• From 19^th February onwards, warships, military aircraft and delegations from Navies across the world will congregate at Visakhapatnam for MILAN 2024.
• The twelfth edition of this flagship event of the Indian Navy is expected to witness the participation of more than 50 nations, with nearly 20 of them also sending their ships or aircraft to be a part of the marquee gathering.
• MILAN, which translates into ‘meeting’ or ‘gathering’ or ‘confluence of people’ in Hindi, began in 1995 as a biennial multinational event under the aegis of Andaman and Nicobar command till its tenth edition.
• It shifted to Visakhapatnam for the eleventh edition held in 2022.
• Vizag will also be the venue for MILAN 24 to be conducted under the Eastern Naval Command.
• The theme of the previous edition ‘Camaraderie–Cohesion–Collaboration’ has also been adopted for this one, thus making it an overarching vision of the MILAN.

• The historic Qutub Shahi tombs in Hyderabad now has a digital twin.
• Hexagon, a reality technology solutions company, has used drone scanners to capture over 10.7 billion data points, representing the 10,000- square metre area.

ABOUT DIGITAL TWIN

• A digital twin is a digital model of an object, system or a process that acts the same as its real world counterpart.
• It helps companies and organisations to understand a physical object or a process well.
• It helps in testing a solution or a design in simulation using the digital twin, helping the developers save time and energy.

ABOUT QUTB SHAHI TOMBS

• These are erected in the memory of the departed kings of Golconda.
• They are located one kilometer north of Golconda Fort’s called Banjara Darwaza.
• Built by the Qutub Shahis, these tombs are considered to be among the oldest historical monuments of Hyderabad.
• They resemble Persian, Pathan and Hindu architectural styles that makes use of grey granite, with stucco ornamentation and is a one-of-its-kind place in the world where the whole dynasty is buried at a single spot.
• Mohammed Quli Qutb Shah’s tomb
  • He was the 5^th king in Qutb Shahi dynasty.
  • It is one the grandest monuments in the Qutb Shah’s tombs complex at the foothill of Golconda, Hyderabad.
  • The majestic tomb built in 1602, is one of the largest tombs reaching a total height of 60 m.

• Cuscuta dodder, an invasive weed, native to North America, is slowly choking the Chengalpet forests and Vedanthangal Bird Sanctuary, threatening the local vegetation, ecology and habitat of migratory birds.

ABOUT CUSCUTA DODDER

• Cuscuta dodder is a parasitic vine without roots.
• It is also known as Akashbel or Amarbel.
• This holoparasitic plant builds a canopy on the host plant and casts thousands of tendrils to form a dense spectacle before it strangles and eventually kills it.
• The seeds of Cuscuta are spheroid and have a hard, coat, which aids them to survive up to 50 years in dry storage and at least 10 years in the field.
• Legislation in 25 countries has listed the dodder as a ‘declared noxious weed’ with seeds and plant material denied entrance.
  • In United States, it is the only weed seed whose movement is prohibited in every state.
• Unlike root parasites, Cuscuta seeds do not require a specific stimulant to induce germination.
• In India, Cuscuta poses a serious problem in oilseeds, pulses and fodder crops in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Orissa, West Bengal and parts of Madhya Pradesh under rain fed as well as irrigated conditions.

ABOUT VEDANTHANGAL BIRD SANCTUARY

• Vedanthangal Bird Sanctuary, located at Chengalpattu District of Tamil Nadu.
• It is a 74 acre protected area, established in 1796 as the first ever bird sanctuary in India.
• This site is recognized internationally as an Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA).

• The government recently launched the realigned AHIDF Scheme.
• Under the realigned scheme, the following will be the benefit-
  • Interest Subvention of 3% payable up to 8 years
  • Individuals, FPO, Dairy Cooperatives, Private Companies, Section 8 companies, MSME
  • Credit guarantee cover unto 25% of the term loan.
  • No ceiling on the loan amount
  • Loan up to 90% of the estimated/actual project cost
  • Dovetailing with capital subsidy schemes of other ministries or state level schemes
  • Ease of application process through online portal www.ahidf.udaymimitra.in.

About Animal Husbandry Infrastructure Development Fund (AHIDF) scheme

• It is a Central Sector Scheme.
• It is aimed at incentivizing investments by individual entrepreneurs, private companies, MSME, Farmers Producers Organizations (FPOs) and Section 8 companies to establish-
  • the dairy processing and value addition infrastructure
  • meat processing and value addition infrastructure and
  • Animal Feed Plant.

• The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the UN (FAO) have named seven initiatives as UN World Restoration Flagships.
• These initiatives will receive technical and financial UN support.
• The World Restoration Flagships are-
  • the Restoring Mediterranean Forest Initiative( Mediterranean basin is the world’s second-largest biodiversity hotspot;
  • Living Indus Initiative in Pakistan;
  • the Accion Andina social movement led by Peruvian conservation non-profit organisation ECOAN (Asociacion Ecosistemas Andinos);
  • the Sri Lanka Mangrove Regeneration Initiative;
  • the Regreening Africa initiative; and
  • the Forest Garden Program, launched in 2015, which includes multiple Forest Garden projects in Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Chad, the Gambia, Kenya, Mali, Senegal, Uganda, and Tanzania;
  • Terai Arc landscape

ABOUT TERAI ARC LANDSCAPE

• It is a trans-boundary biodiversity hotspot, launched in 2001 shared by India and Nepal.
• It extends from the Bagmati River (Nepal) in the east to the Yamuna River (India) in the west stretching over 900 km.
• The Terai Arc Landscape, stretching across 10 million hectares, is home to over seven million people and one of the world’s most critical habitats for tigers.
  • However, the tiger population has sharply declined, along with those of other species such as rhinos and elephants, due to poaching, habitat loss, degradation, and human-wildlife conflict.
• The Terai Arc Landscape Initiative focuses on restoring the forests of critical corridors of the Terai Arc Landscape and collaborates with local communities working as citizen scientists, community-based anti-poaching units, forest guards, and social mobilisers.

ABOUT WORLD RESTORATION FLAGSHIP AWARDS

• The World Restoration Flagship awards are part of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration.
• UNEP and FAO lead this initiative, which aims to prevent, halt, and reverse the degradation of ecosystems on every continent and in every ocean.
• The awards celebrate notable initiatives that support global commitments to restore one billion hectares.

• Over 500 hospitals in India have been certified as ‘Eat Right Campus’ by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).
• Among the certified hospitals, about 100 are government hospitals.
• More than 2,900 workplaces across the country are now recognized as Eat Right Campus, transforming lives of thousands of people working in these campuses.
• FSSAI has established rigorous criteria and a comprehensive evaluation process for the Eat Right Campus certification.

ABOUT THE INITIATIVE

• Eat Right India movement was started in 2019.
• The initiative aims to promote safe, healthy, and sustainable food environments within institutions and workplaces.
• Eat Right India adopts an integrative or ‘whole of the government’ approach since the movement brings together food-related mandates of the agriculture, health, environment and other ministries.
• Eat Right India is aligned to the National Health Policy 2017 with its focus on preventive and promotive healthcare and flagship programmes like Ayushman Bharat, POSHAN Abhiyaan, Anemia Mukt Bharat and Swacch Bharat Mission.

ABOUT FSSAI

• Established under Food Safety and Standards Act 2006.
  • The act consolidates various laws related to food, such as the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, 1954, the Fruit Products Order, 1955, the Meat Food Products Order, 1973 etc.
• FSSAI has been created for laying down science based standards for articles of food and to regulate their manufacture, storage, distribution, sale and import to ensure availability of safe and wholesome food for human consumption.
• Ministry of Health & Family Welfare is the Administrative Ministry for the implementation of FSSAI.
• The Chairperson and Chief Executive Officer of Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) are appointed by government.
• Headquarters- New Delhi
• FSSAI has been mandated by the FSS Act, 2006 for performing the following functions-
  • Framing of Regulations to lay down the Standards and guidelines
  • Laying down mechanisms and guidelines for accreditation of certification bodies and laboratories
  • To provide scientific advice and technical support to Central Government and State Governments in the matters of framing the policy and rules regarding food safety and nutrition.
  • Conducting risk assessment and scientific research on food safety issues.
  • Providing training and awareness on food safety and hygiene.
  • Promoting food fortification and organic food.
  • Coordinating with other agencies and stakeholders on food safety matters.

• The state government is setting up Adarsh Swasthya Sansthans in all 68 Assembly constituencies of the state, with at least six specialist doctors in each constituency.
• Around 134 types of laboratory test facilities, specialists and medical staff and state of the art’ MRI, CT scan, Ultrasound and digital X-ray facilities would be provided in such centres.
• To address the shortage of doctors and paramedical staff in health institutions, the government is recruiting new medical officers and supporting staff.
• Furthermore, plans are underway to improve working conditions in health institutions and introduce fixed eight-hour shift for medical personnel.

• UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC) report on “State of the World’s Migratory Species” was launched recently.
• The inaugural State of the World’s Migratory Species – 2024 report was launched by the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS).
• It provides the first comprehensive global assessment on the conservation status and threats facing migratory animals.

MAJOR FINDINGS

• Nearly half of CMS-listed species are showing population declines
• More than one-in-five species are threatened with extinction
• 97% of CMS-listed fish are threatened
• Extinction risk is growing for both CMS listed species and all migratory species.
• Around 400 global migratory species (threatened or near TwE) are not currently listed under CMS.
• The 2 major threats to migratory species are –
  • Habitat loss,degradation and fragmentation;
  • overexploitation

OTHER DETAILS

• The Fourteenth Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP14) to the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals was held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.
• Theme/slogan- Nature Knows No Borders

ABOUT CMS

• Signed in 1979, the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (Bonn Convention; CMS) is an environmental treaty under the aegis of the United Nations Environment Programme.
• It provides a global platform for the conservation and sustainable use of migratory animals and their habitats.
• CMS Appendices
  • Appendix I: Migratory species that have been assessed as being in danger of extinction.
  • Appendix II: Migratory species which require international agreements for their conservation.

• The Assam government has declared ‘Kaji Nemu’ (citrus lemon) as the state fruit.
• ‘Kaji Nemu’ is known for its unique aroma and health benefits
• The fruit had received a Geographical Indication (GI) tag in 2016 and has been commercially grown in the state, along with being exported.
• It helps in boosting immunity and bringing a unique flavour to food.

• The governments of Poland, France and Germany vowed to make Europe a security and defence power with a greater ability to back Ukraine.
• They discussed reviving the so-called Weimar Triangle.

ABOUT WEIMAR TRIANGLE

• It is a long-dormant regional grouping that was designed to promote cooperation between France, Germany and Poland.
• The Weimar Triangle was created in 1991 as Poland was emerging from decades of communism as a platform for political cooperation among the three nations.