About Tristan da Cunha:

• It is both a group of islands in the South Atlantic Ocean and the largest island of that group.
• The archipelago is volcanic in origin.
• It is about midway between southern Africa and South America.
• It is considered the most remote inhabited chain of islands in the world.
• The islands were discovered in 1506 by Portuguese explorer Tristão da Cunha, after whom they are named.
• The island group is a constituent part of the British overseas territory.
• The main island, Tristan da Cunha, has a small settlement named Edinburgh of the Seven Seas. It has an estimated population of 250 permanent residents.
• Other islands in the Tristan Archipelago are uninhabited: two (Gough Island and Inaccessible Island) form a UNESCO World Heritage Site; Nightingale Island, Stoltenhoff and Alex (or Middle) Island also have globally significant biodiversity.
• The archipelago contains no airstrip and is accessible only by boat or helicopter.
• Tristan da Cunha has a unique economic and social structure in which land is communally owned and all families engage in farming.
• Outsiders cannot settle or buy land on the islands.
• In addition to agriculture, the other sectors of the economy are government and commercial fishing.

About Indian Vulture:

• The Indian vulture, also called the long-billed vulture, is a bird of prey native to Asia.
• Scientific Name: Gyps indicus
• It is part of a group called ‘’Old World vultures’’.
• They belong to the Accipitridae family, which includes eagles and hawks.
• Habitat and Distribution:
  • These are native to India, Pakistan, and Nepal.
  • They are usually found in savannas and other open habitats around villages, cities, and near cultivated areas.
  • It has suffered a 97-99% population decrease due to poisoning caused by the veterinary drug diclofenac.
  • It was given to working animals, as it reduced joint pain and so kept them working for longer.
  • Vultures got poisoned when they ate the meat of dead cattle that had been treated with diclofenac. This caused kidney failure in the vultures.
• Features:
  • It is a bulky medium-sized Females of this species are smaller than males.
  • They have a small, mostly bald head with few feathers.
  • It has a long, featherless neck, dark eyes, and a long, yellowish beak.
  • Its body and covert feathers are light brown.
  • Its wings are broad, and its tail feathers are short.
  • Its large wingspan allows it to fly long distances while using minimal energy.
• Conservation Status:
  • IUCN Red List: Critically Endangered.

Key Facts about Melghat Tiger Reserve:

• It is located in Maharashtra’s Amravati district.
• Perched on the southern offshoot of the Satpura Hill Range, also known as the Gavilgarh Hills, the very name Melghat translates to “meeting of the ghats.”
• It was the first tiger reserve in Maharashtra.
• Rivers: The Tapti River flows gracefully along the reserve’s northeastern boundary, while five tributaries—Khandu, Khapra, Sipna, Gadga, and Dolar—crisscross the sanctuary.
• Tribes: The Korkus are the largest tribal community in Melghat.
• Flore:
  • It is dominated by tropical dry deciduous
  • Towering teak trees (Tectona grandis) dominate, interspersed with other valuable species such as Ain (Terminalia tomentosa), Haldu (Adina cordifolia), and Bamboo.
• Fauna:
  • Sloth Bear, Indian Gaur, Sambar deer, Leopard, Nilgais, dhole, hyena, jungle cat, langur, etc.
  • It is considered a stronghold of the critically endangered forest owlet.

About Lupus Disease:

• It is a chronic autoimmune disease where the immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissues and organs.
• It causes widespread inflammation and damage to joints, skin, kidneys, blood cells, brain, heart, and lungs.
• Causes: The causes of lupus are not known. But they may be linked to a person's environment, family history (genetics), or hormonal factors.
• Lupus is much more common among women than men.
• It mostly affects people between 20 to 40 years old but can also occur in newborns, children, and older adults.
• There are several kinds of lupus:
  • Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is the most common It can be mild or severe and can affect many parts of the body. SLE accounts for 70% of lupus cases.
  • Discoid lupus causes a red rash that doesn’t go away.
  • Subacute cutaneous lupus causes sores after being out in the sun.
  • Drug-induced lupus is caused by certain medicines. It usually goes away when you stop taking the medicine.
  • Neonatal lupus, which is rare, affects newborns. It is probably caused by certain antibodies from the mother.
• Symptoms:
  • Lupus causes symptoms throughout your body, depending on which organs or systems it affects.
  • Everyone experiences a different combination and severity of symptoms.
  • The symptoms of lupus occur in times of flare-ups. Between flare-ups, people usually experience times of remission, when there are few or no symptoms.
  • The wide range of symptoms in the body includes joint pain, headache, rashes, fever, fatigue, mouth sores, confusion, swollen glands, and blood clots, among others.
  • Left untreated, it can progress to damage the kidneys, lungs, heart, and even the brain.
• Treatment: There is no cure for lupus, but medicines and lifestyle changes can help control it.

About Sabarmati River:

• It is a monsoon-fed, west-flowing river flowing through Rajasthan and Gujarat.
• Course:
  • It originates from the Dhebar Lake, situated in the southeast of the Aravalli Range in Rajasthan’s Udaipur district.
  • From its source, the river flows in a southwest direction.
  • As it flows through the plains, the river enters the state of Gujarat.
  • It finally empties into the Gulf of Khambhat of the Arabian Sea.
• The basin is bounded by Aravalli Hills on the north and northeast, by the Rann of Kutch on the west, and by the Gulf of Khambhat on the south.
• The banks of the Sabarmati River have cities like Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar.
• It flows north-south through Ahmedabad, bisecting the city into its western and eastern halves.
• Major Tributaries: Wakal River, Harnav River, Hathmati River, Watrak River, and Madhumati River.

About Cyrtodactylus varadgiri:

• Cyrtodactylus varadgirii (Giri's Geckoella) is a species of gecko in the gekkonidae family.
• It is nocturnal, insectivorous, and terrestrial, living in dense leaf litter on the forest floor.
• It is endemic to India and found in parts of western and Central India, Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Madhya Pradesh.
• The gecko was first discovered in 2016.
• It is one of the widely distributed but poorly known ground-dwelling geckos from India.
• It is also unusual among its close relatives in being associated not only with natural habitats but also with open and human-modified landscapes, including urban green spaces.
• Except for the record of the occurrence of this species from various locations, mostly during the monsoon, information on other aspects of its natural history is highly understudied.

About United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat):

• It is also commonly known as UN-Habitat, is the UN agency responsible for promoting sustainable urban development and adequate shelter for all.
• It was established in 1977 after the Habitat I Conference (1976).
• Its mandate is derived from several UN General Assembly resolutions and from the Habitat Agenda adopted during Habitat II (1996).
• Purpose: Its central mission is to promote socially and environmentally sustainable towns and cities.
• Headquarters: Nairobi, Kenya.
• Governance of United Nations Human Settlements Programme
  • UN-Habitat Assembly
    • It is composed of all 193 UN member states.
    • It convenes once every four years in Nairobi.
    • It sets global priorities and approves the strategic plan.
  • Executive Board
    • It consists of 36 member states elected by the Assembly.
    • It meets three times a year to oversee implementation of policies.
  • Committee of Permanent Representatives (CPR)
    • It includes all permanent representatives accredited to the UN Office in Nairobi.
    • It acts as a continuous oversight and advisory body.

About Psyche Spacecraft:

• It was launched in 2023 by NASA.
• It is on a mission to reach the metal-rich asteroid also named Psyche.
• Features of Psyche Spacecraft:
  • The body of the Psyche spacecraft is about the size of a small van.
  • It uses a solar-electric propulsion system powered by xenon gas, slowly gaining speed over time as it travels through space.
  • Scientific Instruments of Psyche Spacecraft
    • Magnetometer: It will look for evidence of an ancient magnetic field at the asteroid Psyche.
    • Gamma-ray and neutron spectrometer: It will help scientists determine the chemical elements that make up the asteroid’s surface material.
    • Multispectral Imager: It consists of a pair of identical cameras equipped with filters and telescopic lenses to photograph the surface of the asteroid in different wavelengths of light.

About MERCOSUR Group:

• The Southern Common Market (MERCOSUR for its Spanish initials) is a South American regional economic organization.
• It was created in 1991 by signing the Treaty of Asunción.
• Objective: Free movement of goods, services, capital and people and it became a customs union in 1995. 
• Member countries: 
  • It originally comprised Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay as its members. 
  • Bolivia and Venezuela joined it later. (Venezuela has been suspended since 2016).
• Headquarters: Montevideo, Uruguay.
• Its official working languages are Spanish and Portuguese.
• Governance of MERCOSUR Group:
  • Common Market Council: It is the bloc’s highest decision-making body, and provides a high-level forum for coordinating foreign and economic policy. 
  • The group consists of the foreign and economic ministers of each member state, or their equivalent, and decisions are made by consensus. 
  • The group’s presidency rotates every six months among its full members.
• India and MERCOSUR: India and MERCOSUR signed a Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) in 2004.

About PM MITRA Park:

• Pradhan Mantri Mega Integrated Textile Region and Apparel (PM MITRA) is a mega textile hub that brings every step of textile production, like spinning, weaving, dyeing, printing, and garment-making, into one single place. 
• MITRA parks can be either Greenfield or Brownfield.
  • The seven approved PM Mitra Parks are being set up in: Tamil Nadu (Virudhunagar), Telangana, Gujarat, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh (Lucknow district) and Maharashtra.
• Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Textiles.
• PM MITRA Park Features:
  • Integrated Value Chain: Each park brings spinning, garmenting, dyeing, and processing into a single zone, cutting transport time and costs.
  • World-Class Infrastructure: PM MITRA will develop 50% area for pure Manufacturing Activity, 20% area for utilities, and 10% of area for commercial development. 
  • Public–Private Partnership: PM MITRA park will be developed by a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) which will be owned by the State Government and the Government of India in a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Mode.
  • Capital and Incentives:  
    • The Ministry of Textiles will provide financial assistance up to Rs 800 crores per park for Greenfield projects and up to Rs 500 crores per park for Brownfield projects.
    • The State Governments will provide land and augmented utility infrastructure for the proposed mega textile parks.