12th November 2026

Explanation - The Archaeological Survey of India, established in 1861 is an attached office under the Ministry of Culture dedicated to the protection, preservation and conservation of the national monuments. The present organisation is the successor of ‘The Asiatic Society of India’, which was founded in its current form in 1861 by Sir Alexander Cunningham with the help of the then Viceroy Canning.

Explanation - The festival is celebrated every year on the second day of Hiyangei month of the Meitei calendar. Ningol means ‘married woman’ and Chakouba means ‘invitation for feast’; so the festival is the one where the married women are invited to their parents’ home for a feast. History of Ningol Chakouba — It dates back to the time when King Nongda Lairen Pakhangba ruled in Manipur. The Queen Laisana used to invite her brother Poireiton to the King’s palace for a feast once in a year. So, it was known as Piba (brother/son) Chakouba rather than Ningol Chakouba. The tradition changed during the time of King Chadrakirti Singh (1831-1886) in the 19th century. He invited his sisters for the feast as it was difficult for him to visit their places in one day. Thus, the tradition changed to Ningol Chakouba since then and continued to become an integral part of Manipur’s rich culture and heritage. The main component of the festival is the visit of married sisters to their maternal homes for grand feast and joyous reunion followed by giving away the gifts. It is customary for the son of the family to extend a formal invitation to his sister for Ningol Chakkouba a week before the gathering. The festival is held today outside Manipur where Manipuris are settled. The essence is to strengthen the bond of affection among the brothers and sisters, daughters and parents of a family.

Explanation - Spanning from the 17th to 19th centuries CE, this extraordinary network of twelve forts demonstrates the strategic military vision and architectural ingenuity of the Maratha Empire. These 12 forts are spread across the states of Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu, which include Salher, Shivneri, Lohgad, Khanderi, Raigad, Rajgad, Pratapgad, Suvarnadurg, Panhala, Vijaydurg, and Sindhudurg in Maharashtra, along with Gingee Fort in Tamil Nadu. Among these forts Shivneri fort, Lohgad, Raigad, Suvarnadurg, Panhala fort, Vijaydurg, Sindhudurg and Gingee fort are protected under the Archaeological Survey of India and Salher fort, Rajgad, Khanderi fort and Pratapgarh are protected by the Directorate of Archaeology and Museums, Government of Maharashtra. These are located across a range of diverse terrains—from coastal outposts to hilltop strongholds. Salher, Shivneri, Lohgad, Raigad, Rajgad, and Gingee are situated in hilly terrains and are therefore known as hill forts. Pratapgad, nestled within dense woods, is classified as a hill-forest fort. Panhala, located on a plateaued hill, is a hill-plateau fort. Vijaydurg, positioned along the shoreline, is a notable coastal fort, while Khanderi, Suvarnadurg, and Sindhudurg, surrounded by the sea, are recognized as island forts.

Explanation - The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) is a regional economic forum established in 1989 to leverage the growing interdependence of the Asia-Pacific. APEC’s 21 members aim to create greater prosperity for the people of the region by promoting balanced, inclusive, sustainable, innovative and secure growth and by accelerating regional economic integration. Only India is not the member of APEC.

Explanation - Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) was set up as autonomous body under the IRDA Act, 1999. It is mandated protect the interests of policyholders, to regulate, promote and ensure orderly growth of the insurance industry and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto. IRDA is the apex body that supervises and regulates the insurance sector in India. It functions under the Ministry of Finance.

Functions —

• To safeguard the policyholder's interest while ensuring a fair and just treatment.
• To have a fair regulation of the insurance industry while ensuring financial soundness of the applicable laws and regulations.
• Registering and regulating insurance companies;
• Licensing and establishing norms for insurance intermediaries;
• Promoting professional organisations in insurance;
• Regulating and overseeing premium rates and terms of non-life insurance covers;
• Specifying financial reporting norms of insurance companies;
• Regulating investment of policyholders' funds by insurance companies;
• Ensuring the maintenance of solvency margin by insurance companies;
• Ensuring insurance coverage in rural areas and of vulnerable sections of society.