first artificial satellites of the Earth under an international scientific programme, the International Geophysical Year (1957-1958), and the rapid development of rocket technology during that period.
• The Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, Including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies, which is usually called the Outer Space Treaty, is one of the most significant law-making treaties concluded in the second half of the 20th century. 
• It was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on December 19, 1966, opened for signature at London, Moscow and Washington on January 27, 1967, and entered into force on October 10, 1967. 
• The Outer Space Treaty laid down the foundations of international regulation of space activities and thus established the framework of the present legal regime of outer space and celestial bodies.
• Over 100 countries are parties to the treaty.

India signed the treaty in March 1967 and ratified it in 1982.

Artemis Programme

• Artemis is a long-term exploration campaign to conduct science at the Moon with astronauts and prepare for future human missions to Mars.
•  With Artemis, NASA will explore more of the Moon than ever before, learn how to live and work away from home, and prepare for future human exploration of the Red Planet. NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket, exploration ground systems, and Orion spacecraft, along with the human landing system, next-generation spacesuits, Gateway lunar space station, and future rovers are NASA’s foundation for deep space exploration.
• Artemis I was the first in a series of increasingly complex missions that will enable human exploration at the Moon and future missions to Mars. The uncrewed mission was launched on November 16, 2022. 
• NASA targets September 2025 for Artemis II, the first crewed Artemis mission around the Moon, and September 2026 for Artemis III, which is planned to land the first astronauts near the lunar South Pole. Artemis IV, the first mission to the Gateway lunar space station, remains on track for 2028.

Why is this programme called Artemis?

• The first missions to take astronauts to the Moon were called the Apollo Programme. The first astronauts landed on the Moon in 1969. Artemis is  Apollo’s twin sister and the Goddess of the Moon in Greek mythology. 

Lack of accountability’: Activists, experts question environment ministry over underutilised funds

• Environmentalists have demanded accountability from the Ministry of Environment after a recent parliamentary committee report in the Parliament revealed that only 1 percent of the Rs 858 crore allocated to the ministry for its ‘Control of Pollution’ scheme was utilised this financial year. 
• The central government aims to reduce pollution by 40 percent in 130 cities by 2025-26 under its flagship National Clean Air Programme, which majorly relies on the Control of Pollution scheme for funding.
•  With the underutilisation of the scheme’s funds, experts argue that the government has not kept pace with tackling air pollution as environmental laws are diluted to favour industries. Therefore, experts said policy frameworks, even well-intentioned, will falter for want of effective implementation.
• The report by the department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Science and Technology, Environment, Forests and Climate Change was tabled in Parliament on March 25.
•  The report shows that of the Rs 858 crore allocation, only Rs 7.22 crore was spent in 2024-25 (until January 31). Before the current fiscal, the Control of Pollution scheme funds were either fully utilised or over-spent. In 2022-23, 100 percent utilisation of Rs 600 crore was reported. The next year, almost all of the allocated funds (Rs 847 crore) was spent.
• “The underutilisation of pollution control funds clearly highlights that policy frameworks, no matter how well-intentioned, are of no use without effective implementation.We have seen stark contrasts across the globe between countries that act decisively on environmental concerns and those that falter due to bureaucratic delays,” 
• The Centre fully funds the scheme and it is one of the key sources of the Centre’s flagship National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), which has set targets to reduce particulate matter 10 (fine pollutants) pollution in 131 cities across the country by 2026. The 15th Finance Commission funds NCAP for 49 cities with over a million people, and the ‘Control of Pollution’ scheme funds plans to clean dirty air in 82 ‘non-attainment’ cities which do not conform to air quality standards
• An amount of Rs 3,072 crore has been earmarked for the 82 cities under the central scheme from 2019-20 to 2025-26.
• Less than 1 per cent of the Rs 858 crore allocated to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change for the ‘Control of Pollution’ scheme in the financial year 2024-25 has been utilised so far, according to a report tabled in Parliament Tuesday.
• The department-related standing committee on science and technology, environment, forests and climate change expressed its shock in the Demands for Grants (2025-26) report and asked the ministry to “introspect” and take serious note of the reasons for the gross underutilisation.
• In response to the panel’s surprise over the expenditure of only Rs 7.22 crore until January 21 out of the revised allocation of Rs 858 crore, ministry officials stated that funds could not be utilised as approval for the scheme’s continuation was awaited. Over the past two financial years, the ministry spent all of the budget allocated for the scheme, the report showed.
• The Centre fully funds the scheme and it is one of the key sources of the Centre’s flagship National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), which has set targets to reduce particulate matter 10 (fine pollutants) pollution in 131 cities across the country by 2026. The 15th Finance Commission funds NCAP for 49 cities with over a million people, and the ‘Control of Pollution’ scheme funds plans to clean dirty air in 82 ‘non-attainment’ cities which do not conform to air quality standards.
• An amount of Rs 3,072 crore has been earmarked for the 82 cities under the central scheme from 2019-20 to 2025-26.
• “…the committee is shocked to note that amount to the tune of Rs 858 crore allocated for ‘Control of Pollution’, which is 27.44 percent of the annual RE (revised estimate) allocation of the ministry, remains unutilized since the approval for continuation of Control of Pollution Scheme till 2025-26 is, awaited, even at the fag end of the financial year,” the House panel stated in its report.
• It added, “At a time when the Ministry is required to address the grave and critical challenge of deteriorating air quality, the Ministry has not been able to decide the continuation of the concerned scheme, as a result of which not even 1% of the funds allocated for the scheme have been utilized so far. The Committee, therefore, recommends that the Ministry needs to introspect and take a serious note of the reasons for this gross underutilization.”
• As part of parliamentary oversight, department-related standing committees scrutinise spending and performance of government ministries as against budgetary allocations and present reports to the Parliament.
• The ‘Control of Pollution’ scheme was launched in 2018 to monitor air, water and noise pollution and their quality levels across the country. It consists of components such as funding assistance to weaker state pollution control boards to control pollution, and an environmental monitoring network programme to carry out pollution monitoring.
•  Just weeks ago, the World Air Quality Report 2024 said Delhi was the world’s most polluted capital, with an average PM2.5 concentration of 91.8 micrograms/cubic metre, and 13 of the 20 most polluted cities of the world were in India.

Concerns about US withdrawal from global climate efforts

• On climate change issues, the House panel expressed concern over the US administration’s withdrawal from global climate efforts and climate funding. It said that India, being a large country, must take big responsibility.
• The committee also recommended formulating and implementing national-level heat action plans to mitigate heat waves, and expressed concern on higher-than-average temperature rise expected in upcoming and next summer.
• On the ministry’s annual spending, the committee also noted that in FY 2024-25, against a revised allocation of Rs 3,125.96 crore, the environment ministry had spent only 54 per cent or Rs 1,712.48 crore up to January 31. However, the ministry secretary informed the panel that 69 per cent had been used. The committee said that the fund utilisation was not satisfactory during 2024-25, especially with just 40 days left for the end of the current FY.

EC proposal: Voters who decline to give Aadhaar need to appear, explain why

•  An ERO, typically a civil service/revenue officer, is empowered by Section 13B of the R P Act 1950 to prepare, update and revise electoral rolls (more commonly known as the “voters’ list”) for Assembly constituencies. EROs are designated by the Election Commission in consultation with State Governments.
• Currently, the EC, up to 2023, had collected Aadhaar details of over 66 crore voters, who had “voluntarily” offered this information.
• But the two databases for these 66 crore voters haven’t been linked. In other words, so far, Aadhaar hasn’t been used to weed out duplicate entries or enable clean-up of electoral rolls.
• The proposal that every voter who doesn’t provide her 12-digit unique identity number needs to give an explanation in person before an ERO is understood to have been discussed at a high-level meeting last week between senior officers of the EC and representatives from the Home Ministry, Law Ministry, IT Ministry, and UIDAI, and is likely to be part of the amended Form 6B.

With this change, the EC hopes that sharing Aadhaar number will be categorically clarified as a “voluntary” exercise and it will, consequently, fulfil its commitment before the Supreme Court (in G Niranjan Vs Election Commission of India) in September 2023.

• Currently, Form 6B, which was introduced to collect Aadhaar numbers of voters, lacks options for electors to abstain from providing Aadhaar, offering only two choices: either provide Aadhaar or declare, “I am not able to furnish my Aadhaar because I don’t have Aadhaar number.”
•  The latter, the petitioners in G Niranjan Vs Election Commission of India case had said, basically forced voters to give a false undertaking when they actually don’t wish to volunteer that information.
•  According to the proposal discussed in the March 18 meeting, Form 6B will be tweaked to remove the latter declaration (“I am not able to furnish my Aadhaar because I don’t have Aadhaar number”).
•  It will now have just one declaration that the voter is providing an alternative document (out of the predetermined list of documents mentioned in Form 6B) and will appear before ERO on a given date to explain why she is not sharing Aadhaar details.
• This change will have to be notified by the Law Ministry by way of the gazette notification only after EC sends a formal proposal to the Union government on the same. This amendment is likely to happen before the next set of Assembly elections in Bihar.