(The UPSC Essentials Indian Express is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel and stay updated with the latest updates. Subscribe to The Indian Express UPSC Key and prepare for the Civil Services and other competitive examinations with cues on how to read and understand content from the most authoritative news source in India. Note: Catch the UPSC Weekly Quiz every Saturday evening and brush up on your current affairs knowledge.) The Indian Express’ UPSC weekly news express covers some of the important and burning topics of current affairs news from this week to help you prepare for UPSC-CSE. Try out the MCQs and check your answers provided towards the end of the article. NOTE: This article does not cover Union Budget 2023 and Economic Survey. The Indian Express’ UPSC Essentials will exclusively cover the Budget and Economic Survey for aspirants especially curated for both prelims and mains as a one stop destination. Turkey earthquake Syllabus: Preliminary Examination: Indian and World Geography-Physical, Social, Economic Geography of India and the World. Mains Examination: • General Studies I: Important Geophysical phenomena such as earthquakes, Tsunami, Volcanic activity, cyclone etc., geographical features and their location-changes in critical geographical features (including water-bodies and ice-caps) and in flora and fauna and the effects of such changes. • General Studies III: Disaster and disaster management. Why in news? — Early Monday morning (February 6), an earthquake of magnitude 7.8 struck south-central Turkey and Northwest Syria, reported AP. Buildings across the region were seen tumbling down, sparking a mad scramble to find survivors in the rubble and amidst an ongoing snow storm in many places. KEY TAKEAWAYS What is an earthquake? — An earthquake is an intense shaking of the ground caused by movement under the earth’s surface. It happens when two blocks of the earth suddenly slip past one another, according to USGS. This releases stored-up ‘elastic strain’ energy in the form of seismic waves, which spreads through the earth and cause the shaking of the ground. What exactly causes earthquakes? — As we know, the earth’s outermost surface, crust, is fragmented into tectonic plates. The edges of the plates are called plate boundaries, which are made up of faults. The tectonic plates constantly move at a slow pace, sliding past one another and bumping into each other. As the edges of the plates are quite rough, they get stuck with one another while the rest of the plate keeps moving. Earthquake occurs when the plate has moved far enough and the edges unstick on one of the faults. — USGS says that “the location below the earth’s surface where the earthquake starts is called the hypocenter, and the location directly above it on the surface of the earth is called the epicentre.” How are earthquakes measured? — The earth’s crust is broken up into tectonic plates that are constantly moving, slowly, often getting stuck at their edges due to friction. When the stress on the edge overcomes the friction, there is an earthquake that releases energy in waves that travel through the earth’s crust, resulting in the vibration felt. — A network of seismographs are used to record earthquakes with each individual seismograph recording and measuring the movement of the ground in its location. A seismograph is securely mounted onto the surface of the earth so that when the earth shakes, the entire unit shakes with the exception of the mass on the spring, which remains in its place because of inertia. A Kinemetrics seismograph. (Wikimedia Commons) — During shaking, the recording device on this mass records the relative motion between itself and the rest of the instrument, thus recording the ground motion. According to the USGS, these mechanisms are no longer manual, but instead work by measuring electronic changes produced by the motion of the ground with respect to the mass. The scales of measurement for magnitude — Today, there are many measures of an earthquake’s magnitude, with the most famous (and outdated according to USGS) being the Richter Scale. — Devised in 1935 by Charles Francis Richter, the Richter Scale (denoted as ML) is a logarithmic scale, where each step represents a tenfold increase in magnitude. Thus, an earthquake measuring 7 on the Richter Scale has 10 times the magnitude of one measured 6. The scale was calibrated by defining a magnitude 0 shock as one that produces (at a distance of 100 km) a maximum amplitude of 1 micron using the Wood-Anderson seismograph. — According to the USGS, as more seismograph stations were installed around the world, it became apparent that the method developed by Richter was strictly valid only for certain frequency and distance ranges. Consequently, the Moment Magnitude Scale (denoted as Mw) was developed. — According to the USGS, a Moment is a physical quantity proportional to the slip on the fault multiplied by the area of the fault surface that slips. Thus, it is related to the total energy released in the earthquake. This scale provides a more accurate estimate of magnitude, especially as one goes higher up the scale. Like the Richter Scale, this too is a logarithmic scale. Measuring the intensity — In many ways, the intensity is an even more important measure of an earthquake as it is related to the tangible impact a quake has. Intensity scales, like the Modified Mercalli Scale and the Rossi-Forel scale, measure the amount of shaking at a particular location. — An earthquake causes many different intensities of shaking, depending on how deep it is located on the earth’s crust and how far it is from its epicentre. Earthquakes of lower magnitude can be more intense if they are located in more shallow ground or if the area where they occur has more loose soil, etc. — The Modified Mercalli Scale, the most commonly used intensity scale, ranks earthquake intensity on a scale of I. (not felt) to XII. (extreme). The maximum intensity measured in today’s Turkey earthquake is IX. or violent – “Damage is considerable in specially designed structures; Damage is great in substantial buildings, with partial collapse. Buildings are shifted off foundations. Liquefaction occurs. Underground pipes are broken”, according to the USGS website. Why earthquakes remain unpredictable? — Earthquakes continue to remain the most common natural hazard that cannot be predicted. As such, no early warning systems can be developed. — Theoretically, it is possible to offer a lead time of a few seconds between the time of the origin of the earthquake and the time it reaches the Earth’s surface. Seismic waves travel significantly slower than the speed of light — between 5 and 13 km per second. So if the earthquake is detected as soon as it is triggered, information about it can be related a few seconds ahead of it reaching the ground. — Such systems are already in use in some locations to issue alerts about earthquakes. However, these are not predictions. The alerts are issued post-event. — Attempts to find reliable predictors to earthquakes have not been fruitful so far. Scientists have been able to map the areas that are earthquake prone, and are likely to generate earthquakes in future, but there is no way to predict when. — For example, scientists say the Himalayan region has so much accumulated stress beneath the surface that it could result in multiple 7 or 8 magnitude earthquakes. But it cannot be predicted when that would happen. — Between one and three earthquakes of magnitude 8 or above are recorded every year on average, while 10-15 earthquakes of magnitude between 7 and 8 occur. What are aftershocks and why do they occur? — Massive earthquakes are often followed by multiple aftershocks, which can last for hours or even days. These aftershocks add to the damage and chaos of the original quake, sending weakened structures crashing down and spreading fear amidst an already traumatised population. — According to the USGS, aftershocks are a sequence of earthquakes that happen after a larger mainshock on a fault. Aftershocks occur near the fault zone where the mainshock rupture occurred and are part of the “readjustment process” after the main slip on the fault. — While they become less frequent with time, they can continue for days, weeks, months, or even years for a very large mainshock. How strong are aftershocks likely to be? — Although aftershocks tend to be weaker than the main seismic event, they can cause significant damage. In Turkey, reports suggest that significant damage that has followed the original quake has been a result of aftershocks. With the main earthquake already weakening structures, aftershocks have sent many buildings tumbling. 7.8 magnitude earthquake in Turkey. What does it mean? Amitabh Sinha Explains: Turkey and Syria lie in a seismically active region — The region where the earthquake has struck lies along a well known seismic fault line called the Anatolia tectonic block that runs through northern, central, and eastern Turkey. — It is a seismically active zone — though not as active as, say, the Himalayan region which is one of the most dangerous regions in the world from the perspective of earthquakes. — Large earthquakes, of magnitude 5 or higher, have not been very frequent in recent years. According to USGS, only three earthquakes of magnitude 6 or more have happened in the region since 1970. The last major quake in this area came in January 2020. People walk next to buildings destroyed by an earthquake in Malatya, Turkey, February 6, 2023. (DIA images via AP) — The seismicity in this region is a result of interactions between the African, Eurasian, and Arabian plates. The Arabian plate is known to be pushing northward, which results in a slight westward movement for the Anatolian plate, where Turkey is located. — The USGS said Monday’s earthquake happened around the near-vertical fault line on the eastern Anatolian block, close to the Syrian border. “The mechanism and location of the earthquake are consistent with the earthquake having occurred on either the East Anatolia fault zone or the Dead Sea transform fault zone. The East Anatolia fault accommodates the westward extrusion of Turkey in the Aegean Sea, while the Dead Sea Transform accommodates the northward motion of the Arabian peninsula relative to the Africa and Eurasia plates,” the USGS said in its event summary. Do shallow earthquakes cause greater damage? — Monday’s earthquakes emerged from relatively shallow depths which made them devastating. The first earthquake, of magnitude 7.8, originated 17.9 km below the Earth’s surface. All the subsequent ones, including the one of 7.5 magnitude, emerged from even closer to the surface. — Shallow earthquakes are generally more devastating because they carry greater energy when they emerge on the surface. — Deeper earthquakes lose much of their energy by the time they come to the surface. The deeper quakes spread farther though — the seismic waves move conically upwards to the surface — even as they lose energy while travelling greater distances, and hence cause less damage. — The earthquake in Nepal two weeks ago, whose tremors were felt in many parts of northern India, for example, originated about 25 km below the Earth’s surface. It did not cause large scale damage, though one woman was reported to have been killed by a stone that fell from a hill because of the tremors. — But the Nepal earthquake also had a low magnitude of 5.8 — magnitude is the other indicator of how destructive an earthquake will be. — Magnitude is a measure of how big the waves are, while the strength refers to the energy it carries. Magnitude is measured on a logarithmic scale, which means the seismic waves produced by a magnitude 6 earthquake have 10 times higher amplitude than the ones produced by a magnitude 5 earthquake. The energy differential is even higher, 32 times for every change of 1 in magnitude. — This means that the 7.8 magnitude earthquake in Turkey on Monday was 100 times bigger — produced 100 times bigger waves — than the 5.8 earthquake in Nepal, and 1,024 (32 x 32) times more powerful. In general, every change of 0.1 in magnitude results in about 1.4 times change in energy. Why earthquakes remain unpredictable? — Earthquakes continue to remain the most common natural hazard that cannot be predicted. As such, no early warning systems can be developed. — Theoretically, it is possible to offer a lead time of a few seconds between the time of the origin of the earthquake and the time it reaches the Earth’s surface. Seismic waves travel significantly slower than the speed of light — between 5 and 13 km per second. So if the earthquake is detected as soon as it is triggered, information about it can be related a few seconds ahead of it reaching the ground. — Such systems are already in use in some locations to issue alerts about earthquakes. However, these are not predictions. The alerts are issued post-event. — Attempts to find reliable predictors to earthquakes have not been fruitful so far. Scientists have been able to map the areas that are earthquake prone, and are likely to generate earthquakes in future, but there is no way to predict when. — For example, scientists say the Himalayan region has so much accumulated stress beneath the surface that it could result in multiple 7 or 8 magnitude earthquakes. But it cannot be predicted when that would happen. — Between one and three earthquakes of magnitude 8 or above are recorded every year on average, while 10-15 earthquakes of magnitude between 7 and 8 occur. TURKEY, A HOTBED OF SEISMIC ACTIVITY — IN THE EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN REGION comprising Turkey, Syria and Jordan, tectonics are dominated by complex interactions between the African, Arabian, and Eurasian tectonic plates, and the Anatolian tectonic block. — DOMINANT STRUCTURES here are (i) Red Sea Rift, the spreading centre between the African and Arabian plates; (ii) Dead Sea Transform, a major strike-slip fault that also accommodates Africa-Arabia relative motions; (iii) North Anatolia Fault, a right-lateral strike-slip structure in northern Turkey accommodating much of the translational motion of the Anatolia block westwards with respect to Eurasia and Africa; (iv) Cyprian Arc, a convergent boundary between the Africa plate and the Anatolia block. (Sources: Turkey hit by series of powerful earthquakes: The science behind it by Amitabh Sinha, Turkey earthquake: What causes an earthquake and why it cannot be predicted, ‘Aftershocks’ in Turkey after earthquake: Why do aftershocks occur?, Turkey hit by 7.8 magnitude earthquake: How are earthquakes measured and how massive is the Turkey one?) Point to ponder: As Turkey copes with earthquake’s devastation, it is only right that other countries, including India, come to its aid. Discuss. 1. MCQ: Consider the following statements with reference to earthquakes: 1. Shallow earthquakes are generally more devastating. 2. Shallow earthquakes carry greater energy when they emerge on the surface. Which of the above statements are correct? (a) Only 1 (b) Only 2 (c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2 India's disaster relief operations abroad Syllabus: Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance. Mains Examination: • General Studies I: Important Geophysical phenomena such as earthquakes, Tsunami, Volcanic activity, cyclone etc., geographical features and their location-changes in critical geographical features (including water-bodies and ice-caps) and in flora and fauna and the effects of such changes. • General Studies III: Disaster and disaster management. Why in news? — In a bid to provide relief to the quake-hit Turkey, India is sending an Army medical team, National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF) personnel, and medical supplies. The West Asian nation was struck by a series of massive earthquakes on Monday (February 6) killing over 5,000 people and injuring thousands. — Sending aid to Turkey is yet another instance of India quickly coming in support of a country hit by a natural disaster. In the last 15 years, India has carried out several disaster relief operations and emerged as a leading actor during such emergencies, especially in its neighbourhood. KEY TAKEAWAYS What are the previous instances of India sending aid to natural disaster-hit countries? *The United States of America: An Indian Air Force IL-76 aircraft delivered 25 tonnes of relief supplies for the Hurricane Katrina victims at the Little Rock Air Force Base, Arkansas on September 13, 2005. The relief supplies comprised 3,000 blankets, bed sheets, tarpaulins and personal hygiene items. *Maldives: After the 2004 Tsunami, the Indian government announced a composite package worth five crore rupees. Under “Operation Castor”, 50 sorties were undertaken and four aircraft and two Naval ships were engaged in relief operations. Repairing and restoring generators and communication, providing drinking water, and setting up medical camps on ships was also done. *Sri Lanka: India sent its forces to carry out rescue operations, called “Operation Rainbow”, in Sri Lanka hours after the Tsunami struck the country on December 26, 2004. Not only this, India provided medical assistance to thousands of victims by setting up medical camps in coordination with the local civil and military health authorities. Preventative medication and vaccines were also supplied. *Myanmar: When cyclone Nargis hit Myanmar in 2008 killing at least 20,000 people, India was among the first countries to send aid to them. It gave 125.5 tonnes of relief material, including medicines, clothing, utensils, water tanks, tents and tarpaulin. *Japan: The 2011 Tsunami wreaked havoc in Japan. Apart from providing relief materials, India also sent 46 members of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) to search and rescue in the town of Onagawa. It was their first overseas operation. The team included a doctor, three officers, six inspectors, two paramedics and constables and carried 9,000 kg of equipment and food. *Nepal: In the aftermath of the 2015 Nepal earthquakes, the NDRF deployed 16 of its urban search and rescue (USAR) teams, which comprised more than 700 rescuers in the country. They rescued 11 injured persons and retrieved 133 dead bodies from the rubble. The teams also organised six medical camps and attended to 1,219 persons. Indian authorities sent more than 1,176 tonnes of relief materials to Nepal. (Source: India sends aid to Turkey: What role India has played to help natural disaster-hit countries in the past?) Point to ponder: India choose people, not profits in operations abroad. Discuss. 2. MCQ: Which of the following statement is not true with respect to NDMA? a) It is a statutory body. b) Prime Minister of India is the Chairperson of the NDMA. c) Nine other members of the NDMA are nominated by the chairperson. d) the Minister of State for Home Affairs acts as the Vice-Chairperson of NDMA. Assam crackdown on child marriage Syllabus: Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance. Main Examination: • General Studies I: Social empowerment and Salient features of Indian Society • General Studies II: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation. Why in news? — Over the last few days, Assam has arrested over many men in a state-wide crackdown on child marriages. Those arrested have been booked under the provisions of the stringent POCSO Act and the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act. KEY TAKEAWAYS Khadija Khan Explains: Under what law are the arrests being made? — Assam’s Chief Minister has said that while men who married girls below 14 years of age would be booked under the Protection of Children From Sexual Offences Act, those marrying girls between 14 and 18 years would be booked under the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act. — The POCSO Act, of 2012 criminalises sex between a minor and an adult. The law does not recognize a minor’s consent as valid. Sexual assault under POCSO is a non-bailable, cognisable offence. This means that the police can make an arrest without warrant. So a presumption of sexual assault is being made in case of child marriage involving minor girls below the age of 14. Sexual assault, that is not penetrative, carries a minimum imprisonment of three years that may extend to five years with a fine. — Moreover, under Section 19, POCSO Act imposes a “mandatory reporting obligation” which requires every person who suspects or has knowledge of a sexual offence being committed against a child must report it to the police or the Special Juvenile Police Unit. Failure to do so will result in imprisonment, a fine, or both. — These mandatory reporting obligations also require doctors to report cases where minor girls seek medical assistance during pregnancies or for termination of pregnancies. Often doctors are forced to report sexual activity involving a minor girl, even if all parties involved have consented to the marriage. — The Prohibition of Child Marriage Act 2006, says that child marriages are illegal but not void. Instead, they are voidable at the option of the minor party, in the scenario that the minor petitions the court to declare the marriage void. The Act stipulates 18 years as the minimum marriageable age for women, while for men it is 21 years. The Act punishes child marriage with “rigorous imprisonment which may extend to two years or with fine which may extend to one lakh rupees or with both.” — The punishment also extends to anyone who performs, conducts, directs, or abets any child marriage and includes rigorous imprisonment of up to two years and a fine which may extend to one lakh rupees unless proven that he had reasons to believe that the marriage was not a child marriage. What is the debate on Muslim age of marriage? — Under Muslim personal laws, the marriage of a bride who has attained puberty is considered. Puberty is presumed, in the absence of evidence, on completion of the age of fifteen years. This gap between Muslim personal law and special legislations prohibiting child marriages or sexual activity of minors puts a shadow on criminality on such marriages. What have the courts said on the issue? — The Supreme Court is currently examining this issue since different High Courts have ruled differently on it. On January 13, a bench led by CJI Chandrachud-led bench of the Supreme Court agreed to hear an appeal against a 2022 decision of the Punjab & Haryana High Court which allowed a 16-and-a-half-year-old Muslim girl to marry a person of her choice after attaining puberty. The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has filed the appeal. — NCPCR challenged the High Court’s ruling on grounds that personal laws can’t override special penal statutes. The National Commission for Women (NCW) also filed a petition in the Apex court in December 2022, where it sought directions to make the minimum marriageable age for Muslims at par with the other communities. The court had issued notice and appointed Senior Advocate Rajshekar Rao as amicus curie to assist in the matter. — The SC’s intervention came after various High Courts ruled differently on this issue. What is the central government’s stand? — In 2021, the Central government sought to introduce the Prevention of Child Marriage (Amendment) Bill 2021, to raise the manageable age for women across all religions, from 18 to 21 years. However, the Parliament panel examining this is yet to submit its report, after receiving an extension in October 2022. — In line with the Centre’s attempts, was the establishment of the Jaya Jaitly Committee in June 2020, by the Ministry of Women & Child Development, following which the committee submitted a report stating that the marriageable age for women should be increased from 18 to 21 years of age, in light of factors like reproductive health, education, etc. — At the time of India’s independence, the minimum marriageable age stood at 15 years for females and 18 years for men. In 1978, the government increased it to 18 for girls and 21 for men. Years later, in 2008, the Law Commission came out with a report which stated that the minimum marriageable age for both men and women should be 18 years of age, as both are considered eligible to vote as citizens at the time. (Source: Assam crackdown on child marriage: What does the law say? by Khadija Khan) Point to ponder: Do an analysis of India’s landmark child abuse law. 3. MCQ: Consider the following statements: 1. The Prohibition of Child Marriage Act 2006, says that child marriages are illegal and void. 2. Jaya Jaitly Committee submitted a report stating that the marriageable age for women should be increased from 18 to 21 years of age. Which of the above statements are incorrect? (a) Only 1 (b) Only 2 (c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2 Lithium ‘inferred’ in J&K Syllabus: Preliminary Examination: General Science Main Examination: General Studies III: Science and Technology Why in news? — The Geological Survey of India (GSI) has established “inferred” lithium resources of 5.9 million tonnes in Salal-Haimana area of Reasi District of Jammu and Kashmir. These resources have been established as part of the “Reasi Sersandu-Kherikot-Rahotkot-Darabi” mineral block, where prospecting has been ongoing since 2021-22. KEY TAKEAWAYS Anil Sasi Explains: — Under the United Nations Framework for Classification for Reserves and Resources of Solid Fuels and Mineral Commodities (UNFC 1997), the stage of prospecting is categorised as ‘G4’ when it entails reconnaissance surveys — a fairly advanced stage of prospecting. — The finds in this case are learnt to include bauxite (the ore for aluminium) and rare earth elements, alongside lithium. — There are two caveats with the latest lithium find: first, the new find is categorised as “inferred” — one of three categories that mineral resources are subdivided into, in order of increasing geological confidence. The “inferred” mineral resource is the part of a resource for which quantity, grade and mineral content are estimated only with a low level of confidence based on information gathered from locations such as outcrops, trenches, pits, workings and drill holes that may be of limited or uncertain quality, and also of lower reliability from geological evidence. — Second, the lithium find in J&K, in inferred terms, is also comparatively small, considering that proven reserves in Bolivia are 21 million tonnes, 17 million tonnes in Argentina, 6.3 million tonnes in Australia, and 4.5 million tonnes in China. — The country currently imports all its lithium needs. The domestic exploration push, which also includes exploratory work to extract lithium from the brine pools of Rajasthan and Gujarat and the mica belts of Odisha and Chhattisgarh, comes at a time when India has stepped up its economic offensive against China — a major source of lithium-ion energy storage products being imported into the country. — Currently, India is almost entirely dependent on import of these cells and the move to ink sourcing pacts for lithium is seen as another salvo in the front against imports from China, the major source of both the raw material and cells. India is seen as a late mover as it attempts to enter the lithium value chain, coming at a time when EVs are predicted to be a sector ripe for disruption. And 2023 is likely to be an inflection point for battery technology, with several potential improvements to the Li-ion technology. — Over 165 crore lithium batteries are estimated to have been imported into India between FY17 and FY20 at an estimated import bill of upwards of $3.3 billion. — Speaking at the 62nd Central Geological Programming Board (CGPB) meeting on February 9, Secretary, Union Ministry of Mines, Vivek Bharadwaj said the GSI has found lithium reserves in Jammu and Kashmir for the first time and that it has established lithium inferred resources in Salal-Haimana area of Reasi district of J&K. — This report, along with 15 other resource-bearing geological reports and 35 geological memorandums, were handed over to respective state governments during the CGPB meeting. Of these 51 mineral blocks, five blocks pertain to gold, and other blocks are of commodities like potash, molybdenum, base metals spread over 11 states and Union Territories including J&K, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu and Telangana. The blocks were prepared based on the work carried out by GSI from field seasons 2018-19 until February 2023. — According to the Ministry of Mines’ approved annual Field Season programme (prospecting plan), the GSI takes up different stages of mineral exploration — reconnaissance surveys (G4), preliminary exploration (G3), and general exploration (G2) as per the guidelines of UNFC and the Minerals (Evidence of Mineral Contents) Amendment Rules, 2021 (Amended MMDR Act 2021) for augmenting mineral resource for various mineral commodities, including lithium. — During the last five years, the GSI has carried out 14 projects on lithium and associated elements, of which five projects on lithium and associated minerals were taken up in 2021-22. — Lithium can be extracted in different ways, depending on the type of the deposit — generally either through solar evaporation of large brine pools, or from hard-rock extraction of the ore. In India, there is some potential to recover lithium from brines of Sambhar and Pachpadra areas in Rajasthan, and Rann of Kutch, Gujarat. The major mica belts located in Rajasthan, Bihar and Andhra Pradesh and the pegmatite belts in Odisha, Chhattisgarh, alongside rock mining being undertaken at Mandya, Karnataka, are other potential geological domains of the country. — This is part of a concerted domestic exploration push for the alkali metal — a vital ingredient of the Lithium-ion rechargeable batteries that power electric vehicles (EVs), laptops and mobile phones. The Atomic Minerals Directorate for Exploration and Research (AMD), an arm of the Department of Atomic Energy, had earlier conducted preliminary surveys that had shown the presence of lithium resources of 1,600 tonnes in the igneous rocks of the Marlagalla–Allapatna region of Karnataka’s Mandya district. — The AMD has been carrying out exploration, both on surface and some subsurface exploration, to augment lithium resources in the potential geological domains of the country, a government official said. (Source: Lithium ‘inferred’ in J&K — how significant is this find, what next? by Anil Sasi ) Point to ponder: India’s foray into the EV battery market lacks some key ingredients. Comment. 4. MCQ: What is not a benefit of a lithium ion battery? (a) It has a higher energy density. (b) Lithium is easily available. (c) It can be easily charged. (d) It is of lighter weight. ANSWER TO MCQs: 1 (c), 2 (d), 3 (a), 4 (b) Share your views, answers and suggestions in the comment box or at manas.srivastava@indianexpress.com
