ADMM-Plus Experts Working Group (EWG) meeting

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The 14^th meeting of ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus) Experts Working Group (EWG) on Counter-Terrorism is scheduled to be held in New Delhi.

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• India (for the first time) and Malaysia will co-chair the ADMM-Plus Experts Working Group meeting.
• Delegations from 10 ASEAN members and eight dialogue partners along with Timor Leste and ASEAN Secretariat will be participating in the meeting.
• This will be the first meeting for activities planned for the Experts Working Group (EWG) on Counter-Terrorism for the ongoing cycle from 2024-2027.
• The meeting aims to share the on-ground experience of the Defence Forces of ASEAN and its dialogue partners. 

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)

It was established in 1967 after the signing of the ASEAN Declaration (Bangkok Declaration) by the founding members ASEAN Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand.

Current members of ASEAN (10): Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. 

• ASEAN has agreed in principle to accept Timor-Leste as its 11th member. 

ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus (ADMM-Plus)

• ADMM is the highest defence consultative and cooperative mechanism in ASEAN. 
• ADMM-Plus is a platform for ASEAN member states and its eight Dialogue Partners (India, US, China, Russia, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand) to strengthen security and defence cooperation. 
• India became the dialogue partner of ASEAN in 1992 and the inaugural ADMM-Plus was convened in Hanoi, Vietnam in 2010. 
• Since 2017, ADMM-Plus Ministers have been meeting annually to bolster cooperation among ASEAN and the Plus countries.

QUAD Workshop on Pandemic Preparedness

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Recently, the Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare inaugurated the QUAD Workshop on Pandemic Preparedness for the Indo-Pacific Region in New Delhi. 

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This three-day workshop was jointly organized by the Ministry of External Affairs and the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare under the presidency of India.

Workshop aims to strengthen global health emergency frameworks, enhance preparedness and resilience to health threats, and ensure coordinated responses to evolving pandemics. 

Delegates from the following 15 countries across the Indo-Pacific region and international health organizations are participating in the workshop.

• Cambodia, Fiji, Indonesia, Kenya, Kiribati, Madagascar, Maldives, Mozambique, Palau, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Thailand, Tonga, and Tuvalu.

This workshop is a direct outcome of the 6th Quad Leaders’ Summit held in September 2024

India’s Key Contribution for Pandemic Preparedness

• India has contributed USD 10 million towards the establishment of the Pandemic Fund which was specially conceptualized for fighting pandemics. 
• India has further pledged an additional USD 12 million to support the Pandemic Fund's sustained functioning.

Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QUAD)

• The   Quadrilateral   Security Dialogue (QSD), commonly known as the Quad, is an informal strategic forum.
• It was formalised by former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in 2007. 
• QUAD comprises four nations:  the United States, India, Australia, and Japan.
• Its primary goal is to promote a free, open, prosperous, and inclusive Indo-Pacific region.

Special Olympics World Winter Games 2025

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The Prime Minister of India congratulates the Indian Contingent for outstanding performance at the Special Olympics World Winter Games 2025.

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Turin (Italy) hosted the World Winter Games 2025. It was the first time Italy hosted these games.

India never hosted these games.

The Indian contingent brought home overall 33 medals including 8 gold, 18 silver, and 7 bronze medals

The contingent, comprising 30 athletes and 19 support staff, excelled in six winter sports disciplines.

The following eight sports were held in the Games:

• Alpine skiing 
• Cross-country skiing
• Dance sport 
• Figure skating 
• Floorball 
• Short track speed skating 
• Snowboarding 
• Snowshoeing 

The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has announced increased cash rewards for medal winners: 

• Rs. 20 lakhs for gold medalists, 
• Rs. 14 lakhs for silver medalists, and 
• Rs. 8 lakhs for bronze medalists.

The first Special Olympics International Games was held in 1968 in Chicago, USA.

India’s First PPP Green Waste Processing Plant

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Indore is launching India’s first Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model-based green waste processing plant under the Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban.

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• This processing plant aims to revolutionize the city’s waste management system by converting green waste into valuable resources. 
• Astronomical Industries Private Limited has partnered with the IMC to process this waste.
• The facility will not only process green waste but also generate revenue, with the Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC) earning approx. Rs 3,000 per tonne in royalty for supplying wood and branches. 
• The plant is built on 55,000 square feet land in Bicholi Hapsi (Indore), the plant will recycle wood and branches to produce wooden pellets, serving as an alternative to coal and promoting energy conservation.

Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban

• The Prime Minister of India launched the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) in 2014, as a mass movement to achieve a Clean India by 2nd October 2019, the Mahatma’s 150th birth anniversary.

India Innovation Summit – Pioneering Solutions to End TB

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Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, inaugurated the India Innovation Summit – Pioneering Solutions to End TB, in New Delhi.

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• The Summit was organized jointly by the Department of Health Research-Indian Council of Medical Research (DHR-ICMR) and the Central TB Division (CTD), Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MoHFW).
• The summit aims to accelerate India's progress towards TB elimination by 2025.

Tuberculosis 

• TB is an infectious disease caused by bacteria (Mycobacterium tuberculosis) which is spread when people who are sick with TB expel bacteria into the air.
• TB is spread through the air when people with lung TB cough, sneeze or spit.
• TB is the leading cause of death of people with HIV and also a major contributor to antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

Key TB Statistics

• As per the WHO’s Global TB Report 2024, the incidence rate of TB in India has shown a 17.7% decline from 237 per lakh population in 2015 to 195 per lakh population in 2023.
• TB deaths have reduced by 21.4% from 28 per lakh population in 2015 to 22 per lakh population in 2023.
• TB treatment coverage in India increased by 32% in the last eight years from 53% in 2015 to 85% in 2023.