20 September 2025 · Shift 1

MNRE Secretary 2025 Santosh Kumar Sarangi took charge as Secretary, MNRE in April 2025. He had earlier served as Director General of Foreign Trade. Pralhad Joshi is the Union Cabinet Minister for the ministry. Hence option (a).

Vimana In Dravida temples the pyramidal tower over the sanctum is the VIMANA. The gopuram is the tall gateway tower on the enclosure wall. Shikhara is the Nagara term used in the north. Hence option (a).

Loku festival Loku is the main festival of the Nocte tribe of Arunachal Pradesh, marking the end of the harvest. Its middle day, Chamkatja, involves prayers at the Chaatam, the Chamwangbong dance and ceremonial firing at dawn. The three days are Chamkatja, Chamlangja and Thanglangja. Hence option (b).

Magadha Magadha rose above the other mahajanapadas under Bimbisara, Ajatashatru and the Nandas. Its iron ore, fertile land, elephants and strong capitals (Rajgir, then Pataliputra) gave it the edge. It later became the base of the Mauryan Empire. Hence option (b).

Basketball equipment FIBA rules require the backboard markings to be white and 50 mm wide (on a transparent board). The backboard is 1.05 m high and 1.80 m wide, not as stated in (a). The ring’s inner diameter is 45 cm and the net has 12 loops. Hence option (d).

Aman Sehrawat Aman Sehrawat won bronze in the men’s 57 kg freestyle at Paris 2024. At 21 he became India’s youngest individual Olympic medallist. Ravi Dahiya won silver at Tokyo 2020 and Sakshi Malik bronze at Rio 2016. Hence option (b).

Vijayanagara titles Medieval south Indian texts describe three powers: Ashvapati (lord of horses) for the Delhi/Deccan Sultans. Narapati (lord of men) for the Vijayanagara rayas and Gajapati (lord of elephants) for the Odisha kings. So the pairing in option (a) is correct. Hence option (a).

Age of Consent Act 1891 The Age of Consent Act, 1891 raised the age of consent from 10 to 12 years. It followed the Phulmoni Dasi case and was pushed by reformers like B.M. Malabari. The Sarda Act of 1929 later fixed the marriage age at 14. Hence option (b).

India–Nepal border (A–R) India and Nepal have agreed on roughly 98% of the boundary strip maps, but Kalapani and Susta remain open — A is true. The Susta dispute arises from the shifting course of the Gandak river, not from unrecorded settlement by officials — R is false. Rivers changing course are the classic cause of such boundary problems. Hence option (c).

'The Silk Roads' Frankopan shifts the centre of world history away from Europe. He places the trade, faith and power networks of Central Asia and the Middle East at its heart. The Silk Roads are shown as the arteries of global exchange. Hence option (b).

Northern Plains (A–R) The Northern Plains are indeed India’s most fertile farming belt — A is true. They are built of deep ALLUVIAL soil laid down by the Indus, Ganga and Brahmaputra, with abundant water — R is false. Rocky soil describes the peninsular plateau, not the plains. Hence option (c).

Space roadmap The stated goal is the Bharatiya Antariksh Station by 2035. An Indian astronaut is to land on the Moon by 2040 using indigenous technology. Both targets were announced in 2023 for the Amrit Kaal. Hence 2035, 2040 — option (d).

Athlete–sport pairing Sarabjot Singh is a pistol shooter and an Olympic bronze medallist — correctly paired. Jyothi Yarraji is a 100 m hurdler and Lovlina Borgohain a boxer. Tajinderpal Singh Toor is a SHOT PUT thrower, not discus. Hence option (a).

Sarkaria Commission The Sarkaria Commission was set up in 1983 under Justice R.S. Sarkaria. It submitted its report in 1988 with 247 recommendations. The Inter-State Council of 1990 came out of its advice. Hence option (a).

Energy in units Energy = power × time = 60 W × 5 h × 30 days = 9000 watt-hours. One unit (kWh) = 1000 watt-hours. 9000 ÷ 1000. = 9 units — option (d).

Uniform Civil Code Article 44 (a Directive Principle) asks the State to secure a Uniform Civil Code. It would replace religion-based personal laws on marriage, divorce, inheritance, adoption and maintenance. Criminal law is already uniform through the BNS. Hence option (d).

Soil Health Card The scheme, launched in 2015, gives farmers a card showing their soil’s nutrient status. It reports twelve parameters including N, P, K, pH and organic carbon. Farmers can then apply fertiliser in the right dose. Hence option (c).

Baikuntha Shukla Baikuntha Shukla killed Phanindra Nath Ghosh, the approver whose testimony sent Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru to the gallows. He was hanged at Gaya Central Jail in 1934. He is remembered as a martyr of the revolutionary stream. Hence option (b).

Dangi dance Dangi Nritya belongs to the tribal communities of the Dang district of Gujarat — Statement 1 correct. It is a GROUP dance in which dozens of men and women form chains and circles, not a solo act — Statement 2 wrong. Drums such as the pavri and dholak accompany it. Hence Only 1 — option (a).

Opportunity cost Every choice means giving up something else. Opportunity cost is the value of the NEXT BEST alternative forgone. It is not the money actually spent, which is the accounting cost. Hence option (b).

GFP modifiers GFP scores nations on more than 60 factors to get the PowerIndex. Bonuses and penalties correct for geography, logistics and technology so that small advanced forces are compared fairly with large but basic ones. Nuclear stockpiles are not counted in the score itself. Hence option (a).

Khongjom battle The Anglo-Manipur War of 1891 culminated in the battle of Khongjom. Prince Tikendrajit Singh led the resistance and was later hanged along with General Thangal. Khongjom Day is observed in Manipur every 23 April. Hence option (c).

Import substitution Import substitution replaced foreign goods with domestic production. High tariffs and quotas shielded infant industries until they could compete. The aim was self-reliance, not export promotion. Hence option (c).

Green Credit Programme The Green Credit Rules, 2023 first notified tree plantation and water conservation as credit-earning activities. Its flagship element is afforestation on degraded forest land, restoring ecology. Credits so earned are tradable on a dedicated platform. Hence option (a).

Union and State lists Criminal law and criminal procedure are in the CONCURRENT List, not exclusively with the states — Statement 1 wrong. Agriculture is Entry 14 of the State List — Statement 2 correct. Trade and commerce WITHIN a state is Entry 26 of the State List, not the Union List — Statement 3 wrong. Hence 2 only — option (a).