Answer: C

Explanation:

• Kharg Island is located in the Persian Gulf, about 25–30 km off the coast of Iran. It serves as Iran’s main oil export terminal, and a large portion of the country’s crude oil exports are shipped from this island.


• Qeshm Island is a large island of Iran located near the Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf. It is considered the largest island in the Persian Gulf.


• Bahrain Island is part of a group of islands located in the Persian Gulf and is also the main island of the country Bahrain. Thus, all three places are located in the Persian Gulf.

Answer: C

Explanation:

• The Jnanpith Award is the most prestigious literary award in India. It was instituted in 1961 by the Bharatiya Jnanpith organization. This award is given to writers for outstanding literary contributions in the languages included in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution of India as well as in English.


• The award consists of a citation, a bronze statue of Vagdevi (Saraswati), and a cash prize. Generally, this honour is conferred only on living authors and is not awarded posthumously. Recently (for 2025), the renowned Tamil poet and lyricist Vairamuthu has been honoured with the Jnanpith Award. He is the third Tamil writer to receive this honour, earlier Akilan (1975) and Jayakanthan (2002) had received this award.

Answer: A

Explanation:

• Cold-water fisheries are mainly found in Himalayan and high-altitude regions, where cold-water rivers, lakes, and reservoirs are available. In India, this fisheries sector has particularly developed in Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, and the Northeastern states.


• Under this sector, high-value fish species such as Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout, and Mahseer are cultured. India has more than 278 species of cold-water fish, and they are associated with water resources spread across nearly 5.33 lakh sq km of mountainous terrain.


• To promote this sector, the government has encouraged investment under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) and has set the target of National Vision for Cold Water Fisheries 2030, aiming to increase employment opportunities, nutritional security, and fish production in mountainous regions. In contrast, coastal areas mainly practice marine fisheries, where fish species living in seawater are harvested and cultured.

Answer: A

Explanation:

• The main objective of the Samriddhi initiative is to increase the reach of digital services in rural areas. This initiative has been launched under the Samriddh Gram Phygital Services Pilot Initiative, which delivers services to rural citizens through a “Phygital” model, combining digital and physical services.


• Through these centres, several services are provided in rural areas, including e-governance services, digital payments, telemedicine, education support, agricultural advisory services, and other digital facilities.


• The initiative also utilizes broadband connectivity such as BharatNet to expand internet-based services in villages. Thus, the Samriddhi Kendra aims to promote digital inclusion in rural areas and provide multiple citizen services at a single location.

Answer: B

Explanation:

• The inscriptions found in a temple in Guntur district belong to the 15th century and are associated with the Gajapati dynasty, which ruled large parts of eastern India during that period.


• The Gajapati rulers of Odisha had a powerful kingdom, and their influence was not confined only to present-day Odisha. Their empire extended into parts of Andhra Pradesh and other regions of southern India.


• The discovery of these inscriptions in the Guntur region provides historical evidence that the administrative and cultural influence of the Gajapati dynasty extended into parts of Andhra Pradesh during the 15th century.


•