National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF) 

• The Union Minister for Finance, Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman recently chaired the 6th meeting of the Governing Council of the National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF). 
• Established in 2015, NIIF is a sovereign-linked investment manager where the Government of India owns 49% of the shares. 
• It serves as a platform for collaborative investment opportunities, involving both international and Indian investors. 
• NIIF is registered with the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) as a Category II Alternate Investment Fund (AIF). 
• NIIF manages several key funds, including the Master Fund (for infrastructure), the Private Markets Fund, the India Japan Fund (focused on climate and sustainability), and the Strategic Opportunities Fund (which targets growth equity investments).

Tardigrades

• Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla will carry Tardigrades to the International Space Station (ISS), for an experiment. 

Tardigrades 

• Tardigrades (Water Bears): Microscopic, segmented, eight-legged animals, about half a millimeter long. 
• Extreme Resilience: They can survive extreme temperatures, radiation, and crushing pressures through cryptobiosis. 
• Cryptobiosis: A state of inactivity where all metabolic processes stop, halting reproduction and growth. 
• Classification: Tardigrades are divided into two classes, Eutardigrada and Heterotardigrada, the latter including marine species.