• Shimla has joined the league of cities having a waste-to-energy plant.
• In the pipeline for many years now, the plant located on the outskirts of the city has started generating power from the garbage.
• The plant has been set up by Elephant Energy, an Australian company, in Private Public Partnership mode with Shimla Municipal Corporation,” said Municipal Commissioner Ashish Kohli.
• “We are providing roughly 100-ton garbage to the plant every day and the plant will generate 1.7MW electricity from it,” said Kohli.
• Apart from generating electricity, the plant ensures the cash-strapped MC doesn’t have to pay anything for disposing of the garbage it collects from within the Municipal limits and nearby areas.“We just gave land to the company for setting up the plant.
• The company has set up the plant on its own and is disposing our waste free of cost. Other ULBs pay close to Rs 2,000 per to waste management plants for disposing of one ton garbage,” said Kohli, adding that Shimla MC was the only ULB in the state to have a waste-to-energy plant.
• The MC collects around 80 ton waste every day from Shimla and around 20 ton waste is gathered from the neighbouring places. All this waste, both dry and wet, is transported to the plant in Bhariyal, a few km away from the city.
• While the dry waste is most suitable for the producing energy, the MC is giving both dry and wet waste to the company.
• “The company has installed dryers to dry up the wet waste and use it for producing energy,” said Project Coordinator DP Singh. He further said that disposing garbage through waste-to-energy plant is relatively environment friendly.
• “If the waste is burnt at low temperatures, it releases carcinogenic gases into the environment. In the waste-to-energy plants, the waste is burnt at 700 to 800 degree temperatures, converting it into synergic gases,” said Singh.
• The project coordinator further said that the plant would start transmitting power to the nearby electricity grid.
• “There’s a power purchase agreement in place with the Electricity Department. The department will purchase power at over Rs 7 per unit. That’s how the company will recover its investment and recurring cost,” said Singh, adding that the transmission of power to the grid would start in the next couple of days

• With the increase in the number of anaemic children in Himachal by almost 2 per cent, 11 lakh children from six months to 10 years will be screened and given iron-rich syrup and tablets as per their age group.
• As per the recently released National Family Health Survey-V data, the prevalence of anaemia among children between five months and 59 months has increased from 53.7 to 55.4 per cent as compared to the previous National Family Health Survey (NFHS).
• The children found moderate and severe anaemic during the campaign will be given therapeutic dose of supplements.
• The number of total children screened till today is 3,45,002, studying in 14,081 schools. The number of children suffering from mild anaemia is 87,691 and those with severe anaemia is 2,247. All children are being managed as per the guidelines for the Anaemia Mukt Himachal.
• The Anaemia-Mukt Himachal is being implemented in all blocks of all districts. Children will be tested for anaemia through digital hemoglobinometer at schools, Anganwadi centres and medical officers at Primary Health Centres.
• Himachal stood at the third place with 56.9 per cent coverage in 2020-21 and in 2022-23 (up to June 2022) Himachal was on eighth rank with a coverage of 59.4 per cent.
• At present, Himachal is conducting Test-Treat and Talk (T3) camps being organised by the Health Department. The campaign is being observed in coordination with the Department of Women and Child Development and Education Department.
• There are many causes of anaemia of which iron deficiency accounts for about 50 per cent of anaemia in schoolchildren and 80 per cent in children between two and five years of age. The reduction of anaemia is one of the important objectives of the Poshan Abhiyaan launched in March 2018.

• A contingent of Indian Special Forces troops are currently engaged in a bilateral joint training Exercise GARUDA SHAKTI with Indonesian Special Forces at Sangga Buana Training Area,in  Karawang in Indonesia.
• The Exercise is the eighth edition of the series of bilateral exercises under this banner and this is a part of military-to-military exchange programs.
• The exercise which commenced on 21st  November 2022 aims at enhancing understanding, cooperation and interoperability between the Special Forces of both armies.

• Indian wildlife biologist Dr Purnima Devi Barman was recently awarded with Champions of the Earth award in the Entrepreneurial vision category, UN’s highest environmental She is the founder of the Hargila Army and senior project manager of the Avifauna Research and Conservation Division, Aaranyak.
• The Champions of the Earth is an appreciation for innovative ways implemented by the awardees across the world to support nature’s extraordinary capacity for renewal.

Who is Purnima Devi Burman?

• Barman is an Indian wildlife biologist working in Assam to protect storks. Her love for birds was born when was sent to live with her grandparents on the banks of the Brahmaputra River in Assam at the age of five. Barman’s grandmother, a farmer, started taking her to nearby paddy fields and wetlands to teach her about the birds there, which cultivated her passion.
• After gaining a Master’s degree in Zoology, Barman started a PhD on the greater adjutant stork. She decided to delay her thesis after seeing that many of the birds in the region were nearing extinction and decided to focus on keeping the species alive.
• She began campaigning to protect the stork in 2007, focusing on the villages in Assam’s Kamrup district, where the birds were most concentrated.

Why is Burman’s work important?

• The greater adjutant stork is the second-rarest stork species in the world. Their population has dropped to 1,200 today, less than 1 per cent of what they numbered a century ago, due to the destruction of their natural habitat. The urbanisation of rural areas is speeding up and wetlands where the storks thrive have been drained, polluted and degraded, replaced by buildings, roads and mobile phone towers.

How is Burman saving the storks?

• Barman had to change perceptions of the bird as a bad omen, bad luck or a disease carrier among people in Assam. She assembled a group of village women to help her and named the group as the ‘Hargila Army’ after the stork, known as ‘hargila‘ in Assamese (meaning ‘bone swallower’).
• In 2017, Barman began building tall bamboo nesting platforms for the endangered birds to hatch their eggs and a couple of years later the first greater adjutant stork chicks were born.
• The Hargila Army has helped communities plant 45,000 saplings near stork-nesting trees and wetland areas to support future stork populations and they are planning to plant 60,000 saplings next year. Hargila Army also works to reduce pollution in rivers by organising cleaning drives on the banks of rivers and in wetlands.
• The number of nests in the villages of Dadara, Pachariya, and Singimari in Kamrup District have increased from 28 to more than 250 after Burman stared her conservation programme, making this the largest breeding colony of greater adjutant storks in the world.

• The Tamil Nadu government issued a notification declaring the Arittapatti village near Melur in Madurai district as a biodiversity heritage site under Section 37 of the Biological Diversity Act, 2002.
• The site is situated in an area of 193.21 hectare and is the first Biodiversity Heritage Site (BHS) to be notified in the state.
• According to a statement, the Arittapatti village is surrounded by a chain of seven barren granite hillocks that act as a watershed and support close to 72 lakes, 200 natural spring pools and three check dams. The Anaikondan lake built during the reign of the Pandiyas in the 16th century is one among them.
• The village has a rich biological and historical significance with the presence of around 250 bird species, including three flagship raptor species – Laggar Falcon (Falco jugger), Shaheen Falcon (Falco peregrinus) and Bonelli’s Eagle (Aquila fasciata) and wildlife such as Indian Pangolin (Manis crassicaudata), Python (Python molurus) and Slender Loris (Loris spp).
• The site also features various megalithic structures, Tamil Brahmi Inscriptions, Jain Beds and 2200-year-old rock-cut temples adding to its historical value.
• According to an order issued by Supriya Sahu, Additional Chief Secretary, Environment, Climate Change and Forest, the notification will strengthen the biodiversity and conservation efforts with the participation of local communities. It was added that the initiatives will also help preserve the rich biological and historical repository of the area.

• Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA), India’s Port, in association with the Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Madras, developed a Continuous Marine Water Quality Monitoring Station (CMWQMS) and launched an Electric Environmental Monitoring Vehicle (EV) on November 21 at the Port.
• The monitoring station and vehicle were inaugurated by Sanjay Sethi, IAS, Chairman, JNPA, in the presence of Unmesh Sharad Wagh, Dy. Chairman, JNPA, along with all the HoDs of JNPA.
• Speaking at the occasion, Sanjay Sethi said,  “JNPA is committed to achieving leadership in sustainability and creating value for the trade – depicted across the economic, social, and environmental parameters.”
• JNPA always thrives on being an environmentally responsible port. The Continuous Marine Water Quality Monitoring Station and launch of E- Vehicles is yet another step towards commitment to sustainable development.
• The continuous water quality system and electric monitoring vehicle will assist in managing the marine water and air quality in the port area, regulating the environmental quality within the port area.
• Through this, JNPA will be able to reduce the greenhouse gas footprint of vehicles, in addition to checking compliance with Environmental Quality around the port estate through water quality stations data, such as temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, ammonia, conductivity, nitrate, salinity, turbidity, and TDS of marine water a database on marine water quality is essential for maintaining hygienic standards in the marine environment.
• The E- Vehicle also substantiates the ongoing ambient air and noise monitoring activities at JNPA.
• JNPA has initiated various environmental upgradations and Green Port Initiatives like a Sewage Treatment Plant, Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Station (CAAQMS), Comprehensive Solid Waste Management Facility, LEDs lamps replaced in the Port area and township, E RTGCS, Shore power supply, Rejuvenation of Water Body near Sheva Temple and Sheva Foothill at JNPA, Initiative for the ease of Traffic at Centralized Parking Plaza, Port Green Cover including Mangroves Management, Oil Spill Response, etc.
• Jawaharlal Nehru Port has also installed Solar Panels of around 4.10 MWp. 38% of avg. Power requirement is from renewable energy, and has also switched to LED lights at the Port area to lower energy consumption & decrease carbon footprint.

• President Droupadi Murmu  will give away the Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Awards for the year 2021, at the Rashtrapati Bhawan on 30th of this month.
• The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, on Wednesday announced the National Adventure Awards for the year 2021.
• The award will be given in four categories, Land Adventure, Water Adventure, Air Adventure and Life Time Achievement.
• Group Capitan Bhawani Singh Samyal will be conferred with Life time Achievement award, Shubham Dhananjay Vanmali with Water Adventure, and Naina Dhakad with Land Adventure.
• They will receive statuettes, certificates and award money 15 lakh rupees each.
• Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Awards are given every year to recognize the achievements of persons in the fields of adventure, to encourage young people to develop the spirit of endurance, risk-taking and to provide incentive to the young people for getting exposed to adventure activities.

• Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying Ministry announced the National Gopal Ratna Awards 2022.
• The awards will be given to the winners on 26th of this month which will be celebrated as National Milk Day.
• The Award has been given in three categories. These categories are, Best Dairy Farmer Rearing Indigenous Cattle and buffalo Breeds, Best Artificial Insemination Technician and Best Dairy Cooperative, Milk Producer Company, Dairy Farmer Producer Organization.
• The award consists of a cash prize of 5 lakh rupees for first rank, 3 lakh rupees for second rank and 2 lakh rupees for third rank.
• National Gopal Ratna Award is one of the highest National Awards in the field of livestock and dairy sector.

• A pre-launch of India’s year-long grand celebration of ‘International Year of Millets 2023 will be held in New Delhi. External Affairs Minister Dr. S Jaishankar and Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar will be attending the event.
• During the event, the two Ministers will share the vision of the government for successful celebration of International Year of Millets 2023.
• High Commissioners and Ambassadors to India from more than 60 countries are expected to attend the pre-launch celebration.
• The key objective is to spread awareness about Indian millets and engage with other nations for a successful global celebration of International Year of Millets 2023.
• Recently at G-20 summit in Bali, Prime Minister Narendra Modi highlighted the benefits of millets saying that millets can solve the global malnutrition and hunger problem.
• He has also highlighted that India is promoting natural farming and re-popularising nutritious and traditional food grains like millet for sustainable food security. He had urged all to celebrate the International Year of Millets with great enthusiasm next year.
• The year 2023 will be celebrated as International Year of Millets. The primary aim of this initiative is to increase the awareness of millet’s health benefits among the public.
• According to the United Nations estimates, the global population is projected to reach 8.5 billion by 2030 and 9.7 billion by 2050. In such a situation, there is a need for more production of food grains, especially millet, to meet the food needs of the rapidly growing global population.
• Estimates show that more than 90 million people in Africa and Asia depend on millet for their diets.
• Millets are being increasingly recognized as climate-smart crops with enormous nutritional and health benefits.
• Millets are a rich source of protein, fiber, minerals, iron, and calcium.
• India is a major producer of Millet, accounting for 80 percent of Asia’s production and 20 percent of global production.

• Russia for the first time became the biggest fertilizer supplier to India in the first half of the 2022-23 fiscal year by offering discounts over prevailing global prices, cornering more than a fifth of the market share, government and industry sources said.
• India’s fertilizer imports from Russia surged 371% to a record 2.15 million tonnes in the first six months of the year started on April 1.
• In value terms, India’s imports during the period spiked 765% to $1.6 billion, he said. In the last entire fiscal year India imported 1.26 million tonnes from Russia.
• Fertilizer prices jumped in the world market from March onwards after Western countries-imposed sanctions on the fertilizer shipments from Russia and Belarus, key exporters, in the wake of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
• Combined, Russia and Belarus accounted for more than 40% of global exports of potash last year.
• Russia accounted for about 22% of global exports of ammonia, 14% of the world’s urea exports and about 14% of monoammonium phosphate (MAP) – all key kinds of fertilizers.
• In June, India secured di-ammonium phosphate (DAP) from Russia at $920-925 per tonne on a cost and freight basis (CFR), when other Asian buyers were paying more than $1,000, industry officials said.
• The surge in Russian supplies halved China’s exports to India to 1.78 million tonnes in the first half of 2022/23.
• Exports from other destinations such as Jordan, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates also fell. In the 2021/22 financial year Russia’s share in Indian imports was around 6%, while China cornered 24%.
• Russia’s market share jumped to 21% in the first half of 2022/23, surpassing China as the biggest supplier to India, the official said.
• Indian buying from Russia has not only helped local farmers, but also other import-dependent countries such as Brazil, Argentina, Malaysia, and Indonesia by curbing a rally in global prices, said another New Delhi-based industry official.
• Global prices could have rallied more had India also moved away from Russia to other suppliers such as China and Morocco, which have limited supplies for exports, he said.
• India’s total fertilizer imports in the first half of 2022/23 fell 2.4% from a year ago to 10.27 million tonnes, although in value terms imports during the period surged 59% to $7.4 billion, the government official said.