About Animal Husbandry Infrastructure Development Fund (AHIDF):

• It is a central sector scheme under the Prime Minister’s “Atma Nirbhar Bharat Abhiyan” stimulus package.
• It is aimed at boosting investments in animal husbandry infrastructure.
• Implementing Agency: Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry, and Dairying.
• Objectives:
  • To expand milk and meat processing capacity and help small rural producers connect with organised markets.
  • To ensure that livestock farmers get better prices for their milk, meat, and other animal products.
  • To make good-quality milk and meat products that can be easily available for people across the country.
  • To meet the growing demand for protein-rich food and help reduce malnutrition, especially among children.
  • To encourage entrepreneurship and create more job opportunities in the livestock sector.
  • To promote exports and increase the export contribution in the milk and meat sector.
  • To make available quality concentrated animals feed.
• The scheme will incentivize investments for
  • Dairy processing and value addition infrastructure.
  • Meat processing and value addition infrastructure.
  • Animal Feed Plant.
  • Breed multiplication farm.
  • Animal Waste to Wealth Management (Agri-waste management).
  • Veterinary vaccine and drug production
• The eligible beneficiaries under the Scheme would be:
  • Farmer Producer Organization (FPO)
  • Private companies
  • Individual entrepreneurs
  • Section 8 companies
  • Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs)
•  Benefits

• The beneficiaries are to contribute a minimum of 10% margin money as investment. The balance 90% would be the loan component to be made available by scheduled banks.
• The Government of India will provide 3% interest subvention to eligible beneficiaries.
• From the Credit Guarantee Fund, Credit guarantee would be provided to those sanctioned projects which are covered under MSME-defined ceilings.
  • Credit Guarantee Fund: Set up and managed by NABARD.

About BharatNet Project:

• It is an ambitious project of the Government of India aimed at providing broadband connectivity to all Gram Panchayats (GPs) in the country.
• It is one of the biggest rural telecom projects in the world.
• The primary objective is to provide unrestricted access to broadband connectivity to all the telecom service providers.
  • This enables access providers like mobile operators, Internet Service Providers (ISPs), Cable TV operators, and content providers to launch various services such as e-health, e-education, and e-governance in rural and remote India.
• The project is being executed by a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV), namely Bharat Broadband Network Limited (BBNL), which was incorporated in 2012 under Indian Companies Act 1956.
• The Telecom Commission approved implementation of the project in three phases. While the Phase I was completed in 2017, Phase II and Phase III are ongoing.

What is the Amended BharatNet Program (ABP)?

• The ABP is a design improvement aiming for:
  • Optical Fibre (OF) connectivity to 2.64 lakh GPs in ring topology (a network design where connected devices form a circular data channel)
  • OF connectivity to the remaining non-GP villages on demand.
• It includes features like IP-MPLS (Internet Protocol Multi-Protocol Label Switching) network with routers at Blocks and GPs, operation and maintenance for 10 years, power backup, and Remote Fibre Monitoring System (RFMS).

About Battle of Adwa:

• It was fought by the Ethiopian Empire, which was then known as Abyssinia, and Italy in 1896, near Adwa, Ethiopia, as the concluding battle of the First Italo-Ethiopian War (1895–1896).
• The conflict stemmed from Italy's ambitions to establish an empire in Africa, which was part of the broader "scramble for Africa" among European powers.
• This battle saw the Ethiopian Empire, led by Emperor Menelik II, successfully defeat an invading Italian force.
• It led to the decisive victory for the Ethiopians and securing their sovereignty.
• The victory had further significance for being the first crushing defeat of a European power by African forces during the colonial era.

About Kavach System

• Kavach is an indigenously developed Automatic Train Protection (ATP) system designed to enhance railway operational safety.
• It has been developed by the Research Design and Standards Organisation (RDSO) under Indian Railways (IR) in collaboration with Medha Servo Drives Pvt Ltd, HBL Power Systems Ltd, and Kernex Microsystems.
• Kavach is a highly complex digital safety ecosystem consisting of five major integrated components, including continuous Optical Fibre Cable (OFC) laid along tracks and telecom towers for uninterrupted communication.
• The system uses a combination of electronic devices and Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) installed in locomotives, signalling systems, and railway tracks, which communicate using ultra-high radio frequencies.
• Based on pre-programmed safety logic, Kavach can alert loco pilots, automatically apply brakes, and prevent unsafe train movements.

About ICGS Sarthak:

• It is the fourth in the series of five Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPVs) being built by Goa Shipyard for the Indian Coast Guard (ICG).
  • These OPVs are multi-mission platforms capable of undertaking concurrent operations.
• The ship is propelled by diesel engines designed to attain a high speed.
• The ship is fitted with state-of-the-art equipment machinery, sensors, and weapons and has an Integrated Bridge System, and Integrated Machinery Control System.
  • That enables it to function as a command platform and undertake mandated Coast Guard charter of duties, including search and rescue, combating maritime crimes, and preserving and protecting the marine environment.
• It will be based at Porbandar, Gujrat, and operate on India’s western seaboard under the operational and administrative control of the commander, Coast Guard Region.

About Annatto:

• It is a natural food colouring and flavoring agent obtained from the seeds of the achiote tree (Bixa orellana), native to the tropical regions of the Americas.
• About 70% of natural food colors come from annatto.
• It adds a yellow-orange color to foods like cheese, butter, yogurt, sausage, smoked fish, ice cream, and baked goods.
  • The bold color comes from carotenoids, which are plant pigments that are found in the coating of the seed.
• It is most often ground up into a powder or paste form for use.
• Its color can also be extracted from the seed and then added to foods as a dye.
• Some also use annatto to boost the flavor of certain dishes.
• It has a mild, peppery flavor when used in large amounts as well as a nutty and floral scent.
• It is safe for most people when used in normal food amounts. However, it might cause allergic reactions in some sensitive people.
• Benefits:
  • It has been linked to various benefits, including reduced inflammation, improved eye and heart health, and anticancer properties.
  • It is rich in several key antimicrobial compounds, which can limit the growth of bacteria, fungi, and parasites.
  • It is rich in antioxidants, or compounds that help neutralize the effects of harmful free radicals that can build up and cause damage to cells.
  • It is high in tocotrienol, a form of vitamin E that some studies show could help with keeping bones strong and healthy.
  • Annatto seeds are sometimes also ground up and applied topically to help enhance the health of your skin.

What are Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS)?

• Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) are a large family of synthetic chemicals, widely known as “Forever Chemicals” due to their extreme environmental persistence.
• PFAS are extensively used in non-stick cookware, water-resistant clothing, food packaging, cosmetics, firefighting foams, metal coatings, and industrial lubricants.
• The carbon–fluorine (C–F) bond, one of the strongest covalent bonds in chemistry, makes PFAS highly resistant to degradation, leading to widespread groundwater contamination, especially near military, industrial, and municipal sites.

What is Carbon-Based PFAS Remediation?

• Carbon-based PFAS remediation is a novel in-situ groundwater treatment approach, the field study published in the Journal of Hazardous Materials.
• The study evaluated a specially engineered ultra-fine carbon material, known as Colloidal Carbon Product (CCP), designed to adsorb and immobilise PFAS in groundwater.
• The technology uses a “push–pull” testing method, where CCP is injected underground to form an in-situ permeable treatment zone, and groundwater is later extracted to measure PFAS reduction.
• Unlike surface treatment methods, this approach is non-invasive, subsurface-based, and suitable for long-term remediation.

About Altermagnetism and RuO₂ Discovery

• Altermagnetism is recognised as the third fundamental class of magnetism, distinct from ferromagnetism and antiferromagnetism.
• In altermagnetic materials, magnetic moments alternate, but their arrangement follows complex symmetry operations such as rotation and reflection, rather than simple up–down cancellation.
• This leads to a net-zero external magnetic field, similar to antiferromagnets, but with internal electronic spin splitting comparable to ferromagnets.
• Ruthenium dioxide (RuO₂) thin films have been experimentally demonstrated to exhibit true altermagnetism, resolving long-standing global inconsistencies.
• The discovery was made by a joint research team from National Institute for Materials Science (Japan), University of Tokyo, Kyoto Institute of Technology, and Tohoku University, and published in Nature Communications.
• The team fabricated single-orientation (single-variant) RuO₂ thin films on sapphire substrates, ensuring uniform crystallographic orientation, which was crucial for conclusive verification.
• Using X-ray Magnetic Linear Dichroism (XMLD), researchers confirmed spin arrangements where net magnetisation cancels (no N–S poles).
• The study also observed spin-split magnetoresistance, electrically verifying the spin-splitting electronic structure, a key signature of altermagnetism.
• The experimental results were found to be consistent with first-principles calculations of magneto-crystalline anisotropy, strengthening theoretical validation.

About Exercise Desert Cyclone II

• Desert Cyclone II is the second edition of the India–U.A.E. Joint Military Exercise, following the inaugural edition held in 2024.
• The Indian contingent comprises personnel primarily drawn from a Mechanised Infantry Regiment battalion of the Indian Army.
• The A.E. Land Forces are represented by a contingent of similar strength from the Mechanised Infantry Battalion.
• The core objective of the exercise is to enhance interoperability and strengthen defence cooperation between the Indian Army and the U.A.E. Land Forces.
• The exercise focuses on sub-conventional operations in urban environments under a United Nations mandate, preparing forces for peacekeeping, counter-terrorism, and stability operations.
• Joint training includes fighting in built-up areas, heliborne operations, and detailed joint mission planning.
• A key feature is the integration of Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) and counter-UAS techniques for conducting urban military operations.
• The conduct of Desert Cyclone II reflects deepening military diplomacy, shared strategic interests, and growing operational synergy between India and the U.A.E.

Key Facts about India–U.A.E. Defence Relations

• India and the U.A.E. established diplomatic relations in 1972.
• The A.E. opened its Embassy in New Delhi in 1972, while India opened its Embassy in Abu Dhabi in 1973.
• The first-ever India–U.A.E. Joint Air Forces exercise was conducted in 2008 at the Al-Dhafra Air Base, Abu Dhabi.
• India has been a regular participant in the biennial International Defence Exhibition (IDEX) held in Abu Dhabi.
• In 2025, Indian Navy ships INS Visakhapatnam and INS Trikand participated in the bilateral naval exercise “Zayed Talwar”, aimed at enhancing naval interoperability and synergy.