India Standardises 28 Ladakh Place Names on Survey of India Map

On 2 October 2026 the Centre identified 28 places and geographical features in Ladakh for standardisation on the official Survey of India map. The Ministry of Home Affairs carried out the exercise in consultation with the Union Territory administration of Ladakh, and the updated map was made available on the Survey of India website. The list covers peaks, mountains, passes, glaciers, a valley, a river, a lake and several land areas. The step follows a similar exercise for Arunachal Pradesh in August 2026 and matters for exams on federal map-making authority, border cartography and India's sovereignty position in its frontier regions.

What Happened

The Union Government identified 28 places and geographical features in Ladakh for standardisation on the official Survey of India map on 2 October 2026. The Ministry of Home Affairs completed the exercise in consultation with the Union Territory administration. The revised map carrying these standardised names was placed on the Survey of India website. The move gives a single official name to each of these features for all government records, maps and administrative use.

When & Where

The announcement came on 2 October 2026. The features lie across the Union Territory of Ladakh, India's northernmost territory. Ladakh sits in the trans-Himalayan cold desert belt, shares the Line of Actual Control with China to the north and east, and touches Pakistan-occupied territory to the west. Gogra, which appears in the list as a land area, lies in eastern Ladakh.

Who Is Involved

Ministry of Home Affairs — the nodal ministry that identified the 28 names for standardisation.
Union Territory of Ladakh administration — consulted throughout the exercise.
Survey of India — the national mapping agency that prepares and publishes the official map; it works under the Department of Science and Technology.
Department of Science and Technology — the administrative department for the Survey of India.
China — the neighbouring state whose own renaming of features in Indian territory forms the backdrop to this exercise.

How It Works

The Union Territory administration and central agencies collect local names, their spellings and the type of each feature, so that the record reflects usage on the ground.
The Ministry of Home Affairs examines the proposals and fixes one standard name and one feature type — peak, pass, glacier, valley, river, lake, water body or land area — for each entry.
The Survey of India, as the national mapping agency, plots the approved names on the official topographical map of Ladakh.
The updated map is published on the Survey of India website, which makes the standardised names the reference for all departments.
Once standardised, every ministry, court and official document uses the same name, which removes the variant spellings that weaken a legal or diplomatic record.

Why It Matters

Sovereignty and diplomacy: an official map with Indian names for Indian features is the documentary answer to any competing foreign naming of the same territory.
Administration: disaster relief, land records, revenue work and infrastructure planning all need one unambiguous name for each place.
Defence and security: troop movement, patrolling records and border talks rest on precise, agreed place names.
Federal structure: the exercise shows how the Centre and a Union Territory administration share work on a subject that touches national security.

Historical Background

The Survey of India is among the oldest scientific departments of the Government of India and has been the country's official map-making body since the colonial period. Ladakh was part of the former State of Jammu and Kashmir until it was carved out as a separate Union Territory on 31 October 2019. In August 2026 the Centre standardised the names of 27 places and geographical features in Arunachal Pradesh, using the same approach now applied to Ladakh.

Previous Related Events

31 October 2019: Ladakh came into existence as a Union Territory, separate from the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
August 2026: India standardised the names of 27 places and geographical features in Arunachal Pradesh on official records.
Recurring: China has periodically issued its own lists of renamed places in Arunachal Pradesh, which it calls "Zangnan", and India has rejected each such list.

Static GK Connection

Survey of India: the national mapping agency, responsible for topographical maps, geodetic data and official cartographic records, functioning under the Department of Science and Technology.
Union Territory: a territory administered directly by the Union Government through an Administrator or Lieutenant Governor; Ladakh is a Union Territory without a legislature.
Line of Actual Control: the de facto boundary separating Indian-administered areas from Chinese-administered areas, not a demarcated international border.
Cold desert: Ladakh's trans-Himalayan landscape lies in the rain shadow of the Great Himalayas, which gives it very low rainfall despite high altitude.

India & World Comparison

Most states maintain a national mapping agency with sole authority over official place names, and standardised naming is the accepted international practice for asserting administrative control over territory. India's own position is that maps published by other countries cannot alter the status of Indian territory, and it has consistently rejected Chinese renaming lists for Arunachal Pradesh. In India this authority rests with the Survey of India, while the Ministry of Home Affairs clears names in frontier areas in consultation with the state or Union Territory concerned.

Future Impact

Further rounds of standardisation are likely in other frontier areas, following the Arunachal Pradesh exercise of August 2026 and this Ladakh exercise of October 2026.
The standardised names will flow into revenue records, tourism material, defence documentation and school atlases over the coming years.
Each future Chinese renaming list will now be met with an Indian official map already carrying Indian names for the same features.
Updated topographical sheets will support infrastructure planning in eastern Ladakh, including road and connectivity projects.

🔑 Key Points for Revision

28 places and geographical features in Ladakh identified for standardisation on 2 October 2026.
Ministry of Home Affairs is the nodal ministry for the exercise.
Carried out in consultation with the Union Territory administration of Ladakh.
Survey of India is the national mapping agency and published the updated map.
Survey of India functions under the Department of Science and Technology.
List composition: ten peaks, three mountains, two passes, two glaciers, seven land areas.
Two passes standardised: Chapchingal Pass and Shachmirk Pass.
Two glaciers standardised: Parpik and Skamri.
Guru Rinpoche standardised as a lake; Yangpa as a river.
Shkorga standardised as a valley; Hot Spring as a water body.
Peaks include Atisha Giri, Kanishka Peak, Martand Giri, Zorawar Peak, Rinchen Zangpo.
Land areas include Gogra, Panglung, Brangsa, Kuksel, Dehra Compass, Kumarayana Point, Shamal Lungpa.
Ladakh became a Union Territory on 31 October 2019.
Arunachal Pradesh saw 27 places standardised in August 2026.
China calls Arunachal Pradesh "Zangnan" and India rejects its renaming lists.

🧠 Concept Link (Static GK Deep Dive)

Core Concept: Standardisation of Geographical Names and the Survey of India

Definition: Standardisation of geographical names is the process by which a government fixes one official name and one feature type for each place, so that every official map and record uses the same entry.
Constitutional / Legal Basis: Defence of India, foreign affairs and the regulation of Union Territories are Union subjects, which places frontier map-making and naming with the Union Government rather than with any state. The specific provision numbers are not given here.
Scientific / Economic Principle: Official mapping rests on geodesy and topographical survey — a fixed reference framework of latitude, longitude and elevation on which each named feature is plotted, so that the same point can be found again by any surveyor.
Link to this event: The 28 Ladakh names were fixed by the Ministry of Home Affairs and then plotted by the Survey of India on the official Ladakh map, which is exactly this process in action.
Origin & History: The Survey of India is one of the oldest scientific departments of the Government of India and has served as the national mapping agency since the colonial era; it is headquartered at Dehradun.
Key milestone 1: Ladakh became a Union Territory on 31 October 2019, which created a separate administration for the Centre to consult on such exercises.
Key milestone 2: The Centre standardised 27 place names in Arunachal Pradesh in August 2026, the immediate precedent for the Ladakh round.
Related Acts / Schemes / Treaties: The National Map Policy governs the preparation and release of official maps; the Line of Actual Control framework governs the India-China boundary question; border infrastructure programmes depend on these topographical sheets.
Nodal Ministry / Body: The Ministry of Home Affairs clears names in frontier areas; the Survey of India, under the Department of Science and Technology, publishes the map.
India-specific relevance: India's frontier with China is an undemarcated Line of Actual Control, which makes documentary evidence such as official maps and standardised names an important part of India's case.
Global comparison: Official naming authority sits with a national mapping agency in most countries, and a map published abroad does not change the legal status of territory under international practice.
Data point: 28 features were standardised in Ladakh in October 2026 and 27 in Arunachal Pradesh in August 2026.
Common exam angle: Examiners ask which ministry or department the Survey of India works under, the date Ladakh became a Union Territory, and the counts of standardised names.
Easy memory hook: "MHA names it, SoI maps it" — the Home Ministry fixes the name, the Survey of India draws it.

❓ Practice MCQs

Q1. How many places and geographical features in Ladakh were identified for standardisation on the Survey of India map in October 2026? [Easy]

A) 18

B) 24

C) 28

D) 32

Answer: C

Explanation: The Centre identified 28 places and geographical features in Ladakh for standardisation on 2 October 2026.

Q2. The Survey of India, which published the updated Ladakh map, functions under which department? [Easy]

A) Department of Science and Technology

B) Department of Space

C) Department of Land Resources

D) Department of Expenditure

Answer: A

Explanation: The Survey of India is the national mapping agency and works under the Department of Science and Technology.

Q3. Which ministry carried out the standardisation of the 28 Ladakh names in consultation with the Union Territory administration? [Moderate]

A) Ministry of External Affairs

B) Ministry of Earth Sciences

C) Ministry of Home Affairs

D) Ministry of Defence

Answer: C

Explanation: The Ministry of Home Affairs identified the names in consultation with the Union Territory administration of Ladakh.

Q4. Ladakh became a Union Territory on which date? [Moderate]

A) 5 August 2019

B) 31 October 2019

C) 9 August 2019

D) 26 January 2020

Answer: B

Explanation: Ladakh came into existence as a Union Territory on 31 October 2019.

Q5. Which pair represents the two mountain passes in the standardised Ladakh list? [Moderate]

A) Chapchingal Pass and Shachmirk Pass

B) Parpik and Skamri

C) Shkorga and Yangpa

D) Brangsa and Kuksel

Answer: A

Explanation: Chapchingal Pass and Shachmirk Pass are the two passes in the list, while Parpik and Skamri are the two glaciers.

Q6. Which of the following was standardised as a lake in the Ladakh list? [Tricky]

A) Hot Spring

B) Yangpa

C) Shkorga

D) Guru Rinpoche

Answer: D

Explanation: Guru Rinpoche was standardised as a lake, whereas Hot Spring was standardised as a water body, Yangpa as a river and Shkorga as a valley.

Q7. In August 2026, how many places and geographical features were standardised in Arunachal Pradesh? [Tricky]

A) 11

B) 28

C) 30

D) 27

Answer: D

Explanation: India standardised the names of 27 places and geographical features in Arunachal Pradesh in August 2026, a month before the Ladakh round of 28.

Q8. Which of the following correctly describes the October 2026 Ladakh exercise? [Tricky]

A) The Election Commission notified new constituency names in Ladakh.

B) The Centre identified 28 places and features for standardisation in consultation with the Union Territory administration.

C) The Ministry of External Affairs renamed 28 places inside Chinese territory.

D) The Survey of India created 28 new districts in Ladakh.

Answer: B

Explanation: The Ministry of Home Affairs identified 28 places and geographical features for standardisation in consultation with the Union Territory administration, and the Survey of India then published the map.

📜 Previous Year Question Style (PYQ)

PYQ 1:

The Survey of India, the national mapping agency that published the standardised Ladakh map, comes under which Union Ministry?

A) Ministry of Home Affairs

B) Ministry of Science and Technology

C) Ministry of Earth Sciences

D) Ministry of Defence

Answer: B

Explanation: The Survey of India functions under the Department of Science and Technology, which is a department of the Ministry of Science and Technology.

PYQ 2:

Consider the following statements:

The October 2026 standardisation of 28 Ladakh names was carried out in consultation with the Union Territory administration of Ladakh.
The Survey of India functions under the Ministry of Home Affairs.
Ladakh became a Union Territory on 31 October 2019.

Which of the above statements is/are correct?

A) 1 only

B) 1 and 3 only

C) 2 and 3 only

D) All of the above

Answer: B

Explanation: Statements 1 and 3 are correct. Statement 2 is wrong because the Survey of India works under the Department of Science and Technology, not the Ministry of Home Affairs.

PYQ 3:

Match the following features standardised in Ladakh with their feature type:

Skamri — a) Pass
Chapchingal — b) Glacier
Guru Rinpoche — c) River
Yangpa — d) Lake

Select the correct answer:

A) 1-b, 2-a, 3-d, 4-c

B) 1-a, 2-b, 3-c, 4-d

C) 1-b, 2-a, 3-c, 4-d

D) 1-d, 2-a, 3-b, 4-c

Answer: A

Explanation: Skamri is a glacier, Chapchingal is a pass, Guru Rinpoche is a lake and Yangpa is a river, as recorded in the standardised list.

✍️ Mains Answer Pointers

Question 1 (150 words): Why does the standardisation of place names in frontier regions matter for India's territorial position?

Standardisation matters because an official map carrying Indian names is documentary proof of administrative control, and documentary evidence is what counts when a boundary is undemarcated. India's frontier with China is a Line of Actual Control rather than a settled international border, so each side's records carry weight in talks. When the Centre identified 28 places and geographical features in Ladakh for standardisation on 2 October 2026, it added these entries to the Survey of India map and therefore to the official record of the Indian state.

The administrative value is just as real. Relief operations, land records, revenue work and road alignment all break down when one feature carries three spellings across three departments. A single standard name removes that friction.

The way forward is to extend the exercise steadily across all frontier districts, as was done for 27 Arunachal Pradesh names in August 2026, and to push the standardised names into atlases, revenue records and defence documentation.

Question 2 (250 words): Examine the institutional arrangement through which India fixes and publishes official geographical names, and assess its significance for governance and external relations.

India's arrangement separates two functions: deciding the name and drawing the map. The Ministry of Home Affairs clears names in frontier areas, working in consultation with the state or Union Territory administration concerned, while the Survey of India, the national mapping agency under the Department of Science and Technology, plots the approved names on the official topographical sheet. The Ladakh exercise of 2 October 2026, covering 28 places and geographical features, followed exactly this route.

Historically, the Survey of India has been the country's official map-making body since the colonial period, which gives its sheets a continuity that courts and departments rely on. The creation of Ladakh as a Union Territory on 31 October 2019 added a dedicated administration for the Centre to consult, and the August 2026 round of 27 names in Arunachal Pradesh showed the method working in a second frontier region.

For governance, the arrangement produces one name per feature across the whole government, which is the precondition for clean land records, workable disaster response and unambiguous infrastructure contracts. The breakdown of the Ladakh list — ten peaks, three mountains, two passes, two glaciers, seven land areas and individual entries such as Guru Rinpoche as a lake and Yangpa as a river — shows the level of detail involved.

Externally, the significance is sharper. China refers to Arunachal Pradesh as "Zangnan" and periodically publishes its own renamed lists, which India rejects. An official Indian map already carrying Indian names makes that rejection evidentiary rather than merely declaratory.

The sensible course is to complete the exercise across every frontier district and keep the published sheets current, while recognising that naming alone settles no boundary; it only strengthens the record on which a settlement will eventually rest.

⚠️ Examiner Trap

Trap 1: Students confuse the Survey of India's parent department with the ministry that cleared the names. The correct fact is that the Survey of India works under the Department of Science and Technology, while the Ministry of Home Affairs identified the 28 names.
Trap 2: A common wrong assumption is that Ladakh became a Union Territory on 5 August 2019, the date the reorganisation was announced in Parliament. The reality is that Ladakh came into existence as a Union Territory on 31 October 2019.
Trap 3: Many students miss the difference between the two 2026 standardisation rounds. Always remember that Arunachal Pradesh had 27 places standardised in August 2026, while Ladakh had 28 in October 2026.

India Standardises 28 Ladakh Place Names on Survey of India Map

What Happened

When & Where

Who Is Involved

Ministry of Home Affairs — the nodal ministry that identified the 28 names for standardisation.
Union Territory of Ladakh administration — consulted throughout the exercise.
Survey of India — the national mapping agency that prepares and publishes the official map; it works under the Department of Science and Technology.
Department of Science and Technology — the administrative department for the Survey of India.
China — the neighbouring state whose own renaming of features in Indian territory forms the backdrop to this exercise.

How It Works

The Union Territory administration and central agencies collect local names, their spellings and the type of each feature, so that the record reflects usage on the ground.
The Ministry of Home Affairs examines the proposals and fixes one standard name and one feature type — peak, pass, glacier, valley, river, lake, water body or land area — for each entry.
The Survey of India, as the national mapping agency, plots the approved names on the official topographical map of Ladakh.
The updated map is published on the Survey of India website, which makes the standardised names the reference for all departments.
Once standardised, every ministry, court and official document uses the same name, which removes the variant spellings that weaken a legal or diplomatic record.

Why It Matters

Sovereignty and diplomacy: an official map with Indian names for Indian features is the documentary answer to any competing foreign naming of the same territory.
Administration: disaster relief, land records, revenue work and infrastructure planning all need one unambiguous name for each place.
Defence and security: troop movement, patrolling records and border talks rest on precise, agreed place names.
Federal structure: the exercise shows how the Centre and a Union Territory administration share work on a subject that touches national security.

Historical Background

Previous Related Events

31 October 2019: Ladakh came into existence as a Union Territory, separate from the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
August 2026: India standardised the names of 27 places and geographical features in Arunachal Pradesh on official records.
Recurring: China has periodically issued its own lists of renamed places in Arunachal Pradesh, which it calls "Zangnan", and India has rejected each such list.

Static GK Connection

Survey of India: the national mapping agency, responsible for topographical maps, geodetic data and official cartographic records, functioning under the Department of Science and Technology.
Union Territory: a territory administered directly by the Union Government through an Administrator or Lieutenant Governor; Ladakh is a Union Territory without a legislature.
Line of Actual Control: the de facto boundary separating Indian-administered areas from Chinese-administered areas, not a demarcated international border.
Cold desert: Ladakh's trans-Himalayan landscape lies in the rain shadow of the Great Himalayas, which gives it very low rainfall despite high altitude.

India & World Comparison

Future Impact

Further rounds of standardisation are likely in other frontier areas, following the Arunachal Pradesh exercise of August 2026 and this Ladakh exercise of October 2026.
The standardised names will flow into revenue records, tourism material, defence documentation and school atlases over the coming years.
Each future Chinese renaming list will now be met with an Indian official map already carrying Indian names for the same features.
Updated topographical sheets will support infrastructure planning in eastern Ladakh, including road and connectivity projects.

🔑 Key Points for Revision

28 places and geographical features in Ladakh identified for standardisation on 2 October 2026.
Ministry of Home Affairs is the nodal ministry for the exercise.
Carried out in consultation with the Union Territory administration of Ladakh.
Survey of India is the national mapping agency and published the updated map.
Survey of India functions under the Department of Science and Technology.
List composition: ten peaks, three mountains, two passes, two glaciers, seven land areas.
Two passes standardised: Chapchingal Pass and Shachmirk Pass.
Two glaciers standardised: Parpik and Skamri.
Guru Rinpoche standardised as a lake; Yangpa as a river.
Shkorga standardised as a valley; Hot Spring as a water body.
Peaks include Atisha Giri, Kanishka Peak, Martand Giri, Zorawar Peak, Rinchen Zangpo.
Land areas include Gogra, Panglung, Brangsa, Kuksel, Dehra Compass, Kumarayana Point, Shamal Lungpa.
Ladakh became a Union Territory on 31 October 2019.
Arunachal Pradesh saw 27 places standardised in August 2026.
China calls Arunachal Pradesh "Zangnan" and India rejects its renaming lists.

🧠 Concept Link (Static GK Deep Dive)

Core Concept: Standardisation of Geographical Names and the Survey of India

Definition: Standardisation of geographical names is the process by which a government fixes one official name and one feature type for each place, so that every official map and record uses the same entry.
Constitutional / Legal Basis: Defence of India, foreign affairs and the regulation of Union Territories are Union subjects, which places frontier map-making and naming with the Union Government rather than with any state. The specific provision numbers are not given here.
Scientific / Economic Principle: Official mapping rests on geodesy and topographical survey — a fixed reference framework of latitude, longitude and elevation on which each named feature is plotted, so that the same point can be found again by any surveyor.
Link to this event: The 28 Ladakh names were fixed by the Ministry of Home Affairs and then plotted by the Survey of India on the official Ladakh map, which is exactly this process in action.
Origin & History: The Survey of India is one of the oldest scientific departments of the Government of India and has served as the national mapping agency since the colonial era; it is headquartered at Dehradun.
Key milestone 1: Ladakh became a Union Territory on 31 October 2019, which created a separate administration for the Centre to consult on such exercises.
Key milestone 2: The Centre standardised 27 place names in Arunachal Pradesh in August 2026, the immediate precedent for the Ladakh round.
Related Acts / Schemes / Treaties: The National Map Policy governs the preparation and release of official maps; the Line of Actual Control framework governs the India-China boundary question; border infrastructure programmes depend on these topographical sheets.
Nodal Ministry / Body: The Ministry of Home Affairs clears names in frontier areas; the Survey of India, under the Department of Science and Technology, publishes the map.
India-specific relevance: India's frontier with China is an undemarcated Line of Actual Control, which makes documentary evidence such as official maps and standardised names an important part of India's case.
Global comparison: Official naming authority sits with a national mapping agency in most countries, and a map published abroad does not change the legal status of territory under international practice.
Data point: 28 features were standardised in Ladakh in October 2026 and 27 in Arunachal Pradesh in August 2026.
Common exam angle: Examiners ask which ministry or department the Survey of India works under, the date Ladakh became a Union Territory, and the counts of standardised names.
Easy memory hook: "MHA names it, SoI maps it" — the Home Ministry fixes the name, the Survey of India draws it.

❓ Practice MCQs

Q1. How many places and geographical features in Ladakh were identified for standardisation on the Survey of India map in October 2026? [Easy]

A) 18

B) 24

C) 28

D) 32

Answer: C

Explanation: The Centre identified 28 places and geographical features in Ladakh for standardisation on 2 October 2026.

Q2. The Survey of India, which published the updated Ladakh map, functions under which department? [Easy]

A) Department of Science and Technology

B) Department of Space

C) Department of Land Resources

D) Department of Expenditure

Answer: A

Explanation: The Survey of India is the national mapping agency and works under the Department of Science and Technology.

Q3. Which ministry carried out the standardisation of the 28 Ladakh names in consultation with the Union Territory administration? [Moderate]

A) Ministry of External Affairs

B) Ministry of Earth Sciences

C) Ministry of Home Affairs

D) Ministry of Defence

Answer: C

Explanation: The Ministry of Home Affairs identified the names in consultation with the Union Territory administration of Ladakh.

Q4. Ladakh became a Union Territory on which date? [Moderate]

A) 5 August 2019

B) 31 October 2019

C) 9 August 2019

D) 26 January 2020

Answer: B

Explanation: Ladakh came into existence as a Union Territory on 31 October 2019.

Q5. Which pair represents the two mountain passes in the standardised Ladakh list? [Moderate]

A) Chapchingal Pass and Shachmirk Pass

B) Parpik and Skamri

C) Shkorga and Yangpa

D) Brangsa and Kuksel

Answer: A

Explanation: Chapchingal Pass and Shachmirk Pass are the two passes in the list, while Parpik and Skamri are the two glaciers.

Q6. Which of the following was standardised as a lake in the Ladakh list? [Tricky]

A) Hot Spring

B) Yangpa

C) Shkorga

D) Guru Rinpoche

Answer: D

Explanation: Guru Rinpoche was standardised as a lake, whereas Hot Spring was standardised as a water body, Yangpa as a river and Shkorga as a valley.

Q7. In August 2026, how many places and geographical features were standardised in Arunachal Pradesh? [Tricky]

A) 11

B) 28

C) 30

D) 27

Answer: D

Explanation: India standardised the names of 27 places and geographical features in Arunachal Pradesh in August 2026, a month before the Ladakh round of 28.

Q8. Which of the following correctly describes the October 2026 Ladakh exercise? [Tricky]

A) The Election Commission notified new constituency names in Ladakh.

B) The Centre identified 28 places and features for standardisation in consultation with the Union Territory administration.

C) The Ministry of External Affairs renamed 28 places inside Chinese territory.

D) The Survey of India created 28 new districts in Ladakh.

Answer: B

📜 Previous Year Question Style (PYQ)

PYQ 1:

The Survey of India, the national mapping agency that published the standardised Ladakh map, comes under which Union Ministry?

A) Ministry of Home Affairs

B) Ministry of Science and Technology

C) Ministry of Earth Sciences

D) Ministry of Defence

Answer: B

Explanation: The Survey of India functions under the Department of Science and Technology, which is a department of the Ministry of Science and Technology.

PYQ 2:

Consider the following statements:

The October 2026 standardisation of 28 Ladakh names was carried out in consultation with the Union Territory administration of Ladakh.
The Survey of India functions under the Ministry of Home Affairs.
Ladakh became a Union Territory on 31 October 2019.

Which of the above statements is/are correct?

A) 1 only

B) 1 and 3 only

C) 2 and 3 only

D) All of the above

Answer: B

Explanation: Statements 1 and 3 are correct. Statement 2 is wrong because the Survey of India works under the Department of Science and Technology, not the Ministry of Home Affairs.

PYQ 3:

Match the following features standardised in Ladakh with their feature type:

Skamri — a) Pass
Chapchingal — b) Glacier
Guru Rinpoche — c) River
Yangpa — d) Lake

Select the correct answer:

A) 1-b, 2-a, 3-d, 4-c

B) 1-a, 2-b, 3-c, 4-d

C) 1-b, 2-a, 3-c, 4-d

D) 1-d, 2-a, 3-b, 4-c

Answer: A

Explanation: Skamri is a glacier, Chapchingal is a pass, Guru Rinpoche is a lake and Yangpa is a river, as recorded in the standardised list.

✍️ Mains Answer Pointers

Question 1 (150 words): Why does the standardisation of place names in frontier regions matter for India's territorial position?

⚠️ Examiner Trap

Trap 1: Students confuse the Survey of India's parent department with the ministry that cleared the names. The correct fact is that the Survey of India works under the Department of Science and Technology, while the Ministry of Home Affairs identified the 28 names.
Trap 2: A common wrong assumption is that Ladakh became a Union Territory on 5 August 2019, the date the reorganisation was announced in Parliament. The reality is that Ladakh came into existence as a Union Territory on 31 October 2019.
Trap 3: Many students miss the difference between the two 2026 standardisation rounds. Always remember that Arunachal Pradesh had 27 places standardised in August 2026, while Ladakh had 28 in October 2026.