UPSC Quiz – 2026 : IASbaba’s Daily Current Affairs Quiz 30th September 2026

Solution (b)
Explanation: The Modhera Sun Temple is located in Mehsana district, Gujarat, on the banks of the Pushpavati River, and was constructed around 1025 CE during the reign of Solanki (Chaulukya) ruler Bhimadeva I. It is dedicated to Surya (Sun God) and exemplifies the Maru-Gurjara style, characterized by intricate sculptural ornamentation. Its major components include the Garbhagriha (sanctum), Sabhamandapa/Rangamandapa, and the Surya Kund/Rama Kund—a large stepped water tank with numerous miniature shrines. The temple is oriented eastward, with the rising Sun at the equinoxes illuminating the shrine through the mandapa, reflecting sophisticated astronomical and architectural planning. It is a protected monument under ASI and is not currently used for regular worship. Importantly, Modhera is on UNESCO’s Tentative List, not the World Heritage List—a critical distinction. Modhera also became India’s first 24×7 solar-powered village (Surya Gram) under an MNRE project with a 6 MW solar PV plant and 15 MWh battery storage, inaugurated in October 2022.
Why this question? The Tentative List vs. World Heritage List distinction and the Solanki vs. Chola attribution are high-value elimination traps.
Why important for UPSC? Temple architecture, dynastic patronage, UNESCO listings and heritage-linked renewable energy are recurring art-culture and environment themes.
PYQ Pattern Link: Similar to one-liner questions distinguishing UNESCO World Heritage Sites from Tentative List entries and attributing temples to correct dynasties.

Solution (b)
Explanation: Polylactic Acid (PLA) is a bio-based, biodegradable thermoplastic polymer produced from renewable feedstocks such as corn starch and sugarcane. Its production pathway is: glucose → fermentation → lactic acid → polymerisation → PLA. It is lightweight, thermoplastic, compostable/biodegradable under suitable conditions, and derived from renewable biological resources. Applications include food packaging and containers, medical sutures and biomedical applications, 3D-printing filaments, and other disposable products. Option (a) describes conventional petroleum-based plastics. Option (c) incorrectly frames PLA as a non-biodegradable additive. Option (d) describes natural biopolymers like alginate or agar, not PLA, which requires fermentation. India launched commercial use of PLA under the BioE3 (Biotechnology for Economy, Environment & Employment) framework. Balrampur Chini Mills Ltd. (BCML) is developing a 100-tonne-per-annum pilot-scale R&D facility at Kumbhi, Uttar Pradesh, supported by a ₹75 crore BIRAC grant; India’s first PLA demonstration facility was inaugurated at Jejuri, Pune, in 2024.
Why this question? The bio-based vs. petroleum-derived and biodegradable vs. non-biodegradable distinctions are the primary elimination axes.
Why important for UPSC? Bioplastics, bioeconomy and the BioE3 framework are emerging S&T-environment crossover themes.
PYQ Pattern Link: Similar to one-liner questions distinguishing biopolymers from synthetic plastics and identifying production pathways.

Solution (d)
Explanation: The Travel & Tourism Development Index (TTDI) is published by the World Economic Forum (WEF) in collaboration with Zurich Insurance Group, on a biennial basis, covering 110 economies in the 2026 edition. India ranked 31st, improving from 39th in 2024—a significant jump associated with its cost-competitive travel environment, cultural resources, natural assets, tourism infrastructure and air connectivity. Japan ranked 1st in 2026, followed by the United States, Spain, Australia and France. The TTDI measures the factors and policies enabling sustainable and resilient development of travel and tourism, across dimensions including enabling environment, travel & tourism policy and enabling conditions, infrastructure and services, demand drivers, and sustainability. Globally, 101 of 110 economies improved their scores between 2024 and 2026. However, India’s workforce skills, environmental sustainability and infrastructure quality remain important challenges. All three statements are accurate.
Why this question? Tests publisher, frequency, ranking and methodological dimensions—UPSC’s standard global-index format.
Why important for UPSC? Global indices, tourism economics and India’s competitiveness are recurring economy prelims themes.
PYQ Pattern Link: Similar to questions testing global index publishers, India’s rankings, and the parameters used in their methodology.

Solution (d)
Explanation: Begonia rajvikramanii is a new species of flowering plant identified by researchers from the Jawaharlal Nehru Tropical Botanic Garden and Research Institute (JNTBGRI) from the Rosemala forests of Kollam district, Kerala, in the Western Ghats, and formally described in Phytotaxa in September 2026. It belongs to the family Begoniaceae (order Cucurbitales), and the genus Begonia is one of the world’s largest flowering-plant genera, with around 2,200 accepted species. The species was found on wet rocky cliffs and road-cut walls at approximately 200–350 m elevation, flowering and fruiting from August to April. It is morphologically closest to Begonia tenera (found in India and Sri Lanka) but differs in diagnostic characters. Only about 200 mature individuals have been observed, occupying less than 5 km², with a preliminary IUCN-category assessment of Data Deficient (DD). The Western Ghats currently harbour about 23 Begonia species. It was named after R. Raj Vikraman, former Head of the Garden Management Division at JNTBGRI, recognizing his contribution to ex-situ plant conservation.
Why this question? Tests species discovery details plus the Data Deficient category and endemism statistics—a standard species-in-news format.
Why important for UPSC? Western Ghats endemism, new species discoveries and IUCN assessment categories are recurring environment prelims content.
PYQ Pattern Link: Similar to questions on new species discoveries in biodiversity hotspots and their preliminary conservation assessments.

Solution (c)
Explanation: A 1,700-year-old pyramid-shaped tomb was discovered at Bir Al-Shaghala in Egypt’s Dakhla Oasis, dating to the late 3rd/early 4th century CE. The tomb was built mainly of mudbrick with a pyramid-shaped superstructure, believed to have been used for a man and his wife, and reflects the interaction of Egyptian, Greek and Roman cultural traditions. A 14-step staircase leads to a sandstone entrance decorated with Egyptian hieroglyphic funerary spells, and a 19-line funerary elegy in Ancient Greek was found on a stone stele dedicated to a man named Pisechtes, who may have been a judge. Other finds include a sandstone offering table, purification basin, pottery, a bronze coin depicting Emperor Constantine, and imagery from Imy-Duat (Amduat), an ancient Egyptian funerary text. Dakhla Oasis, in Egypt’s Western Desert, had Mothis (modern Mut) as its capital during the Ptolemaic and Roman periods. The Livestock Insurance Portal, launched by the Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying (DAHD) on 28 September 2026, operates under the Livestock Insurance activity of the National Livestock Mission (NLM)—a Centrally Sponsored Scheme. It provides an end-to-end digital ecosystem connecting farmers, State Governments, insurance companies and implementing agencies, with functions including digital policy issuance, premium management, beneficiary verification and claim processing. It is available in Hindi, English and 11 regional languages, with more than 30 lakh animals insured during 2026.
Why this question? Combines history (cross-cultural funerary evidence) with economy-governance (digital livestock insurance) in a two-part format testing breadth.
Why important for UPSC? Archaeological discoveries and agricultural welfare schemes are both recurring prelims themes across different subject headings.
PYQ Pattern Link: Similar to questions on ancient cross-cultural archaeological findings and government digital portals under Centrally Sponsored Schemes.