AUSTRA HIND 22 (GS Paper 3, Defence)
Why in news?
- The bilateral training exercise “AUSTRA HIND 22” between contingents of the Indian Army and the Australian Army is scheduled to take place at Mahajan Field Firing Ranges (Rajasthan) from 28 November to 11 December 2022.
AUSTRA HIND:
- This is the first exercise in the series of AUSTRA HIND with participation of all arms and services contingent from both armies.
- Exercise “AUSTRA HIND” will be a yearly event that will be conducted alternatively in India and Australia.
Participants:
- The Australian Army contingent comprising soldiers from the 13th Brigade of the 2nd Division has arrived at the exercise location.
- The Indian Army is represented by troops from the DOGRA Regiment.
Aim:
- Aim of the exercise is to build positive military relations, imbibe each other’s best practices and promote the ability to operate together while undertaking multi-domain operations in Semi deserts terrain under a UN peace enforcement mandate.
Key Highlights:
- This joint exercise will enable the two armies to share best practices in tactics, techniques and procedures for conducting tactical operations at Company and Platoon level for neutralising hostile threats.
- Training on new generation equipment and specialist weapons including snipers, surveillance & communication equipment to achieve a high degree of situational awareness apart from casualty management, casualty evacuation and planning logistics at Battalion/Company level are also planned.
- During the exercise, participants will engage in a variety of tasks ranging from joint planning, joint tactical drills, sharing basics of special arms skills and raiding a hostile target.
Way Forward:
- The joint exercise, besides promoting understanding and interoperability between the two armies, will further help in strengthening ties between India and Australia.
Indian scientists receive international award on behalf of GSLEP
(GS Paper 3, Environment)
Why in news?
- Recently, Indian snow leopard experts Charudutt Mishra and Koustubh Sharma, along with Chyngyz Kochorov of Kyrgyzstan, received the BBVA Foundation’s Worldwide Biodiversity Conservation Award on behalf of an intergovernmental alliance that they helped create and manage.
- The three received the award on behalf of ‘The Global Snow Leopard Ecosystem Protection Program (GSLEP)’ at the headquarters of the BBVA Foundation in Madrid.
About GSLEP:
- The GSLEP is a first-of-its-kind 12-nation intergovernmental alliance for the conservation of the snow leopard and its unique ecosystem.
- It is led by the environment ministers of 12 countries in Asia that form the home range of the snow leopard.
- These are Afghanistan, Bhutan, China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
- The total range spans two million square kilometres.
- The GSLEP Program’s secretariat is based in Bishkek, and is hosted by the Ministry of Natural Resources, Ecology and Technical Supervision of the Kyrgyz Republic.
About Snow Leopard:
- Snow leopards act as an indicator of the health of the mountain ecosystem in which they live, due to their position as the top predator in the food web.
- They have a vast but fragmented distribution across the mountainous landscape of central Asia, which covers different parts of the Himalayas such as Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Sikkim.
Protection Status of Snow Leopard:
- IUCN List of Threatened Species: Vulnerable.
- CITES: Appendix I.
- Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972: Schedule-I.
Restoration of Mumbai's 100 year-old museum wins UNESCO Asia-Pacific award
(GS Paper 1, Culture)
Why in news?
- Recently, the restoration of the historic Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya in Mumbai has won a top award from UNESCO.
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya:
Other winners:
- Thirteen projects from six countries Afghanistan, China, India, Iran, Nepal and Thailand have been acknowledged for awards by an international jury in this year's awards programme.
- Besides, the Domakonda Fort of Telangana, and Byculla Station of Mumbai, are among the winners in the Award of Merit category, while the stepwells of Golconda in Hyderabad has won an award in the Award of Distinction category.
- Topdara Stupa, Charikar, Afghanistan, and Nantian Buddhist Temple, Fujian, China, have also received the Award of Merit.
Background:
- Since 2000, the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation programme has been recognising the efforts of private individuals and organisations in restoring, conserving, and transforming structures and buildings of heritage value in the region.
