Exercise MILAN
- Milan is a eight-day mega naval exercise with an aim to expand regional cooperation and combat unlawful activities in critical sea lanes.
- The exercise is being hosted by the Indian Navy under the aegis of the Andaman and Nicobar Command.
- It is a biennial exercise that will host navies from 16 countries.
- ‘Milan' was first held in 1995 with the participation of five navies.
- The aim of the initiative was to have an effective forum to discuss common concerns in the Indian Ocean Region and forge deeper cooperation among friendly navies.
Daman and Diu
- Prime Minister launched various development projects worth Rs.1000 crores in Daman & Diu recently.
- Some of the projects launched are water treatment plant, electricity generation, solar power generation, university, gas pipeline and CNG station,flight connection under UDAN scheme.
- Union Territory of Daman and Diu comprises two districts namely Daman and Diu.
- After Liberation on 1961 from Portuguese Rule Daman and Diu became a part of the U.T. of Goa, Daman and Diu.
- Union territory of Daman and Diu came into existence on 1987 with Goa attaining the statehood.
- Districts of Daman and Diu are near Gujarat State separated by about 700 kms from one another.
- Diu District is an island on southern portion of Gujarat Peninsula and is joined with Una District of Gujarat State by two bridges over a sea creek.
Ancient necropolis in Eygpt
- Egypt’s Antiquities Ministry announced the discovery of an ancient necropolis near the Nile Valley city of Minya, south of Cairo.
- Archaeologist found tombs belonging to priests of Thoth, the ancient god of the moon and wisdom in the area.
- A tomb includes more than 1,000 statues and four well preserved alabaster canopic jars inscribed with hieroglyphics and designed to hold the mummified internal organs of their owner who was a high Priest of the god Thoth.
- The priest’s mummy was also found decorated with blue and red beads and bronze gilded sheets.
- The area is also known to include tombs, a funerary building and a large necropolis for thousands of mummified ibis and baboon birds, as well as other animals.
- The recent discoveries across the country will help spur the vital tourism sector, which was hit hard by political turmoil following the 2011 uprising.
Cashless economy
- A recent survey by Nielsen India finds that there is a long distance to travel for companies that want to convert rural India into a cashless consumer economy.
- In India, just 63% of adults have access to the formal financial system.
- Rural India’s need for financial inclusion is urgent, as those who migrate to larger cities need to remit money back to their families.
- There are 120 million migrant workers in India, and more than 80 per cent live in the inadequately connected rural areas who make 80 percent of domestic remittances.
- Payments banks have particularly been useful for the remittances economy.
- Nearly 50 per cent of such families transfer money through risky non-traditional channels like friends, family, unknown persons and agents that involves high chances of thefts, cheating and significantly higher transaction rates.
Auroville
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid homage to Shri Aurobindo,at the golden jubilee celebrations at Auroville,Puducherry.
- Auroville is a universal township spread across Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.
- The purpose of Auroville is to realise human unity – in diversity.
- Today Auroville is recognised as the first and only internationally endorsed ongoing experiment in human unity and transformation of consciousness.
- It is concerned with sustainable living and the future cultural, environmental, social and spiritual needs of mankind.
Tungabadra Otter conservation reserve
- Karnataka declared first otter conservation reserve, 34 km along the Tungabhadra ,in 2016.
- The Otter reserve stretches from from Mudlapura village to Kampli in Ballari district.
- The reserve also passes through Hampi, a UNESCO heritage site.
- The reserve houses a good number of smooth-clawed otter, Eurasian and smooth-coated otters, mahseer fish, fresh water crocodiles and giant soft shelled turtles.
- Smooth-coated otter is distributed throughout the country from the Himalayas and to the south in India.
- According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, Smooth-coated species is vulnerable.
- The highest protection under Schedule 1 (small-clawed otter) and Schedule 2 (smooth-coated otter) of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 is provided for the otters.
Source: PIB, The Hindu, Business Standard.
