State PCS - West Bengal (WBCS)

• 27 Mar 2026

World Air Quality Report 2025

Why in News? 

The 8^th annual World Air Quality Report 2025, released by IQAir, ranked India as the sixth most polluted country in the world based on average PM2.5 concentration levels. 

Key Points 

• India Ranking: India ranked 6^th among 143 countries in terms of PM2.5 pollution levels in 2025 with a national average PM2.5 concentration of 48.9 µg/m³—almost ten times higher than the WHO’s safe limit of 5 µg/m³. 
  • Loni in Uttar Pradesh was the most polluted city, with an annual average PM2.5 concentration of 112.5 µg/m³, marking a nearly 23% rise from 2024 and exceeding the WHO guideline by over 22 times. 
  • 66 of the world’s 100 most polluted cities are in India, including major cities like Delhi, Byrnihat, and Ghaziabad. 
  • New Delhi continued to rank as the most polluted capital city in the world for the eighth consecutive year. 
• Key findings: 
  • Only 14% of cities worldwide met the annual PM2.5 guideline of 5 µg/m³ set by the World Health Organization, a decrease from 17% recorded in the previous year. 
  • Only thirteen countries/territories met the annual average PM2.5 guideline prescribed by the World Health Organization. 
  • 130 out of 143 countries and territories (about 91%) recorded PM2.5 levels higher than the annual guideline value set by the World Health Organization. 
  • The five most polluted countries were Pakistan (67.3 µg/m³), Bangladesh (66.1 µg/m³), Tajikistan (57.3 µg/m³), Chad (53.6 µg/m³), and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (50.2 µg/m³). 
  • Nieuwoudtville in South Africa was recorded as the world’s cleanest city, with an annual average PM2.5 concentration of 1.0 µg/m³. 

Read More: World Air Quality Report 2024 

Delhi Government Launched ANMOL Scheme

Why in News? 

The Government of Delhi has launched a free large‑scale genetic testing programme for all newborns under the new ANMOL scheme (Advanced Newborn Monitoring for Optimal Lifecare) to help reduce infant mortality and improve early detection of genetic and metabolic disorders. 

Key Points 

• Programme: Under the ANMOL scheme, all newborns in both government and private hospitals in Delhi will be screened free of cost for 56 genetic and metabolic disorders, including congenital hypothyroidism, phenylketonuria and cystic fibrosis.  
  • Kerala is the only state in India to have implemented a full-scale free newborn screening program for hearing, congenital heart defects, and metabolic disorders. 
• Objective: The primary goal is to detect serious inherited conditions before symptoms appear, enabling early treatment and care that can prevent disability or death.  
• Benefits: Offering them free of cost under ANMOL will reduce financial burden on families and promote equitable access to critical health services.  
• Testing Procedure: The screening involves collecting a small blood sample (heel prick) from newborns and analysing it in specialised laboratories to detect inherited conditions, often before any physical signs of disease are visible. 
• Significance: Early detection and timely intervention for genetic disorders can prevent irreversible disabilities, improve long‑term health, and contribute to lowering the infant mortality rate — a key public health challenge in India. 
• Infant Mortality Rate (IMR): The number of deaths of infants below one year of age per 1,000 live births in a particular year. 

Read More: Genetic disorders 

India’s GARBH‑INi Initiative to Predict Preterm Births Early

Why in News? 

The GARBH‑INi (Interdisciplinary Group for Advanced Research on Birth Outcomes) initiative, a flagship programme of the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) under the Government of India,  is transforming maternal and child health research by integrating advanced science, artificial intelligence (AI), and data‑driven approaches to predict and prevent adverse birth outcomes like preterm births. 

Key Points 

• Background: India faces one of the highest burdens of preterm births globally, which significantly contribute to neonatal and child mortality and long‑term health complications. 
• Study: India’s largest pregnancy cohort study under the GARBH‑INi initiative tracks around 12,000 pregnant women with the goal of preventing preterm births through advanced research. 
  • The initiative is focused on creating AI‑based predictive models, including pregnancy dating tools tailored specifically to the Indian population, enabling early identification of women at risk of preterm birth. 
• GARBH‑INi: It combines clinical epidemiology, multi‑omics research (genomics, proteomics, microbiome studies), and AI‑based predictive modelling to create comprehensive tools for early risk identification and personalized interventions during pregnancy. 
• Objective: The programme aims to develop rapid diagnostic tools, including microbiome based biotherapeutics technology, which could be transferred and scaled across research and clinical settings.  
• Data-Sharing Platform: A digital platform named GARBH-INi-DRISHTI has been developed to enable researchers to access and share data for scientific studies. 
• Significance: India’s bioeconomy has expanded from around $10 billion in 2014 to approximately $195 billion, with the country now gaining global recognition for its expertise in preventive and primary healthcare. 

Read More: Artificial intelligence 

Ramkumar Mukhopadhyay to Receive Saraswati Samman 2025

Why in News? 

Bengali author Ramkumar Mukhopadhyay has been selected for the prestigious 35^th Saraswati Samman 2025 for his novel Hara Parbati Katha. 

Key Points 

• Award Winner: Eminent Bengali writer Ramkumar Mukhopadhyay has been chosen for the Saraswati Samman 2025. 
  • He received the honour for his Bengali novel “Hara Parbati Katha.” 
  • The novel was published in 2020 and reflects themes of culture, mythology, and society. 
• About Author: He was born in 1956 in Kolkata and is a noted Bengali novelist and short story writer who has made significant contributions to modern Bengali literature. 
• Saraswati Samman:  
  • Instituted By: The award was established in 1991 by the K. K. Birla Foundation. 
  • Works must be written in any language included in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution of India. 
  • It carries a cash prize of ₹15 lakh, along with a citation and a plaque. 
  • The award recognises literary works written by an Indian citizen and published within the previous 10 years. 

Read More: Eighth Schedule of the Constitution