News in Shorts: 15 January 2026

Vulture Safe Zones in Tamil Nadu

Context: The Tamil Nadu Forest Department has informed the Madras High Court that it will establish Vulture Safe Zones (VSZs) across the state. 

Main Cause of Vulture Decline

• Vulture populations in India have faced massive declines and near-extinction primarily due to Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) like diclofenac. 
• These toxic drugs, used to treat cattle, remain in the carcasses that vultures feed on, causing fatal kidney failure.

First Vulture Safe Zone: Moyar River Valley

• The first VSZ will be established around the Moyar River Valley in the Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve.
• This area is a key nesting and habitat site for vultures.

Vulture Species Found in India (IUCN Status)

• White-rumped Vulture (Gyps bengalensis): Critically Endangered
• Indian Vulture/Long-billed Vulture (Gyps indicus):  Critically Endangered
• Slender-billed Vulture (Gyps tenuirostris):  Critically Endangered
• Red-headed Vulture (Sarcogyps calvus): Critically Endangered
• Egyptian Vulture (Neophron percnopterus): Endangered
• Bearded Vulture (Gypaetus barbatus): Near Threatened
• Himalayan Griffon (Gyps himalayensis): Near Threatened
• Cinereous Vulture (Aegypius monachus): Near Threatened
• Eurasian Griffon (Gyps fulvus): Least Concern

Henley Passport Index 2026

Context: India improved its global mobility standing in the Henley Passport Index 2026, rising five positions as Asian nations continued to dominate the top ranks.

Key Highlights of Henley Passport Index 2026

• Top Nations:
  • 1st : Singapore (192)
    • Retained the world’s most powerful passport for the third consecutive year.
  • 2nd : Japan and South Korea (188) (tied)
  • 3rd: Denmark, Luxembourg, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland (186) (tied)
  • 4th : Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Netherlands, Norway (185) (tied)
• India’s Position:  Improvement of five positions from last year , indicating gradual enhancement in India’s global travel access
  • 2026 Rank: 80th with 55 visa-free destinations
  • 2025 Rank: 85th with approximately 54 destinations

About the Henley Passport Index

• The Henley Passport Index is an annual global ranking of passports based on the number of destinations holders can access without a prior visa.
• Parameters Used: Based on exclusive data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA)
  • Assesses 199 passports
  • Compares access across 227 global destinations
  • Counts visa-free, visa-on-arrival, and electronic travel authorisations as visa-free access.

Ultracold Atoms

Context: Ultracold atoms are driving breakthroughs in precision clocks, quantum simulation and future quantum computers, with India emerging as an important global research hub.

About Ultracold Atoms

• Ultracold atoms are atoms cooled to temperatures just a few billionths of a degree above absolute zero (−273.15°C), where their quantum mechanical nature dominates over classical behaviour.
• Occurrence of Ultracold Atoms: Ultracold atoms do not occur naturally in such extreme conditions and are created artificially in highly controlled laboratory environments using advanced cooling and trapping techniques.
• Production of  Ultracold Atoms:
  • Laser cooling: Atoms are slowed using carefully tuned laser beams that act like a brake through momentum transfer.
  • Magnetic and optical trapping: Slowed atoms are confined in vacuum chambers.
  • Evaporative cooling: The hottest atoms are allowed to escape, cooling the remaining cloud further and enabling formation of Bose–Einstein Condensates (BECs).
• Features of Ultracold Atoms
  • Atoms behave like overlapping matter waves rather than independent particles.
  • Multiple atoms can occupy a single quantum state, forming a Bose–Einstein Condensate.
  • They exhibit macroscopic quantum phenomena such as interference and frictionless flow.
• Potential Applications of Ultracold Atoms
  • Precision timekeeping: Form the basis of the world’s most accurate atomic clocks, essential for GPS, internet synchronisation and fundamental physics tests.
  • Quantum technologies: Enable quantum simulators and prototype quantum computers for problems beyond classical computation.
  • Sensitive measurements: Used in gravity sensors, underground mapping, and tests of Einstein’s theory of relativity.

Status of Ultracold Atom Research in India

• India hosts leading research groups at Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai (TIFR) , IISc Bengaluru, IISER Pune, Raman Research Institute (RRI) and Raja Ramanna Centre for Advanced Technology, Indore.
• TIFR created India’s first Bose–Einstein Condensate (BEC), placing the country firmly in global ultracold-atom and quantum technology research.
  • BEC is a state of matter where bosons, cooled near absolute zero, lose individual identities and condense into a single quantum state, behaving like one giant “superatom,” exhibiting collective wave-like properties and macroscopic quantum effects

Responsible Nations Index

Context: Recently, the World Intellectual Foundation launched the Responsible Nations Index to assess countries through a values-based, responsibility-focused global framework.

About the Responsible Nations Index (RNI)

• It is a global ranking framework designed to evaluate how responsibly countries govern societies, protect the environment, and contribute to global stability.
• Published By: World Intellectual Foundation (WIF) in collaboration with Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Indian Institute of Management Mumbai, and the Dr Ambedkar International Centre.
• Objective: The Index aims to shift global benchmarking away from narrow economic or power-based metrics towards an assessment grounded in human dignity, sustainability, and international responsibility.
• Coverage: 154 countries worldwide based on transparent, globally sourced data.
• Parameters Structured around three core dimensions:
  • Internal Responsibility: dignity, justice, and citizens’ well-being
  • Environmental Responsibility: climate action and natural resource stewardship
  • External Responsibility: peace, cooperation, and global stability
• Significance: RNI introduces an ethical lens for evaluating national performance beyond GDP, aligning with global goals such as SDGs, climate commitments, and human rights norms.

About the World Intellectual Foundation (WIF)

• It is a global, non-partisan think tank, established in 2021, that seeks to promote research-driven solutions for societal good.
• Headquarters: New Delhi, India
• Role: Works with policymakers, academics, and civil society to publish research on human potential, disaster impacts, governance costs, and community health initiatives, contributing to informed and responsible policymaking.

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