Answer: (a)

Option (a) is correct.

Explanation: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the BAPS Swaminarayan temple in Abu Dhabi, the first Hindu temple in the Gulf nation.

Statement 1 is correct: The temple has been built by the Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS), a denomination of the Swaminarayan Sampradaya, a Vaishnav sect of Hinduism. BAPS has a network of around 1,550 temples across the world, including the Akshardham temples in New Delhi and Gandhinagar, and Swaminarayan temples in London, Houston, Chicago, Atlanta, Toronto, Los Angeles, and Nairobi.

Statement 2 is not correct: The Abu Dhabi temple is a traditional stone Hindu temple with seven shikhars. Built in the traditional Nagar style, the temple’s front panel depicts universal values, stories of harmony from different cultures, Hindu spiritual leaders and avatars. The temple has two central domes, Dome of Harmony and Dome of Peace, emphasizing human coexistence through the carvings of earth, water, fire, air, and plants.

Answer: (d)

Option (d) is correct.

Explanation:

• • State Fruit Recognition: The Assam government has designated ‘Kaji Nemu’ (citrus lemon) as the official state fruit of Assam.

• Cultivation and Production: Assam lemon cultivation spans over 15,000 hectares, yielding an average annual production exceeding 1 lakh metric tonnes.

• Distinctive Characteristics:

• • The oval-shaped Kaji Nemu is notably juicier compared to other lemon varieties.
  • It is primarily utilized for culinary and commercial purposes, valued for its medicinal properties.
  • GI Tag: The GI-tagged lemon has garnered attention from international markets such as the United Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates.
• Citrus Diversity in Assam: Assam boasts 16 species and 52 varieties of citrus hybrids, with Kaji Nemu being grown across all districts and available year-round.

Answer: (d)

Option (d) is correct.

Explanation:

Russian police have put Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, Lithuania’s culture minister and members of the previous Latvian parliament on a wanted list, according to the Russian Interior Ministry’s database.

• Estonia: To the east Estonia is bounded by Russia, predominantly by the Narva River and Lakes Peipus. 
• Latvia: It lies along the shores of the Baltic Sea and the Gulf of Riga, and it is bounded by Estonia to the north, Russia to the east, Belarus to the southeast, and Lithuania to the south.
• Lithuania: It is bounded by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, Poland and the detached Russian oblast of Kaliningrad to the southwest, and the Baltic Sea to the west.
• Belarus: It is a landlocked country bordered by Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest, by Russia to the north and east, by Ukraine to the south, and by Poland to the west.
• Poland: It is bordered to the north by the Baltic Sea, to the northeast by Russia and Lithuania, and to the east by Belarus and Ukraine.

Answer: (a)

Option (a) is correct.

Explanation: Recently, the Indian government signed a formal request to join the International Energy Agency (IEA).

• • About IEA: It was created in 1974 to help coordinate a collective response to major disruptions in the supply of oil. 
  • IEA Member Countries: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovak Republic, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Türkiye, United Kingdom, United States.
  • Accession Countries: Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Israel, Latvia.

• Association Countries: Argentina, Brazil, China, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Morocco, Senegal, Singapore, South Africa, Thailand, Ukraine

Answer: (c)

Option (c) is correct.

Explanation: The Tamil Nadu government has declared 80,114.80 hectares of reserve forests in Bargur Hills in Erode district, as the Thanthai Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary.

Statement 1 is correct: It is one of the tiger corridors identified by the National Tiger Conservation Authority, and is home to a number of tigers. The region is also part of the Nilgiris Elephant Reserve and is home to elephants and the Indian Gaur. 

Statement 2 is correct: The Thanthai Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary in Bargur Hills, Erode district, will serve as a protected corridor for the movement of tiger and elephants from the Western Ghats to the Eastern Ghats. This stretch of protected forests, links the Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve with Cauvery South Wildlife Sanctuary. It is located between the Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve of Tamil Nadu and the Male Mahadeshwara Wildlife Sanctuary and the Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary of Karnataka.