GARBH-INi Programme Context: The Union government recently presented the findings of the decade-long GARBH-INi programme at the India Habitat Centre in New Delhi. GARBH-INi (Interdisciplinary Group for Advanced Research on Birth Outcomes), supported by the Department of Biotechnology, is the largest pregnancy cohort study conducted in India. It tracks more than 12,000 pregnant women to examine the causes of preterm births and identify genetic indicators that can help predict the likelihood of early delivery. The initiative aims to enhance maternal healthcare and lower neonatal mortality by developing indigenous, AI-based solutions. In terms of implementation, Phase I began in 2015 with the enrollment of pregnant participants. Phase II, launched in 2021, followed their children through the critical first 1,000 days after birth. Garbhini-GA2 is an indigenous AI model created specifically for Indian women by IIT Madras and THSTI to precisely estimate fetal age. Additionally, GARBH-INi-DRISHTI serves as a data-sharing platform that offers access to biospecimens and clinical datasets for researchers working in the field of maternal and child health. Current Facts Assam has become the first Indian State to float a tender for a group of earth-observation satellites that it says will strengthen disaster response along the flood-prone Brahmaputra valley and help survey the State’s borders. LPG ATM Context: India’s first fully automated LPG ATM, called the Bharatgas Insta LPG Machine, has been recently introduced in Gurugram. It has been developed by Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) as a pilot project under its Bharatgas initiative. The system operates as a round-the-clock, self-service kiosk where registered consumers can make digital payments and receive a filled LPG cylinder within 2–3 minutes. The machine supplies modern 15 kg fibre composite cylinders, which are lighter than traditional ones (about 31 kg). These cylinders are corrosion-resistant and semi-transparent, allowing users to easily check the gas level.…
