Inhaled Nitric Oxide | First Road-cum-rail Tunnel Under Brahmaputra River | Startup India Fund of Funds 2.0 | ‘Anupam’ model of Waste Management |

Inhaled Nitric Oxide

Science & Technology

Context

• A recent study by researchers has explored that the high-dose inhaled nitric oxide can significantly reduce multidrug-resistant Pneumonia.

About

• India faces a high burden of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and hospital-acquired infections where drug-resistant pneumonia is a serious threat in Intensive Care Units (ICUs).
• A significant contributor is Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a bacterium responsible for nearly one-fifth of hospital-acquired pneumonias.

Nitric Oxide

• Nitric oxide (NO) is a colorless, gaseous free radical molecule composed of one nitrogen and one oxygen atom.
• Production: It is a gas naturally produced by the human body from the amino acid L-arginine, a process that can be boosted by dietary intake of nitrate-rich foods like leafy greens, beets, and garlic.
• Functions: It acts as a neurotransmitter, immune system regulator, and aids in angiogenesis (new blood vessel formation).
• Significance – It improves oxygenation by widening blood vessels in the lungs.
• Toxicity Risks: High doses can lead to methemoglobinemia and potential lung injury.

First Road-cum-rail Tunnel Under Brahmaputra River

Syllabus: GS3/Economy

In News

• Recently, the Union cabinet has approved the construction of the country’s first underwater twin tube road-cum-rail tunnel project under the Brahmaputra River in Assam at an estimated cost of Rs 18,662 crore.

About the Project

• Length – It is a around 34 kilometre-long four-lane access-controlled Greenfield connectivity project.
• Features – It will feature two parallel tunnels, designed to facilitate smooth and high-capacity movement of both road and rail traffic.
• Connectivity – The stretch will connect Gohpur on NH-15 and Numaligarh on NH-715 in Assam, cutting short the distance between the two Assam cities to just 34 kilometres from the current 240 kilometres.
• The travel time will be reduced to just 20 minutes from six hours now.
• Importance: The project will provide significant benefit to Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and other North -Eastern States.
• It will enhance connectivity, reduce logistics costs and accelerate growth across Assam and the entire Northeast.

Additional Information- Brahmaputra River

• The Brahmaputra is a major transboundary river in Asia.
• It originates from the Chemayungdung Glacier near Lake Manasarovar (Mapam Yumco) in Tibet.
• It is known variably as Yarlung Tsangpo in Tibet (its longest upper stretch), Siang or Dihang in Arunachal Pradesh, Brahmaputra in Assam & Jamuna in Bangladesh.
• It flows east through Tibet’s plateau, enters India via Arunachal Pradesh, widens in Assam’s plains, and merges with the Ganges in Bangladesh before reaching the Bay of Bengal.

Startup India Fund of Funds 2.0

Syllabus: GS3/Economy

In News

• Recently, the Union Cabinet has approved the establishment of the Startup India Fund of Funds 2.0 (FoF 2.0) with a corpus of ₹10,000 crore
• Objective – to mobilise venture capital for the country’s rapidly expanding startup ecosystem.

Venture capital

• Definition – It is funding provided to emerging companies by wealthy individuals or institutional investors (venture capitalists) seeking long-term growth.
• It is high-risk but potentially high-return and can be provided through equity, debentures, or conditional loans.

Startup India Fund of Funds 2.0 (FoF 2.0)

• Objective – to mobilise venture capital for the country’s rapidly expanding startup ecosystem.

Additional Information – Startup India

• Launched on – January 16, 2016.
• Objective – to promote entrepreneurship and enable investment-driven growth.

India’s Startup Ecosystem

• India has rapidly evolved into one of the world’s largest startup ecosystems, with more than 2 lakh startups as of 2025 .
• India has the 3rd largest startup ecosystem in the world.
• Major hubs like Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Mumbai, and Delhi-NCR have been at the forefront of this transformation.
• India has over 120 unicorns with a valuation exceeding $350 billion.
• Global Innovation Index (GII) 2025 ranking: It provides performance metrics and ranks around 140 economies on their innovation ecosystems.
• India has made a steady climb from 48 rank in 2020 to 38 in 2025.