Chandrayaan-4 Mission identified Mons Mouton, a location on the Moon to land its lander.
- Chandrayaan-4 will be India’s fourth mission to Moon that will demonstrate taking off from the lunar surface after collecting surface samples, and bringing back the same to the Earth.
- The planned timeline for Chandrayaan-4 mission is 2027.
About Mons Mouton
- Mountain near Moon's south pole, known informally as Leibnitz Beta, named after NASA mathematician and computer programmer Melba Roy Mouton.
- Key Features: Flat-topped spanning almost 100 kilometres and rises roughly 6000 meters above the surrounding terrain.
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The 2026 Union Budget has sanctioned the establishment of two new telescopes to study the sun and the origins of the universe in Ladakh.
About the Two New Telescopes
- National Large Solar Telescope (NLST): A 2-metre aperture telescope in Merak (Ladakh) to study solar dynamics, magnetism, and space weather.
- Once operational, NLST will serve as India’s third ground-based solar observatory.
- Currently, the Kodaikanal Solar Observatory (in Tamil Nadu, established 1899) and the Udaipur Solar Observatory (in Rajasthan, established 1975) are operational.
- National Large Optical Telescope (NLOT): A 13.7-metre segmented-mirror telescope in Hanle (Ladakh). It will research exoplanets and the universe's origins using optical-infrared wavelengths.
The Compact was launched by World Economic Forum and is supported by Unified Coalition for AMR Response.
- It aims to unlock sustainable financing from both public and private sources to reduce the global AMR deaths, saving more than 100 million lives by 2050.
About AMR
- It occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites no longer respond to antimicrobial medicines (antibiotics, antivirals, antifungals, etc.) making them ineffective.
- It is a natural process that happens over time through genetic changes in pathogens.
- However, its spread is accelerated by human activity, mainly the misuse and overuse of antimicrobials.
- Status in India: Around 6 lakh lives are lost each year due to resistant infections.
Key Initiatives taken to address AMR
- National Action Plan on AMR 2.0 (2025-2029): Unified and coordinated effort across the human, animal, agriculture and environmental sectors.
- First Indigenous Antibiotic, Nafithromycin: Launched in 2024 ,it is designed to treat both typical and atypical drug-resistant bacteria.
- National surveillance networks: Generate annual AMR surveillance reports, with data submitted to the Global AMR Surveillance System (GLASS).
- Global Initiatives Efforts:
- Global Action Plan (GAP) on AMR during 2015 World Health Assembly.
- United Nations General Assembly High-Level Meeting on AMR, 2024, to reduce global deaths associated with bacterial AMRs by 10% by 2030 against the 2019 baseline, etc.
Kerala becomes first state in the country to declare Bacillus subtilis as ‘State microbe’.
What is Bacillus subtilis?
- It is a type of probiotic or “good” bacteria found widely in the environment and naturally in the gut of humans as well as in fermented foods.
- Industrially, it is valuable for producing enzymes (e.g., amylases, proteases), antibiotics (e.g., bacitracin), and as a probiotic in agriculture and livestock feed.
- Its GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) status makes it suitable for food and pharmaceutical applications.
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According to Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), number of organ transplants increased nearly fourfold over past decade – from fewer than 5,000 in 2013 to almost 20,000 in 2025.
- Around 18% of these involve organs donated by deceased donors, reflecting a rise in cadaveric (deceased donors) donations.
Organ Transplantation Framework in India
- Legal Framework: Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Act, 1994 (THOTA) enacted by the MoHFW.
- Regulatory Mechanism: Three tiered structure under THOTA, 1994:
- NOTTO: Apex body for coordination, networking, and registry of organ/tissue donation and transplantation.
- Regional Organ and Tissue Transplant Organization (ROTTO).
- State Organ and Tissue Transplant Organization (SOTTO).
- National Organ Transplant Program (NOTP): Central Sector Programme to improve access to organ transplantation for needy citizens.
