Worlds first conservation and breeding centre

♦ Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath inaugurated the world’s first conservation and breeding centre for Asian king vultures or red-headed vultures in Maharajganj, Gorakhpur. The facility will improve the population of critically endangered species listed in the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s red list since 2007. The centre is named Jatayu Conservation and Breeding Centre.

♦ Asian king vultures are endangered due to the loss of their habitats and the excessive use of diclofenac, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, in domestic animals, which becomes poisonous for vultures. 

♦ The centre aims to ensure the good health of growing vultures and provide them with a pair. Once a female lays an egg, the pair will be left free in their natural environment.

♦ Yogi Adityanath laid the foundation stone for this centre on 7 October 2020 with an investment of Rs.2.80 crore.
 

Best Countries Ranking 2024

♦ Switzerland was ranked as the number one country for the third consecutive year in the ‘Best Countries Ranking 2024’ report. This is the seventh time the Switzerland has ranked first in the survey. 

♦ In the 2024 ranking, Switzerland is followed by Japan, the United States of America, Canada and Australia.

♦ The Best Countries Report is an analysis by the U.S. News & World Report and the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, measures perceptions of individual countries. The rankings are determined by a survey of nearly 17,000 respondents across 36 countries, with the report assessing 89 nations across 73 different attributes.

♦ India ranked 33 on the list. In 2023 India was spotted at 30 rank. 

♦ Only Japan, Singapore, China and South Korea managed to crack the top 25 from Asia. 

♦ The United Arab Emirates and Qatar were the only two Middle-Eastern countries that made the cut at 17 and 25 respectively.