• The Government has recently constituted a Committee headed by Sunil Sethi, Chairman, Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI) New Delhi.
• The main objective of the committee is to suggest the strategy and policy framework for doubling the production and quadrupling the exports of handlooms in a span of 3 years.
• It will also suggest measures for improving the quality of handloom products with the aim of enhancing income of the weavers.

Islanding

• Islanding is the intentional isolation of a part of power system during external widespread grid disturbance. 
• This isolated part of Grid is called Island.
• Such a disturbance may lead to black out.

Islanding Scheme

• Resilience of the electricity grid is very important particularly in restoration of supply in the event of the major power outage.
• Therefore, Islanding scheme provides a mean to continue to supply power to the essential services in a zone or area.
• Islanding Scheme is a defense mechanism for the power system in which a part of the system is islanded from a disturbed grid so that this subpart could survive in isolation from rest of grid and continuity of supply to the essential load in this area is maintained.
• In such electrical Islanded system, the essential loads should be identified and covered so that these load continue to be served even during any major outage.
• As informed by Central Electricity Authority (CEA), 17 numbers of new Islanding schemes have been planned for the major cities besides already 26 existing/under implementation scheme in India.

• The Geological Survey of India (GSI) has identified certain geological sites across the Northeast for promotion of geo-tourism.
• Twelve locations in the Northeast are included in the 32 approved geo-tourism or geo-heritage sites in the country. 
• Of the 12 sites in the Northeast, three are in Meghalaya, two each in Assam and Tripura, and one each in Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland and Sikkim.

Mawmluh Cave – Meghalaya

• It is located near Cherrapunjee in the East Khasi Hills district.
• This cave led scientists to the Meghalayan Age.
• Meghalayan Age - According to the scientists, when the Meghalayan Age began i.e. 4200 years ago, there was a sudden drought worldwide and the temperature had declined
• A stage of the Meghalayan Age is defined from a specific level in a stalagmite from this cave.

Chabimura – Tripura

• In Gomati district, this site is known for its panels of rock carving on a steep hill wall on the bank of river Gomati.
• The huge images of Shiva, Vishnu, Karthikeya, Durga and other gods and goddesses date back to the 15th-16th century and the biggest carved deity is about 20 ft.
• The hill range is covered with thick jungles and one can reach this abode of gods after trekking through the foliage but rafting or boating on the river is the only option for a view of the rock-face carvings.

Sangetsar Tso – Arunachal Pradesh

• It was popularly known as Madhuri Lake.
• This water body in Tawang district is close to the border with Tibet and was formed due to the damming of a river during a major earthquake in 1950.
• The lake is surrounded by a lush valley and snow-capped mountains.

Loktak Lake – Manipur

• This lake in the Bishnupur district is the largest freshwater lake in the Northeast.
• The attractions of this lake are the ‘ phumdis’ or floating biomass and the ‘phumsangs’ or huts of fishermen on them.
• The Keibul Lamjao National Park, the only floating wildlife habitat on earth, is on the south-western part of the lake and is the last natural habitat of the sangai or brow-antlered dancing deer.

Binance

• It is a cryptocurrency exchange that provides a platform for trading various cryptocurrencies.
• The exchange offers a wide range of services to users across the globe, from cryptocurrency spot and derivatives trading to loans and non-fungible tokens.
• It also runs a "decentralised" exchange that allows users to trade directly with each other.
• Its own cryptocurrency, Binance Coin, is the third-biggest in the world, with some $68 billion-worth in circulation.
• The global financial regulators were concerned over the use of crypto in money laundering.
• They have targeted Binance and some have banned the platform from certain activities, while others have warned consumers that it was unlicensed to operate.
• The platform has said that it would demand stricter background checks on customers to bolster efforts against money laundering, with immediate effect.

Rain at Greenland Summit

• For the 1st time on record, the summit of Greenland received rain and not snow, just as temperatures at the spot went above freezing for the 3rd time in less than 10 years.
• This was the heaviest rainfall that the Greenland received since record keeping began in 1950.
• Greenland is the world’s largest island between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans.
• Three-quarters of its surface is covered with a permanent ice sheet.
• At the highest point on Greenland’s ice sheet, the US’s National Science Foundation maintains a Summit Station, a research facility that observes changes occurring over the island as well as in Arctic weather.
• The research facility observed rain at the normally frigid summit, with the precipitation extending up to Greeland’s southeast coast.
• Not only is water warmer than the usual snow, it's also darker - so it absorbs more sunlight rather than reflecting it away.
• Rain & high temperatures triggered extensive melting here, which is 7 times more than daily average observed at this time (August) of the year.
• Rapid ice melting will be running off into the ocean in volumes, thus accelerating global sea level rise.
• Concern - The UN’s “code red” climate report concluded that the burning of fossil fuels led to Greenland melting in the last 20 years.
• Arctic Ocean may witness ice-free summers by 2050 due to extreme climate interventions.
• If that happens, sea levels could rise by 20 feet, threatening low-lying cities around the world such as Mumbai, New York, etc.
• Rapid melting is also threatening polar bears, which have to make their way towards Greenland’s interior from the coasts, where they usually find enough food.