• Government had constituted the Rohini commission in 2017 under Article 340 to examine issues related to sub-categorisation of OBCs.
  • Article 340 states that President appoints the Commission to investigate conditions of socially and educationally backward classes.
• Objective of Rohini Commission is to examine the extent of inequitable distribution of benefits of reservation (i.e. 27% reservation in jobs and education) among castes or communities with reference to central OBC list.
• Need for sub-categorisation
  • OBCs are currently granted 27% reservation in jobs and education under central government.
  • However, it is perceived that only a few affluent communities in Central List of OBCs have secured a major part of this reservation.
• Earlier commissions
  • First Backward Class Commission report, 1955 proposed sub-categorization of OBCs into backward and extremely backward communities.
  • Mandal Commission report, 1979 proposed sub-categorization in intermediate and depressed backward classes.
  • In 2015, National Commission for Backward Classes proposed that OBCs division into; Extremely Backward Classes (EBC-Group A), More Backward Classes (MBC-Group B), and Backward Classes (BC-Group C).

• The Kathgarh temple committee and the Social Welfare Club of Indora in Kangra district has urged the state government to declare the Shivratri festival as a state-level event.
• President of the Indora club, said Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri was requested in this regard during his recent visit and he assured the residents to look into the matter.
• Katoch said that the historical temple at Kathgarh was part of the heritage of the state. Many people believe that the army of ‘Alexander the Great’ got demoralised on reaching the temple and returned to Macedonia from this place.
• According to another reference from the Ramayana, Bharat, brother of Lord Rama, used to pay obeisance to Lord Shiva at this temple on the way to his grandparents home in Kashmir.

• The three-day skiing and snowboarding championship concluded at Solang nullah in Manali today. Over 200 participants from across the state took part in the championship.
• The event was organised under the aegis of Ski and Snowboard India, HP Sports Council, HP Olympic Association, HP Winter Games Association and Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Mountaineering and Allied Sports.
• Skiing and snowboarding competitions were held in 30 categories and age groups during the championship.
• A large number of tourists thronged the Solang valley to enjoy winter sports today.

• These 15 research & development projects include key strategic areas such as Speciality fibre, Protective textiles, High-Performance Textiles, Geotextiles, Medical Textiles, Sustainable Textiles, and Textiles for Building Materials.
• NTTM is being implemented over a period of four years (FY 2020-21 to 2023-24). It has four components namely
  • Research, Innovation and Development for development of protective fibre, application-based research in different Technical Textiles (TT) such as geotextiles, etc.
  • Promotion and Market Development aim at taking domestic market size to S40-SO billion by 2024.
  • Export Promotion ensures 10% average growth in exports upto 2024.
  • Education, Training, Skill Development for Technical education related to TT at higher levels.
• TT are textiles materials and products manufactured primarily for technical performance and functional properties rather than aesthetic characteristics.
• They are used individually or as a component/part of another product to enhance its functional properties.
• TT is a knowledge-based research-oriented industry.
• TT are broadly classified into 12 different categories.

• First popularised in Europe by 17th century French empress Josephine, Kashmiri shawls at a Parisian exhibition this month became the canvas for abstract art by Frenchman Maximilien Pellet.
• French connection goes back to gifting of Kashmiri Kani shawl by French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte to his wife Josephine in the 18th century
• Pashmina Shawl is known for their signature intricate buta or paisley patterns.
• Pashmina Shawls is made from Pashm – fleece of Changthangi Goat, native to Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh.
• Pashmina Shawls have been assigned Geographical indication (GI) tag.

• Green comet is approaching close to Earth after 50,000 years.
  • Comets are frozen remnants of solar system’s origin made of ice, rock, and dust.
• Termed as C/2022 E3 (ZTF), Green Comet could be visible with telescopes and binoculars.
• The comet was first spotted in March last year by astronomers through the wide-field survey camera at the Zwicky Transient Facility. It was in Jupiter’s orbit at the time and has grown brighter since then.
• The green colour of the comet is thought to arise from presence of diatomic carbon – pairs of carbon atoms that are bound together – in head of comet.
  • Molecule emits green light when excited by ultraviolet rays in solar radiation.
• It could be at a distance of 2.5 light minutes from Earth, meaning a “mere” 27 million miles.
• Comet’s orbit indicates that it comes from edge of Oort cloud- theoretical spherical cloud of predominantly icy planetesimals.

• As part of holistic development of GNI, Ministry of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways (MoPSW) has invited Expression of Interest for building ICTT at Galathea Bay.
  • In 2021, entire Galathea Bay Wildlife Sanctuary was denotified to make way for ICTT. It is India’s nesting site for giant leatherback turtles.
  • Kolkata-based Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port is nodal agency for implementation.
• Transhipment port is a hub that handles voluminous cargo between multiple vessels. Cargo at these ports is transported away to another port, rather than being shipped inland via rail, road or waterway.
• Salient features of ICTT
  • Strategic location in terms of proximity (40 nautical miles from Malacca Strait) to International Trade Route (Singapore, Colombo).
  • Availability of natural water depth of more than 20 meters.
  • Potential to capture transhipment cargo from all ports in proximity including domestic ones.
• Significance of ICTT
  • Reduce logistics inefficiencies and push to allied businesses such as ship supplies and repair, warehousing etc.
  • Save US $200-220 million a year on transhipment cargo.
  • Create an opportunity to become a large hub for Asia-Africa, Asia-US/Europe container traffic trade.
• Great Nicobar Island is southernmost of Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Indira Point on southern tip of this Island is India’s southernmost point.

• A new report has projected exponential growth in India’s Battery Energy Storage System (BESS). BESS — one of the key emerging technologies in the Indian renewable energy sector — can ensure both peak-time power supply and round-the-clock power to help overcome the intermittent nature of renewable energy.
• As the grid demand is lower during the afternoon, grid-scale batteries would help store this excess solar and supply power to the grid during peak demand hours, which is currently being done by coal-fired power plants.
• The study by Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA), a United States-based think tank, identified seven such upcoming projects in the country .
  • Of these, three are standalone battery storage projects, which means that they can be used according to the requirements of distribution companies.
• Battery energy storage systems provide faster responses for balancing the grid than coal-fired power plants, within a matter of seconds.
• The market for storage assets in India is going to grow exponentially going forward. As the market for these assets develops, technology matures and financing improves, there will be ample investment opportunities.
• International Energy Agency’s India Energy Outlook 2021 also projected that India could potentially have 140-200 gigawatt (GW) battery storage capacity, the largest for any country, by 2040.

Initiatives

• The Ministry of Power (MoP) notified bidding guidelines for the procurement and utilisation of BESS March 2022.
• India’s draft national electricity plan released in September 2022 highlighted the importance of battery storage in the overall energy mix.
• In June 2021, the Ministry of Power ordered the waiver of interstate transmissions system charges for battery storage and pumped hydro systems commissioned until June 2025.
• The MoP also issued a trajectory of Renewable Purchase Obligations (RPO) till 2029-2030 on July 22, 2022 and for the first time, included energy storage obligations trajectories till 2029-30.
• The Production Linked Incentive scheme offers incentives for creating a localised value chain for the battery industry. This includes financial allocations of Rs 181 billion for Advanced Chemistry Cell (ACC) batteries under the National Programme on ACC Battery Storage.

Limitations

• Currently, India does not have a time-of-day pricing structure that could enable a system of energy arbitrage.
  • Time of day pricing (ToD) structure is one where the cost of electricity depends on the time of the day.
• This pricing structure will help scale up BESS investment by consumers and businesses to invest in BESS to use stored energy during peak hours when Electricity prices increase in a ToD pricing system.
• Also low reserves of Lithium and Cobalt.

• India issued the notice in view of Pakistan’s noncompliance in resolving disputes over Kishenganga (on Kishenganga River, tributary of Jhelum) and Ratle hydropower projects (on Chenab River), both in Jammu and Kashmir.
  • India is allowed to construct hydroelectric power facilities on tributaries of Jhelum and Chenab rivers with certain restrictions under IWT, 1960.
• Dispute redressal mechanism provided under Article IX of IWT is a graded mechanism. It’s a 3-level mechanism.
• World Bank’s (WB) role is largely procedural and limited to designating neutral experts (NE) or chair of Court of Arbitration (CoA).
• India has invoked Article XII (3) of treaty i.e., a provision to amend Treaty. Treaty can be amended or terminated only with duly ratified treaty between two countries.

Development of dispute

• 2015: Pakistan sought appointment of NE to examine technical objections to Kishanganga and Ratle HEPs.
• 2016: Pakistan approached WB for CoA constitution.
• Whereas, India asked for appointment of NE and argued that Pakistan’s request for CoA violated graded mechanism of dispute resolution in Treaty.
• 2022: WB resumes process of appointing NE and Chairman for CoA.

IWT, water sharing treaty, signed in 1960 by India and Pakistan with WB as a third-party guarantor. It delimits the rights and obligations of both countries concerning the use of waters on Indus River System. It allocates Western Rivers (Indus, Jhelum, Chenab) to Pakistan and Eastern Rivers (Ravi, Beas, Sutlej) to India.

• CIL subsidiaries to Commission Five M-Sand Plants by 2024.
• CIL facilitates processing of waste overburden at its open cast mines under overburden (OB) rocks-to- M-Sand initiative.
• During opencast mining, overlying soil and rocks are removed as waste to extract coal and OB is layered in dumps.
• OB rocks are used in levelling up land for the construction of roads and railway tracks.
• M sand is produced by crushing rocks, and quarry stones to a stipulated size of 150 microns. It is different from River Sand.

Properties of M Sand (Manufactured Sand)

• High concrete strength compared to river sand
• The sand particles of M sand are in cubic form. This makes the bond stronger.
• zero silt content.
• Better quality control from being manufactured in a controlled environment
• Sand Mining Framework (2018) prepared by Ministry of Mine envisages M-Sand from crushed rock fines (crusher dust), sand from OB of coal mines.
• Benefits of M- Sand
  • More cost-effective than using natural sand.
  • Reduce the need for mining natural sand, which can have negative environmental impacts.
  • Reduce the amount of water required for construction projects, as it does not require washing before use.
  • Help maintaining water table.
• Sand is classified as a ‘minor mineral’ under Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulations) Act, 1957, and administrative control vests with State Governments.