14th October 2025

Explanation - 
The Somnath temple, also called Somanātha temple or Deo Patan, is located in Prabhas Patan, Veraval in Gujarat, India. One of the most sacred pilgrimage sites for the Hindus, they believe it to be the first among the twelve Jyotirlinga shrines of Shiva. It was reconstructed several times in the past after repeated destruction by several Muslim invaders and rulers. After India's independence, those ruins were demolished and the present Somnath temple was reconstructed in the Māru-Gurjara style of Hindu temple architecture. The contemporary Somnath temple's reconstruction was started under the orders of the first Home Minister of India Vallabhbhai Patel and completed in May 1951 after his death. Presently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is the Chairman of Shree Somnath Mandir trust. 

Explanation -
Maitri II Station is India's newest research station proposed to come up in eastern Antarctica. It will be larger than Maitri I, with plans to design it as a green research base. The proposal includes using renewable energy sources — solar power for summer expeditions and wind energy to harness the strong Antarctic winds — to run the station's operations. It is planned to deploy automated instruments onboard Maitri II which will keep recording data and relay it to mainland India, even if the station remains unmanned for some period. The construction of the research station is expected to be completed by January 2029. 

Nodal Agency —
National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR) under the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) is the nodal agency responsible for operating and organising missions to Antarctica and the Arctic. 

Key Facts about Maitri Station -
It has been hosting researchers since 1989, and is located along the Schirmacher Oasis, a 20 km-long ice-free landmass in East Antarctica. It comprises the main building, a fuel farm, a fuel station, a lake water pump house, a summer camp, and several smaller containerised modules. Maitri can accommodate between 25 and 40 scientists, depending on mission requirements and season. 

India's other research base in Antarctica — 

• Dakshin Gangotri (first base in Antarctica), operated for a few years. 

• Bharati which is operational since 2012. 

Explanation -
4G (fourth-generation wireless) represents the broadband mobile communication standard that succeeded 3G and paved the way for 5G. It delivers high-speed internet, enabling HD video streaming and wireless broadband connectivity without wired ISP networks. Technologies such as LTE, MIMO, and OFDM power 4G networks, offering higher bandwidth, lower latency, and improved efficiency. 

India's Indigenous 4G Technology Stack: A Step Toward Telecom Self-Reliance -
India has achieved a landmark milestone by launching its first indigenously developed 4G network, featuring 98,000 Swadeshi 4G towers powered entirely by homegrown technology. The initiative — led by C-DOT (core network), Tejas Networks (radio access), and TCS (system integration) — marks a major stride towards Aatmanirbhar Bharat and digital self-reliance. Previously reliant on foreign technology for 2G, 3G, and 4G, India built this stack from scratch during the Covid-19 pandemic, demonstrating resilience, innovation, and supply-chain independence. The BSNL 4G stack, designed to be cloud-native and 5G-ready, provides seamless connectivity and ensures easy future upgrades. Complementary initiatives such as the Bharat 6G Alliance, Telecom Technology Development Fund, and 100 5G/6G labs are accelerating India's journey toward Viksit Bharat 2047 and global digital leadership. 

Key Features of India's 4G Stack — 

• End-to-End Indigenous Stack — Combines Tejas Networks' Radio Access Network, C-DOT's Core Network, and TCS integration, cutting reliance on foreign vendors. 

• Cloud Native Software Architecture — Enables scalability, rapid upgrades, and smooth migration to 5G. 

• Future-Proof Design — The network is 5G-ready, allowing upgrades without replacing existing infrastructure. 

• Nationwide Reach — Deployed across 92,000+ sites, bringing connectivity to 22 million citizens, including tribal and remote areas. 

Explanation - 
The EBP programme was launched by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas in 2003, to promote the use of alternative and environment friendly fuels. Under this programme, starting with 5% blending, the government later increased the target of 10% ethanol blending by 2022. India's goal is to grow this ratio to 20% by 2030, but when the NITI Aayog released the ethanol roadmap in 2021, that deadline was advanced to 2025. 

Explanation - 
First generation bioethanol plants utilise sugarcane juice and molasses, byproducts in the production of sugar, as raw material, while Second Generation plants utilise surplus biomass and agricultural waste to produce bio-ethanol. Third generation biofuel is made from algae. The fourth-generation biofuels combine genetically engineered feedstock with genomically synthesised microorganisms, such as cyanobacteria, to efficiently generate bioenergy, and they are made using non-arable land similar to third-generation biofuels.