Centre unveils “Dugdh Sanakalan Sathi Mobile App” to revolutionize dairy industry

Dugdh Sankalan Sathi App

• This is designed and developed by Rajasthan Electronics & Instruments Limited (REIL), a “Mini Ratna” Central Public Sector Enterprise under the Ministry of Heavy Industries.
• It aims to improve the quality of milk, foster transparency among stakeholders, and streamline operations at the grassroots village level, including Milk Cooperative Societies.
• This will inform all services to milk producers in English, Hindi, Punjabi, Telugu and other languages
• Increased transparency among stakeholders
• Online monitoring of daily milk poured at Milk Cooperative Societies
• Real-time milk price updates from the cloud server, ensuring transparency and eliminating human errors
• Direct beneficiary transfers of milk payments and government subsidies to the milk producers'' bank accounts through the app
• Push notifications for milk collection to the milk producers'' app

Remains of Gonkoken nanoi, a new species of duck-billed herbivorous dinosaur, found in Chile

• It is a species of herbivorous dinosaur previously unknown in the southern hemisphere.
• These were slender-looking dinosaurs, which could easily adopt a bipedal and quadrupedal posture to reach the vegetation at height and ground level.
• This type of duck-billed dinosaur was common in North America, Asia and Europe during the Cretaceous period.

Cretaceous Period

• The Cretaceous Period, in geologic time, is the last of the three periods of the Mesozoic Era.
• The Cretaceous began 145.0 million years ago and ended 66 million years ago.
• It followed the Jurassic Period and was succeeded by the Paleogene Period.

Declining food imports by most vulnerable countries a cause for concern: FAO

Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)

• It is a specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger and improve nutrition and food security.
• Its goal is to achieve food security for all and make sure that people have regular access to enough high-quality food to lead active, healthy lives.
• Head Quarter: Rome (Italy).
• Member countries: With 195 members - 194 countries and the European Union, FAO works in over 130 countries worldwide.
• Its sister bodies are the World Food Programme (WFP) and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).
• Reports published by the FAO: The State of the World''s Forests (SOFO), The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture (SOFIA), The State of Agricultural Commodity Markets (SOCO), The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI)

Initiatives are taken by the FAO

• The Codex Alimentarius Commission is in charge of overseeing the implementation of the Joint FAO/WHO Food Standards Programme.
• Agricultural Heritage Systems of Global Importance (GIAHS).
• Monitors the status of Desert Locusts all over the world.
• The International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture was adopted by the Thirty-First Session of the Conference of the FAO in 2001.

CBIC releases National Time Release Study 2023 report

National Time Release Study (NTRS) 2023 report:

• It is a performance measurement tool.
• It aims to present a quantitative measure of the cargo release time at the Customs station.
• It also measures the domestic clearance in case of imports and the arrival of the cargo at the Customs station to the eventual departure of the carrier in case of exports.
• The study included seaports, air cargo complexes (ACCs), inland container depot (ICDs) and **integrated check posts (**ICPs) which handles the maximum per cent of bills of entry in the country.

Highlights

• It reaffirms **the ‘Path to promptness’**e. comprising advance filing of import documents enabling pre-arrival processing, risk-based facilitation of cargo and benefits of trusted client programme.
• Cargoes wherein all the three features under the Path to Promptness are combined, achieve the National Trade Facilitation Action Plan (NTFAP) release time target across all port categories.
• It has placed a much greater focus on the measurement of export release time.
• It recognises the distinction between regulatory clearance (also referred to as customs release), which gets completed with the grant of Let Export Order (LEO) and the wider aspect of physical clearance which occurs on completion of logistics processes with the departure of the carrier with the goods.

Emerging monkeypox outbreaks in Asia-Pacific region

• What it is? It is a viral disease that primarily spread to the human population through zoonotic spillovers, with rodents and primates serving as potential reservoirs.
• The first case in humans was reported in 1970 in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
• Transmission: It can be transmitted between humans through close contact and exposure to infected bodily fluids or lesions.
• Incubation period: The incubation period (the period between exposure to an infection and the appearance of the first symptoms) of monkeypox is usually from 6 to 13 days but can range from 5 to 21 days.
• Symptoms: Common symptoms of mpox are a skin rash or mucosal lesions, Fever, rash and swollen lymph nodes which may lead to a range of medical complications.
• There is no effective vaccine available for Monkeypox infection.

Soul of Steel Himalayan Challenge concludes

Soul of Steel Himalayan Challenge

• The challenge supported by the Indian Army in collaboration with Conquer Land Air Water (CLAW) Global was launched by defence minister on January 14 at Dehradun.
• The campaign was initiated on the 120th Raising Year of the 9 (Independent) Mountain Brigade.
• It was based on the lines of the ‘Ironman triathlon’, a long-distance triathlon held in Europe which tests an individual''s physical capabilities.
• The initiative is aimed at enabling life skill training and youth development. It is also expected to boost global promotion of adventure tourism in Uttarakhand.
• It was a unique blend of specialised skills, including high altitude mountaineering, extreme cold survival, psychological and physical endurance.
• The challenge opened the domain of niche military skills to an average person, who wishes to challenge their physical and psychological limits.
• It attracted interest from 1,401 (including 94 women) highly skilled athletes, adventure sports enthusiasts and armed forces aspirants.
• These applicants were put through a gruelling two-stage screening process, of which only 23 (including two women) were finally chosen to undergo a 10-week extensive training in endurance, mountaineering, survival and rescue skills under a joint team of experts from the armed forces and CLAW Global.
• The participants were trained to operate beyond the assumed limits of their body, to discover the limitless realms of their mind, consciousness and spirit.
• In the final phase of the challenge, 18 ‘Soul of Steel’ warriors set out on a challenge to compete as teams of three along the rugged mountainous terrain of the Garhwals, at an altitude of 17,000 feet and covered a distance of 65 km through glaciers, ice walls, rock faces and snow-capped Himalayan peaks.
• The challenge tested their self-sustained mountain climbing, survival, navigation skills, psychological endurance and physical toughness.

Mahindra Defence starts deliveries of Armado

Armado

• It is India’s first Armoured Light Specialist Vehicle (ALSV).
• It is a fully indigenous vehicle designed and built by the Mahindra Defence Systems (MDS) for the Indian armed forces.
• Features:
  • It can accommodate a driver and 5 passengers.
  • Above the standard 1,000 kg load capacity, the ASLV can carry another 400 kg.
  • It gets ballistic protection up to the B7 level and STANAG level-2. This means that its armour offers protection against armour-piercing rifles.
  • Also, the ASLV gets protection on all sides (front, side and rear) from ballistics and explosives.
  • Powering the 4-wheeler is a 3.2-litre multi-fuel diesel engine that generates 216 hp of maximum power.
  • Armado takes just 12 seconds to accelerate from 0 to 160 kmph, and runs at a speed of more than 120 kmph.
  • It also gets a self-cleaning-type exhaust scavenging and air filtration system for extreme dusty climate, like deserts.
  • A modular vehicle, it can be used in counter-terrorism operations, raids in open and desert terrains, and reconnaissance missions.

Revamp on cards for forest around Malcha Mahal

Malcha Mahal

• It is a Tughlaq-era hunting lodge, built by Feroz Shah Tughlaq in the 14th century.
• Location: Chanakyapuri area of New Delhi.
• It came to be known as Wilayat Mahal after Begum Wilayat Mahal of Awadh, who was reportedly given the place by the government of India in May 1985.
• For over three decades, it served as home to the family of Begum Wilayat Mahal, claiming to be descendants of the Nawab of Awadh, whose last member, ‘Prince’ Ali Raza, died in 2017.

Feroz Shah Tughlaq

• Born in 1309, Firoz Shah Tughlaq was the third ruler of the Tughlaq dynasty that ruled over Delhi from 1320 to 1412 AD.
• He was in power from 1351 to 1388 AD.
• He ascended the throne after the death of his cousin Muhammad-bin Tughlaq (ruled from 1324 to 1351 AD).
• Rule of Firoz Shah Tughlaq:
  • His succession was faced with many rebellions, and due to widespread unrest, his realm was much smaller than Muhammad’s.
  • During his rule, Firoz Shah worked to improve the infrastructure of the empire. He did this by building canals, rest- houses and hospitals, creating and refurbishing reservoirs and digging wells.
  • He also founded several citiesaround Delhi, including Jaunpur, Firozpur, Hissar, Firozabad and Fatehabad.
  • He also repaired the Qutub Minar, which had been damaged by an earthquake.
  • He wrote his own autobiography called the ‘Futuhat-e-Firozshahi’.
  • Firoz Shah was indiscriminately benevolent and lenient as a ruler. He refused to re-conquer provinces that had broken away from Muhammad’s annexation.
  • He stopped all kinds of harsh punishments, such as cutting off hands, and lowered the land taxes that Muhammad had raised.
  • He sought advice from the Ulemas and ruled as per the Shariat. He imposed a number of taxes like the Kharaj, Zakat, Kham and Jaziya, which were levied on the non-Muslim subjects. He also imposed an irrigation tax after getting it sanctioned from the Ulema.
  • He provided the principle of inheritance to the armed forces, where the officers were permitted to rest and send their children into the army in their place.
  • He established the Diwan-i-Khairat -- office for charity.
  • He established the Diwan-i-Bundagan -- department of slaves.
  • He established Sarais (rest house) for the benefits of merchants and other travelers.
  • He adopted the Iqtadari framework.

India joins Artemis Accords, will launch ISRO-NASA space mission to ISS in 2024, says White House

Artemis Accords

• The Artemis Accords are a non-binding set of principles designed to guide civil space exploration and use in the 21st century.
• These principles will help to ensure the maintenance of a safe and predictable outer space environment.
• NASA, in coordination with the U.S. Department of State, established the Artemis Accords in 2020, together with seven other founding member nations.
• Artemis Accords signatories as of May 30, 2023: Australia, Bahrain, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Czech Republic, France, Israel, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Mexico, New Zealand, Nigeria, Poland, the Republic of Korea, Romania, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Spain, Ukraine, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
• Principles:
  • Peaceful Purposes: Consistent with the Outer Space Treaty, the Artemis Accords affirm that cooperative activities should be exclusively for peaceful purposes and in accordance with international law.
  • Transparency: Artemis Accords signatories are committed to the broad dissemination of information regarding their respective national space policies and space exploration plans in accordance with their national rules and regulations.
  • Interoperability: Interoperability enhances the potential for space exploration that is safe and robust among cooperating nations.
  • Emergency Assistance: Accords signatories commit to taking all reasonable efforts to render necessary assistance to personnel in outer space who are in distress and acknowledge their obligations under the Agreement on the Rescue of Astronauts, the Return of Astronauts and the Return of Objects Launched into Outer Space.
  • Registration of Space Objects: Appropriate registration of space objects can help to mitigate the risk of harmful interference. The Artemis Accords reinforce the importance of meeting the obligations under the Registration Convention.
  • Release of Scientific Data: Sharing scientific data with the global community in a timely and transparent manner.
  • Protecting Heritage: Accords signatories intend to preserve historically significant human or robotics landing sites, artifacts, spacecraft etc.
  • Space Resources: The utilization of space resources should be done in a manner that complies with the Outer Space Treaty, can benefit humankind and is critical to sustainable operations.
  • Deconfliction of Activities: Artemis Accords signatories needs to provide notification of their activities, including regarding the location and general nature of their operations, and coordinating with any relevant actor to avoid harmful interference. The area covered by the notification and coordination is referred to as a “safety zone.”
  • Orbital Debris and Spacecraft Disposal: Planning to mitigate for orbital debris, as well as disposing safely of spacecrafts, is critical to maintaining a safe environment in space and operating in space sustainably.

NASA’s Artemis Program:

• With the Artemis programme, NASA aims to land humans on the moon by 2024, and it also plans to land the first woman and first person of colour on the moon.
• With this mission, NASA aims to contribute to scientific discovery and economic benefits and inspire a new generation of explorers.

Whale Sharks Spotted Off East Coast Road

Whale Sharks

• The whale shark is the largest fish in the world and the largest fish known to have lived on this planet.
• Scientific Name: Rhincodon typus
• They feed on plankton and travel large distances to find enough food to sustain their huge size, and to reproduce.
• They are one of only three species of filter feeding sharks.
• Distribution: They can be found in all temperate and tropical oceans around the world, except the Mediterranean Sea.
• Features:
  • It is a large fish that can grow up to 60 feet long, though most specimens reach about 40 feet in length and weigh about 15 tons.
  • They are dark gray on top and light underneath, with a series of light spots or stripes covering the dark parts of their bodies. This helps to camouflage them as they swim.
  • Unlike most shark species, its mouth is located at the front of the head (terminal) instead of the underside of the rostrum (subterminal).
  • Filter Feeders:
    • They are filter feeders and can neither bite nor chew. They can process more than 6,000 litres of water an hour through their gills.
    • Inside the mouth are specialized flaps called velums. These stop the backflow of water as the whale shark closes its mouth, preventing the loss of food.
  • The whale shark also eats small and large fish and mollusks, including sardines, anchovies, mackerels, squid, and even small tuna and albacore.
• Conservation Status:
  • IUCN: Endangered