About Babesia:

• Babesia is a genus of microscopic parasites that infect the red blood cells (RBCs) of animals and humans, causing the disease known as babesiosis.
• These protozoa are transmitted mainly by the bite of ticks, primarily by the Ixodes tick, also known as a deer tick, which is also responsible for transmitting other diseases, such as Lyme disease.
• Babesiosis can affect both animals and humans, although it is much more common in animals, especially cattle, dogs, and other mammals.
• Human infection is more common in areas where ticks are common.
• The geographical distribution of Babesia is primarily in the Americas, especially in the Northeast region, as well as regions of Europe and Asia.
• Is Babesiosis Contagious?
  • No, babesiosis isn’t contagious from person to person.
  • Rarely, Babesia is transmitted from a pregnant women to the fetus.

• Treatment:
  • Treatment for babesiosis usually involves a combination of antimicrobial drugs, as the infection is caused by a parasite.
  • The most recommended is a combination therapy of two drugs, atovaquone (antiparasitic) and azithromycin (antibiotic).

About Mekedatu Project:

• It is a multi-purpose (drinking water and power) project involving the construction of a balancing reservoir near Kanakapura in the Ramanagara district, Karnataka.
• The project is proposed at the confluence of the Cauvery River with its tributary Arkavathi.
• It will have a capacity to store 67 tmcft of water, supplying drinking water to Bengaluru and generating 400 MW of power. 
• Issue:
  • Tamil Nadu, the lower riparian state, has been opposing the project, raising apprehensions that the state would be affected if the project takes shape.
  • Tamil Nadu says, Mekedatu area represents the last free point in Karnataka from where Cauvery water flows unrestricted into Tamil Nadu, and the Mekedatu dam project is an attempt by Karnataka to block this free flow of water.

About Justice (Retd) Prakash Prabhakar Naolekar Committee:

• It is a high-level committee constituted to assess demographic changes across India due to "illegal immigration and other unnatural causes".
• Members:
  • The five-member committee will be chaired by retired Justice Prakash Prabhakar Naolekar.
  • It will also include the Census Commissioner along with Durga Shankar Mishra (Retd. IAS), Balaji Srivastava (Retd. IPS), and Dr. Shamika Ravi as members.
• The Joint Secretary (Foreigners-I), Ministry of Home Affairs, will serve as the committee’s Member Secretary.
• The committee has been tasked with studying patterns of demographic change across the country, identifying their causes, and suggesting legal, administrative, and policy measures to address the issue.
• The panel is expected to submit its report within a year.

About INS Kolkata:

• It is the lead ship of the indigenously designed and constructed Kolkata-class guided missile destroyers of the Indian Navy.
  • The Project 15A Kolkata-class destroyers are follow-ons of the legendary Project 15 ‘Delhi’-class destroyers which entered service in the late 1990s.
  • Conceived and designed by the Indian Navy’s Directorate of Naval Design, the ships have been christened after major port cities of India, viz. Kolkata, Kochi, and Chennai.
• INS Kolkata was built by Mazagon Dock Limited, Mumbai.
• It was commissioned in 2014.
• Features:
  • The ship has a Combined Gas and Gas (COGAG) propulsion system, consisting of four powerful reversible gas turbines, and can attain speeds in excess of 30 knots.
  • The ship’s electric power is provided by four gas turbine generators and one diesel alternator, which together produce 4.5 Mega-Watts of electrical power, enough to light up a small town.
  • It is equipped with an array of gunnery and Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) weapons, medium-range and short-range guns, anti-air and surface missiles, air and surface surveillance radar, and bow-mounted sonar.
  • The ship can be truly classified as a 'Network of Networks' as it is equipped with sophisticated digital networks, such as ATM-based Integrated Ship Data Network (AISDN), Auxiliary Control System (ACS), Automatic Power Management System (APMS), and Combat Management System (CMS).
  • The ship is capable of operating two Seaking or Chetak helicopters.

About Interfilum shuklaii:

• It is a new species of green algae.
• It was discovered in the forests of Kerala's Western Ghats.
• It is named after Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, a test pilot and astronaut with the Indian Air Force.
• It belongs to the family Klebsormidiaceae, under the order Klebsormidiales.
• It is distinguished by features such as a non-striated mucilage envelope and mother cell wall remnants forming a dome-shaped cap.
• It is the first-ever reported discovery of the genus Interfilum from India.
  • Interfilum has emerging significance in biotechnology, carbon sequestration, biofertilizer development, and future space life-support systems due to its stress tolerance and efficient biomass production.

About Vaccinium Piliferum:

• It is a rare and endangered wild relative of blueberry species.
• It belongs to the Ericaceae family, which includes blueberries and cranberries.
• It was rediscovered in the Eastern Himalayan region.
• The plant was originally recorded in 1836 during the colonial period.
• The species was found near tributaries of the Noa-Dihing River in the dense forests 
• Conservation Status:
  • The International Union for Conservation of Nature has listed 'Vaccinium piliferum' as an 'endangered' species.

Key Facts about Blueberry:

• Blueberries are a member of the Ericaceae or heath family.
• Types of blueberries: Lowbush (Vaccinium angustifolium), Highbush (Vaccinium corymbosum L.) and bilberry or forest blueberry (Vaccinium myrtillus) etc.
• Climate and soil: Blueberry requires relatively cold climate with 150 to 1200 hours of chill units to break dormancy.
• Soil: It prefers well-drained, acidic, sandy loam soils with organic matter content greater than 3%. 
• Too cold temperature is detrimental and kills blueberry shoots and flower buds.
• Nutritional Value: They are packed with essential nutrients, including vitamin C, vitamin K, and dietary fiber. They also contain powerful antioxidants that help combat free radicals in the body.

About Khadi and Village Industries Commission:

• It is a statutory body established under the Khadi and Village Industries Commission Act of 1956.
• Nodal Ministry: It is an apex organization under the Ministry of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises.
• It is charged with the planning, promotion, organisation and implementation of programmes for the development of Khadi and other village industries in rural areas.
• At the state level, Khadi & Village Industries Boards were set up to effectively implement the schemes of KVIC in their respective states.
• The objectives of the KVIC are:
  • Social Objective: To provide employment in rural areas
  • Economic Objective: To produce a saleable product
  • Wider Objective: To create self-reliance among the economically weaker section
• Functions of the KVIC:
  • To build a strategic reserve of raw materials and implements for supply to producers.
  • To create common service facilities for processing raw materials as semi-finished goods and provisions for facilities for marketing KVI products.
  • To enhance the sale and marketing of Khadi and other products of village industries or handicrafts.
  • To be responsible for encouraging and promoting research in the production techniques.
  • To assure the genuineness of the products and to set standards for the quality of products from Khadi and Village Industries.

About PAIMANA Portal:

• PAIMANA (Project Assessment, Infrastructure Monitoring & Analytics for Nation-building) is a flagship initiative of the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI).
• It functions as a centralised national repository of infrastructure projects, enabling web-generated analytical reports and enhancing data accuracy, and operational efficiency.
• It is integrated with DPIIT’s Integrated Project Monitoring Portal (IPMP/IIG-PMG) through APIs.
• Key Features of the PAIMANA Portal:
  • Centralized Project Monitoring: It serves as a centralized project monitoring system, providing a single-window interface for ministries, departments, and implementing agencies to upload, track, and review project information.
  • Real-time Dashboards: It features real-time dashboards with drill-down capabilities, enabling users to monitor progress across sectors, states, and timelines.
  • Advanced Data Analytics: It includes advanced data analytics, role-based user access, interactive dashboards, reporting and query modules, and review cases for identification of data gaps.
  • It is mandated to monitor Central Sector Infrastructure Projects worth ₹150 crore and above.

About Australia:

• Location: It is the smallest continent and the largest country.
• Water Bodies: It is bounded by major bodies namely the Indian Ocean to the west and the South Pacific Ocean to the east. 
• It is separated from:
  • Papua New Guinea by the Coral Sea and Torres Strait to the northeast;
  • From Indonesia by the Timor and Arafura seas to the northwest;
  • From Coral Sea Islands Territory by the Great Barrier Reef;
  • From New Zealand by Tasman Sea to the southeast;
• Capital City: Canberra
• Geographical Features of Australia
  • Climate: Australia experiences diverse climate types due to its large north-south extent, majorly covering temperate and tropical along with other zones.
  • Highest Point: The highest point in Australia is Mount Kosciuszko
  • Major Rivers: Murray-Darling, Murrumbidgee, & Lachlan.
  • Deserts: It consist expansive deserts such as the Great Victoria Desert, the Gibson Desert, and the Simpson Desert. 
  • Natural Resources: It consist of gold, iron ore, lead, nickel, rutile, uranium, zinc and zircon, brown coal, cobalt, copper, ilmenite, lithium, silver, tungsten and vanadium.