About 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.

Key features and benefits of the app include:

• 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

Q1) What are Cooperative societies?

Cooperative societies are autonomous associations of individuals who voluntarily come together to meet their common economic, social, and cultural needs and aspirations. These societies are based on the principles of cooperation, self-help, and democratic decision-making.

Source: Union Minister of Heavy Industries Dr Mahendra Nath Pandey Launches "Dugdh Sankalan Sathi Mobile App" to Transform Indian Dairy Industries

About the 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.

Q1) What is Codex Alimentarius Commission?

The Codex Alimentarius Commission is an international body that develops food standards, guidelines, and codes of practice to promote safe, fair, and standardized food trade. It was established in 1963 by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) as a joint initiative.

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

About 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 of the report

• It reaffirms the ‘Path to promptness’ i.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 good.

Q1) What is Let Export Order?

A Let Export Order (LEO) is a term used in international trade and shipping to refer to a document issued by the customs authorities of a country, granting permission for the exportation of goods. The LEO is a crucial step in the export process as it authorizes the release of the goods from the country of export.

Source: CBIC releases National Time Release Study (NTRS) 2023 report

About 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.

Key Facts about 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 cities around 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.

Q1) Who was Firoz 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).

Source: LG asks for floral facelift of area near Malcha Mahal

About 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.

Q1) What is an Armored Light Specialist Vehicle (ALSV)?

The Light Specialist Vehicle is a modern fighting vehicle and will be authorised to various fighting units for carriage of Medium Machine Guns, Automatic Grenade Launchers as well as Anti-tank Guided Missiles.

Source: Mahindra Defence begins deliveries of ‘Armado’ for Indian armed forces

About 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.

Q1) What is the Ironman triathlon?

An Ironman Triathlon is one of a series of long-distance triathlon races organized by the World Triathlon Corporation (WTC), consisting of a 2.4-mile (3.9 km) swim, a 112-mile (180.2 km) bicycle ride and a marathon 26.22-mile (42.2 km) run completed in that order, a total of 140.6 miles (226.3 km). It is widely considered one of the most difficult one-day sporting events in the world.

Source: ‘Soul of Steel’: Backed by Indian Army, Extreme Himalayan Challenge a Test Beyond Assumed Physical Limits

About Monkeypox:

• 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.

Q1) What are Lymph nodes?

Lymph nodes are small, bean-shaped organs of the lymphatic system that play a crucial role in the body's immune response. They are distributed throughout the body and are connected by lymphatic vessels. Lymph nodes filter lymphatic fluid and help in the detection and elimination of harmful substances, such as bacteria, viruses, and abnormal cells.

Source: Emerging monkeypox outbreaks in the Asia-Pacific region

About Duck-billed dinosaur:

• 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.

Key Facts about 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.

Q1) What is Mesozoic Era?

The Mesozoic Era is a geological era that spanned from approximately 252 million years ago to 66 million years ago. It is often referred to as the Age of Reptiles or the Age of Dinosaurs. The Mesozoic Era is divided into three major periods: the Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous periods.

Source: Remains of new species of duck-billed dinosaur found in Chile

About 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.
• Co-led by NASA and the U.S. Department of State, the Artemis Accords was established in 2020, together with seven other founding member nations (Australia, Canada, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, the United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom).
• As of April 2024, there were 38 signatories, including India.
• Principles:
  • Peaceful uses: cooperative activities are exclusively for peaceful purposes and in accordance with international law.
  • Transparency: commit to broad dissemination of information regarding their national policies and exploration plans. Agree to sharescientific information with the public on a good-faith basis consistent with Article XI of the Outer Space Treaty (OST).
  • Interoperability: agree to develop infrastructure to common standards for space hardware and operating procedures that include fuel storage, landing systems, communication, power, and docking interfaces.
  • Emergency Assistance: commit to offering all reasonable efforts to render assistance and comply with the rescue and return agreement as outlined in the Outer Space Treaty.
  • Registration of Objects: registration of space objects (on the surface, in orbit or in space) by signatory nations can help to mitigate risk of harmful interference.
  • Release of Scientific Data: commit to the open sharing of scientific data arising from space exploration missions. Not mandatory for private-sector operations.
  • Preserving Outer Space Heritage: undertake to ensure new activities help preserve and do not undermine space heritage sites of historical significance.
  • Space Resources: signatories affirm that extractionof resources does not inherently constitute national appropriation under Article II of the Outer Space Treaty.
  • Deconfliction of Space Activities: undertake exploration with due consideration to the United Nations guidelines for the long-term sustainability of outer space activities as adopted by the UN Committee for Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS) in 2019. Activities, where potential harmful interference could occur, should be restricted to pre-identified ‘Safety Zones’. The size, location, and nature of operations in a Safety Zone should be notified to all signatories and the UN Secretary-General.
  • Orbital Debris: signatories agree to limit harmful debris in orbit through mission planning that includes selecting flight orbital profiles that minimise conjunction risk, minimising debris release during the operational phase, timely passivation, and end-of-life disposal.

Q1: What is the Outer Space Treaty (OST)?

Outer Space Treaty, also known as the Treaty on Principles Governing Activities in Outer Space, is a global agreement that lays the foundation for international space law which bans nuclear weapons in space, mandates the peaceful use of celestial bodies like the Moon, ensures open access to space for all nations, prohibits any nation from asserting ownership over outer space or celestial bodies.

Source: Sweden becomes 38th country to sign NASA's Artemis Accords for moon exploration