State PCS - Assam (APSC)

• 16 Jan 2026

Odisha Launches ‘Aame Padhiba Aama Bhasare’ Scheme for Early Childhood

Why in News? 

The Odisha government has launched a scheme called ‘Aame Padhiba Aama Bhasare’, aimed at providing early childhood education in mother tongue. 

Key Points 

• Scheme: ‘Aame Padhiba Aama Bhasare’ (meaning “We will study in our own language”) is a five-year educational initiative to impart early childhood education in children’s mother tongue. 
• Launch: The scheme was inaugurated by Deputy Chief Minister Pravati Parida, who also serves as the Women and Child Development Minister. 
  • Emphasising women’s empowerment and child welfare as a priority.  
  • Target Group: It will benefit children aged 3–6 years. 
• Pilot Implementation: In the first phase, the programme will be rolled out in Keonjhar, Kandhamal, Gajapati, Rayagada, Nabarangpur and Malkangiri districts using tribal languages such as Munda, Kui, Saura, Kuvi, Gondi and Koya. 
• Anganwadi Capacity Building: Anganwadi workers will receive language-specific training, educational materials and audio-visual content. 
• Child Marriage Prevention: The government has also launched a 100-day campaign to prevent child marriage. 
  • The campaign will be driven by youth leadership, ASHA and Anganwadi workers. 
  • Focusing on awareness, safety and community participation through rallies, conferences and early warning systems. 
• NEP Alignment: The initiative aligns with the National Education Policy 2020, emphasising mother tongue-based learning in early years to strengthen learning outcomes and preserve linguistic identity.

• Constitutional Provisions:  
  • Article 350A: Directs the State to provide adequate facilities for instruction in the mother tongue at the primary stage of education to children belonging to linguistic minority groups. 

Read More:  National Education Policy 2020, ASHA

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