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- Why in News?
- India has taken a major step toward developing its own comprehensive health database with the launch of a new national facility. This initiative will significantly boost research in precision medicine and biomedical sciences.
- National Biobank Highlights:-
- Part of the Phenome India Project, the biobank is modeled after the UK Biobank but tailored to reflect India’s vast genetic and lifestyle diversity. Its primary goal is to facilitate early diagnosis and personalized treatment strategies, especially for complex diseases like cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular conditions, and rare genetic disorders. It will gather high-resolution clinical, genomic, and lifestyle data from 10,000 participants, enabling AI-based diagnostics and gene-specific therapies.
- About Phenome India Project:-
- Formally known as Phenome India–CSIR Health Cohort Knowledgebase (PI-CheCK), it was initiated by CSIR in 2023. The long-term study aims to monitor individual health trajectories over time.
- Phenome Defined:-
- The phenome encompasses all observable traits of an organism, shaped by both genetics (genotype) and environment.
- Why in News?
- The Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) has approved the operation of two 700 MW indigenous Pressurized Heavy Water Reactors (PHWRs), Units 3 and 4, at the Kakrapar Atomic Power Station in Gujarat. This marks a major step in India's self-reliant nuclear energy journey.
- About PHWRs:-
- PHWRs form the foundation of the first stage of India’s Three-Stage Nuclear Programme. They utilize natural uranium as fuel and produce plutonium-239, which will later be used in Uranium-Plutonium Mixed Oxide (MOX) fuel for Fast Breeder Reactors (FBRs) in the second stage. Heavy water (D₂O) serves as both coolant and moderator in PHWRs. A key safety feature is the use of pressure tubes, reducing the severity of any accidental rupture.
- Development Journey:-
- India began PHWR development in the 1960s with Canadian support. After the 1974 nuclear test and Canada's withdrawal, India pursued indigenous development, culminating in standardized designs like those at Narora.
- About AERB:-
- Formed in 1983, AERB ensures safe use of nuclear energy under the Atomic Energy and Environment Acts.
- Why in News?
- A Delhi court has officially declared a UK-based arms consultant as a Fugitive Economic Offender (FEO) under the Fugitive Economic Offenders Act, 2018, marking a significant step in tightening legal action against high-value economic fugitives.
- About the Fugitive Economic Offenders Act, 2018
- This Act provides a legal framework to classify individuals as Fugitive Economic Offenders—those against whom an arrest warrant has been issued for a scheduled economic offence, and who have either left India to avoid prosecution or refuse to return.
- To invoke the Act, authorities must file an application before a Special Court, which is a Court of Session designated under the Prevention of Money-laundering Act, 2002. The law targets serious offences involving amounts of ₹100 crore or more, listed under its schedule.
- Once declared an FEO, the individual’s properties can be confiscated, deterring willful defaulters from evading Indian law by staying abroad.