News In Shorts: 26 March 2026

Doctrine of Necessity

Context: The recusal of Chief Justice of India in the CEC case shows that since all judges may face similar conflict, the doctrine of necessity ensures the Court still hears the case.

• The Chief Election Commissioner Appointment Act, 2023, removed the CJI from the selection panel, raising concerns over executive dominance.
• Justice Surya Kant and earlier Justice Sanjiv Khanna both recused themselves from hearing challenges to this law citing conflict of interest.
• Since all Supreme Court judges are potential future CJIs, the case creates a structural conflict, bringing the doctrine of necessity into focus.

About the Doctrine of Necessity

• The doctrine of necessity allows a judge to decide a case despite conflict of interest when no alternative forum exists.
• Core Principle: It is based on the idea that justice cannot be denied due to absence of an unbiased adjudicator. 
• Exception to Natural Justice: It acts as an exception to the rule of nemo judex in causa sua (no one should be a judge in their own cause).
• Origin: Derived from common law principles.
• Judicial Recognition: The doctrine was applied in Supreme Court Advocates-on-Record Association v. Union of India NJAC Case (2015).
  • Justice Khehar held that when all judges share similar conflict, recusal would paralyse the system.
• Conditions for Application: It applies only when all or most adjudicators are disqualified and no substitute forum is available.
• Limitation: It cannot be invoked if an alternative impartial authority is reasonably available.

Modified UDAN Scheme

Context: Recently, the government approved the Modified UDAN, extending the subsidy from 3 to 5 years

About Modified UDAN Scheme

• The Modified UDAN Scheme is a revamped version of the regional connectivity scheme focusing on operational sustainability, infrastructure expansion, and revival of discontinued routes.
• Implementation Period: 2026 to 2036
• Budget Outlay: Total outlay of ₹28,840 crore (nearly six-fold increase), including subsidy support, airport redevelopment, and helipad construction.
• Key Objectives
• • Extend subsidy support from 3 to 5 years for route viability
  • Shift funding from airfare levy to direct government support
  • Develop 100 airports and 200 helipads
  • Strengthen last-mile connectivity in remote and hilly regions
  • Support airline operations and maintenance at low-traffic airports

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About UDAN Scheme

• UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik) is a regional air connectivity scheme to make air travel affordable and widespread.
• Origin: Launched under the National Civil Aviation Policy (NCAP), 2016 by the Ministry of Civil Aviation.
  • The first UDAN flight operated between Shimla and Delhi on 27th April 2017.
• Nodal Agency: Airports Authority of India 
• Phases
  • UDAN 1.0–4.0: Focus on unserved airports, tourism, and remote regions
  • UDAN 5.0 onwards: Focus on helicopters, small aircraft, and last-mile connectivity
  • Modified UDAN (2026–36): Emphasis on sustainability and infrastructure expansion
• Key Features
  • Airfare Cap: UDAN ensures affordability by capping airfares on a fixed proportion of seats, making air travel accessible to the common citizen.
  • Viability Gap Funding (VGF): VGF is financial support provided to airlines to bridge operational losses on unviable regional routes, allocated through a competitive bidding mechanism.
  • Regional Connectivity Fund (RCF): RCF is a dedicated fund created by levying charges on non-UDAN routes to finance VGF and sustain regional connectivity operations.
  • Reduced ATF Taxes & Cooperative Federalism: States reduce VAT on Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF) and provide concessions, ensuring viability through Centre-State collaboration.

Significance of UDAN

• Enhances regional connectivity and balanced regional development
• Promotes tourism, trade, and economic growth in Tier-2/3 cities
• Improves accessibility in remote and strategic areas
• Supports inclusive aviation and employment generation
• Strengthens national integration and infrastructure development

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CALM-Brain

Context: India launched CALM-Brain in Bengaluru, the first open-source national repository of psychiatric disorders data to advance research, diagnosis, and personalized mental healthcare.

About CALM-Brain

• CALM(Comprehensive Accelerator for Learning and Modeling)-Brain is India’s first comprehensive digital repository of neuropsychiatric disorder data, aimed at improving understanding, diagnosis, and treatment of mental illnesses.
• Developed by: Rohini Nilekani Centre for Brain and Mind (CBM), a collaboration between National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS) and  National Centre for Biological Sciences – Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (NCBS-TIFR).
• Key Features
• • Multi-dimensional Dataset Integration: The repository integrates clinical, neuro-imaging, behavioural, and genetic data to provide a holistic understanding of brain disorders.
  • Focus on Major Psychiatric Disorders: It includes datasets on five key disorders i.e addiction, bipolar disorder, dementia, OCD, and schizophrenia.
  • Biorepository Linkage: Linked with stem-cell biorepositories, enabling advanced biological and translational research in psychiatry.
    • Stem-cell biorepositories are specialized, secure facilities that collect, process, store, and distribute stem cell lines, umbilical cords, and related biological materials for research and therapeutic use
  • Open-Source and Collaborative Platform: Designed as an open-access database to facilitate global research collaboration and innovation.

Significance

• Early Diagnosis and Biomarker Identification: Enables identification of neurocognitive biomarkers, improving early detection and intervention in mental illnesses.
• Advancing Personalised Treatment: Supports development of targeted and personalised therapies based on individual biological profiles.
• Boost to Mental Health Research Ecosystem: Strengthens India’s capacity in neuroscience research and aligns with global efforts in precision medicine.

Cauvery River

Context: A recent IIT Gandhinagar study warns that the Cauvery basin may see a ~3.5% decline in water availability between 2026–2050, intensifying water-sharing challenges.

Key Findings of the Study

• Projected Decline in Flow: The Cauvery river is expected to witness a 3.5% reduction in water flow (2026–2050), unlike most Indian rivers projected to increase.
• Historical Decline Trend: The river already experienced a 28% decline in streamflow (1951–2012), indicating long-term stress on the basin.
• Climate Model Insights: Using constrained climate models (CMIP6), researchers found that only a few models accurately reflect Indian monsoon patterns, improving projection reliability.
• Regional Contrast: While northern rivers like Ganga and Indus may see increased flows, the Cauvery basin faces near-term water shortages, making it an exception.
• Implications for Water Sharing: Reduced flows could intensify interstate disputes, particularly between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, necessitating solutions like river interlinking.

About the Cauvery River

• Intro: The Cauvery is a major perennial river of South India, crucial for irrigation, drinking water, and hydroelectric power.
• Source: It originates at Talakaveri in the Brahmagiri hills (Western Ghats), Karnataka, at about 1,341 m elevation.
• Course : The river flows southeast through Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Puducherry, covering about 800 km before entering the Bay of Bengal.
• Tributaries
• • Left Bank: Harangi, Hemavati, Shimsha, Arkavati
  • Right Bank: Lakshmantirtha, Kabini, Bhavani, Noyyal, Amaravati
• Water Share: The Cauvery water dispute involves Karnataka and Tamil Nadu as primary riparian states, with smaller shares for Kerala and Puducherry.
  • As per the 2018 Supreme Court verdict, water allocation is: Tamil Nadu (404.25 tmcft), Karnataka (284.75 tmcft), Kerala (30 tmcft), and Puducherry (7 tmcft) .
• Delta Formation: Before entering the Bay of Bengal near Cuddalore, it forms a fertile delta known as the “Garden of Southern India.”

Antiprotons

Context: Scientists at European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), Geneva successfully conducted the first-ever road transport of antiprotons (March 2026).

• The experiment marks a breakthrough in handling and mobility of antimatter for advanced research.
• It represents a fundamental concept in particle physics

About Antiprotons 

• Antiprotons are the antiparticles of protons.
• They are a type of antimatter particle having the same mass as a proton but an opposite electric charge (negative).
• Key Characteristics
  • Mass: Same as proton
  • Charge: Negative (proton has positive charge)
  • Spin & properties: Identical in magnitude but opposite in nature to protons
• Scientific Basis
  • Predicted by Paul Dirac through relativistic quantum theory.
  • Discovered in 1955 by Emilio Segrè and Owen Chamberlain.
• Production
  • Naturally found in cosmic rays.
  • Artificially produced in particle accelerators like CERN by:
    • Colliding high-energy protons with a metal target.
• Importance:
  • Fundamental Physics: Helps test theories like:
    • Standard Model
    • Matter–antimatter symmetry
  • Cosmology: Helps explain why the universe is dominated by matter.
  • Applied Research: Potential use in cancer therapy (antiproton therapy).

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Ayurveda with Modern TB Treatment

Context: India has launched the first global clinical study integrating Ayurveda with modern TB treatment to improve outcomes and accelerate TB elimination efforts.

About the Clinical Study

• A first-of-its-kind global study evaluating Ayurveda as an adjunct to standard Anti-Tuberculosis Treatment (ATT) for holistic patient care.
• Institutional Collaboration: Joint initiative of the Department of Biotechnology and Ministry of AYUSH.
• Scale and Scope: Covers over 1,200 patients across leading institutions, assessing outcomes like recovery, nutrition, safety, and quality of life.
• Key Objectives:
• • Holistic TB Care: Integrates traditional medicine with modern treatment to improve overall recovery, not just cure infection.
  • Scientific Validation of Ayurveda: Uses advanced tools like genomics, metabolomics, MRI, and immune profiling to establish evidence-based effectiveness.
  • Addressing Treatment Challenges: Targets issues such as drug resistance, toxicity, undernutrition, and co-morbidities like diabetes.

India’s TB Progress

• Decline in Incidence: India has achieved a 21% reduction in TB cases since 2015, with incidence at ~187 per 100,000 population (2024).
• Policy Framework: Driven by the National TB Elimination Programme (NTEP) focusing on early detection and patient-centric care.
  • In 2020, the RNTCP was renamed as the NTEP to emphasize the aim of the Government of India to eliminate TB in India by 2025, five years ahead of the WHO global targets of 2030.
• The SDG targets with regard to TB (base line 2015) are:
  • > 80% reduction in incidence
  • > 90% reduction in mortality
  • > Zero TB patients and their households face catastrophic costs as a result of TB disease.

Significance of the Initiative

• Integrative Healthcare Approach: Promotes convergence of modern biotechnology and traditional knowledge systems.
• Boost to TB Research Ecosystem: Supports initiatives like genomic surveillance and cohort studies, strengthening response to drug-resistant TB.
• Towards TB Elimination: Enhances India’s goal of a TB-free nation through innovation, community participation, and improved treatment outcomes.

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