Miscellaneous
An online certification course on 5G technology launched

Relevance IN - Prelims ( about NTIPRIT)
What's the NEWS

• Department of Telecommunications, Ministry of Communications inaugurated an online certification course on 5G Technology for Government Officers

Know! about the online certification course

• National Telecommunications Institute for Policy Research, Innovation and Training (NTIPRIT), the premier training institute of Department of Telecommunications, Government of India is conducting the first of its kind 36-hour (12 week) online 5G Certification Course to train and certify Officers of Government of India.
• To start with, this 36-hour certificate course on 5G has been made available to Officers of Department of Telecommunications with the first batch starting from 9th March 2021 which later on, would be offered to other stakeholders also.
• This course would act as a capsule programme for learning overall 5G technology from the perspective of Policy making.

Know! about NTIPRIT

• National Telecommunications Institute for Policy Research Innovation and Training (NTIPRIT) is the premier training institute of Department of Telecommunications involved in conduction of induction Training for probationary officers of Indian Telecommunication Service Group - A (ITS Group A) recruited through All India based Engineering Services Examination.
• Apart from Induction Training, NTIPRIT also conducts various In-Service Trainings, Management Development Programmes, Regional and International Trainings, Capacity Building workshops for Officers of Government of India in various aspects of Information and Communication Technology Administration in India.

Space Awareness
NASA-ISRO SAR (NISAR)

Relevance IN - Prelims ( about NASA-ISRO SAR (NISAR) + Mains ( GS III awareness in the field of space)
What's the NEWS

• Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has completed development of a Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) capable of producing extremely high-resolution images for a joint earth observation satellite mission with the U.S. space agency National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

Know! all about NISAR

• NASA-ISRO SAR (NISAR) is a joint collaboration for a dual-frequency L and S-band SAR for earth observation.
• NISAR will be the first satellite mission to use two different radar frequencies (L-band and S-band) to measure changes in our planet's surface less than a centimetre across
• NASA and Bengaluru-headquartered ISRO signed a partnership on September 30, 2014, to collaborate on and launch NISAR.
• The mission is targeted to launch in early 2022 from ISRO's Sriharikota spaceport in Andhra Pradesh's Nellore district, about 100km north of Chennai.
• NASA is providing the mission's L-band SAR, a high-rate communication subsystem for science data, GPS receivers, a solid-state recorder and payload data subsystem.
• ISRO is providing the spacecraft bus, the S-band radar, the launch vehicle and associated launch services for the mission, whose goal is to make global measurements of the causes and consequences of land surface changes using advanced radar imaging.

NISAR ( applications and benefits)

• NISAR would provide a means of disentangling highly spatial and temporally complex processes ranging from ecosystem disturbances to ice sheet collapses and natural hazards including earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanoes and landslides
• The mission will measure Earth's changing ecosystems, dynamic surfaces and ice masses, providing information about biomass, natural hazards, sea level rise and groundwater, and will support a host of other applications.
• NISAR will observe Earth's land and ice-covered surfaces globally with 12-day regularity on ascending and descending passes, sampling Earth on average every six days for a baseline three-year mission
• This allows the mission to observe a wide range of Earth processes, from the flow rates of glaciers and ice sheets to the dynamics of earthquakes and volcanoes

Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR)

• NISAR uses a sophisticated information-processing technique known as SAR to produce extremely high-resolution images. Radar penetrates clouds and darkness, enabling NISAR to collect data day and night in any weather.
• The instrument's imaging swath the width of the strip of data collected along the length of the orbit track is greater than 150 miles (240km), which allows it to image the entire Earth in 12 days
• Over the course of multiple orbits, the radar images will allow users to track changes in croplands and hazard sites, as well as to monitor ongoing crises such as volcanic eruptions.
• The images will be detailed enough to show local changes and broad enough to measure regional trends.
• As the mission continues for years, the data will allow for better understanding of the causes and consequences of land surface changes, increasing our ability to manage resources and prepare for and cope with global change
• NASA requires a minimum of three years of global science operations with the L-band radar, and ISRO requires five years of operations with the S-band radar over specified target areas in India and the Southern Ocean

Polity
SC seeks States' views on 50% cap on quota

Relevance IN - Prelims ( about the various judgements related with 50% reservation quota) + Mains ( GS II Structure, organization and functioning of the Executive and the Judiciary Ministries and Departments

What's the NEWS

• The Supreme Court decided to examine whether its nearly three-decade-old judgment which fixed reservation for the marginalised and the poor in government jobs and educational institutions at 50% needs a relook.

Know! about the recent events

• The Supreme Court, while examining the constitutional validity of the Maratha reservation, said that it will look into whether the landmark 1992 decision in Indra Sawhney v Union of India needs to be revisited.
• The potential reconsideration of the 11-judge ruling, popularly referred to as the Mandal case, could alter the structure of reservations that has been in place for decades.
• A Constitution Bench headed by Justice Ashok Bhushan is currently hearing the challenge to the Maharashtra law providing quotas for Marathas in jobs and admissions in the state.

Know! about the Maratha quota

• There are two main constitutional questions for the court to consider in the challenge to the Martha quota law.
• First, is whether states can declare a particular caste to be a socially and educationally backward class.
• The second is whether states can breach the 50% ceiling for "vertical quotas" set by the Supreme Court.

Know! about Indra Sawhney case

• In 1979, the Second Backward Classes Commission (Mandal Commission) was set up to determine the criteria for defining the socially and educationally backward classes.
• The Mandal report identified 52% of the population at that time as "Socially and Economically Backward Classes" (SEBCs) and recommended 27% reservation for SEBCs in addition to the previously existing 22.5% reservation for SC/STs.
• In 1990, when the V P Singh led-government set out to implement the Mandal report, it was challenged in court amidst widespread protests against the move.
• The case came up before a nine-judge Bench and a 6:3 verdict was delivered in 1992.

Know! about the verdict

• The court upheld the office memorandums that essentially implemented the Mandal report.
• The executive orders mandating 27% reservation for backward castes were valid and that the reservation was made not just on the basis of caste, even if it appears so, but on the basis of objective evaluation of social and educational backwardness of classes, which is the criteria previously laid down by the court.
• The landmark Indra Sawhney ruling set two important precedents. First, it said that the criteria for a group to qualify for reservation is "social and educational backwardness".
• Additionally, the court also reiterated the 50% limit to vertical quotas it had set out in earlier judgements in 1963 (M R Balaji v State of Mysore) and in 1964 (Devadasan v Union of India), reasoning that it was needed to ensure "efficiency" in administration. The court said this 50% limit will apply - unless in "exceptional circumstances".

Know! the relation between the Maratha reservation relate to the Indra Sawhney case

• Based on the 102^nd Amendment to the Constitution, which gives the President powers to notify backward classes, the court will have to look into whether states have similar powers.
• Also, since this power flows from the Constitution, whether the President is still required to comply with the criteria set by the Supreme Court in the Mandal case.
• The relevance of the Indra Sawhney criteria is also under question in another case in which the validity of the 103^rd Amendment has been challenged.
• The 103^rd Amendment, passed in 2019, provides for 10% reservation in government jobs and educational institutions for the economically weaker section in the unreserved category.
• Similar to the Maratha issue are the cases of Patels in Gujarat, Jats in Haryana, and Kapus in Andhra Pradesh.
• WITH the implementation of the Maharashtra law, the vertical quota in the state could go up to 68% which was earlier 52% before the passing of the law.
• This aspect will also come under question. Since the Indra Sawhney verdict gives a pass to breach of the 50% quota rule only in exceptional circumstances, the court will have to test if the Maharashtra law qualifies to be an exception.
• States have breached the 50% ceiling before and intend to bring more reservation. (a notable example is Tamil Nadu. )

Ninth Schedule

• Ninth Schedule The Ninth Schedule provides the law with a "safe harbour" from judicial review under Article 31A of the Constitution.
• Laws placed in the Ninth Schedule cannot be challenged for reasons of violating any fundamental right protected under the Constitution.
• However, when the Tamil Nadu law was challenged in 2007 (I R Coelho v State of Tamil Nadu), the Supreme Court ruled in a unanimous 9-judge verdict that while laws placed under Ninth Schedule cannot be challenged on the grounds of violation of fundamental rights, they can be challenged on the ground that it violates the basic structure of the Constitution.

Prelims Factoids
Conservation of the Sun Temple at Konark

Relevance IN - Prelims (about Sun temple)
What's the NEWS

• Several steps have been taken by Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to mitigate the impact of saline action, water logging, erosion and vegetative intrusions
• Conservation work of monuments, including Sun Temple, Konark is a continuous process and the said monument, also a World Heritage Site, is in a good state of preservation due to regular care by ASI.
• ASI has introduced plain stones only where original stones were missing or for filling of gaps to ensure structural stability and to prevent water ingress. All conservation work is carried out as per ASI's conservation policy, 2014.

Know! all about Konark Sun Temple

• It is a 13^th-century CE(year 1250) Sun temple at Konark about 35 kilometres (22 mi) northeast from Puri on the coastline of Odisha, India.
• The temple is attributed to king Narasimhadeva I of the Eastern Ganga Dynasty about 1250 CE.
• Dedicated to the Hindu Sun God Surya, what remains of the temple complex has the appearance of a 100-foot (30 m) high chariot with immense wheels and horses, all carved from stone.
• Once over 200 feet (61 m) high, much of the temple is now in ruins, in particular the large shikara tower over the sanctuary; at one time this rose much higher than the mandapa that remains.
• The structures and elements that have survived are famed for their intricate artwork, iconography, and themes, including erotic kama and mithuna scenes.
• Also called the Surya Devalaya, it is a classic illustration of the Odisha style of Architecture or Kalinga Architecture.
• The cause of the destruction of the Konark temple is unclear and still remains a source of controversy.
• Theories range from natural damage to deliberate destruction of the temple in the course of being sacked several times by Muslim armies between the 15^th and 17^th centuries.
• This temple was called the "Black Pagoda" in European sailor accounts as early as 1676 because it looked a great tower which appeared black.
• Similarly, the Jagannath Temple in Puri was called the "White Pagoda".
• Both temples servd as important landmarks for sailors in the Bay of Bengal.
• Declared a UNESCO world heritage site in 1984, it remains a major pilgrimage site for Hindus, who gather here every year for the Chandrabhaga Mela around the month of February.
• Konark Sun Temple is depicted on the reverse side of the Indian currency note of Rs 10 to signify its importance to Indian cultural

NITI Aayog
NITI Aayog and RMI India release a new report ‘Mobilising Electric Vehicle Financing in India'

Relevance IN - Prelims ( about the report ‘Mobilising Electric Vehicle Financing in India'- highlights) + Mains ( GS II government policies and interventions + GS III infrastructure development)
What's the NEWS

• NITI Aayog and Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) India released a new report ‘Mobilising Electric Vehicle Financing in India', which highlights the role of finance in the India's transition to electric vehicles (EVs) and analyses that the transition will require a cumulative capital investment of USD 266 billion (Rs 19.7 lakh crore) in EVs, charging infrastructure, and batteries over the next decade.
• The report also identifies a market size of USD 50 billion (Rs 3.7 lakh crore) for the financing of EVs in 2030-about 80% of the current size of India's retail vehicle finance industry, worth USD 60 billion (Rs 4.5 lakh crore)

How to Mobilise capital ( Suggested Solutions)

• The need of the hour is to mobilise capital and finance towards EV assets and infrastructure
• NITI Aayog and RMI have identified a toolkit of 10 solutions that financial institutions such as banks and non-banking financial companies (NBFCs), as well as the industry and government can adopt in catalysing the required capital.
• Re-engineering vehicle finance and mobilising public and private capital will be critical to accelerating the deployment of the 50 million EVs that could be plying on India's roads by 2030
• These solutions represent high-leverage areas for interventions in finance, and we believe that many are relevant beyond India."

The 10 solutions recommended in the report include financial instruments such as priority-sector lending and interest-rate subvention.

• Others are related to creating better partnerships between OEMs and financial institutions by providing product guarantees and warranties.
• Furthermore, a developed and formal secondary market can improve the resale value of EVs and improve their bankability.
• The identified barriers within EV finance need to be tackled in structured manner with innovative financing models
• Recommendations beyond finance include digital lending, business model innovation, fleet and aggregator electrification targets, and the creation of an open data repository for EVs.
• The report further determines that investment in India's transition to electric mobility has the potential to create significant economic, social, and environmental benefits for the country.
• As the economics of EVs continue to improve, new business models and financing instruments gain acceptance, and government programmes drive early adoption and promote domestic manufacturing, India's EV market is poised for growth in the coming decade.

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