Nationwide HPV Vaccination Programme Context: The nation-wide programme will target girls aged 14 years, an age at which the HPV vaccine offers maximum preventive benefit, well before potential exposure to the virus. Under India’s partnership with Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, Gardasil vaccines, which are approved by India’s drug regulator and widely used internationally, have been made available for the national programme. The government to provide the vaccine free of cost to eligible girls across all States and Union Territories. Cervical cancer remains the second most common cancer among women in India, with nearly 80,000 new cases reported annually. Tamil Nadu HPV Vaccination Programme Tamil Nadu introduced the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) immunisation programme. The initiative will initially be implemented in four districts reporting higher incidence of cervical cancer - Ariyalur, Perambalur, Tiruvannamalai, and Dharmapuri. In the first phase, around 27,000 children in these districts will receive the initial vaccine dose. In total, nearly 3.38 lakh girls across 38 districts are expected to be covered under the scheme. The vaccination campaign targets girls between 9 and 14 years of age to help prevent cervical cancer. National Monetisation Pipeline 2.0 (NMP 2.0) Context: The Union Finance Minister has unveiled the National Monetisation Pipeline 2.0 (NMP 2.0), aiming to raise ₹16.72 lakh crore through asset monetisation during the period 2025–26 to 2029–30. About NMP 2.0 NMP 2.0 expands upon the earlier National Monetisation Pipeline (2021–2025) by setting out a fresh monetisation plan for FY 2026–2030. The strategy focuses on leasing or monetising already operational brownfield public assets—such as highways and railway infrastructure—to attract private investment. The funds generated will be channelled into building new greenfield infrastructure projects, without increasing government borrowing or imposing new taxes. The framework has been prepared by NITI Aayog in coordination with various ministries. It operates under the guidance of…
