Content
- How can India benefit from neurotechnology?
- DHRUVA framework
- Crypto transactions crossed ₹51,000 cr. in 2024-25 in India
- Nahargarh Biological Park
- Gallbladder cancer
How can India benefit from neurotechnology?
Why in News?
- May 2024: Neuralink received US FDA approval for first in-human BCI trials.
- Demonstrated:
- Thought-controlled cursor movement
- Prosthetic-enabled motor function in paralysed patients
- Renewed global debate on:
- Human enhancement
- Brain data privacy
- Military uses of BCIs
- Parallel developments:
- China Brain Project (2016–2030)
- EU & Chile enacting “Neurorights” laws
- In India:
- IIT Kanpur developed BCI-driven robotic hand for stroke patients
- New focus on health-tech + neuro-AI convergence
Relevance
GS 2 – Governance & Social Justice
- Health governance and regulation of emerging medical technologies
- Data privacy, informed consent, and human rights (brain data)
- International cooperation on tech ethics (neurorights, global regulations)
GS 3 – Science & Technology + Internal Security
- Emerging technologies: Neuro-AI, BCIs, assistive technologies
- Dual-use technology risks (civil–military fusion, neuro-weapons)
- Strategic technology competition (US–China–EU)
What is Neurotechnology?
- Neurotechnology = technologies that:
- Record
- Monitor
- Stimulate
- Modify
brain activity directly.
- Works at the intersection of:
- Neuroscience
- Artificial Intelligence
- Biomedical Engineering
- Signal Processing
Core Technology: Brain–Computer Interface (BCI)
- BCI = Direct communication pathway between brain and external device
- Three functional layers:
- Signal acquisition → EEG or implanted electrodes
- Signal decoding → AI/ML algorithms
- Command execution → Prosthetics, cursors, wheelchairs
Types of BCIs
- Non-invasive
- EEG headsets
- Safer, less precise
- Invasive
- Implanted electrodes
- High precision, surgical risk
What Can BCIs Do?
(A) Therapeutic Uses (Current Reality)
- Paralysis → Neuroprosthetic limb control
- Parkinson’s → Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS)
- Depression → Targeted neural stimulation
- Stroke → Motor rehabilitation
- Epilepsy → Seizure detection & suppression
(B) Diagnostic Uses
- Brain disorder mapping
- Cognitive decline tracking (Alzheimer’s, dementia)
(C) Emerging Uses
- Gaming & immersive VR
- Cognitive performance tracking
- Human–AI interaction
Global Landscape
(A) United States
- Global leader via NIH – BRAIN Initiative (launched 2013)
- Focus:
- High-resolution brain mapping
- Neuro-AI interfaces
- Private sector:
- Neuralink
- BrainGate
- Synchron
(B) China
- China Brain Project (2016–2030):
- Understanding human cognition
- Brain-inspired AI
- Neurological disease treatment
- Strong civil–military fusion angle
(C) Europe & Chile
- First movers in “Neurorights” laws
- Legal protection for:
- Mental privacy
- Cognitive liberty
- Psychological integrity
Why Does India Need Neurotechnology?
(A) Public Health Imperative
- India has one of the world’s largest neurological disease burdens
- 1990–2019:
- Stroke became the largest contributor among neurological disorders
- Major disease load:
- Stroke
- Spinal cord injuries
- Parkinson’s
- Depression
(B) Economic & Strategic Opportunity
- Neurotechnology sits at convergence of:
- Biotech
- AI
- Medical devices
- High potential for:
- Export-oriented med-tech
- Defence applications
- Assistive devices market
Where Does India Stand Today?
(A) Research Institutions
- National Brain Research Centre
- Indian Institute of Science – Brain Research Centre
(B) Academic Innovation
- IIT Kanpur:
- Developed BCI-based robotic hand
- Target group: Stroke survivors
(C) Start-up Ecosystem
- Dognosis:
- Uses canine neural signals to detect cancer scent recognition
- Neuro-AI applied to animal cognition for human diagnostics
Strategic Advantages for India
- Large and genetically diverse population → better clinical datasets
- Strong base in:
- AI
- Electronics
- Biomedical engineering
- Expanding:
- Health-tech startups
- Make-in-India medical devices
Bottom-Line Assessment
- Neurotechnology is:
- No longer speculative
- Clinically viable
- Strategically sensitive
- For India:
- Healthcare transformation tool
- Next frontier of strategic tech competition
- Without regulation:
- Risk of ethical disaster
- With regulation:
- Potential global leadership in affordable neuro-health solutions
DHRUVA framework
Why in News?
- May 2025: Department of Posts proposed DHRUVA (Digital Hub for Reference and Unique Virtual Address).
- Government released:
- Draft amendment to the Post Office Act, 2023 to legally enable DHRUVA.
- Follows the launch of DIGIPIN (geo-coded location pin system).
- Policy concerns raised by:
- Dvara Research on privacy, consent, and urban governance limitations.
Relevance
GS 2 – Governance
- E-governance, Digital Public Infrastructure
- Consent-based data sharing and privacy
- Urban governance and service delivery
- Legal gaps in data regulation
GS 3 – Infrastructure & Digital Economy
- Logistics efficiency
- Platform economy
- Last-mile service delivery
- Smart cities and geospatial governance
What is DHRUVA?
- DHRUVA = a proposed Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) for standardised digital addresses.
- It converts physical addresses into virtual “labels”, similar to:
- Email IDs
- UPI IDs
- Example:
- Instead of writing a long address → user shares something like amit@dhruva.
Core Objective of DHRUVA
- Standardisation of addresses across platforms
- Consent-based sharing of address data
- Service discovery:
- Identifying what doorstep services are available at a user’s location
- Improve:
- Governance
- Logistics
- E-commerce delivery
- Emergency services
What is DIGIPIN?
- Developed in-house by India Post.
- 10-digit alphanumeric, geo-coded digital pin
- Coverage:
- Every 12 square metre block in India
- Use-case:
- Rural areas with weak descriptive addressing
- Precise fallback for:
- Postal delivery
- Emergency response
How Will DHRUVA Work?
DHRUVA ecosystem includes:
- Address Service Providers (ASPs)
- Generate proxy address labels
- Address Validation Agencies (AVAs)
- Authenticate address authenticity
- Address Information Agents (AIAs)
- Handle user consent management
- Central Governance Entity
- On the lines of National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI)
How Will DHRUVA Be Used?
(A) Consent-Based Address Sharing
- Users tokenise addresses, like:
- UPI tokenises bank accounts
- User controls:
- Who can access
- For how long
- For what purpose
(B) Seamless Address Updating
- When a person shifts residence:
- All linked platforms automatically update delivery location.
(C) Logistics & Platform Integration
- Supported platforms:
- Amazon
- Uber
- India Post
- Gig economy & food delivery platforms
Why is DHRUVA Being Framed as DPI?
DHRUVA is aligned with India’s DPI model like:
- Aadhaar → Identity
- UPI → Payments
- DigiLocker → Documents
- DHRUVA → Addresses
Features:
- Public ownership
- Interoperable
- Platform-neutral
- Consent-based data flows
Will It Help Urban Governance?
(A) Key Concern Highlighted by Dvara Research
- Addresses in DHRUVA are linked to people, not independently mapped physical structures.
- Implication:
- Urban planning requires structure-based data, not merely person-based data.
(B) Consent Paradox
- Since personal data is collected:
- User consent becomes mandatory.
- If citizens refuse consent:
- Datasets become incomplete
- Result:
- Weak urban planning
- Faulty population projections
- Inaccurate infrastructure mapping
(C) Global Best Practice Contrast
- In most advanced economies:
- Digital addresses are linked to surveyed buildings
- Not tied to personal identity
- This:
- Eliminates consent dependency
- Enables richer governance datasets
Governance & Legal Challenges
- No standalone law yet authorising large-scale address data collection
- Dvara recommendation:
- Dedicated draft legislation required
- Key risks:
- Surveillance through address linkage
- Profiling via location-based service history
- Function creep across welfare, policing, taxation
Benefits of DHRUVA (If Designed Safely)
- Faster emergency response
- Seamless service discovery
- Reduced address fraud
- Lower logistics costs
- Inclusion of rural habitations without formal addresses
Key Risks
- Privacy erosion
- State surveillance potential
- Market monopolisation by large platforms
- Weak anonymisation of geospatial data
- Exclusion if digital consent infrastructure fails
Strategic Bottom Line
- DHRUVA represents:
- Next frontier of India’s DPI stack
- Digital control layer for geography + service delivery
- However:
- Without clear legal backing, anonymised structure-mapping, and privacy-by-design:
- It risks becoming a surveillance-grade address infrastructure
- Without clear legal backing, anonymised structure-mapping, and privacy-by-design:
- Success hinges on:
- Independent structure mapping
- Firewalls between identity and location
- Strong statutory oversight
Crypto transactions crossed ₹51,000 cr. in 2024-25 in India’
Why in News?
- 2024–25: Crypto transaction value in India crossed ₹51,000 crore, registering 41% year-on-year growth.
- Data shared by the Ministry of Finance in the Rajya Sabha.
- Government collected ₹511.8 crore as 1% TDS on crypto transactions.
- Growth trajectory:
- 2022–23: ₹22,130 crore
- 2023–24: ₹36,270 crore
- 2024–25: ₹51,180 crore
Relevance
GS 3 – Economy
- Digital economy and fintech expansion
- Taxation of new asset classes
- Black money, money laundering, FEMA risks
- Financial stability and speculative markets
GS 2 – Governance & Regulation
- Regulatory vacuum in crypto-assets
- Institutional responsibility of the state
- Global financial governance coordination
What is Cryptocurrency?
- Cryptocurrency = a digital asset based on:
- Blockchain technology
- Cryptographic security
- Decentralised ledger system
- In Indian law, crypto is classified as:
- Virtual Digital Asset (VDA)
- Not legal tender
- Treated as a taxable asset, not currency
What are Virtual Digital Assets (VDAs)?
- Defined under the Income Tax Act as:
- Cryptocurrencies (Bitcoin, Ether)
- Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs)
- Other cryptographic tokens
- Excludes:
- Indian digital rupee (e₹) issued by RBI
How is Crypto Taxed in India?
Legal Basis
- Introduced under the Finance Act, 2022
- Continued under the Income Tax Act, 1961 (retained in I-T Act 2025 framework)
Tax Structure
- 30% flat tax on profits from VDAs
- No loss set-off allowed
- 1% TDS on every transaction
- Deducted at the time of transfer
- Applies irrespective of profit or loss
How Was ₹51,180 Crore Estimated?
- Government collected ₹511.8 crore as 1% TDS
- Since:
- 1% TDS = Total Transaction Value × 0.01
- Therefore:
- Total crypto transaction value
= ₹511.8 crore × 100
= ₹51,180 crore
- Total crypto transaction value
What Does the Growth Indicate?
- Mass retail participation despite:
- High volatility
- Strict taxation
- Indicates:
- Rising financialisation among youth
- Shift towards alternative assets
- Platform-driven crypto trading boom
Why Is Crypto Growing Despite Heavy Taxation?
- Frictions like:
- 30% flat tax
- 1% TDS per transaction
- Yet growth due to:
- Bull cycles in global crypto markets
- Ease of app-based crypto trading
- Narrative of crypto as:
- Inflation hedge
- High-risk, high-return instrument
Economic Implications for India
(A) Revenue Mobilisation
- Stable non-traditional tax base
- Predictable TDS inflows
(B) Capital Flight Risk
- Unregulated cross-border transfers
- Potential FEMA violations
(C) Financial Stability Risk
- High retail exposure to volatile assets
- No deposit insurance or investor protection
Key Policy Challenges
- Absence of:
- Dedicated crypto regulator
- Consumer protection framework
- Risks:
- Money laundering
- Terror financing
- Tax evasion via foreign wallets
- Market manipulation
Takeaways
- Crypto in India has moved from:
- Grey-zone experiment → High-volume taxable asset class
- The surge to ₹51,000+ crore shows:
- Effective tax collection
- But also deep systemic exposure to an unregulated financial instrument
Nahargarh Biological Park
Why in News?
- December 8, 2025: A safari vehicle caught fire inside Nahargarh Biological Park, leading to a narrow escape of 15 tourists.
- The fire started in the engine compartment and spread rapidly.
- All tourists were evacuated safely by the driver and forest rescue teams.
- The incident was reported in The Indian Express.
- It renewed public debate on:
- Eco-tourism safety
- Vehicle maintenance accountability
- Forest fire risks linked with mechanised tourism
Relevance
GS 2 – Governance
- Public safety in tourism
- State accountability
- Forest department administration
- Private contractor regulation
GS 3 – Environment & Disaster Management
- Forest fire risks
- Sustainable eco-tourism
- Wildlife conservation vs commercial tourism
- Climate–fire linkages
What is a Biological Park & Safari?
- Biological Park:
- A protected forest area focused on:
- Wildlife conservation
- Environmental education
- Regulated tourism
- A protected forest area focused on:
- Wildlife Safari:
- Controlled movement of tourists via:
- Buses
- Open jeeps
- Supervised by:
- State Forest Department
- Controlled movement of tourists via:
- Legal backing:
- Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972
- State eco-tourism rules
Nahargarh Biological Park:
- Located in Jaipur district, Rajasthan, along the Aravalli hill range.
- Established in 2016 as part of the larger Nahargarh forest landscape.
- Functions as a biological conservation and eco-tourism park.
- Developed to:
- Reduce pressure on city zoos
- Promote semi-natural habitat-based conservation
- Falls under the jurisdiction of the Rajasthan Forest Department.
What Exactly Happened?
- A safari bus carrying 15 tourists:
- Detected smoke while moving inside the park
- Within minutes, it burst into flames
- Immediate response:
- Driver evacuated tourists
- Forest department rescue team arrived quickly
- Outcome:
- Tourists unharmed
- Vehicle completely destroyed
Governance & Regulatory Gaps Exposed
- No nationally uniform safari vehicle safety code
- Absence of mandatory:
- Fire suppression systems
- Automatic engine cut-off
- Periodic third-party fitness audits
- Many safari vehicles:
- Operated through private contractors
- Weak maintenance accountability
Legal & Judicial Context
- Forest tourism operates under:
- Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972
- State forest rules
- The Supreme Court of India, in the T.N. Godavarman forest conservation case series, has repeatedly emphasised:
- Controlled tourism
- Vehicle regulation in forest zones
- Prevention of ecological degradation
Eco-tourism vs Conservation: The Core Tension
- States promote safari tourism for:
- Revenue
- Employment
- But unchecked tourism leads to:
- Infrastructure stress
- Safety dilution
- Wildlife disturbance
- The Nahargarh incident shows:
- Commercial incentives overtaking precautionary principles
Conclusion
The Nahargarh safari fire exposes the safety and regulatory vacuum in India’s rapidly commercialising eco-tourism sector, where infrastructure growth has outpaced environmental risk governance.
Gallbladder cancer
Why in News?
- December 2025: Investigative public health report highlighted Gallbladder Cancer (GBC) as an “invisible epidemic” in India’s Gangetic belt.
- Key triggers for national attention:
- India contributes ~10% of global GBC burden
- ~70% of patients are women
- Heavy clustering in:
- Uttar Pradesh
- Bihar
- West Bengal
- Assam
- Strong links established with:
- River pollution
- Arsenic & heavy metal contamination
- Weak cancer surveillance
- Governance issues flagged:
- Poor environmental enforcement by Central Pollution Control Board
- Weak monitoring by Central Ground Water Board
- Limited rural reach of the National Cancer Registry Programme
Relevance
GS 2 – Governance
- Public health surveillance failure
- Environmental governance
- Cancer as a non-notifiable disease
- Policy neglect of preventable disease clusters
GS 3 – Environment & Health
- River pollution
- Heavy metal contamination
- Environmental cancers
- Industrial regulation failures
- Groundwater contamination
What is Gallbladder Cancer?
- A highly aggressive cancer of the gallbladder
- Often asymptomatic in early stages
- Detected mostly at Stage III or IV
- Medical characteristics:
- Rapid local spread
- Early liver and lymph node metastasis
- Survival:
- 5-year survival < 10% in advanced disease
Why is GBC Concentrated in the Gangetic Belt?
- Geographic clustering along the Ganga River basin
- Primary environmental drivers:
- Arsenic contamination in groundwater
- Cadmium and lead from industrial effluents
- Pesticide residues in agriculture
- Adulterated mustard oil
- Daily exposure routes:
- Drinking contaminated groundwater
- Consuming polluted river fish
- Cooking with unsafe oils
- Long latency:
- Carcinogenic exposure accumulates silently over decades
Gendered Burden: Why Women are Disproportionately Affected
- ~70% of GBC patients are women
- Contributing factors:
- Reuse of cooking oil
- Storage of leftover food without refrigeration
- Daily exposure to contaminated water during household chores
- Nutritional deficiencies
- Delayed health seeking due to:
- Poverty
- Patriarchy
- Limited access to diagnostics
- Hospital-stage data:
- At Tata Memorial Hospital,
>80% of women present at Stage III/IV
- At Tata Memorial Hospital,
Economic & Social Impact
- Treatment cost:
- ₹8–12 lakh per patient
- Consequences:
- Medical impoverishment
- Discontinuation of treatment
- Intergenerational poverty cycles
- Geographic overlap with:
- High multidimensional poverty
- Poor sanitation
- Gender inequality
Governance Failures at the Core
(A) Environmental Governance
- Weak enforcement of:
- Water pollution laws
- Industrial effluent norms
- Continued discharge into rivers
- Poor remediation of contaminated aquifers
(B) Health Surveillance Failure
- Cancer registries cover <10% of India’s population
- NCRP relies heavily on:
- Hospital-based reporting
- Rural poor remain statistically invisible
Why GBC Remains “Invisible”
- Cancer is not a notifiable disease in India
- No mandatory cluster reporting
- Result:
- Delayed detection of regional spikes
- No targeted prevention strategy
- Low political salience despite high mortality
What Needs to Change?
- Make cancer a legally notifiable disease
- Integrate:
- Health surveillance with National Clean Ganga Mission
- Strengthen:
- Groundwater testing
- Industrial discharge audits
- Community-level interventions:
- Low-cost screening through district hospitals
- Routine water testing
- Women-focused awareness campaigns
- Develop:
- Gender-sensitive cancer policy
Learning from Global Best Practices
- Bangladesh:
- National Residue Control Program for seafood
- Vietnam:
- Coastal heavy-metal monitoring
- Philippines:
- National Residue Monitoring Plan for aquaculture
- India’s gap:
- Marine Products Export Development Authority residue control applies only to exports, not domestic fish consumption
Public Health Interpretation
- GBC in the Gangetic belt represents:
- An environmental cancer epidemic
- Driven by:
- Pollution
- Gender disadvantage
- Surveillance failure
- It is:
- Preventable
- Detectable early with proper systems
- Politically neglected
Takeaway
- Gallbladder cancer in the Gangetic belt is:
- Not a medical mystery
- It is a governance failure in slow motion
- The epidemic survives because:
- Pollution is tolerated
- Women’s health is deprioritised
- Cancer is statistically invisible
- Declaring cancer notifiable is the single most powerful trigger for reform, as:
- What gets counted → gets governed → gets prevented
Conclusion
Gallbladder cancer in the Gangetic belt is an environmental, gendered and governance-driven epidemic — not of biological inevitability, but of regulatory neglect.
