China has completed the Jiangmen Underground Neutrino Observatory (JUNO), a major facility for neutrino research, while the India-based Neutrino Observatory (INO) has been stalled for years.
About JUNO:
Purpose: Study neutrino properties, including mass hierarchy and oscillations.
Significance: Neutrinos help understand the origin of the universe, matter-antimatter imbalance, and particle physics beyond the Standard Model. Neutrinos are produced in the Sun, nuclear reactors, and cosmic events, and they rarely interact with matter, which makes them very difficult to detect and which are extremely tiny, almost massless particles.
Scale: One of the largest neutrino detectors in the world, built underground to shield from cosmic radiation.
Why it’s important:
1Fundamental Science: Neutrinos help scientists understand the origin of the universe, matter-antimatter imbalance, and physics beyond the Standard Model.
2Particle Physics Advancement: JUNO aims to solve key mysteries, like the neutrino mass hierarchy, which is a fundamental property of these particles.
3Global Scientific Leadership: By completing JUNO, China is ahead in cutting-edge particle physics research, while India’s similar project (INO) remains stalled.
4Technological Spin-offs: Large-scale detectors like JUNO drive advances in detector technology, data analysis, and material science, which can have broader applications.
Implications for India
- Highlights the need for timely execution of large-scale scientific projects like INO.
- Offers potential for international collaboration in cutting-edge particle physics.
- Emphasises the importance of policy support, funding, and environmental clearances in scientific infrastructure.
IAS-2026 - OPTIONAL / GEOGRAPHY / PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION / SOCIOLOGY / ANTHROPOLOGY / ORIENTATION ON 03 & 04-10-2025 
