DAILY PRELIMS BOOSTER 11th MAY 2022

Minorities: The Constitution recognizes Religious minorities in India and Linguistic minorities in India through Article 29 and Article 30.

• But Minority is not defined in the Constitution.
• Currently, the Linguistic minorities in India are identified on a state-wise basis thus determined by the state government whereas Religious minorities in India are determined by the Central Government.
• The Parliament has the legislative powers and the Centre has the executive competence to notify a community as a minority under Section 2(c) of the National Commission for Minorities Act of 1992.

Integrated Battle Groups:

Living/non-living monument:

• If some activity, like any kind of worship, has been going on for years in the structure, then it is taken over as a living monument.
• But where no activity has taken place, say an abandoned building, then it is declared a dead monument.
• The latter is difficult to restore because it is generally covered by a lot of overgrowths.

Martand Sun Temple: It is a Hindu temple located near the city of Anantnag in the Kashmir Valley.

• It dates back to the eighth century AD and was dedicated to Surya, the chief solar deity.
• The temple was destroyed by Sikandar Shah Miri in a bid to undertake mass conversion and execution of Hindus in the valley.
• According to Kalhana, the Temple was commissioned by Lalitaditya Muktapida in the eighth century AD.
• The temple is built on top of a plateau from where one can view whole of the Kashmir Valley.
• From the ruins the visible architecture seems to be blended with the Gandharan, Gupta and Chinese forms of architecture.

Ethanol: Recently, the level of ethanol blending in petrol in India has reached 9.99 per cent.

• It is an organic chemical compound, a simple alcohol with the chemical formula C2H6O.
• It is a volatile, flammable, colourless liquid with a characteristic wine-like odour and pungent taste.
• Ethanol can be produced from crops that have high starch content like sugarcane, maize, wheat, etc. In India, ethanol is mainly produced from sugarcane molasses by the fermentation process.
• Ethanol can be mixed with gasoline to form different blends.
• As the ethanol molecule contains oxygen, it allows the engine to better combust the fuel and results in fewer emissions
• Since ethanol is produced from plants that harness the power of the sun, ethanol is also considered a renewable fuel.