Prelims Pinpointer 07-01-2026

Prelims

Somnath Temple

In News: 2026 marks 1,000 years since the 1026 CE attack by Mahmud of Ghazni.

Religious Significance

• Somnath Temple is one of the 12 Jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva.
• Often referred to as the “Eternal Shrine”.

Location

• Located at Prabhas Patan, near Veraval, in Saurashtra, Gujarat.
• Situated on the Arabian Sea coast.
• At the Triveni Sangam of Kapila, Hiran and Saraswati rivers.

Historical Milestones

• Attacked in 1026 CE by Mahmud of Ghazni.
• Historical records indicate multiple destructions and reconstructions.
• Rebuilt by rulers including Kumarapala (12th century) and Chudasama kings.
• Documented as destroyed six times and rebuilt each time.

Architecture

• Constructed in the Chaulukya (Solanki) architectural style.
• Features a shikhara, ornate stone carvings, and garbhagriha.
• Inscription mentions no landmass southwards till the South Pole.

Modern Reconstruction

• Reconstruction initiated by Vallabhbhai Patel after Independence.
• Rebuilt during 1947–1951 using traditional techniques.
• Inaugurated on 11 May 1951 by Rajendra Prasad.
• Currently managed by the Somnath Trust, chaired by the Prime Minister of India.

Parole and Furlough

Parole

• Parole involves temporary release with suspension of sentence.
• Release is conditional, with periodic reporting to authorities.
• Parole is not a prisoner’s right.
• Granted for specific reasons such as family emergencies.
• Can be denied in public interest, despite eligibility.

Furlough

• Furlough applies mainly to long-term imprisonment cases.
• Period spent on furlough is treated as sentence remission.
• Considered a matter of right, granted periodically.
• Granted without specific reasons to maintain social ties.

Common Provisions

• Both are reformative measures in prison administration.
• Aim to humanise the prison system.
• Governed under the Prisons Act, 1894.

Payments Regulatory Board (PRB).

In News

• First PRB meeting held in Mumbai, chaired by Sanjay Malhotra.
• Marks operationalisation of the new payments governance framework.

Legal Status

• PRB is a statutory body for payment systems regulation.
• Established under Section 3 of the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007.
• Came into force from 9 May 2025.
• Replaced the Board for Regulation and Supervision of Payment and Settlement Systems (BPSS).

Institutional Role

• PRB is the forum through which Reserve Bank of India exercises regulatory and supervisory powers over payment systems.

Composition

• Chairperson: RBI Governor.
• Includes RBI Deputy Governor (payments).
• Includes Central Government nominees.
• Includes domain experts in payments, fintech and cybersecurity.
• Includes officials linked to digital identity and payment infrastructure.

Core Functions

• Grants and regulates authorisation of payment systems.
• Prescribes technical, operational and security standards.
• Oversees risk management and settlement finality.
• Conducts inspection and enforcement under the PSS Act.

Global Environment Facility (GEF)

In News

• GEF approved US$52.8 million for four UNEP-led projects.
• Approval taken at the 70th GEF Council meeting.

About GEF

• • GEF is a multilateral environmental financing mechanism.
  • Provides grants and blended finance to developing countries.
  • Supports economies in transition.

• Establishment

• • Established in 1991.
  • Set up ahead of the 1992 Rio Earth Summit.

• Core Mandate

• • Supports country-driven projects with global environmental benefits.
  • Integrates action on climate change, biodiversity and land degradation.
  • Covers oceans, chemicals and pollution.

• Financial Mechanism For

• • Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).
  • UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
  • UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD).
  • Stockholm Convention on POPs.
  • Minamata Convention on Mercury.
  • BBNJ (Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction) Agreement.
  • Also supports the Montreal Protocol.

• Key Functions

• • • Provides grants and concessional financing.
    • Mobilises co-financing from public and private sources.
    • Supports capacity building and technology transfer.
    • Funds climate reporting under the Paris Agreement.

• Importance of the Body

• • Largest multilateral funder of biodiversity projects globally.
  • Has provided over US$26 billion in grants.
  • Mobilised over US$153 billion in co-financing.
  • Active in 160+ countries.
    

Popocatépetl Volcano

Context: Scientists obtained first 3D images from inside the volcano.

About the Volcano

• Basic Facts

• • • Name Popocatépetl means “Smoking Mountain” in Nahuatl.
    • Located in central Mexico, about 72 km southeast of Mexico City.
    • Lies on the border of México and Puebla states.

• Tectonic Setting

• • Part of the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt.
  • Formed due to Cocos Plate subducting beneath North American Plate.

• Volcanic Characteristics

• • Classified as a stratovolcano.
  • Elevation is 5,452 m above sea level.
  • Among Mexico’s most active volcanoes.
  • Eruptions recorded since 1519.
  • Considered one of the most dangerous volcanoes in the Pacific Ring of Fire.

Stratovolcano

• Stratovolcanoes are tall, steep, cone-shaped volcanoes.
• Commonly found at subduction zones.
• Dominant volcano type in the Ring of Fire.
• Account for about 60% of Earth’s volcanoes.
• Built from alternating lava and pyroclastic layers.
• Typically associated with explosive eruptions.
• Usually possess a small summit crater.

Aditya-L1 Mission

Context: On the second anniversary of Aditya-L1 reaching the Lagrangian point (L1), ISRO announced the first Announcement of Opportunity (AO) cycle soliciting proposals from Indian scientists for observations.

About the Mission

• Launch and Orbit
  • Aditya-L1 was launched using PSLV XL.
  • Launch site was Satish Dhawan Space Centre.
  • Mission placed in a halo orbit around the L1 Lagrangian Point.

• Mission Profile
  • Aditya-L1 is India’s first solar observatory mission.
  • It carries seven scientific payloads.
  • Mission performs multi-wavelength observations of the Sun.
• Payloads on Aditya-L1
  • Remote Sensing Payloads
    • VELC (Visible Emission Line Coronagraph) studies the solar corona and CME dynamics.
    • SUIT (Solar Ultra-violet Imaging Telescope) images the photosphere and chromosphere in near-UV.
    • SoLEXS (Solar Low Energy X-ray Spectrometer) observes soft X-ray solar flares.
    • HEL1OS (High Energy L1 Orbiting X-ray Spectrometer) observes hard X-ray solar flares.
  • In-situ Payloads
    • ASPEX (Aditya Solar Wind Particle Experiment) studies solar wind and energetic ions.
    • PAPA (Plasma Analyser Package for Aditya) analyses plasma properties in interplanetary space.
    • MAG (Advanced Tri-axial High-Resolution Digital Magnetometers) measures interplanetary magnetic field.
    • Magnetometer sensors placed on a 6-metre deployable boom.

Capabilities of Aditya-L1

• Provides first spatially resolved solar disk images in near-UV band.
• Observes CME dynamics close to the solar disk (~1.05 solar radius).
• Enables study of CME acceleration region.
• Equipped with onboard intelligence for detecting CMEs and solar flares.
• Studies directional and energy anisotropy of solar wind.
• Uses multi-directional observations of solar wind.

Major Scientific Objectives

• Studies coronal heating mechanisms.
• Examines solar wind acceleration processes.
• Investigates initiation of CMEs and solar flares.
• Analyses Sun–Earth space weather interactions.
• Studies solar atmosphere coupling and dynamics.

Calamaria Mizoramensis

 

Context: A new reed snake species was discovered in Mizoram. The species is named Calamaria mizoramensis after the state.

Species Profile

• Calamaria mizoramensis is a non-venomous reed snake.
• It belongs to the genus Calamaria.
• Family classification: Colubridae.

Habitat and Behaviour

• The species is nocturnal and semi-fossorial.
• Inhabits humid, forested hill regions.
• Recorded at elevations between 670 and 1,295 metres.
• Found in areas close to human settlements.

Physical Characteristics

• Small-sized snake with dark brown to blackish coloration.
• Displays faint body stripes.
• Underside is yellow in colour.

Distribution

• Confirmed occurrence limited to Mizoram.
• Presence in Manipur, Nagaland and Assam remains unverified.

Reed Snakes

• Reed snakes are small, slender and non-venomous.
• They are native to South and Southeast Asia.
• Prefer moist forests and leaf-litter habitats.
• Commonly found under logs, stones and soil.
• Mostly fossorial or semi-fossorial in nature.
• Feed on small, soft-bodied invertebrates.