NAMASTE Scheme | Lake Urmia | Rafah border | FORGE Initiative | Sarus Cranes Census data | Exercise KHANJAR

NAMASTE Scheme

(Schemes)

In News

• For the first time, the Union government has released nationwide enumeration data of waste-pickers under the NAMASTE (National Action for Mechanised Sanitation Ecosystem) scheme.

National Action for Mechanised Sanitation Ecosystem (NAMASTE)

• Launched in – July 2023
• Financing – Central Sector Scheme
• Implemented by – Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment and the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs,

Objectives:

• Zero fatalities in sanitation work.
• All sanitation operations to be performed by skilled workers.
• No direct contact with human faecal matter.
• Rehabilitation of Manual Scavengers.

Key Interventions:

• Profiling: Digital profiling of Sewer/Septic Tank Workers (SSWs).
• Safety: Providing PPE kits, safety devices, and training to workers.
• Empowerment: Capital subsidy for purchasing sanitation machinery to become “sanipreneurs”.
• Health: Occupational safety training and health insurance.
• Significance: Aligns with SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation) and promotes the dignity and safety of sanitation workers.

Lake Urmia

Syllabus: GS1/Places in News

In News

• Iranian authorities have resorted to cloud seeding to induce artificial rainfall over the Lake Urmia basin amid Iran’s worst drought in decades.

Lake Urmia

• It is situated in the Azerbaijan region of northwestern Iran and lies between East Azerbaijan and West Azerbaijan provinces.
• High evaporation rates make it extremely saline.
• Uniqueness – It is the largest lake in the Middle East.
• Designated a Ramsar wetland and UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, the lake has shrunk dramatically since the 1990s.

Rafah border

(Places in news)

News

• Israel has reopened the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt for limited civilian movement after months of closure.
• The crossing has largely been closed since the Gazan side was captured by Israeli forces in May 2024.

Why is Rafah important to Gaza?

• Location: Rafah border is located on the Gaza–Egypt border, which was recognized by the 1979 Egypt–Israel peace treaty.
• Significance: The Rafah Border Crossing or Rafah Crossing Point is the sole crossing point between Egypt and the Gaza Strip.

FORGE Initiative

Syllabus: GS2/ IR

In News

• India has expressed support for the FORGE Initiative at the inaugural Critical Minerals Ministerial hosted by the United States in Washington DC.

FORGE Initiative

• It is a multilateral international cooperation framework aimed at de-risking global critical mineral supply chains by bringing together like-minded countries.
• It has been created as a successor to the Minerals Security Partnership (MSP).
• Significance – to reduce over-dependence on a few dominant suppliers, build trusted, transparent and resilient critical mineral ecosystems

Sarus Cranes Census data

Environment

In News

• The population of sarus cranes in Uttar Pradesh has gone up by 634 or 3.1% in a year, as per a government census.

Sarus crane

• It is the tallest flying bird in the world standing 152-156 cm tall with a wingspan of 240cm.
• Nature: It is a social creature, found mostly in pairs or small groups of three or four.
• It is Known to mate for life with a single partner, its breeding season coincides with heavy rainfall in monsoon.
• Habitat and Distribution: The Sarus habitat is outside protected areas, in natural wetlands with low water depth, marshy and fallow areas and agricultural fields.
• The Sarus crane has three disjunct populations in the Indian sub-continent, south-east Asia and northern Australia.
• In the Indian subcontinent, it is found in northern and central India, Terai Nepal and Pakistan.
• It was once a common site in the paddy fields of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Assam.
• But now it is mainly concentrated in Uttar Pradesh.
• Ecological Role : They play a vital role in ecological balance by controlling the population of harmful insects. Sarus is omnivorous, feeding on fish and insects, as well as roots and plants.
• Protection status : Listed in Schedule IV of the Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972 and as Vulnerable on IUCN Red List

Exercise KHANJAR

Syllabus: GS3/Defence

Context

• The 13th edition of the India–Kyrgyzstan joint military exercise KHANJAR has begun in Sonitpur district of Assam.

Exercise KHANJAR

• It is an annual training event conducted alternately between India and Kyrgyzstan since 2011.
• Objective – to enhance interoperability between the Special Forces of both nations, with a focus on joint operations in urban warfare and counter-terrorism scenarios under the United Nations mandate.