Current Affairs Anmol vachan UPSC PSC

(D) None 1. INS Dunagiri (correct) Class & Project: Project 17A (Nilgiri-class) Stealth Guided-Missile Frigate. Builder: Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE), Kolkata. Key Features: Built with advanced stealth features, radar-transparent materials, and automated platform management systems. It is named after a mountain range in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district (continuing the heritage of the erstwhile Leander-class frigate INS Dunagiri). 2. INS Sanshodhak (correct) Class & Project: Survey Vessel – Large (SVL) of the Sandhayak class. Builder: Built by L&T Shipbuilding in partnership with GRSE. Key Features: Sanshodhak (meaning "Researcher") is the fourth and final ship of the SVL project. Designed for hydrographic surveys of ocean depths, coastal waters, and navigational channels, it also possesses secondary capabilities for search-and-rescue (SAR) and hospital ship operations. 3. INS Agray (correct) Class & Project: Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft (ASW SWC) of the Arnala class. Builder: Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE). Key Features: Designed to replace the aging Abhay-class corvettes, these vessels are engineered for anti-submarine operations in coastal waters, low-intensity maritime operations (LIMO), and mine-laying missions. It reuses the name of the decommissioned Abhay-class corvette INS Agray.

Option (A) Kadmat — Lakshadweep — Pavona clavus (Correct) Location: Kadmat Island is an inhabited coral island belonging to the Amindivi subgroup of the Lakshadweep archipelago. The Discovery: Marine biologists and researchers discovered a massive, contiguous living hard coral patch off the coast of Kadmat. Geographical Extent: Spanning over 4,250 square meters, this formation is one of the largest single continuous coral colonies recorded in the Indian Ocean region. The Species (Pavona clavus): Commonly known as shoulder coral or potato coral, Pavona clavus belongs to the family Agariciidae. Because its growth form forms large, rounded, nodular, or pillow-like mass structures resembling potatoes lying on the ocean floor, marine researchers designated this unique site as the "Potato Patch". Option (B) Kavaratti — Andaman & Nicobar — Pavona clavus (Incorrect) Mismatched Union Territory: Kavaratti is the administrative capital of Lakshadweep, not the Andaman & Nicobar Islands. Wrong Location: While Kavaratti has extensive lagoon reef systems, the specific contiguous "Potato Patch" formation was mapped off Kadmat Island. Option (C) Minicoy — Lakshadweep — Mangrove colony (Incorrect) Habitat Mismatch: Minicoy is the southernmost island of Lakshadweep, known for its distinct culture and lagoon reefs, but Lakshadweep's coral islands lack extensive mangrove forest ecosystems due to sandy, highly permeable porous substrate. Wrong Feature: The "Potato Patch" is a stony coral (Scleractinia) reef structure, not a botanical mangrove ecosystem. Option (D) Agatti — Gulf of Mannar — Pavona clavus (Incorrect) Mismatched Region: Agatti Island is located in Lakshadweep, whereas the Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve is a separate marine protected area located off the southeastern coast of Tamil Nadu. Wrong Association: Although Pavona species exist across the Indo-Pacific region, the specific "Potato Patch" designation is exclusive to Kadmat Island in Lakshadweep.