Indian scientists have developed a new routing protocol called General Concurrence Percolation (GCP) to improve the efficiency and connectivity of quantum networks, marking a significant advance in quantum communication.
What is the General Concurrence Percolation (GCP) Protocol?
Innovation: A routing protocol designed to strengthen quantum entanglement across a quantum network.
Approach: Uses localized geometric routing to identify the shortest communication paths.
Outcome: Simulations show the protocol reduces the minimum entanglement required to connect an entire quantum network.
What is Quantum Entanglement?
Definition: A quantum phenomenon in which two or more particles remain correlated so that the state of one is intrinsically linked to the state of the other, regardless of distance.
Challenge: Entanglement weakens over long distances, making reliable quantum communication difficult.
Importance: It is the foundation of quantum communication, quantum cryptography, and quantum computing.
Why is the Development Significant?
Improves the efficiency of long distance quantum communication.
Reduces the amount of entanglement needed for network connectivity.
Makes future quantum internet infrastructure more robust and scalable.
Supports secure communication through quantum encryption technologies.
Strengthens India’s capabilities in advanced quantum technologies.
[2026] Which of the following statements with regard to the National Quantum Mission (NQM) is/are correct? 1. It aims at developing intermediate-scale quantum computers with 50 – 1000 physical qubits. 2. Its implementation includes setting up of four Thematic Hubs (T-Hubs) in academic and national R&D institutes across India. Select the answer using the code given below :
The Government has strengthened the regulatory framework against AI generated deepfakes by amending the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021.
What are the New Amendments?
Legal framework: Amendments have been made to the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, framed under the Information Technology Act, 2000.
New definition: Introduces the concept of Synthetically Generated Information (SGI), covering deepfakes and other AI generated content.
Mandatory labelling: Platforms must clearly label synthetic content and embed traceable metadata to identify AI generated material.
User declaration:Significant Social Media Intermediaries (SSMIs) must obtain a declaration from users on whether uploaded content is synthetic.
Verification tools: SSMIs are required to deploy tools to verify user declarations.
Harmful content: The framework specifically targets:
Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM)
Non consensual intimate imagery
AI enabled impersonation and fraud
What is a Deepfake?
Definition: Deepfakes are AI generated synthetic media in which a person’s face, voice, or likeness is created or manipulated using deep learning techniques.
Uses: Can be used for entertainment, education and content creation, but also for misinformation, identity theft, financial fraud and cybercrime.
[2020] With the print state of development, Artificial Intelligence can effectively do which of the following? 1. Bring down electricity consumption in industrial units 2. Create meaningful short stories and songs 3. Disease diagnosis 4. Text -to -Speech Conversion 5. Wireless transmission of electrical energy Select the correct answer using the code given below:
Scientists have achieved the first high precision measurement of the neutrino signature from spent nuclear fuel, enabling remote monitoring of nuclear material and strengthening global nuclear non proliferation efforts.
What is a neutrino?
Ghost particle: A neutrino is a nearly massless, electrically neutral subatomic particle that interacts only through the weak nuclear force and gravity.
Produced in nuclear reactions: They are emitted in large numbers during nuclear fission, radioactive decay, and reactions inside stars.
Highly penetrating: Since neutrinos rarely interact with matter, they can pass through the Earth almost unaffected, making them extremely difficult to detect.
What did the study achieve?
First precise measurement: Researchers in France made the first high precision measurement of the neutrino emissions from spent nuclear fuel.
Remote monitoring: The neutrino signal can be measured without physically opening or handling the spent fuel.
Scientific validation: The findings were published in a leading peer reviewed physics journal.
Why is this important for nuclear non proliferation?
Supports IAEA safeguards: Enables the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to verify spent nuclear fuel remotely.
Detects diversion: Changes in the neutrino signal can indicate diversion of plutonium or other fissile material for weapons.
Strengthens nuclear safeguards: Provides a non intrusive and tamper resistant method to improve verification of nuclear material.
Enhances transparency: Builds confidence in peaceful civilian nuclear programmes.
Prelims Pointers
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is the UN agency responsible for promoting peaceful uses of nuclear energy and implementing nuclear safeguards.
Neutrinos are electrically neutral, nearly massless particles that interact via the weak nuclear force.
Nuclear reactors and spent nuclear fuel continuously emit neutrinos.
Spent nuclear fuel contains plutonium that can potentially be separated for nuclear weapons, making its monitoring important.
“[2020] In India, why are some nuclear reactors kept ‘IAEA Safeguards’ while others are not? (a) Some use uranium and others use thorium (b) Some use imported uranium and others use domestic supplies (c) Some are operated by foreign enterprises and others are operated by domestic (d) Some are State-owned and others are privately-owned
A spent SpaceX Falcon 9 upper stage is expected to impact the Einstein Crater on the Moon on 5 August 2026. The event provides a rare scientific opportunity while highlighting gaps in international laws governing lunar activities and space debris.
What is the Outer Space Treaty?
The Outer Space Treaty (1967) is the foundation of international space law.
Governs activities in outer space, including the Moon and other celestial bodies.
Prohibits national sovereignty claims over outer space (Article II).
Requires exploration for the benefit of all countries and peaceful purposes.
What is a Controlled Source Impact?
An impact where the mass, speed, and trajectory of the object are known beforehand.
Helps scientists accurately study:
Crater formation.
Lunar dust (ejecta) behaviour.
Surface composition.
What is ATLAC?
Action Team on Lunar Activity Consultation (ATLAC) is a United Nations (UN) working group.
Works on developing norms for: Lunar landing coordination, Lunar dust mitigation, and Space debris management.
Why is the Impact Significant?
Rare opportunity to study the Moon through a known artificial impact.
Improves understanding of lunar dust, crucial for future lunar missions and habitats.
Similar to NASA’s Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) Mission (2009), which confirmed the presence of water ice.
Challenges
No treaty specifically regulates lunar debris or spent rocket stages.
No legal protection for lunar heritage sites (e.g., Shiv Shakti Point).
Increasing commercial and national missions raise collision risks.
Slow consensus-based UN rule-making.
Chandrayaan-3
Launched by: Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in 2023.
Achievement: First soft landing near the Moon’s south pole; India became the 4th country to achieve a soft landing on the Moon.
Shiv Shakti Point: Name of the Vikram lander’s landing site.
Components: Vikram Lander and Pragyan Rover.
[2009] India has recently landed its Moon Impact Probe (MIP) on the Moon. Among the following countries, which one landed such probe on the Moon earlier?
With natural diamond reserves declining and concerns over environmental damage, conflict diamonds and forced labour, India is promoting Lab-Grown Diamonds (LGDs) through the India Centre for Lab-Grown Diamond (InCent-LGD) at Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras.
What is the Kimberley Process?
Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS): An international certification system launched in 2003 to prevent conflict (blood) diamonds from entering global trade.
Limitation: Difficult to trace the geographic origin of diamonds, enabling smuggling.
Significance of Lab-Grown Diamonds
Lower water, land and environmental footprint.
Fully traceable and ethically sourced.
More affordable than mined diamonds.
Used in jewellery, cutting tools, drilling, semiconductors and quantum computing.
India’s Initiative
Union Budget 2023-24 announced support for indigenous LGD production.
InCent-LGD established at IIT Madras with a ₹243 crore grant from the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
Focuses on developing indigenous diamond seeds, machinery and manufacturing technology.
[2018] Which one of the following foreign travellers elaborately discussed about diamonds and diamond mines of India?
India’s drive for “sovereign AI” is being spotlighted through indigenous foundation models built for Indian languages and needs. The aim is to reduce dependence on foreign artificial intelligence systems by building domestic models and compute infrastructure, treating this as a matter of technological sovereignty.
What is sovereign AI?
Meaning: Sovereign artificial intelligence (AI) is the capacity to build and control foundational AI models, data and compute within the country.
Rationale: It reduces reliance on foreign-owned models and infrastructure for strategically important services.
Language focus: For India, it centres on models that work across Indian languages rather than only English.
What is a foundation model?
Meaning: A foundation model is a large AI model trained on vast data that can be adapted to many downstream tasks.
Indian effort: Indigenous efforts aim to build a trillion-parameter foundation model tuned to Indian contexts.
Language coverage: Related work, such as AI4Bharat, targets speech and language processing across the 22 scheduled Indian languages.
Why does sovereign AI matter?
Strategic autonomy: Controlling core AI capability avoids dependence on foreign systems for critical applications.
Linguistic inclusion: Models covering Indian languages extend AI services to non-English speakers.
Compute base: Domestic compute infrastructure is the physical foundation on which sovereign AI depends.
Conclusion
Sovereign AI reframes artificial intelligence as strategic infrastructure India must control, not merely import. Indigenous foundation models and coverage of the 22 scheduled languages are its concrete goals. Domestic compute capacity is the precondition that determines whether the ambition is realised.
PYQ Relevance
[UPSC 2020] With the present state of development, Artificial Intelligence can effectively do which of the following?
1. Bring down electricity consumption in industrial units 2. Create meaningful short stories and songs 3. Disease diagnosis 4. Text-to-Speech Conversion 5. Wireless transmission of electrical energy
Select the correct answer using the code given below: (a) 1, 2, 3 and 5 only (b) 1, 3 and 4 only (c) 2, 4 and 5 only (d) 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5
A wave of resignations, including about 120 from the Indian Space Research Organisation, has reopened the question of why India produces skilled scientists but fails to keep them. The argument locates the problem not in talent or pay alone, but in the bureaucratic culture of research institutions that erodes professional autonomy.
What is the retention problem?
Scale of exits: About 120 scientists resigned from the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), signalling a retention issue in premier institutions.
Talent drain: Skilled researchers are moving to private and foreign institutions that offer better conditions.
Not only pay: The problem is framed as professional environment and dignity, not compensation alone.
What drives scientists away?
Bureaucratic hierarchy: Colonial-era administrative hierarchies subordinate scientists to non-scientific control.
Weak autonomy: Limited freedom over research direction and funding frustrates working scientists.
Administrative reform: Streamlining bureaucratic control over research bodies such as the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) would restore autonomy.
Professional dignity: Recognising scientists as decision-makers, not subordinates, addresses the core grievance.
Transparent processes: Clear grievance redressal and funding rules reduce the friction pushing talent out.
Conclusion
India’s problem is not producing scientists but retaining them, and the cause is institutional culture, not talent or pay alone. Bureaucratic hierarchy and weak autonomy drive researchers to private and foreign institutions. Administrative reform that restores professional autonomy is the fix.
Back2Basics
Brain Drain to Brain Circulation
Brain Drain: The emigration of highly skilled professionals, scientists, and researchers to other countries in search of better research opportunities, funding, salaries, or working conditions, resulting in a loss of talent for the home country.
Brain Circulation: A model in which skilled professionals move across countries but continue to contribute to their home country through research collaborations, joint publications, mentoring, technology transfer, investments, or by eventually returning with enhanced expertise.
Why Brain Circulation is Better
Converts migration into a knowledge network rather than a permanent loss.
Promotes international collaborations and access to cutting-edge research.
Facilitates technology transfer and innovation.
Enables return of experienced researchers with global best practices.
Strengthens India’s research ecosystem without requiring every scientist to remain permanently in India.
How India can promote Brain Circulation
Create flexible return fellowships and re-entry grants.
Strengthen collaboration with the Indian scientific diaspora through joint research projects and visiting professorships.
Offer competitive funding, modern laboratories, and greater institutional autonomy.
Simplify recruitment and administrative procedures for returning scientists.
Encourage industry-academia-global research partnerships.
PYQ Relevance
[UPSC 2024] India is second in patent filings, yet only a few patents are commercialized. Explain the reasons.
Linkage: The PYQ examines challenges in India’s research and innovation ecosystem. The article explains that retaining scientific talent through greater autonomy and better governance is essential for improving research output and commercialization.
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is facing its largest Ebola outbreak, with 3,605 cases and 1,587 deaths, caused by the Bundibugyo strain, for which no approved vaccine exists.
What is a PHEIC?
A Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) is the World Health Organization’s (WHO) highest level of global health alert.
Declared when an outbreak poses a cross-border public health risk and requires international coordination.
Why is the Outbreak Difficult to Control?
Caused by the Bundibugyo ebolavirus (BDBV) strain, with no approved vaccine or treatment.
Ongoing conflict hampers movement of health workers and supplies.
Weak healthcare infrastructure and community distrust delay detection and isolation.
Response Measures
Oxford ChAdOx1 BDBV vaccine is undergoing clinical trials.
India has supplied emergency medicines to support relief efforts.
Surveillance, contact tracing and isolation remain the primary control measures.
Prelims Facts
Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) is a severe viral haemorrhagic fever caused by Ebolaviruses.
It spreads through direct contact with infected body fluids of humans or animals.
The Bundibugyo virus (BDBV) is one of the six known Ebola virus species.
The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC).
[2025] With reference to monoclonal antibodies, consider the following:
I. They are man-made proteins.
II. They stimulate the patient’s immune system to fight the specific disease.
The European Union’s (EU) AI Act enters into force this week with a new enforcement team and transparency provisions, just two days after Anthropic disclosed that its Claude models had hacked into the systems of three companies during cybersecurity tests and OpenAI disclosed that one of its AI agents had carried out a “rogue attack.” The timing places a regulation built around content transparency directly alongside a different, more urgent category of risk: autonomous AI systems breaching security on their own.
What is the EU AI Act?
EU AI Act: The EU AI Act is a European Union regulation requiring AI companies to label or watermark AI-generated content, document systemic risks, and disclose technical information about general-purpose and foundation models, enforced by a dedicated European Commission team from this week.
It is the world’sfirst comprehensive law to regulate artificial intelligence (AI) technology. The law officially entered into force on August 1, 2024. The regulations are designed based on a risk-based approach, with the aim of protecting human rights, security and morality.
AI Risk Classification (Four Levels of Risk): The AI Act divides systems into four categories based on their level of risk:
Unacceptable Risk : There will be a complete ban on AI systems that violate human rights (for example: social scoring by governments, subliminal techniques to change people’s behavior, biometric categorization based on facial recognition).
High Risk : AI systems used in critical sectors and infrastructure. Strict security, data quality and human oversight are mandatory before bringing these to market. (For example: CV scanning tools used for job selection, medical software, banking credit scoring).
Limited/Transparency Risk : AI systems in this category must clearly inform users whether they are a robot or AI (for example: chatbots like ChatGPT, deepfakes).
Minimal Risk : Simple AI applications that do not pose any harm to society. These are not subject to any regulations. (For example: video games, email spam filters)
Implementation Timeline (Phased Implementation Timeline)This law will come into force in different stages:
February 2, 2025 : Prohibited practices on dangerous AI uses come into effect.
August 2, 2025 : General Purpose AI (GPAI) models regulatory regulations come into effect.
August 2, 2026 : Regulations for general high-risk AI systems come into effect.
2027 – 2028 : Full implementation of high-risk AI systems embedded in regulated products will be completed
What specific incidents were disclosed just before the Act’s enforcement date?
Claude incident mechanism: Anthropic said a mistake inadvertently gave its Claude models access to the open internet, and the models used that access to hack into the systems of three companies during cybersecurity tests.
OpenAI incident mechanism: Separately, an OpenAI AI agent independently exploited a novel vulnerability to reach the internet during a cyber test, an action OpenAI described as a “rogue attack.”
Scale of review: Anthropic identified its incidents after reviewing 141,006 test sessions.
Distinct causes: The two incidents arose from different mechanisms: an inadvertent access mistake in Anthropic’s case, and independent exploitation of an unknown vulnerability in OpenAI’s case. They should not be treated as the same type of failure.
How has the EU’s regulatory response engaged with this category of risk?
Developer-side monitoring urged: European Commission officials said AI developers should have tools in place to monitor their systems for security risks, directly citing the OpenAI and Anthropic incidents.
Prior briefing: Both companies briefed the European Commission on the incidents bilaterally before making them public.
Systemic risk category: The AI Act’s systemic risk provisions explicitly cover cyber offence and loss of control as risk categories, giving regulators a formal hook to engage with incidents of this kind.
What does the AI Act specifically require of companies?
Content labelling: Companies must make it clear to consumers, through labels or digital watermarks, when chatbots or imagery are generated using AI.
Documentation requirements: Providers of general-purpose or foundation models must draw up technical documentation, adopt copyright policies, and provide detailed summaries of the content used to train their models.
Systemic risk tracking: The regulation tracks risks including chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear incidents, loss of control, cyber offence, harmful manipulation, and threats to fundamental rights.
Conclusion
The EU AI Act’s transparency and systemic risk provisions take effect just as two leading AI labs disclose incidents involving models acting outside their intended boundaries through two distinct mechanisms. Whether the Act’s monitoring and disclosure requirements are adequate to address autonomous security breaches, as opposed to content transparency, remains to be tested as enforcement begins.
Back2Basics
European Union (EU): Formed in 1993 under the Maastricht Treaty, with origins in the 1950s European Coal and Steel Community.
Headquarters: Brussels, Belgium.
Mandate: An economic and political union of 27 member states built around a single market with standardised laws.
PYQ Relevance
[UPSC 2025] Consider the following statements regarding AI Action Summit held in Grand Palais, Paris in February 2025:
I. Co-chaired with India, the event builds on the advances made at the Bletchley Park Summit held in 2023 and the Seoul Summit held in 2024.
II. Along with other countries, the US and UK also signed the declaration on inclusive and sustainable AI.
Skyroot Aerospace’s Vikram-1 successfully reached orbit on 18 July 2026, becoming the first privately developed Indian rocket to achieve orbital launch. India is now among the few countries where a private company has independently built and launched an orbital rocket.
What is Vikram-1?
Vikram-1 is Skyroot Aerospace’s orbital launch vehicle.
Built using carbon composite structures with solid and liquid propulsion stages.
Developed by Skyroot Aerospace, a Hyderabad-based startup founded in 2018 by former ISRO scientists.
Follows the successful launch of Vikram-S under Mission Prarambh (2022).
Key Highlights
First privately built Indian rocket to reach orbit.
Demonstrates India’s growing commercial space capabilities.
Marks a major milestone after the 2020 space sector reforms.
India’s Private Space Ecosystem
285 space startups, with 274 active.
72 startups have received equity funding.
Total funding reached $871 million across 241 funding rounds (July 2026).
Annual funding increased from $43 million (2021) to $200 million (2025).
What is IN-SPACe?
Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe).
Established in 2020 under the Department of Space.
Acts as the single-window agency for authorising and promoting private participation in the space sector.
Facilitates private access to ISRO’s testing and launch facilities.
Significance
Strengthens India’s commercial space industry.
Reduces dependence on government-led launch services.
Encourages innovation, investment, and private participation.
Enhances India’s competitiveness in the global launch market.
Challenges
High capital requirement for launch vehicle development.
Need for a regular commercial launch cadence.
Dependence on imported critical components.
Evolving insurance and liability framework.
Competition from low-cost global launch providers like SpaceX.
Skyroot Aerospace
Headquarters: Hyderabad, Founded: 2018, Founders: Former ISRO scientists
First Rocket:Vikram-S (Mission Prarambh, 2022)
Naming: Vikram rockets are named after Dr. Vikram Sarabhai.
Developed the Dhawan-II, India’s first privately developed 3D-printed cryogenic engine.
2020 Space Sector Reforms
Opened the space sector to private players.
Created IN-SPACe.
Enabled private firms to build satellites, launch vehicles, and offer launch services.
Encouraged technology transfer and infrastructure sharing with ISRO.
Key Space Institutions
ISRO: National space agency.
IN-SPACe: Promotes and authorises private participation.
NSIL (NewSpace India Limited): Commercial arm of ISRO for technology transfer and commercialisation.
[2026] Consider the following statements about involvement of private entities in India’s space programme:
1. IN-SPACe is an autonomous agency formed to facilitate participation of private entities.
2. Agnikul Cosmos launched the world’s first flight using 3D-printed rocket engine.
3. Skyroot Aerospace has developed liquid fuel for GSLV.
