11 February 2023

• Minerals: The Geological Survey of India confirmed India's first-ever significant lithium deposit: 5.9 million tonnes of inferred resource in Jammu and Kashmir's Reasi district.
• Space: ISRO successfully launched SSLV-D2, placing three satellites (EOS-07, Janus-1, AzaadiSAT-2) into a 450 km orbit.
• Regulatory: Supreme Court asked SEBI to respond on the Hindenburg-Adani stock manipulation allegations. A committee to review investor protection frameworks was being contemplated.
• E-waste: the E-Waste Management Rules 2022 took effect. India produced 3.2 million metric tonnes of e-waste in 2019.

GS area: Economy (resources), Science and Technology

The Geological Survey of India (GSI) announced the discovery of 5.9 million tonnes of inferred lithium resources in the Salal-Haimana area of Reasi district, Jammu and Kashmir:

• Significance: this is India's first confirmed significant lithium deposit. India currently imports almost all its lithium from Australia, Argentina, Chile and Bolivia.
• Strategic relevance: lithium is the critical mineral for lithium-ion batteries, used in electric vehicles, smartphones, laptops, and grid-scale energy storage. Control of lithium is a major geopolitical dimension of the clean energy transition.
• J&K's geology: the Salal-Haimana area in Reasi district contains the deposit in the form of hard-rock (pegmatite) ore. Similar geology exists in pegmatite belts in Odisha and Chhattisgarh, and brine deposits in Rajasthan and Gujarat.
• Inferred resources: "inferred" is a preliminary classification in the CRIRSCO mineral resource classification system. It requires more drilling and analysis before being classified as measured or indicated (the higher confidence categories). The 6 million tonne figure is an early estimate, not a confirmed mineable reserve.
• Employment and import reduction: domestic lithium mining would reduce import dependence and create employment in a region that has historically faced developmental challenges.

Static linkage: Indian Economy (critical minerals, mining, clean energy).

GS area: Science and Technology

ISRO's Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) completed its second developmental flight (SSLV-D2) successfully on 10 February 2023:

• Launch vehicle: SSLV is designed for low Earth orbit payloads up to 500 kg. It is a three-stage, solid-propellant rocket that can be assembled in days rather than the months required for the PSLV.
• Payloads: EOS-07 (Earth Observation Satellite, ISRO), Janus-1 (commercial, Antaris, USA), and AzaadiSAT-2 (75 girl students from rural government schools across India, continuation of the AzaadiSAT-1 legacy).
• Orbit: 450 km circular orbit. AzaadiSAT-2 extended the spirit of the AzaadiSAT-1 (launched on SSLV-D1, which failed in August 2022) by finally reaching orbit.
• SSLV-D1 failure: the first SSLV flight in August 2022 placed its satellites in a wrong orbit due to a logic error in the terminal phase, causing mission failure. D2's success validated the corrective measures.

Static linkage: Science and Technology (ISRO, launch vehicles, space missions).

GS area: Economy (corporate governance, securities regulation)

The Supreme Court actively followed the Hindenburg-Adani controversy:

• Court's concern: whether middle-class and retail investors were adequately protected by the existing regulatory framework during episodes of rapid stock price movement driven by an external report.
• SEBI's position: SEBI had already begun examining the Hindenburg allegations. The Court sought a SEBI response.
• Expert committee: the Court was considering whether to appoint a committee of experts (separate from SEBI) to review the regulatory framework. The CJI subsequently declined to use sealed-cover procedure in this case, insisting on transparency.
• SEBI's existing tools: the Additional Surveillance Mechanism, circuit breakers, disclosure requirements for large shareholders, and insider trading regulations.
• What the Hindenburg report alleged: stock manipulation through offshore entities, related-party transactions undisclosed to markets, and promoter pledging of shares in opaque structures. Adani Group denied all allegations.

Static linkage: Economy (SEBI, stock markets, corporate law).

GS area: Environment, Governance

India's E-Waste Management Rules 2022 came into effect:

• Global scale: the Global E-waste Monitor 2020 reported 53.6 million metric tonnes of e-waste generated globally in 2019. India was the third-largest generator at 3.2 million metric tonnes.
• Health risks: e-waste contains lead, cadmium and mercury. Informal recycling (burning circuits, acid-leaching) exposes workers and communities to these toxins, causing skin disease, respiratory illness and reduced IQ.
• New rules: the 2022 rules replace the 2016 rules. Key change: responsibility shifted entirely to authorised recyclers through a digital "Extended Producer Responsibility" portal. The previous framework allowed Producer Responsibility Organisations (PROs) to aggregate obligations across companies; the new rules require direct producer engagement with authorised recyclers.
• The gap: approximately 95 per cent of India's e-waste is still handled by the informal sector. The formal recycling capacity is far below the volume generated.

Static linkage: Environment (e-waste, EPR, pollution).

GS area: History (Modern India)

9 February marked the 266th anniversary of the Treaty of Alinagar:

• Signed: 9 February 1757, between the British East India Company (represented by Robert Clive) and Nawab Siraj ud-Daulah of Bengal.
• Context: the Nawab had captured Calcutta and the British garrison in 1756. After Clive's forces retook Calcutta, the Treaty of Alinagar restored British trading privileges.
• Content: recognised the provisions of the Mughal Emperor Farrukhsiyar's 1717 farman, which had granted the Company trading privileges in Bengal.
• Significance: a prelude to the Battle of Plassey (23 June 1757), where Clive defeated Siraj ud-Daulah with the support of Mir Jafar. Plassey is considered the event that opened Bengal to British control.

Static linkage: History (colonial history, Battle of Plassey, East India Company).

GS area: Governance, Environment

A Parliamentary Committee found "sluggish" progress on several Ministry of Earth Sciences initiatives:

• District Agro-meteorological Field Units (DAMUs): only 3 established against a target of 20 for 2021-22. DAMUs provide localised agricultural weather forecasts to farmers.
• Doppler Weather Radars: 6 installed against a target of full country coverage by 2025. Gaps in radar coverage leave certain zones unmonitored.
• Maitri Station (Antarctica): India's second research station at Antarctica (after Dakshin Gangotri) requires replacement. The plan has been delayed.
• Polar Research Vessel: an Indian polar research vessel acquisition has been pending since 2010.

The committee's finding underlines the gap between plan and execution in science infrastructure.

Static linkage: Governance (parliamentary oversight, science and technology institutions).

• Dawoodi Bohras: a Shia Muslim community of approximately 1 million members. Their spiritual leader (Al-Dai-Al-Mutlaq) has been based in India for over 400 years. The community came up in a succession dispute case.
• UPI for G20 visitors: RBI permitted G20 visitors to make UPI payments at select airports, a step toward internationalisation of India's digital payment infrastructure.
• Formula E Hyderabad: Hyderabad hosted the 30th Formula E race, marking India's return to international electric racing. Formula E is the first net-zero certified global sport.