27th October 2025

Explanation - NOTAM is an official alert issued to pilots and airlines about temporary changes or hazards in flight operations—such as airspace closures, route changes, or construction—that may affect flight safety or planning. In India, NOTAMs are issued by the Airports Authority of India (AAI), not the DGCA. These notices are distributed through international aviation networks to inform pilots and airlines globally. 

Explanation - National Unity Day, or Rashtriya Ekta Diwas, is observed on October 31st every year to commemorate the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. It was introduced by the Government of India in 2014. One of the key highlights is the Run for Unity, a nationwide marathon. While the day celebrates Sardar Patel's role in uniting princely states, it specifically marks his birth anniversary, not the anniversary of political integration itself. 

Explanation - Foxnut (Makhana) is primarily cultivated in Bihar and West Bengal, with Bihar being particularly well-known for its extensive cultivation. Foxnut is an aquatic crop, and its seeds are widely used in traditional Indian medicine and cuisine. The seeds are known for their high protein and low-fat content. Foxnut farming typically does not require heavy use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides, and is often grown in a relatively organic manner in water bodies. 

Explanation - Network Survey Vehicle is a specialised infrastructure management tool equipped with advanced sensors including Laser, GPS, Video image processing tools, High-resolution cameras, Inertial Measurement Units (IMU), and DMI. The survey captures 13 types of defects and also details like carriageway type, road type, pavement and shoulder width, topography, median details, right of way, utilities, and land use. Data collected is uploaded on NHAI's 'AI' based portal Data Lake for analysis. The data is not used exclusively for real-time traffic management, but for pavement maintenance, asset management, and infrastructure planning. 

Explanation - The Gyan Bharatam Mission aims to identify, document, conserve, digitise, and promote India's manuscript heritage through a systematic and technology-driven approach. The mission's core mandate is to create a National Digital Repository (NDR), a centralised digital platform to make manuscripts accessible to scholars and the public across the world. The NDR will serve as India's largest knowledge archive, hosting digital copies of manuscripts sourced from universities, monasteries, libraries, and research institutes. 

The mission categorises participating institutions as Cluster Centres (managing activities for themselves and up to 20 partner centres) and Independent Centres (focusing on their own collections). Each centre establishes a dedicated "Gyan Bharatam Cell" comprising experts in linguistics, conservation, digitisation, and research to act as the nodal communication and implementation teams.