Answer (c): Both 1 and 2. Stand Up India Scheme launched April 2016 by PM Modi.

• S1 CORRECT — the scheme's primary aim is to PROMOTE ENTREPRENEURSHIP among SC/ST and WOMEN entrepreneurs through bank loans between ₹10 lakh and ₹1 crore for greenfield enterprises ✓.
• S2 CORRECT — the scheme provides REFINANCE through SIDBI (initially ₹10,000 crore window) ✓.

Both statements accurately describe the scheme.

Answer (b): 2 only. GIAHS (Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems) is an FAO initiative to identify and safeguard TRADITIONAL agricultural systems.

• S1 WRONG — GIAHS does NOT aim to provide modern technology to 'greatly enhance productivity'. Its essence is the OPPOSITE: conserving traditional practices (not modernising them). Statement inverts GIAHS's philosophy.
• S2 CORRECT — GIAHS explicitly identifies and safeguards ECO-FRIENDLY TRADITIONAL FARM PRACTICES, landscapes, agricultural biodiversity, and local knowledge systems ✓.
• S3 WRONG — GIAHS does NOT provide Geographical Indication status (GI is a separate IPR mechanism under the GI Act).

Answer (d): 1, 2 and 3. All three are right-bank tributaries of the Brahmaputra in Arunachal Pradesh:

• 1. Dibang ✓ — joins Brahmaputra near Sadiya (Assam).
• 2. Kameng ✓ — rises in Tawang, joins Brahmaputra downstream.
• 3. Lohit ✓ — joins Brahmaputra near Sadiya (along with Dibang and Siang to form the Brahmaputra proper).

All three are classical Brahmaputra tributaries.

Answer (a): 1 only.

• S1 CORRECT — Core Banking Solutions (CBS) is precisely a NETWORKING of a bank's branches enabling customers to operate accounts FROM ANY BRANCH regardless of where they opened their account ✓. 'Anywhere banking' is the defining CBS feature.
• S2 WRONG — CBS is NOT about RBI's control over commercial banks. CBS is a commercial-banking IT system implemented by each bank independently.
• S3 WRONG — CBS has NOTHING to do with NPA takeover procedures (that's resolution/merger frameworks like IBC, PCA).

Answer (c): 3 only.

• S1 WRONG — 'Annex-I Countries' is a term from the UNFCCC (developed nations with GHG reduction commitments), NOT Cartagena Protocol (which deals with biosafety/LMOs).
• S2 WRONG — 'Certified Emissions Reductions' (CERs) are generated under the Clean Development Mechanism of the KYOTO PROTOCOL, NOT Nagoya Protocol (which deals with access and benefit sharing of genetic resources).
• S3 CORRECT — Clean Development Mechanism is correctly a feature of the KYOTO PROTOCOL ✓.

Answer (b): the full range of mRNA molecules expressed by an organism. TRANSCRIPTOME = the complete set of RNA TRANSCRIPTS (especially mRNA) produced by a cell/organism at a given time. Study is called 'transcriptomics'; reveals which genes are actively expressed.

• (a) Wrong — that describes CRISPR/restriction enzymes (genome editing tools).
• (c) Wrong — 'mechanism of gene expression' is broader than transcriptome.
• (d) Wrong — that describes mutagenesis, not transcriptome.

Answer (a): immunization of children and pregnant women. Mission Indradhanush launched December 2014 by Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to accelerate IMMUNIZATION coverage (initially to 90% by 2020). Targets CHILDREN under 2 years and PREGNANT WOMEN. Covers 7 vaccine-preventable diseases (polio, measles, tuberculosis, diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, hepatitis B) — later expanded to include rotavirus, rubella, JE.

• (b) Smart Cities Mission is separate.
• (c) Exoplanet search is NASA/ISRO astronomy.
• (d) NEP is education policy.

Answer (c): 3 only. Green India Mission (GIM), one of 8 missions under National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC, 2008).

• S1 WRONG — GIM is NOT about 'green accounting' (that's Natural Capital Accounting framework, separate initiative).
• S2 WRONG — GIM is NOT the Second Green Revolution (which is about agricultural productivity). GIM is a FOREST-focused mission, not agriculture.
• S3 CORRECT — GIM's core aim is RESTORING AND ENHANCING FOREST COVER and responding to CLIMATE CHANGE through ADAPTATION AND MITIGATION measures — exactly GIM's mandate ✓.

Answer (c): 1, 2 and 4. FSSAI's Food Safety and Standards (Packaging and Labelling) Regulations 2011 mandate display on main label:

• S1 CORRECT — List of ingredients including additives ✓.
• S2 CORRECT — Nutrition information (per 100 g/100 ml) ✓.
• S3 WRONG — Medical profession allergen recommendations are NOT mandated on the main label (only declaration of known allergens is required).
• S4 CORRECT — Vegetarian/Non-vegetarian symbol (green dot / brown dot) is MANDATORY ✓.

Answer (b): wireless communication technology. Project Loon was Google's (Alphabet/X lab) initiative to provide INTERNET ACCESS TO REMOTE AREAS via a network of HIGH-ALTITUDE BALLOONS floating in the stratosphere (~18-20 km altitude). Discontinued in 2021, but in 2016 news context it was an active wireless-communication project.

• (a), (c), (d) — balloon-based internet has no direct waste/solar/water role.

Answer (a): production and use of solar energy by the households/consumers. NET METERING is a billing mechanism that credits SOLAR ROOFTOP PV owners for the electricity they add to the grid. A household with solar panels exports surplus power to the grid during daytime; their meter 'runs backwards' (or credits them). Net bill = consumption − export. Promotes distributed solar generation.

• (b) PNG is different utility.
• (c) CNG kits unrelated.
• (d) Water metering is municipal.

Answer (c): World Bank. The 'Ease of Doing Business' ranking was published by the WORLD BANK in its annual DOING BUSINESS REPORT (2003-2020, discontinued thereafter). Ranked countries on regulatory environment: starting a business, getting permits, credit, taxes, contract enforcement etc.

• (a) OECD — publishes its own surveys, not EoDB.
• (b) WEF — publishes Global Competitiveness Report.
• (d) WTO — trade body, not business-ranking publisher.

Answer (d): traders. BANJARAS were a nomadic community of medieval India who served as ITINERANT TRADERS, primarily transporting bulk goods — salt, grain, cattle, and other commodities — across long distances on pack-oxen (bullock trains). They were crucial for pre-modern Indian commerce, especially for armies on the move (grain supply). Not agriculturists, warriors, or weavers primarily.

Answer (b): James Prinsep. James Prinsep (1799-1840), British officer of the East India Company and Secretary of Asiatic Society of Bengal, DECIPHERED the BRAHMI and KHAROSHTHI scripts in 1837, thus unlocking the EDICTS OF EMPEROR ASHOKA for the first time. This was a major breakthrough in Indian archaeology.

• (a) Georg Bühler — Indologist who later systematised Brahmi study.
• (c) Max Muller — Sanskrit scholar, Vedic studies.
• (d) William Jones — founded Asiatic Society 1784; Sanskrit/PIE linguistics.

Answer (b): 2 only.

• S1 WRONG — Gram Nyayalayas established under the Gram Nyayalaya Act 2008 can hear BOTH CIVIL AND CRIMINAL cases (of petty/local nature), not just civil. They handle specified offences under IPC and matters under Schedule II.
• S2 CORRECT — The Act provides for using LOCAL SOCIAL ACTIVISTS as mediators/conciliators to promote amicable settlement of disputes ✓.

Answer (d): Neither 1 nor 2.

• S1 WRONG — TPP (Trans-Pacific Partnership, 2015) was NOT an agreement among ALL Pacific Rim countries except China and Russia. TPP had 12 specific signatories (US, Japan, Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, Vietnam) — many Pacific Rim countries were absent. 'All Pacific Rim except China/Russia' is inaccurate.
• S2 WRONG — TPP is a TRADE AGREEMENT covering tariffs, services, investment, IPR, labour, environment — NOT a 'strategic alliance for maritime security only'. Security is explicitly NOT TPP's focus.

Answer (a): 1 only.

• S1 CORRECT — The 3rd India-Africa Forum Summit was held in New Delhi in October 2015 (after the 2008 Delhi and 2011 Addis Ababa summits) ✓.
• S2 WRONG — The India-Africa Summit format was NOT initiated by Nehru in 1951. The India-Africa Forum Summit series formally began in 2008. (India did engage with Africa since independence — Bandung 1955, NAM — but the formal 'Summit' series started 2008.)

Answer (c): Both 1 and 2. Marginal Cost of Funds based Lending Rate (MCLR), introduced by RBI in April 2016 replacing the Base Rate regime.

• S1 CORRECT — MCLR guidelines help improve TRANSPARENCY in bank lending-rate methodology (banks must disclose the MCLR formula components) ✓.
• S2 CORRECT — MCLR helps ensure bank credit at FAIR INTEREST RATES for borrowers and banks — faster transmission of RBI policy rate changes to lending rates ✓.

Answer (a): 1 and 2 only. KHARAI CAMEL is a unique indigenous camel breed of Gujarat (Kutch district), recognized by NBAGR in 2015.

• S1 CORRECT — can SWIM up to 3 KM IN SEAWATER to reach offshore islands (bet) for grazing ✓.
• S2 CORRECT — survives primarily by GRAZING ON MANGROVES (Avicennia marina) — unique among camel breeds ✓.
• S3 WRONG — Kharai camels are DOMESTICATED by the Maldharis/Fakirani Jats/Rabari pastoralists of Kutch — NOT wild/un-domesticable.

Answer (a): Andaman Islands. Musa indandamanensis — a new giant banana species, ~11 m tall with orange-fleshed fruit, discovered in the ANDAMAN ISLANDS (Krishna Nala area, South Andaman) by Botanical Survey of India in 2014. Named after the Andamans. Very niche news item.

• (b) Anaimalai Forests — Western Ghats, different biodiversity.
• (c) Maikala Hills — central India.
• (d) NE tropical rain forests — not the discovery location.

Answer (c): Torpedo launch and recovery vessel. INS Astradharini is a specialised Indian Navy vessel commissioned in 2015 for TORPEDO LAUNCH AND RECOVERY TRIALS. Designed and built indigenously; operates from Visakhapatnam under Naval Science & Technological Laboratory (NSTL).

• (a), (b), (d) misdescribe its role.

Answer (a): Electric plane tested by NASA. Greased Lightning-10 (GL-10) was NASA's experimental TILT-WING, 10-MOTOR, DISTRIBUTED ELECTRIC PROPULSION aircraft — capable of vertical takeoff and transitioning to horizontal flight. Tested at NASA Langley in 2015. A milestone in electric aviation.

• (b) Wrong — not Japan.
• (c) Wrong — not Chinese observatory.
• (d) Wrong — not ISRO rocket.

Answer (c): 1 and 2 only. INSIMP (Initiative for Nutritional Security through Intensive Millets Promotion), a sub-mission under NFSM:

• S1 CORRECT — aim is to demonstrate IMPROVED PRODUCTION AND POST-HARVEST TECHNOLOGIES and VALUE ADDITION with CLUSTER APPROACH ✓.
• S2 CORRECT — POOR, SMALL, MARGINAL AND TRIBAL FARMERS have a LARGER STAKE because millets grow best on marginal lands where they live ✓.
• S3 WRONG — INSIMP does NOT encourage farmers of COMMERCIAL CROPS TO SHIFT TO MILLETS with 'free kits'. It promotes millet cultivation in existing millet-growing areas, not crop-shifting incentives.

Answer (a): agitation against the Partition of Bengal. The SWADESHI MOVEMENT (1905-1911) was triggered by Curzon's Partition of Bengal (October 1905). BOYCOTT of British goods and SWADESHI (promotion of indigenous products) were adopted for the FIRST TIME as struggle methods during this movement — the Anti-Partition Agitation. Leaders: Surendranath Banerjee, Bipin Chandra Pal, Aurobindo Ghosh.

• (b) Home Rule Movement (1916) — used political demands, not boycott as method.
• (c) NCM (1920-22) — used boycott but NOT the first time (Swadeshi had done it earlier).
• (d) Simon Commission protests (1928) — boycott of Commission, not of goods.

Answer (b): 2 and 3 only.

• S1 WRONG — Bodhisattva concept is central to MAHAYANA Buddhism, NOT Hinayana (Theravada). Hinayana emphasizes the ARHAT (individual liberation) as the ideal. The setter has swapped Mahayana and Hinayana.
• S2 CORRECT — Bodhisattva is the COMPASSIONATE ONE on his way to enlightenment — the ideal Mahayana figure ✓.
• S3 CORRECT — Bodhisattva DELAYS his own salvation to help ALL SENTIENT BEINGS on their path to enlightenment (the Bodhisattva vow) ✓.

Answer (b): a non-governmental international organization. Médecins Sans Frontières / Doctors Without Borders (founded 1971, Paris) is an INDEPENDENT INTERNATIONAL NGO providing medical humanitarian assistance in conflict zones, epidemics, and natural disasters. Won Nobel Peace Prize 1999. NOT a UN body, NOT a WHO division, NOT EU-sponsored.

• (a) WHO division — incorrect institutional identity.
• (c) EU-sponsored — incorrect (MSF is strictly independent of governments).
• (d) UN specialized agency — incorrect.

Answer (c): 2 and 3 only. (The question's statement-numbering merges two claims into S1; the key treats host-claim as S1.) TEEB (The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity) is hosted by UNEP only.

• S1 WRONG — TEEB is NOT hosted by 'UNEP, IMF and World Economic Forum'; it is a UNEP-hosted initiative only.
• S2 CORRECT — TEEB IS a global initiative focused on drawing attention to the ECONOMIC BENEFITS of biodiversity ✓.
• S3 CORRECT — TEEB presents an approach to help decision-makers RECOGNIZE, DEMONSTRATE AND CAPTURE the value of ecosystems and biodiversity ✓.

Answer (a): 1 only.

• S1 CORRECT — Red Sanders (Pterocarpus santalinus) IS found in a part of SOUTH INDIA — specifically the Eastern Ghats of Andhra Pradesh (Kadapa, Kurnool, Chittoor, Nellore) ✓.
• S2 WRONG — Red Sanders grows in TROPICAL DRY DECIDUOUS forests with rocky/gravelly soils, NOT in tropical rain forests (which are wet evergreen). The habitat description is inverted.

Answer (d): 1, 2 and 3. (The question's numbering is slightly garbled; treated as four correlated outcomes.) UN-REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation PLUS conservation, sustainable management, and carbon-stock enhancement):

• Proper design + effective implementation SIGNIFICANTLY CONTRIBUTE to climate-mitigation goals.
• BIODIVERSITY PROTECTION ✓ — REDD+ safeguards mandate this.
• RESILIENCE OF FOREST ECOSYSTEMS ✓ — sustainable forest management enhances resilience.
• POVERTY REDUCTION ✓ — REDD+ revenue streams benefit forest-dependent communities.

Answer (a): It is an international accounting tool for government and business leaders to understand, quantify and manage greenhouse gas emissions. The Greenhouse Gas Protocol (GHG Protocol) is a STANDARDIZED ACCOUNTING FRAMEWORK launched by WRI (World Resources Institute) + WBCSD (World Business Council for Sustainable Development). Defines Scope 1, 2, 3 emissions. Used globally by governments and corporations to inventory and report GHG emissions.

• (b) Wrong — not a UN financial incentive programme (that's GCF).
• (c) Wrong — not an inter-governmental treaty with 2022 reduction targets.
• (d) Wrong — not a REDD+ initiative.

Answer (c): 2 and 3 only. Financial Stability and Development Council (FSDC), set up 2010:

• S1 WRONG — FSDC is NOT an organ of NITI Aayog. It is an apex-level body under the MINISTRY OF FINANCE for macro-financial oversight.
• S2 CORRECT — FSDC is HEADED BY THE UNION FINANCE MINISTER ✓.
• S3 CORRECT — FSDC monitors MACRO-PRUDENTIAL SUPERVISION of the economy (including financial conglomerates) and inter-regulator coordination (RBI, SEBI, IRDAI, PFRDA) ✓.

Answer (a): 1 only.

• S1 CORRECT — Agenda 21 IS a global action plan for SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT — a comprehensive blueprint covering social, economic, and environmental dimensions ✓.
• S2 WRONG — Agenda 21 was adopted at the EARTH SUMMIT (UN Conference on Environment and Development, UNCED) in RIO DE JANEIRO in 1992, NOT at Johannesburg 2002. (Johannesburg 2002 was the World Summit on Sustainable Development — a follow-up event that reviewed Agenda 21, not originated it.)

Answer (c): an anti-caste movement in Maharashtra. SATYASHODHAK SAMAJ ('Society of Truth Seekers') was founded by Jyotirao PHULE in 1873 in MAHARASHTRA (Pune). It was an ANTI-CASTE movement aimed at liberating lower castes (Shudras and Atishudras) from upper-caste/Brahminical domination. Advocated education for women and lower castes, condemned rituals, promoted social justice.

• (a) Wrong — not tribal upliftment in Bihar.
• (b) Wrong — not a temple-entry movement in Gujarat.
• (d) Wrong — not a peasant movement in Punjab.

Answer (d): 1, 2 and 3. (Question merges to: viruses can infect bacteria, fungi, plants.) VIRUSES have EXTREMELY BROAD HOST RANGE across all major life domains:

• Bacteria — BACTERIOPHAGES (viruses that infect bacteria) ✓
• Fungi — MYCOVIRUSES ✓
• Plants — PLANT VIRUSES (TMV, cucumber mosaic virus, etc.) ✓

All three groups are well-documented virus hosts.

Answer (b): curbing of tax evasion by multinational companies. Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) is an OECD/G20-led framework to COMBAT TAX EVASION AND PROFIT-SHIFTING by multinationals that exploit gaps in national tax rules (transfer pricing abuse, treaty shopping, shifting profits to low-tax jurisdictions). BEPS Action Plan (2015) has 15 actions.

• (a) Wrong — mining operations unrelated.
• (c) Wrong — that's Nagoya Protocol's concern (genetic resources).
• (d) Wrong — that's EIA territory.

Answer (a): Andhra Pradesh. India's FIRST National Investment and Manufacturing Zone (NIMZ) was proposed at PRAKASAM DISTRICT, ANDHRA PRADESH (near Donakonda). NIMZs are giant industrial townships of minimum 5,000 hectares, part of the National Manufacturing Policy 2011.

• (b), (c), (d) — Gujarat, Maharashtra, UP have also proposed NIMZs, but the FIRST was AP.

Answer (b): 2 only. District Mineral Foundations (DMFs) established under MMDR Amendment Act 2015, funded by mining-lease-holders' contributions.

• S1 WRONG — DMFs are NOT about 'promoting mineral exploration activities'; exploration is a separate Central Government / private activity.
• S2 CORRECT — DMFs' CORE PURPOSE is PROTECTING THE INTERESTS OF PERSONS AFFECTED BY MINING OPERATIONS — funding health, education, drinking water, environment, livelihood programmes in mining-affected areas (via Pradhan Mantri Khanij Kshetra Kalyan Yojana, PMKKKY) ✓.
• S3 WRONG — DMFs do NOT authorise states to issue mineral-exploration licences; that's the state government's statutory function under MMDR Act.

Answer (d): providing affordable and quality education to the citizens for free. SWAYAM (Study Webs of Active-Learning for Young Aspiring Minds) is a MASSIVE OPEN ONLINE COURSE (MOOC) platform launched by MHRD. Offers FREE courses from Class 9 to post-graduation, with certification. Hosts courses from IITs, IIMs, UGC, NCERT.

• (a) SHG promotion is NRLM's domain.
• (b) Startup Mission is separate.
• (c) 'Adolescent girls' scheme is SABLA.

Answer (d): constitutional reforms. The MONTAGUE-CHELMSFORD REFORMS culminated in the GOVERNMENT OF INDIA ACT 1919 — a major constitutional reform introducing DYARCHY in provinces, bicameral central legislature, separate electorates, partial responsible government. Pre-1919 preparation (Montagu declaration 1917) → 1919 Act.

• (a) Not social reforms.
• (b) Not educational.
• (c) Not police administration.

Answer (b): 3 only.

• S1 WRONG — Ajanta (Satavahana-Vakataka, 2nd c BCE to 6th c CE) and Mahabalipuram (Pallava, 7th c CE) were built in VERY DIFFERENT PERIODS — centuries apart. Not the same period.
• S2 WRONG — Ajanta is primarily BUDDHIST (chaityas + viharas with Buddhist paintings and sculptures). Mahabalipuram is primarily HINDU (Pallava temples, Shore Temple, Panchapandava Rathas). Different religious denominations.
• S3 CORRECT — BOTH are famous for ROCK-CUT MONUMENTS — Ajanta cave temples carved into cliffs; Mahabalipuram monoliths carved from granite boulders ✓.

Answer (b): 2 and 3 only.

• S1 WRONG — Bitcoins are DESIGNED TO BE UNTRACKED by central banks — they operate on a DECENTRALISED blockchain outside central bank control. This is a core Bitcoin feature.
• S2 CORRECT — Anyone with a Bitcoin address CAN SEND and RECEIVE Bitcoins from anyone else with a Bitcoin address ✓.
• S3 CORRECT — Bitcoin transactions are pseudonymous — parties are identified by cryptographic addresses, NOT real identities, so online payments can be sent WITHOUT either side knowing the other's real identity ✓.

Answer (b): 2 only.

• S1 WRONG — New Development Bank (NDB) was set up by BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa), NOT APEC. APEC is a separate Asia-Pacific economic cooperation forum.
• S2 CORRECT — NDB is HEADQUARTERED IN SHANGHAI (China) ✓. Established 2014 at 6th BRICS Summit in Fortaleza; operations began 2015.

Answer (d): protection of Western Ghats. Both the GADGIL COMMITTEE REPORT (Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel, 2011, Madhav Gadgil) and the KASTURIRANGAN COMMITTEE REPORT (High Level Working Group, 2013, K. Kasturirangan) pertain to PROTECTING THE WESTERN GHATS — one of the world's 8 'hottest hotspots' of biodiversity. Both recommended Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA) framework; Kasturirangan's version was less restrictive and more accepted by states.

• (a), (b), (c) — unrelated to these specific committees.

Answer (b): 2 and 3 only. Keshab Chandra Sen (1838-1884), radical Brahmo reformer:

• 1. Calcutta Unitarian Committee ✗ — founded by RAM MOHAN ROY (1823), NOT Keshab.
• 2. Tabernacle of New Dispensation (Nabavidhan) ✓ — founded by Keshab in 1879 after splitting from Brahmo Samaj (his third philosophical phase).
• 3. Indian Reform Association ✓ — founded by Keshab in 1870 to promote women's education, temperance, widow remarriage.

Answer (a): Iran. Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC, est. 1981) members: SAUDI ARABIA, UAE, KUWAIT, QATAR, BAHRAIN, OMAN — six Sunni Arab monarchies of the Arabian Peninsula. IRAN is NOT a member (Shia, Persian, non-Arab). Iraq also not a member.

• (b), (c), (d) — all GCC members.

Answer (c): 1 and 3 only.

• S1 CORRECT — Both schemes aim to BRING IDLE GOLD lying with Indian households into the formal economy ✓ (Gold Monetization Scheme via deposits; Sovereign Gold Bonds as paper-gold alternative).
• S2 WRONG — These schemes are NOT about promoting FDI in gold/jewellery sector; they're about monetizing domestic gold holdings, not attracting foreign investment.
• S3 CORRECT — Both schemes aim to REDUCE INDIA'S DEPENDENCE ON GOLD IMPORTS (India is the world's 2nd-largest gold importer; imports create BoP pressure) ✓.

Answer (d): China. Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), launched by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013, is China's flagship global infrastructure and connectivity strategy — comprising the Silk Road Economic Belt (overland) and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road. Also known as One Belt One Road (OBOR). Connects Asia, Europe, Africa via infrastructure investment.

• (a) African Union — not BRI.
• (b) Brazil — not BRI.
• (c) EU — not BRI (though many EU countries have engaged).

Answer (a): bringing the small entrepreneurs into formal financial system. Pradhan Mantri MUDRA Yojana (PMMY), launched April 2015 — Micro Units Development and Refinance Agency. Provides loans up to ₹10 lakh to NON-CORPORATE, NON-FARM SMALL/MICRO ENTERPRISES through Mudra loans in three categories: Shishu (up to ₹50,000), Kishor (₹50,000-₹5 lakh), Tarun (₹5-10 lakh). Aim: bring small entrepreneurs into the formal financial system.

• (b) KCC handles farmer credit.
• (c) Pension is separate (Atal Pension, NPS).
• (d) NGO funding separate.

Answer (d): 1, 2 and 3. India's major shale gas reserve basins identified:

• 1. Cambay Basin (Gujarat) ✓
• 2. Cauvery Basin (Tamil Nadu-AP) ✓
• 3. Krishna-Godavari Basin (AP) ✓

Also: Assam-Arakan, Gondwana basins. Cambay, Cauvery, KG are the three commonly cited shale-gas prospective basins in India.

Answer (b): International Monetary Fund. The 'Global Financial Stability Report' (GFSR) is published TWICE A YEAR (April + October) by the IMF. Assesses stability of global financial markets and emerging risks. (IMF also publishes WEO twice a year; GFSR complements WEO.)

• (a) ECB publishes Financial Stability Review (for Eurozone), not global.
• (c) IBRD (World Bank arm) — Global Economic Prospects, not GFSR.
• (d) OECD publishes Economic Outlook, not GFSR.

Answer (c): 1 and 3 only. Atal Pension Yojana (APY), launched May 2015 by Ministry of Finance — aimed primarily at unorganized sector workers.

• S1 CORRECT — APY is a MINIMUM GUARANTEED PENSION scheme mainly targeting UNORGANIZED SECTOR WORKERS (monthly pensions ₹1,000 to ₹5,000) ✓.
• S2 WRONG — There is NO restriction limiting subscription to 'only one member of a family'; each eligible adult (18-40 years) can join.
• S3 CORRECT — The SAME AMOUNT OF PENSION is guaranteed for the SPOUSE for life after the subscriber's death; and the corpus goes to nominees after both die ✓.

Answer (b): ASEAN. The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) is a mega-regional free-trade agreement (signed 2020) — CENTRED ON ASEAN (10 countries) plus 5 ASEAN FTA partners: China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand. India was part of negotiations but withdrew in 2019.

• (a) G20 — global forum, not a trade bloc.
• (c) SCO — Eurasian security organization.
• (d) SAARC — South Asian body.

Answer (d): 1, 2 and 3. Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) Star Label applies to a wide range of electrical appliances to indicate energy efficiency:

• 1. Ceiling fans ✓ (mandatory from 2020; voluntary earlier)
• 2. Electric geysers / water heaters ✓
• 3. Tubular Fluorescent Lamps (TFL) ✓

Also: ACs, refrigerators, televisions, washing machines, LED lamps, distribution transformers etc. BEE labels cover all major energy-using appliances.

Answer (d): It can build fusion reactors for power generation. ITER (International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor) is a multinational collaboration (India is a full member) building the world's largest tokamak in Cadarache, France. If ITER proves fusion viable, participating countries can INDIGENOUSLY BUILD FUSION REACTORS — harnessing fusion for clean, virtually limitless power.

• (a) Wrong — ITER is fusion (not thorium fission).
• (b) Wrong — fusion isn't about satellite navigation.
• (c) Wrong — ITER research doesn't directly improve existing fission plants.

Answer (d): 1 and 3.

• 1. Eripatti ✓ — In Chola/South Indian medieval polity, ERIPATTI was LAND whose revenue was SET APART FOR MAINTENANCE OF THE VILLAGE TANK (eri = tank in Tamil). Ensured upkeep of irrigation infrastructure.
• 2. Taniyurs ✗ — TANIYURS were LARGE SINGLE VILLAGES or villages raised to the status of separate administrative units (often temple towns), NOT 'villages donated to a single Brahmin or group of Brahmins' — those were BRAHMADEYAS / AGRAHARAS.
• 3. Ghatikas ✓ — GHATIKAS were COLLEGES/educational establishments GENERALLY ATTACHED TO TEMPLES in South India (Pallava/Chola era) ✓.

Answer (a): 1 only.

• S1 CORRECT — The International Solar Alliance (ISA) was launched by PM Modi and French President Hollande at the UNFCCC COP-21 (Paris Climate Conference) in November 2015 ✓.
• S2 WRONG — ISA does NOT include ALL UN member countries. Membership is open to countries lying FULLY OR PARTIALLY BETWEEN THE TROPICS OF CANCER AND CAPRICORN (originally 121 prospective tropical countries). Later opened to all UN members in 2018, but even then not all have joined.

Answer (b): agency of EU that provides financial assistance to Eurozone countries. The European Stability Mechanism (ESM) is an EU-established FINANCIAL RESCUE AGENCY (HQ Luxembourg, active since 2012). Provides EMERGENCY FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE to EUROZONE member states in financial distress (bailed out Greece, Cyprus, Spain, Portugal). Replaced the temporary EFSF.

• (a) Wrong — refugee-crisis management is handled by Frontex/EU Commission, not ESM.
• (c) Wrong — trade agreements are under European Commission's Directorate-General for Trade.
• (d) Wrong — conflict resolution is handled by EU diplomacy, not ESM.

Answer (c): 1 and 3 only. Drip irrigation delivers water directly to plant roots via emitters:

• S1 CORRECT — Drip irrigation REDUCES WEED growth because water is applied only to the crop root zone, not to inter-row areas where weeds thrive ✓.
• S2 WRONG — Drip irrigation does NOT reduce soil salinity (it can concentrate salts at the wetting-front edges; in fact, poorly managed drip can worsen salinity). Not a drip-advantage.
• S3 CORRECT — Drip irrigation REDUCES SOIL EROSION because there is NO surface runoff (water applied slowly, drop by drop, absorbed before runoff can occur) ✓.

Answer (c): Both 1 and 2. DigiLocker (launched 2015 under Digital India Programme):

• S1 CORRECT — DigiLocker IS a digital locker system OFFERED BY THE GOVERNMENT UNDER DIGITAL INDIA PROGRAMME — to store documents on cloud and issue digital copies of government-issued documents ✓.
• S2 CORRECT — DigiLocker allows users to ACCESS E-DOCUMENTS FROM ANYWHERE (via internet, mobile app) irrespective of physical location ✓.

Answer (b): Godavari and Krishna. The PATTISEEMA LIFT IRRIGATION PROJECT (Andhra Pradesh, inaugurated Sept 2015) INTERLINKED THE GODAVARI AND KRISHNA rivers — lifting water from the Godavari at Pattiseema to the Polavaram Right Main Canal, which then feeds into the Krishna Basin (Prakasam Barrage). India's first major river-linking project fully commissioned.

• (a), (c), (d) — not the 2015 linking project.

Answer (b): 2, 3 and 4 only. The National AQI (launched April 2015) considers 8 pollutants: PM10, PM2.5, NO2, SO2, CO, O3, NH3, Pb. Among the given options:

• 1. Carbon DIOXIDE ✗ — NOT an AQI pollutant (CO2 is a GHG, not a direct air quality pollutant).
• 2. Carbon MONOXIDE (CO) ✓
• 3. Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) ✓
• 4. Sulphur dioxide (SO2) ✓
• 5. Methane ✗ — NOT an AQI pollutant (CH4 is a GHG).

Answer (d): Neither 1 nor 2. Astrosat, India's first dedicated multi-wavelength space observatory, launched Sept 2015 by ISRO:

• S1 WRONG — India is NOT 'the only country besides USA and Russia' to have launched such an observatory. Japan (ASCA, Suzaku), Germany (ROSAT), ESA (XMM-Newton), UK (Ariel series) and others have launched space observatories too. This claim is factually wrong.
• S2 WRONG — Astrosat is a 1,513 kg satellite (not 2,000 kg) placed in a near-equatorial orbit at ~650 km altitude (not 1,650 km). Both numbers are incorrect.

Answer (c): waterwheel used in the irrigation of land. ARAGHATTA (also called Rahat/Persian wheel) was a WATERWHEEL irrigation device used in medieval India to lift water from wells for irrigation. Mentioned in medieval texts and inscriptions. Widely used from at least the Sultanate period. Similar to Persian wheel/Egyptian saqiya.

• (a) Bonded labour had different terms (kamia, veth).
• (b) Military land grants were jagirs/iqta.
• (d) Wasteland conversion was called 'uparahut' / similar.

Answer (d): Maagadha. MAAGADHAS (also Vaitalikas, Bandis, Sutas) were HEREDITARY BARDS/CHRONICLERS in ancient India who specialised in memorizing and reciting CHRONICLES, DYNASTIC HISTORIES, EPIC TALES, and genealogies at royal courts. They preserved oral historical tradition. Mentioned in Arthashastra, Puranas, Mahabharata.

• (a) Shramana — wandering ascetic/monk (Jain/Buddhist ascetic).
• (b) Parivrajaka — wandering philosopher/renunciant.
• (c) Agraharika — Brahmin beneficiary of agrahara land grant.

Answer (d): Maharashtra. MAHARASHTRA became the FIRST STATE in India to declare a STATE BUTTERFLY in June 2015 — the BLUE MORMON (Papilio polymnestor), a large striking black-and-blue swallowtail butterfly native to Western Ghats. Other states (Uttarakhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu) later followed with their own state butterflies.

• (a), (b), (c) — not the first state.

Answer (c): 1 and 3 only. Mangalyaan (Mars Orbiter Mission) launched Nov 2013, entered Mars orbit Sept 2014:

• S1 CORRECT — Mangalyaan IS also known as the MARS ORBITER MISSION (MOM) ✓.
• S2 WRONG — India was NOT the 'second' country to orbit Mars after USA. USA (1971), USSR/Russia (1971), ESA (2003) all orbited Mars before India. India was the 4th agency to succeed at Mars orbit (after NASA, Roscosmos, ESA).
• S3 CORRECT — India IS the ONLY country to succeed in orbiting Mars in its VERY FIRST ATTEMPT ✓ — USA, USSR, ESA all had multiple failed Mars missions before success.

Answer (b): Extremists' lack of faith in the capacity of the moderates to negotiate with the British Government. The Surat Split 1907 at the INC Surat Session was primarily due to the IDEOLOGICAL DIVIDE between Moderates (Gokhale, Pherozshah Mehta, Naoroji) and Extremists (Tilak, Lala Lajpat Rai, Bipin Chandra Pal). Extremists lost faith in the Moderates' petition-politics and loyal cooperation approach, demanding direct action, swaraj, boycott.

• (a) Minto's communal electorate came later (1909).
• (c) Muslim League founded 1906 but not the cause of INC split.
• (d) Aurobindo's presidency candidacy is peripheral, not the main cause.

Answer (d): India should be given Dominion status. The Cripps Mission (March-April 1942, Sir Stafford Cripps) offered POST-WAR DOMINION STATUS to India, with the right to frame a new constitution via a Constituent Assembly, and provisions for provinces to opt out of the Indian Union. Gandhi rejected it as 'a post-dated cheque on a crashing bank'. Failure led to Quit India Movement (Aug 1942).

• (a) Wrong — complete independence was Congress's demand, not the Cripps offer.
• (b) Wrong — partition wasn't the Cripps framework (though provincial opt-out foreshadowed it).
• (c) Wrong — republic-within-Commonwealth came later (1950).

Answer (c): 2 and 5 only.

• 1. Bodhgaya ✗ — in BIHAR (Magadha region), NOT Baghelkhand (which is in MP/Chhattisgarh border area).
• 2. Khajuraho ✓ — in BUNDELKHAND region of MP (Chhatarpur district) ✓.
• 3. Shirdi ✗ — in AHMEDNAGAR district of Maharashtra, in MARATHWADA region (not Vidarbha, which is eastern Maharashtra).
• 4. Nasik ✗ — in Nashik district of northern Maharashtra, NOT Malwa (which is the MP plateau region). Nasik is in Khandesh region or northern Maharashtra.
• 5. Tirupati ✓ — in RAYALASEEMA region of Andhra Pradesh (Chittoor district) ✓.

Answer (d): Rajya Sabha by a majority of not less than two-thirds of its members present and voting. Article 249 of the Constitution: Parliament can legislate on a State List subject in NATIONAL INTEREST only if the RAJYA SABHA passes a resolution supported by NOT LESS THAN TWO-THIRDS of the MEMBERS PRESENT AND VOTING. The resolution remains in force for one year at a time (maximum). This is one of five ways Parliament can legislate on State List.

• (a), (b), (c) — wrong House/majority.

Answer (d): Rajasthan. Rajasthan (a landlocked state) explored a proposal for an ARTIFICIAL INLAND PORT, connected to the Arabian Sea by a long navigational channel — specifically via the proposed channel from Kutch (Gujarat) to parts of western Rajasthan. The concept was to create India's first inland port in a landlocked state.

• (a) AP has actual seaports.
• (b), (c) — not the specific project in news.

Answer (b): 2 only. Paris Agreement (Dec 2015, COP-21 UNFCCC):

• S1 WRONG — Paris Agreement was NOT signed by ALL UN member countries; it was adopted by consensus and needed ratification by at least 55 countries accounting for 55% of global emissions. It went into effect Nov 2016 (not 2017).
• S2 CORRECT — Paris Agreement aims to limit GHG emissions so GLOBAL TEMPERATURE RISE does not exceed 2°C above pre-industrial levels, PREFERABLY 1.5°C ✓.
• S3 WRONG — Developed countries committed $100 BILLION (not $1,000 billion / $1 trillion) per year from 2020 to help developing countries. The figure is $100 bn, not $1000 bn.

Answer (b): 2 only.

• S1 WRONG — The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were adopted by the UN General Assembly in September 2015 — NOT 'first proposed in 1972 by Club of Rome'. The Club of Rome's 1972 report was 'The Limits to Growth' (a landmark sustainability study), but it didn't propose SDGs.
• S2 CORRECT — SDGs are part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and are to be ACHIEVED BY 2030 ✓. 17 SDGs + 169 targets.

Answer (a): S. Ramanujan. The 2015 film 'The Man Who Knew Infinity' (directed by Matt Brown, starring Dev Patel as Ramanujan) is a BIOGRAPHICAL DRAMA about SRINIVASA RAMANUJAN (1887-1920), the self-taught Indian mathematical genius who worked with G.H. Hardy at Cambridge. Based on Robert Kanigel's 1991 biography of the same name.

• (b) Chandrasekhar — astrophysicist; has other biopics (A Martian Odyssey).
• (c) S.N. Bose — physicist, no 2016 biopic.
• (d) C.V. Raman — physicist, no 2016 biopic.

Answer (b): 2 only.

• S1 WRONG — Article 243F: minimum age for Panchayat membership is 21 YEARS (same as for legislature membership), NOT 25 years. The 25-year minimum applies to Lok Sabha MPs and State Assembly MLAs.
• S2 CORRECT — Article 243E: A Panchayat RECONSTITUTED AFTER PREMATURE DISSOLUTION continues ONLY FOR THE REMAINDER of the dissolved Panchayat's original five-year term (it doesn't get a fresh five-year term) ✓.

Answer (b): 2 only. Bill lapse rules (Articles 107, 108):

• S1 WRONG — A Bill pending in the LOK SABHA does NOT lapse on PROROGATION (prorogation is just ending a session, not dissolution). Bills lapse on DISSOLUTION of LS, not prorogation. Statement confuses prorogation with dissolution.
• S2 CORRECT — A Bill pending in the RAJYA SABHA which has NOT been passed by the LOK SABHA does NOT lapse on dissolution of the LS ✓ — because RS is a permanent body and its pending bills survive LS dissolution.

Answer (c): 1, 2 and 3. The Global Hunger Index (GHI), compiled by IFPRI (International Food Policy Research Institute) along with Concern Worldwide and Welthungerhilfe, uses FOUR INDICATORS (as of 2015-2016 methodology):

• 1. Undernourishment ✓
• 2. Child stunting ✓ (height-for-age)
• 3. Child mortality ✓ (under-5 mortality rate)
• (Also child wasting — weight-for-height)

All three listed indicators are valid GHI components.

Answer (c): 1 and 3 only. Deficit-reducing measures:

• 1. Reducing revenue expenditure ✓ — direct expenditure cut → deficit reduction.
• 2. Introducing NEW welfare schemes ✗ — INCREASES spending → WIDENS deficit.
• 3. Rationalizing subsidies ✓ — cutting/targeting subsidies reduces expenditure → reduces deficit.
• 4. Reducing import duty ✗ — reduces government REVENUE (import duty is tax revenue) → can WIDEN deficit, not narrow it.

(This question mirrors 2015 Q98 with a slight option variation.)

Answer (b): 1 and 3 only. Payment Banks (RBI guidelines 2014; first licences 2015 — Airtel, Paytm, India Post etc.):

• S1 CORRECT — Mobile telephone companies, prepaid payment instrument issuers, supermarket chains, corporate business correspondents — all can be PROMOTERS, provided they are owned and controlled by residents ✓.
• S2 WRONG — Payment Banks CAN issue DEBIT CARDS but NOT CREDIT CARDS. A key restriction is that they cannot issue credit cards.
• S3 CORRECT — Payment Banks CANNOT UNDERTAKE LENDING ACTIVITIES — they can only accept demand deposits (up to ₹1 lakh, later ₹2 lakh), issue debit cards, remittances, payments services. No loans allowed ✓.

Answer (c): Both 1 and 2. Li-Fi (Light Fidelity) — wireless communication technology using visible light / LED modulation:

• S1 CORRECT — Li-Fi USES VISIBLE LIGHT as the medium for high-speed data transmission (via LEDs that flicker imperceptibly fast) ✓.
• S2 CORRECT — Li-Fi IS a wireless technology and can be SEVERAL TIMES FASTER than Wi-Fi (speeds demonstrated up to 224 Gbps in labs vs Wi-Fi's ~1 Gbps) ✓.

Answer (b): plan of action outlined by the countries of the world to combat climate change. Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) — were CLIMATE ACTION PLANS submitted by each country ahead of the Paris Agreement 2015 (UNFCCC COP-21). INDCs outlined each country's emission reduction targets, adaptation measures, and climate finance needs. After ratification, INDCs become NDCs (Nationally Determined Contributions).

• (a) Not about refugees.
• (c) Not AIIB capital.
• (d) Not SDGs.

Answer (d): Providing for financial turnaround and revival of power distribution companies. UDAY (Ujwal DISCOM Assurance Yojana), launched November 2015 by Ministry of Power — a debt-resolution and operational turnaround scheme for DEBT-RIDDEN STATE POWER DISTRIBUTION COMPANIES (DISCOMs). States take over 75% of DISCOM debt; DISCOMs undergo operational efficiency measures (loss reduction, tariff hikes, smart metering).

• (a) Wrong — not renewable-energy entrepreneurship.
• (b) Wrong — household electrification is Saubhagya scheme.
• (c) Wrong — not about coal-to-renewable transition.

Answer (c): Both 1 and 2.

• S1 CORRECT — International Finance Corporation (IFC) IS an arm of the WORLD BANK GROUP (along with IBRD, IDA, MIGA, ICSID). IFC focuses on private-sector development in developing countries ✓.
• S2 CORRECT — Masala Bonds ARE RUPEE-DENOMINATED BONDS issued OUTSIDE INDIA (i.e., borrower raises rupee debt from foreign investors) — transferring currency risk to foreign investors. They are a source of debt financing for both public and private sector entities ✓.

Answer (c): Both 1 and 2. Krishnadevaraya (Vijayanagara ruler, 1509-1529) — his administrative system (described in his work 'Amuktamalyada' and other contemporary accounts):

• S1 CORRECT — LAND TAX was fixed on the basis of LAND QUALITY — different rates for wetlands, drylands, orchards, etc. (irrigated vs unirrigated; fertility classification) ✓.
• S2 CORRECT — Private owners of workshops PAID AN INDUSTRIES TAX (taxation on artisanal/craft production) ✓.

Both accurately describe Vijayanagara taxation.

Answer (b): Malavikagnimitra. MALAVIKAGNIMITRA by KALIDASA is the love story of PRINCE AGNIMITRA (SON of the founder of the SUNGA dynasty — Pushyamitra Sunga) with Malavika, a handmaiden in his queen's court. Set in Vidisha, 2nd c BCE. One of Kalidasa's three plays.

• (a) Swapnavasavadatta — by Bhasa, about Udayana.
• (c) Meghadoota — by Kalidasa but a poem (not a love-story play).
• (d) Ratnavali — attributed to Harsha, about Udayana and Ratnavali.

Answer (a): WTO affairs. 'Amber Box', 'Blue Box', and 'Green Box' are terms from the WTO AGREEMENT ON AGRICULTURE (AoA) that classify DOMESTIC SUPPORT/SUBSIDIES to agriculture:

• AMBER BOX — trade-distorting subsidies (subject to reduction commitments).
• BLUE BOX — production-limiting subsidies (exempt from reductions).
• GREEN BOX — non-trade-distorting subsidies (research, extension, environmental, food security stockholding) — no limits.
• (b), (c), (d) — unrelated to these boxes.

Answer (d): 1, 2 and 3. Capital budget of the Government of India covers capital receipts + capital expenditure:

• 1. Expenditure on acquisition of assets — ROADS, BUILDINGS, MACHINERY ✓ (capital expenditure — creates assets).
• 2. Loans received from FOREIGN GOVERNMENTS ✓ (capital receipts — debt creates liability).
• 3. Loans and advances granted to STATES AND UNION TERRITORIES ✓ (capital expenditure — creates government's financial asset).

All three are standard capital budget items.

Answer (c): 1 and 3 only. UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD, 1994):

• S1 CORRECT — UNCCD aims to promote EFFECTIVE ACTION through INNOVATIVE NATIONAL PROGRAMMES and SUPPORTIVE INTERNATIONAL PARTNERSHIPS ✓.
• S2 WRONG — UNCCD does NOT have a 'special focus on South Asia and North Africa' or allocate major financial resources there. UNCCD's regional focus covers all affected regions — with the Africa annex being the most prominent (the convention actually prioritises Africa, not South Asia/North Africa specifically).
• S3 CORRECT — UNCCD is COMMITTED TO BOTTOM-UP APPROACH, encouraging PARTICIPATION OF LOCAL PEOPLE ✓ — a core UNCCD principle.

Answer (d): Renminbi. The CHINESE RENMINBI (Yuan) was added to the IMF's Special Drawing Rights (SDR) basket on OCTOBER 1, 2016 — becoming the 5th reserve currency in the SDR (alongside US Dollar, Euro, British Pound, Japanese Yen). First inclusion of an emerging-market currency in SDR.

• (a) Rouble — not added.
• (b) Rand — not added.
• (c) Indian Rupee — not in SDR basket (though India has periodically aspired).

Answer (c): Both 1 and 2. International Monetary and Financial Committee (IMFC):

• S1 CORRECT — IMFC DISCUSSES matters of concern affecting the global economy and ADVISES the IMF on the direction of its work ✓. It is the IMF's principal advisory committee.
• S2 CORRECT — The WORLD BANK PARTICIPATES AS AN OBSERVER in IMFC's meetings ✓ (as do BIS, FSB, OECD, WTO etc.).

Both statements are accurate.

Answer (c): eradicate the practice of manual scavenging and rehabilitate the manual scavengers. RASHTRIYA GARIMA ABHIYAAN ('National Dignity Campaign') is a national campaign LED BY CIVIL SOCIETY to ERADICATE MANUAL SCAVENGING in India and REHABILITATE manual scavengers with dignity — access to education, alternative livelihoods, housing, etc. Linked to the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013.

• (a) Homeless rehabilitation — different scheme (Shelter for Urban Homeless).
• (b) Sex workers — different programme.
• (d) Bonded labour — under Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act 1976.

Answer (c): Both 1 and 2.

• S1 CORRECT — SIDDHAS (Sittars) of the Tamil region (c. 8th-16th c) were MONOTHEISTIC and CONDEMNED IDOLATRY, caste distinctions, and ritualism. Influenced by Shaivism and Tamil mystic tradition (Tirumular) ✓.
• S2 CORRECT — LINGAYATS (Veerashaivas) of the Kannada region, founded by BASAVANNA (12th c), QUESTIONED THE THEORY OF REBIRTH (preached single life, kainaka — work is worship) and REJECTED THE CASTE HIERARCHY (radical social equality) ✓.

Answer (d): It is the number of months of imports that could be paid for by a country's international reserves. IMPORT COVER = Foreign Exchange Reserves ÷ Monthly Import Bill. Measures how many months of a country's imports can be financed by its CURRENT FOREX RESERVES. A common external-sector vulnerability indicator. India typically aims for 9-12 months of import cover as a BoP cushion.

• (a) Wrong — that's Import/GDP ratio.
• (b) Wrong — that's total import value.
• (c) Wrong — that's bilateral trade balance/ratio.

Answer (c): 2 and 3.

• 1. Kurd — Bangladesh ✗ — Kurds are an ethnic group spread across TURKEY, IRAQ, IRAN, SYRIA (the 'Kurdish region'), NOT Bangladesh. Classic region-swap trap.
• 2. Madhesi — Nepal ✓ — the Madhesi community lives in the Terai plains of southern Nepal; their political demands are a recurring Nepali news issue ✓.
• 3. Rohingya — Myanmar ✓ — the Rohingya Muslim minority is from Rakhine State, Myanmar; persecution led to mass exodus to Bangladesh (2017 news context began earlier) ✓.

Answer (b): 2 and 3 only. Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW, HQ The Hague):

• S1 WRONG — OPCW is NOT an EU organization working with NATO/WHO. It is an INDEPENDENT INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION of 193 member states, implementing the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC, 1997). Won Nobel Peace Prize 2013.
• S2 CORRECT — OPCW MONITORS the chemical industry (verification inspections of declared facilities) to PREVENT NEW WEAPONS from emerging ✓.
• S3 CORRECT — OPCW PROVIDES ASSISTANCE AND PROTECTION to State Parties against chemical weapons threats (Article X of CWC) ✓.

Answer (b): 2 only. Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY), launched January 2016:

• S1 WRONG — Premiums are NOT uniform 2% across all crops/seasons. Premium rates are DIFFERENTIAL: 2% for Kharif crops, 1.5% for Rabi crops, 5% for commercial/horticultural crops (farmer's share; government pays the rest).
• S2 CORRECT — PMFBY COVERS POST-HARVEST LOSSES (up to 14 days after harvest) arising from cyclones and unseasonal rains ✓. This was a major innovation over earlier crop insurance schemes.

Answer (d): Western Ghats. The GREAT INDIAN HORNBILL (Buceros bicornis) is primarily found in the WESTERN GHATS (also in NE India and foothills of Himalayas). Associated with tall evergreen and moist-deciduous forests. State bird of Kerala and Arunachal Pradesh. Near-threatened (IUCN).

• (a) Sand deserts — wrong habitat.
• (b) Higher Himalayas J&K — wrong habitat.
• (c) Salt marshes Gujarat — wrong habitat.

Answer (a): 1 and 2 only. National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA, constituted 2009; replaced by National Mission for Clean Ganga in 2016):

• S1 CORRECT — NGRBA adopted a RIVER BASIN APPROACH as the unit of planning and management ✓ — a paradigm shift in Indian river conservation.
• S2 CORRECT — NGRBA SPEARHEADS the river-conservation efforts at the NATIONAL LEVEL ✓ — provides strategic direction, funding, and coordination.
• S3 WRONG — The NGRBA is chaired by the PRIME MINISTER, not by a CM on rotation. Other members include CMs of Ganga-basin states, Union Ministers etc.

Answer (b): Neem coating slows down the rate of dissolution of urea in the soil. Neem-coated urea (100% NCU from 2015-16) has a thin neem-oil coating that SLOWS DOWN urea's dissolution in soil. This CONTROLLED RELEASE reduces urea loss through leaching, volatilization, and nitrification — improving NITROGEN USE EFFICIENCY. Additional benefit: deters pilferage for non-agricultural uses.

• (a) Wrong — neem oil does NOT increase microbial N-fixation.
• (c) Wrong — N2O is still released, just at lower rates.
• (d) Wrong — not a combined weedicide+fertilizer.

Answer (d): Neither 1 nor 2.

• S1 WRONG — The Chief Secretary (CS) of a State is APPOINTED BY THE CHIEF MINISTER (on the basis of seniority and CM's choice among IAS officers), NOT by the Governor. The Governor's role is only formal.
• S2 WRONG — The Chief Secretary does NOT have a FIXED TENURE — there is no statutory fixed tenure; the CS serves at the pleasure of the government and can be transferred or replaced. (Unlike, say, the CEC who has a fixed 6-year tenure.)