Grey – zone Warfare
At Raisina Dialogue 2024, India’s Chief of Defence Staff talked about Grey-zone warfare.
- Grey – zone Warfare – Involves military actions which are below a particular threshold to invite a response.
- Raisina Dialogue – India’s flagship conference on geopolitics and geo-economics.
- Hosted by – Observer Research Foundation in partnership with Union Ministry of External Affairs.
- Theme of 2024 edition – Chaturanga: Conflict, Contest, Cooperate, Create.
Indian Gharial
Indian Gharial spotted in Greater Kaziranga (Assam) after a gap of 75 years.
- Indian Gharial Distribution – Majorly occurs in 3 tributaries of Ganga River – Chambal and Girwa in India and Rapti-Naryani in Nepal.
- Gharial reserves – 3 States of UP, MP, and Rajasthan
- Habitat – Resides exclusively in river habitats with deep, clear, fast-flowing waters and steep, sandy banks.
- Conservation status –
- IUCN (Critically Endangered)
- Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 (Schedule I)
- CITES (Appendix I)
- Behavioural Characteristics – Unlike other crocodiles, they feed on warm-blooded species and some are known to scavenge dead animals.
Krushak Assistance for Livelihood and Income Augmentation (KALIA) Scheme
State Government of Odisha extends KALIA scheme by 3 years.
- Objective – To provide financial assistance to small and marginal farmers (SMF) including sharecroppers, tenant farmers, and landless agricultural households (LAH) in the state.
- Excludes – Medium and large farmers.
- Other benefits – Scholarship for Children of KALIA beneficiaries, Livelihood packages for landless households, etc.
- Synchronized with – PM-KISAN to provide annual benefit of ₹10000 to SMF
Exercise ‘DOSTI-16’
Exercise Dosti-16 conducted recently.
- Exercise DOSTI-16 – Biennial trilateral coast guard exercise
- Members – India, the Maldives, and Sri Lanka
- Observer nation – Bangladesh
Energy Charter Treaty
The UK to leave Energy Charter Treaty.
- Energy Charter Treaty – Provides a multilateral framework for energy cooperation that is unique under international law.
- Entered into legal force – April 1998.
- Designed to – Promote energy security through the operation of more open and competitive energy markets while respecting the principles of sustainable development and sovereignty over energy resources.