Indian Geography

Chandigarh is unique as the capital city of both Punjab and Haryana, serving as their shared capital and a Union Territory. This arrangement was made after Punjab's reorganization in 1966. Srinagar (J&K), Shillong (Meghalaya), and Dispur (Assam) are single-state capitals.

Dehradun is the interim capital of Uttarakhand state, which was carved out of Uttar Pradesh in 2000. It has been part of Uttarakhand since the state's formation and serves as its administrative center.

Mussourie (also spelled Mussoorie) is approximately 35km from Dehradun and is the nearest hill station, often called Queen of the Hills. Shimla is in Himachal Pradesh, Nainital is in the Kumaon region of Uttarakhand, and Auli is a skiing destination much farther north in Uttarakhand.

The Rashtriya Indian Military College (RIMC) is located in Deolali, Nashik, Maharashtra, not in Dehradun. The Doon School, St. Thomas, and St. George's College are all well-known schools in Dehradun. RIMC is often confused with RIMC's sister institution or other military schools in Dehradun.

Harbhajan Singh was born in Jalandhar, Punjab. Option B spells it as 'Jalanthar' which appears to be a misspelling or OCR error, but Jalandhar is clearly the intended correct answer.

Jaldapara Wildlife Sanctuary is located in Jalpaiguri district of West Bengal. It is famous for its one-horned rhinoceros population and is situated in the foothills of the Eastern Himalayas. The sanctuary is part of the Terai ecosystem.

Ladakh is the largest Lok Sabha constituency in India by area, covering approximately 1,73,266 square kilometers. This is due to Ladakh's vast, mountainous terrain with sparse population. Kutch in Gujarat is large but smaller than Ladakh, while Kangra and Patna Sahib are significantly smaller in geographical extent.

The tourism phrase 'Paradise Unexplored' refers to North-east India, comprising the seven sister states plus Sikkim. This tagline was developed to promote the region's pristine natural beauty, diverse cultures, and relatively unexplored tourist destinations. The North-east offers stunning landscapes, unique traditions, and wildlife that remain largely untouched by mass tourism.

The Konkan Railway Network was the brainchild of three key leaders: Madhu Dandavate (who conceived the idea), George Fernandes (who as Railway Minister championed it), and Barrister Nath Pai (who strongly advocated for it). The question asks who was behind it, meaning these three were the key figures.

Sadashiv Peth is considered one of the largest and most prominent 'peths' (areas) in Pune, India. The peth system is a traditional way of dividing the city into neighborhoods. Shukrawar, Nana, and Raviwar Peth are other areas but not the largest.

National Highway 4 (NH-4) passes through Pune, connecting it to Mumbai in the west and continues towards Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh in the south-east. This was a major arterial route before the renumbering to NH 48.

College of Military Engineering (CME) is located in Dapodi, Pune. It is a premier training institution for the Indian Army Corps of Engineers. Khadakwasla is nearby but houses the National Defence Academy.

P.V. Narasimha Rao was born in Vangara village in Karimnagar district of Telangana (then part of Andhra Pradesh). He served as the 9th Prime Minister of India from 1991-1996.