Typhoid

Context: The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) is inviting Expressions of Interest (EoI) for the joint development and commercialization of a Typhoid and Paratyphoid vaccine.

About Typhoid

• Cause : Typhoid is a bacterial infection caused by Salmonella Typhi.
• Symptoms: High fever, headache, stomach pain, weakness, vomiting and loose stools.
  • Some people develop a rash called “rose spots,” which are small red spots on the abdomen and chest
• Mode of Transmission:
  • Contaminated food or water can spread the infection.
  • Contact with an infected person’s feces or urine increases the risk.
  • Sexual contact with an infected person can also contribute to transmission.
• Infection Process: After ingestion, the bacteria multiply and spread into the bloodstream.
• Urban Impact: Urban areas report a higher concentration of cases, making typhoid a significant public health concern.
• Treatment: Common antibiotics used for treatment include chloramphenicol, ampicillin, and ciprofloxacin.
• Available Typhoid Vaccines in India: Existing vaccines in India include Typbar-TCV, Ty21a, Typhim Vi, and Typherix.

ICMR’s New Vaccine Technology

• Developed by : The ICMR-National Institute for Research in Bacterial Infections (NIRBI), Kolkata.
• Vaccine Composition: Based on Outer Membrane Vesicles (OMVs) derived from two different strains of Typhoidal Salmonella species.
• Objective: To develop a broad-specificity vaccine that is effective against both Salmonella Typhi and Salmonella Paratyphi.

Project Waterworth

Context: Meta has announced an initiative for global connectivity developing subsea cable infrastructure namely, “Project Waterworth”

About Project Waterworth

• The project will use AI to enhance subsea cable infrastructure to strengthen the scale and reliability of the world’s digital highways
• Focus: To enhance cable deployment and maintenance, ensuring reliable and efficient internet access worldwide. 
• Coverage: The project will be a multi-billion dollar, multi-year investment stretching over 50,000 km to connect five continents.
  • It will connect The US, India, Brazil, South Africa, Australia and other key regions.
• Aim: To leverage advanced machine learning models to predict and mitigate potential disruptions, enhancing the resilience of subsea networks.
  • To open three new oceanic corridors with high speed connectivity needed to accelerate AI innovation across the world.
• Features:
  • High end Cables: The project will feature the world’s longest 24 fibre pair cable, outpacing the typical 8 to 16 fibre pairs, built for durability and deployment speed.
  • Safety: The cables will be laid at depths of up to 7,000 metres in deep water with enhanced burial techniques to protect them from hazards like ship anchors
• Benefits:
  • The project will facilitate greater economic cooperation, digital inclusion, and open opportunities for technological development.
  • Will form the backbone of global digital infrastructure, carrying over 95% of intercontinental data.
  • These cables enable a range of digital services, including communication, video streaming, and online transactions.

Rural Technology Action Group (RuTAGe) Smart Village Center (RSVC)

Context: Recently, the Rural Technology Action Group (RuTAGe) Smart Village Center (RSVC) was launched in Mandaura village, Sonipat.

About RuTAGe Smart Village Center (RSVC)

• The RuTAGe Smart Village Center (RSVC) is a transformative initiative under the Office of India’s Principal Scientific Adviser (PSA).
• Purpose of RSVC
  • Bridge the gap between rural needs and technological advancements
  • Bring innovative solutions to rural communities for better livelihoods
  • Address rural challenges like animal intrusion, organic farming, and livelihood technologies (e.g., bead-making and bakery machinery).
• Key Features of RSVC Model
  • Structure & Reach:
    • Permanent Panchayat-level hubs serving 15–20 villages, fostering long-term trust and tech adoption.
    • Collaborates with institutions (IITs, SELCO), NGOs, and local bodies like Modern Village Foundation.
  • Ensures quality and feasibility in deploying technologies.
  • Market access and linkage
    • Helps rural producers access larger markets to sell their goods.
    • Government Schemes Help Desk provides information on financial assistance and schemes.
  • Integration with Government Ministries:
    • Aligns with objectives of Ministries such as Rural Development, Agriculture, Animal Husbandry, and Labour.
    • Collaborates on schemes to enhance rural welfare.

Citizen Science Initiative

Context: A new biodiversity database is being developed for the Puducherry-Villupuram-Auroville-Cuddalore (PVAC) bioregion with the help of citizen science.

About Citizen science initiative

• It is a biodiversity database project. 
• Called as:  Know Your Bioregion,
• Launched by: Svarnim Puducherry, a unit of the Sri Aurobindo Society.
• Project Goals: To create a biodiversity register to preserve and document the rich biodiversity of theContext: A new biodiversity database is being developed for the Puducherry-Villupuram-Auroville-Cuddalore (PVAC) bioregion with the help of citizen science.

About Citizen science initiative

• It is a biodiversity database project. 
• Called as:  Know Your Bioregion,
• Launched by: Svarnim Puducherry, a unit of the Sri Aurobindo Society.
• Project Goals: The initiative aims to create a biodiversity register to preserve and document the rich biodiversity of the PVAC bioregion.
  • PVAC is a sustainable planning region that includes the cities of Puducherry, Viluppuram, Auroville, and Cuddalore.
• Method: Citizens, especially students, are encouraged to:
  • Take pictures of wildlife in the PVAC area.
  • Upload photos on the iNaturalist app with geo-coordinates of the location.
• Initial Survey Areas: The project started in Thengaithittu lagoon and will cover Mullodai, Panithittu, and the PVAC bioregion.
• Significant Findings: The biodiversity survey of Nallavadu lagoon revealed over 300 species, including fishes, birds, reptiles, butterflies, moths, and spiders
•  bioregion.
  • It is a sustainable planning region that includes the cities of Puducherry, Viluppuram, Auroville, and Cuddalore.
• Method: Citizens, especially students, are encouraged to:
  • Take pictures of wildlife in the PVAC area.
  • Upload photos on the iNaturalist app with geo-coordinates of the location.
• Initial Survey Areas: The project started in Thengaithittu lagoon and will cover Mullodai, Panithittu, and the PVAC bioregion.
• Significant Findings: The biodiversity survey of Nallavadu lagoon revealed over 300 species, including fishes, birds, reptiles, butterflies, moths, and spiders

Indian Ocean Conference 2025

Context: The 8th session of the Indian Ocean Conference was organised by the India Foundation along with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Oman in Muscat, Oman. 

• Theme:  “Voyages to New Horizons of Maritime Partnership” is the theme of the 2025 conference.
• Focus: It will be to promote regional cooperation, enhance  maritime security, amplify the voice of the Global South, and tackle major challenges in the maritime sector.

About The Indian Ocean Conference

• The Conference is a flagship consultative forum of critical states and principal maritime partners of the Indian Ocean region to deliberate upon the prospects of regional cooperation for Security and Growth for All in the Region (SAGAR).
• Establishment: The conference was started by The India Foundation in 2016 at Singapore, with participation from 30 countries.
• Topics of Discussion: The agenda item includes traditional security concerns like naval power and territorial disputes, alongwith emerging challenges like climate change, natural disasters, and economic disruptions.

Parambikulam Tiger Reserve

Context: A faunal survey  conducted by the Forest Department at the Parambikulam Tiger Reserve has added 15 new species to the protected area’s checklist.

• Conducted by: The exercise is conducted by the Parambikulam Tiger Conservation Foundation in association with Travancore Nature History Society

Key Finding of the Survey

• The  total number of bird species in the reserve is 302 species and butterfly count at the reserve to 273.
  • The survey has also identified 39 species of odonates, increasing the reserve’s odonate checklist to 69 species.
• New Species Additions: 
  • Birds: Painted spurfowl, Rufus-bellied hawk-eagle, Indian grey hornbill, Anamalai Sholakili, Taiga flycatcher, Plain prinia and Green leaf warbler
  • Butterfly Species: These include the Long-brand bushbrown, Shot silverline, Scarce shot silverline, White-disc hedge blue and Palni dart.
  • Odonates Species: Three new species were identified,  Brown darner, Parakeet darner, and Vestalis submontana Fraser, Montane Forest-Glory

About Parambikulam Tiger Reserve

• Location: The Reserve is situated in Palakkad district and Thrissur district of Kerala state, South India.
  • Parambikulam is a well-protected part in the Sungam range of hills between the Anaimalai Hills and Nelliampathy Hill of the Western Ghats.
• The Tiger Reserve was established in 2010.
• World Heritage Site: Parambikulam Wildlife Sanctuary as part of Western Ghats has been declared by the UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.
• Area: The  reserve has a total area of 643.66 sq km, out of which 390.89 km2 has been declared as the core or critical tiger habitat and 252.77 km2 as the buffer zone of the Tiger Reserve.
• Habitat: The Reserve supports Evergreen forests, moist and dry deciduous forests and grasslands majorly.
  • Montane grasslands and marshy grasslands (locally known as ‘vayals’) are extensively found
• Tribes: The Reserve is the habitat of 4 indigenous including the Kadar, Malasar tribe, Muduvar and Mala Malasar settled in six colonies.
• Rivers: 3 major rivers ie. the Parambikulam, the Sholayar and the Thekkedy drain the area.
• Fauna: Great Indian hornbill, Ceylon frogmouth, Lesser fish eagle and Shaheen falcon
• Endemic, Rare, Endangered and Threatened (RET) Species:
  • Haplothismia exannulata, a monotypic genus of Burmanniaceae (rediscovered here after 1951)
  • Coscinium fenestratum and Utleria salicifolia (the IUCN ‘red listed’ medicinal plants endemic to Anamalais)
  • Tomopterna parambikulamana (an endemic frog of Parambikulam)
  • Garra surendranathanii (an endemic sucker fish)
• Awards: The Parambikulam Tiger Conservation Foundation (PaTCoF) won the Earth Guardian Award in 2021. 
  • The award was given by NatWest Group India to recognize the foundation’s efforts to protect tigers and biodiversity.

Exercise Komodo 2025

Context: Recently, the Indian Navy, represented by INS Shardul and P81 Long Range Maritime Surveillance aircraft, actively participated in Exercise Komodo 2025 in Bali, Indonesia.

About Exercise Komodo

• Objective: Aimed at enhancing maritime interoperability and strengthening regional security cooperation.
• Theme for 2025: “Maritime Partnership for Peace and Stability.”

Other Military Exercises Between India and Indonesia

• Samudra Shakti: A bilateral maritime exercise between India and Indonesia.
• Garuda Shakti: A joint military exercise between the armed forces of both nations.

DOWNLOAD PDF