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  Lyme Disease Why In News: The district of Ernakulam has recently witnessed an outbreak of Lyme disease. About Lyme disease, caused by the bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi, is primarily transmitted to humans through the bite of infected ticks. Originating in Lyme, Connecticut, this disease has since become a global health concern. In India, while Lyme disease has been relatively rare, the changing ecological landscape has led to an increased number of cases. Symptoms: *       Early symptoms of Lyme disease start between 3 to 30 days after an infected tick bite you. *       It commonly manifests with symptoms such as fever, headache, fatigue, and a characteristic "bull's-eye" red rash called erythema migrans (EM). *       Erythema migrans serves as a hallmark sign, aiding in the early diagnosis and management of this tick-borne illness. *       Left untreated, it can lead to more s...

  Darien Gap Why In News: Illegal immigration’s rise in the Darien gap region which connects northern Colombia and southern Panama can be an issue of caution for the region. What is Darien Gap? *        The Darién Gap is a rugged region in the Isthmus of Darién, connecting Central and South America. It comprises dense forests and mountains in Panama’s Darién Province and Colombia’s Chocó Department. *        Home to indigenous communities, the terrain varies from flat marshlands to mountainous rainforests. With no roads crossing it, travel is challenging and often conducted by boat or on foot. *        Despite the dangers, increasing violence and limited legal immigration options in their home countries have driven a surge in crossings, primarily by Venezuelans but also by Haitians, Chinese, Afghans, and others.

  Potti Sriramulu (1901 - 1952) *       Potti Sreeramulu was born to Guravayya and Mahalakshmamma in Nellore district in the erstwhile Madras State, today part of Andhra Pradesh. *       He was a dedicated worker and Gandhi is said to have remarked of him, “If only I have eleven more followers like Sreeramulu I will win freedom [from British rule] in a year.” *       In 1946, he returned to Nellore and started working for the welfare of Dalits and also promoted khadi and village industries. *       Between 1946 and 1948, he carried out three fasts in Nellore for the temple entry of Dalits. *       After independence, the modern state of Andhra Pradesh (along with Telangana) was divided between the Nizam’s Hyderabad State and the northern districts of Madras State. *       There was a growing demand for the formation of state...

  Plastic Waste Management (Amendment) Rules, 2024 Why In News: MOEF revises provisions relating to plastic packaging and commodities made from compostable plastics or biodegradable plastics or biodegradable plastics. Key Points: *        The definition of “importer” has been made specific and now includes the imports of any plastic packaging/ commodity with plastic packaging/ carry bags/ plastic sheets/ plastic raw material, including in the form of resin/ pellets/ intermediate material used for manufacturing plastic packaging/ films/ preforms, for commercial use. Earlier, “importer” meant a person who imports plastic packaging or products with plastic packaging or carry bags or multilayered packaging or plastic sheets or like. *        Earlier, “Manufacturer” meant and included a person/ unit/ agency engaged in production of plastic raw material to be used as raw material by the producer. Now, it includes a person e...

  Biomining Why In News: Delhi's Biomining project intended for the excavation, treatment, segregation and gainful utilisation of aged municipal solid waste is about to miss its 2024 deadline. Definition: *        Biomining can be defined as the extraction of minerals from ores by using microorganisms. *        The microorganisms actually facilitate the extraction of metals from sulphide or iron-containing ores.   Metals solubilization process is involved in biomining and it is a combination of microbiology and chemistry. *        Bioremediation is the use of microorganisms (bacteria and fungi) to degrade the environmental contaminants into less toxic or nontoxic forms. What metals are currently bio mined? *        Most current biomining operations target valuable metals like copper, uranium, nickel, and gold that are commonly found in sulfidic (sulp...

  Vermin Why In News: Kerala passed a resolution urging the center to amend Wildlife Protection Act (WPA) to decrease man-animal conflict and declare wild boar as vermin. Vermin: When an animal becomes threat to crops or life, it is declared as vermin. Once an animal is declared as vermin, it loses its protection from hunting which was conferred through Schedule ii of the Act. This empowers the citizens and states to hunt the animal. Wild Boar: *        The wild boar (Sus scrofa), also known as the wild swine, common wild pig, Eurasian wild pig, or simply wild pig, is a suid native to much of Eurasia and North Africa, and has been introduced to the Americas and Oceania. *        The species is now one of the widest-ranging mammals in the world, as well as the most widespread suiform. *        It has been assessed as least concern on the IUCN Red List due to its wide range, high n...

  Cartosat-2 Why In News: ISRO confirmed successful de-orbiting and atmospheric re-entry of Cartosat-2 at its end-of-life. Content *        Cartosat 2 is part of India’s successful Earth Observation Programme run by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), which started in the late 1970s. Until the launch of Cartosat 2, the best spatial resolution of the Indian Earth observation satellites was 2.5 meters. *        Cartosat 2 broke new grounds by providing data with spatial resolutions of less than 1 meter. Important Features of Cartosat 2 *        Hexagonal-shaped, lightweight, and compact spacecraft structure *        Solid state onboard data recorder of 64 Gbit capacity *        Improved Inertial Reference Unit *        High-performance star sensor *     ...