Daily PIB Highlights (30-05-2025)

Topic- 1: INDIA-MONGOLIA JOINT MILITARY EXERCISE NOMADIC ELEPHANT

GS- 2 & 3: IR and Internal Security

The context: The Indian Army contingent departed on 30^th May 2025, for 17^th edition of India- Mongolia Joint Military Exercise NOMADIC ELEPHANT. The exercise is scheduled to be conducted in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia from 31^st May to 13^th June 2025.

About the Exercise NOMADIC ELEPHANT:

• • It is an annual joint military exerciseevent conducted alternatively in India and Mongolia.
  • The Indian contingent comprising 45 personnel will be represented mainly by troops from a battalion of the ARUNACHAL SCOUTS.
  • The Mongolian Armed Forces contingent, also comprising similar strength, will be represented by 150 Special Forces unit.
  • Aim of the exercise is to enhance interoperability between the two forces while employing joint task force in semi conventional operations in semi urban/ mountainous terrain under United Nations mandate.
  • The scope of this exercise involves Platoon level Field Training Exercise.
  • During the exercise, Indian and Mongolian troops will engage in various training activities to include endurance training, reflex shooting, room intervention, small team tactics and rock craft training, among others.
  • Its aim to enhance complexity of exercise, aspects pertaining to Cyber Warfare are also being incorporated in this edition of the exercise. Soldiers from both sides will also learn from each other’s operational experience.
  • The exercise underscores the shared commitment of India and Mongolia towards regional security, peace and stability.
  • It reinforces the India-Mongolia relationship as a cornerstone of regional cooperation, fostering strong military ties and promotion of cultural understanding.
  • A testament to the enduring bond of friendship, trust and cultural linkages between India and Mongolia, the exercise sets the stage for meaningful professional engagement, highlighting the unwavering commitment of both nations to broader defence cooperation.

Source: PIB

Topic- 2: Swachh Survekshan Grameen (SSG) Survey- 2025

GS-2: Governance

The context: Union Minister of Jal Shakti launches India’s largest sanitation survey- Swachh Survekshan Grameen (SSG) 2025 in Delhi. Union Minister SSG to access and reinforce sustained ODF Plus Model outcomes and rank rural India on sanitation progress 21,000 villages across 761 Districts in 34 States and Union Territories will be covered under SSG 2025.

About the Swachh Survekshan Grameen (SSG) Survey 2025:

• • It is launched by the Union Minister of Jal Shakti, Minister of State, Secretary- DDWS, ASMD -JJM& SBMG and Economic Advisor.
  • SSG is not merely a survey, but a national validation exercise, and a powerful tool to rank states and districts on their rural sanitation performance. With ‘our villages are the soul of India’ and making them ODF Plus Model should be seen as a lived and visible reality.
  • It is anchored in SBM-G Phase 2 and to ensure the success of this massive endeavor, States and UTs must ensure accurate and timely IMIS reporting, mobilize grassroots networks like District Training Management Units and Swachhagrahis for capacity building, and deploy trained staff across all levels.
  • It aims to rigorously assess the on-ground status of rural sanitation, with a sharp focus on sustaining the Open Defecation Free (ODF) Plus Model outcomes achieved under SBM-G.
  • The overarching objective of SSG-2025 is to provide a national ranking of all States/UTs and Districts of India based on quantitative and qualitative sanitation parameters as identified under SBM-II.
  • DDWS has engaged an independent agency which will carry out the survey using a structured assessment framework aligned with SBM-G Phase II guidelines.
  • It will help ascertain the progress of SBM-G through a sampled village assessment, surveying households (HH) and public places in villages to assess their status on various cleanliness parameters including functionality of Plastic Waste Management Units (PWMU), Faecal Sludge Management(FSM) plants, GOBARdhan Plant, citizen feedback and Swachhata Green Leaf Rating (SGLR) sites.

The key performance outcomes of SBM Phase-II and they will be ranked across four key components:

• • Service-Level Progress (SLP), based on data from district self-assessment reports and desktop verification of ODF Plus Model Verified villages
  • Direct Observation of Sanitation Status of Villages, through field-based observation in sampled villages, households and public places including schools, CSCs etc.
  • Direct Observation of Functionality of Sanitation Infrastructure, such as Plastic Waste Management Units, GOBARdhan plants, and Faecal Sludge Management systems
  • SSG 2025 Citizen Feedback, gathered via a mobile application and one-on-one interactions during the field survey

These elements shall be grouped into sub-components to derive a composite score, ensuring a transparent, technology-driven, and community-led assessment process. To uphold the data integrity, geo-fencing feature has been introduced in the Survey and further, to promote public engagement, a dedicated mobile app has been created to gather the citizen feedback.

Source: PIB

Topic- 3: Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan

GS-3: Economy

The context: the Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan, launched the Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan (VKSA-2025) at the ICAR-Central Institute of Freshwater Aquaculture (ICAR-CIFA), Kausalyaganga, Bhubaneswar, Odisha. It is a landmark initiative aimed at transforming Indian agriculture.

The Key Highlights of Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan campaign:

• • The campaign aligns with the vision of GOI for a self-reliant and sustainable India, and seeks to promote the widespread adoption of advanced agricultural and fisheries technologies across the nation.
  • The campaign’s ambitious goal to reach over 5 crore farmersacross India through technology dissemination, capacity building, and grassroots engagement. Fisheries is an integral pillar of India’s food security and a viable pathway for livelihood development and stressed that all technologies developed by ICAR-CIFA must effectively reach farmers to enhance their income and build a developed and resilient fisheries sector.
  • The VKSA campaign is a timely intervention that will accelerate Odisha’s agricultural transformation and empower farmers through greater access to innovation, infrastructure, and institutional support.
  • Odisha Government’s commitmentto empowering farmers and livestock owners through free veterinary health services and proactive animal husbandry programs aimed at rural economic development.
  • VKSA-2025 as a transformational pre-Kharif campaignthat bridges cutting-edge scientific research with farmers’ needs on the ground. All stakeholders to unite in realizing the vision of Viksit Krishi for a Viksit Bharat, ensuring prosperity and resilience in Indian agriculture.
  • More than 600 farmers and farm women from Self Help Groupsparticipated in the scientist-farmer interaction session, gaining insights into sustainable practices, improved technologies, and integrated approaches to agriculture and aquaculture.
  • The release of a novel fish vaccine – “CIFA Argu VAX–I”– by the agriculture minister on 29^th May 2025. It was developed by ICAR-CIFA, this vaccine targets parasitic infections in fish, offering a significant breakthrough in fish health management and reducing economic losses in aquaculture.
  • An exhibitionwas organized showcasing innovations and products by Self Help Groups (SHGs), KVK Khordha, and ICAR-CIFA, reflecting community involvement and grassroots innovation.
  • All dignitaries, participants, and stakeholders for their overwhelming support in making the launch ceremony a grand success.
  • The VKSA-2025 campaign will continue nationwide from May 29 to June 12, 2025, engaging farmers across all districts in a mission to build a resilient, inclusive, and future-ready agricultural sector.

Source: PIB