State PCS - Rajasthan (RAS)

• 16 Jan 2026

Gujarat to House India’s First State-Funded BSL-4 Lab for High-Risk Pathogens

Why in News? 

The foundation stone was laid for India’s first state-funded Biosafety Level 4 (BSL-4) laboratory in Gujarat. This facility marks a significant leap in India's decentralized high-containment research, previously limited to central government institutions.

Key Points: 

• Integrated Complex: The lab is designed as a multi-tier facility featuring BSL-4, BSL-3, and BSL-2 modules. 
• Animal Research: Crucially, it includes ABSL-3 and ABSL-4 (Animal Biosafety Level) modules, allowing scientists to study how deadly viruses interact with living organisms—a vital step in vaccine development. 
• Funding Model: Unlike India’s existing BSL-4 labs (such as the NIV in Pune), which are centrally funded by the ICMR, this is the first project of its kind to be financed and managed by a State Government. 
• Timeline: Planning for the high-containment hub began in mid-2022 following the lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic regarding local diagnostic self-reliance. 
• Pandemic Preparedness: The facility will allow Gujarat to identify and research "Disease X" or new viral outbreaks without having to send all samples to the National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune, thereby saving critical response time. 
• One Health Approach: By integrating Animal Biosafety (ABSL) modules, the lab supports the "One Health" framework, recognizing the link between human, animal, and environmental health in preventing zoonotic spillover.

Biosafety Levels (BSL) 

• BSL-1 & BSL-2: Handle moderate-risk agents (like E. coli or common flu) that cause mild disease in humans. 
• BSL-3: Deals with indigenous or exotic agents that may cause serious or potentially lethal disease through inhalation (e.g., Tuberculosis, SARS-CoV-2). 
• BSL-4 (High Containment): Reserved for the most dangerous and exotic agents that pose a high risk of life-threatening disease, have no known vaccine or treatment, and can be transmitted via aerosols.  
• Examples include Ebola, Marburg, and Nipah viruses. 

Read More:National Institute of Virology, One Health Approach 

World Economic Forum Released Global Risks Report 2026

Why in News 

The World Economic Forum (WEF) released the Global Risks Report 2026, the 21st edition of its annual assessment of global risk perceptions and anticipated threats. 

Key Points: 

• Age of Competition: The report underscores “uncertainty” as the defining characteristic of the global risk landscape in 2026 and highlights a transition into an “age of competition” where geopolitical and economic confrontations are overtaking cooperation, and traditional multilateral systems are under strain. 
• Top Short-Term Threat: In the immediate outlook (to 2028), economic and geopolitical tensions have overtaken environmental concerns in urgency 
  • Geoeconomic Confrontation: Rising to the top spot (up from #3 in 2025), this includes the "weaponization" of trade through tariffs, sanctions, and investment restrictions. 
  • Misinformation and Disinformation: Driven by AI-generated deepfakes, particularly during election cycles, threatening social stability. 
  • Societal Polarization: Intensifying pressures on democratic systems and public trust. 
  • Extreme Weather Events: Dropped from 2nd to 4th place in short-term salience, though they remain the top long-term threat. 
• Long-Term Risks (10-Year Horizon): Environmental threats continue to dominate the decade-long outlook, with Extreme Weather Events and Biodiversity Loss ranked as the most severe.  
  • Notably, Adverse Outcomes of AI Technologies saw the largest rise in severity, jumping from 30th in the short term to 5th place in the 10-year horizon. 
• Key Findings for India:The report identifies specific "hot spot" risks most likely to impact India over the next two years are 
  • Cyber insecurity: Ranked as the top risk due to India's rapid shift toward digital payments and infrastructure. 
  • Wealth and Income Inequality: A primary driver of internal social instability. 
  • Critical Infrastructure & Resource Security: Highlights "water security" as a major flashpoint, specifically regarding the Indus River Basin. 
  • Economic External Shocks: Susceptibility to global supply chain disruptions and international tariffs.