Daily Current Affairs Quiz Prelims Practice 2027
- The Bill was introduced and piloted by the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions.
- Under the amended framework, investigation must be completed within two months from the date of registration of the FIR, referral to a Central Investigating Agency, or notification of the Special Task Force, whichever is applicable.
- The Special Fast Track Court must complete the trial within six months of the chargesheet being filed.
- An appeal against a Special Fast Track Court's order must ordinarily be filed within 30 days, subject to an outer limit of 90 days.
Statements 1, 2 and 4 are correct. The Bill is piloted by the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, not Education. Investigation must complete within two months of FIR registration, CBI-equivalent referral, or STF notification. Appeals face a normal 30-day window with a hard outer limit of 90 days before the High Court. Statement 3 is incorrect — trial must complete within 3 months, not 6, of chargesheet filing.
Reason (R): The parent Act of 2024 was India's first dedicated central legislation criminalising organised malpractice in public examinations.
Both A and R are true, but R does not explain A. The Bill does designate Special Fast Track Courts with day-to-day hearings, and the 2024 Act was indeed India's first dedicated central law on exam malpractice. However, the fast-track court provision is a 2026 response to continuing paper-leak incidents after 2024, not a consequence of the parent Act's historical novelty.
- As of July 2026, India has 45 UNESCO World Heritage Sites following the inscription of the Ancient Buddhist Site of Sarnath.
- The inscription of Sarnath took place at the 48th session of the World Heritage Committee, held in Busan, Republic of Korea.
- Among India's World Heritage Sites, natural sites outnumber cultural sites.
- Sarnath is associated with the first sermon of the Buddha, known as the Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta.
Statements 1, 2 and 4 are correct. India's WHC tally reached 45 after Sarnath's inscription at the 48th WHC session in Busan, South Korea, and Sarnath is where the Buddha delivered his first sermon, the Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta. Statement 3 is incorrect — India's cultural sites (~37) far outnumber natural sites (~7), the opposite of what's claimed.
NIDHI+ (National Integrated Database of Hospitality Industry Plus) is a unified digital platform for end-to-end registration, recognition and classification of tourism service providers across five categories: Accommodation, Travel Services, Food and Hospitality, Digital and Business Platforms, and Visitor Support. Options B, C and D describe unrelated functions mixing real scheme names with the wrong definition.
- Swadesh Darshan 2.0 adopts a destination-centric approach emphasising sustainable and experience-based tourism, moving away from the circuit-building model of the original Swadesh Darshan scheme.
- The PRASHAD scheme is specifically designed to develop eco-tourism infrastructure at National Parks and Biosphere Reserves.
Statement 1 is correct — Swadesh Darshan 2.0 shifts from thematic circuit-building to a destination-centric, experience-based model integrating local communities and sustainability. Statement 2 is incorrect — PRASHAD (Pilgrimage Rejuvenation And Spiritual, Heritage And Dham) is designed for pilgrimage and heritage destinations, not National Parks or Biosphere Reserves; forest eco-tourism is addressed separately through Swadesh Darshan's Eco circuit and MoEFCC policies.
- It is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme under the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas.
- The scheme allocates the largest share of its outlay to offshore data acquisition, including seismic surveys.
- The scheme envisages government support of up to 50% of eligible drilling cost, subject to a cap of ₹675 crore per exploratory well.
- The scheme aims to catalyse reserve accretion of over 600 Million Metric Tons of Oil Equivalent (MMTOE).
Statements 3 and 4 are correct. Government support is capped at ₹675 crore per well or 50% of eligible cost, whichever is lower, and the scheme targets reserve accretion over 600 MMTOE. Statement 1 is incorrect — Samudra Manthan is a Central Sector Scheme (100% central funding), not Centrally Sponsored (which involves State share). Statement 2 is incorrect — the largest outlay is deepwater exploratory drilling (₹43,200 crore of ₹84,084 crore), not data acquisition (₹28,534 crore).
Reason (R): Solar photovoltaic generation is intermittent, peaking around midday and falling to zero after sunset, and co-located storage helps States meet evening peak demand and reduces renewable curtailment.
Both A and R are true, and R explains A. PM-SSY requires minimum 2-hour ESS co-location (10,000 MWh for 5,000 MW of FSPV). Solar's inherent intermittency creates the "duck curve" problem, where evening demand ramp-up coincides with the steepest fall in solar output — the 2-hour storage mandate exists precisely to let States meet peak demand from stored solar energy and reduce midday curtailment, a direct technical response to R.
- The Supreme Court commenced live-streaming of Constitution Bench hearings in September 2022.
- The Supreme Court upheld the principle of open justice in judicial proceedings as an aspect of the right to know under Article 19(1)(a) in Swapnil Tripathi v. Supreme Court of India (2018).
- The July 24, 2026 interim order barred only commercial monetisation of judicial livestreams, permitting non-commercial sharing on social media.
- Under the proposed archive-gated protocol, State High Courts and digital platforms such as Meta and WhatsApp have been invited to suggest the framework's contours.
Statements 1, 2 and 4 are correct. The SC began Constitution Bench livestreaming via YouTube in September 2022. Swapnil Tripathi (2018) affirmed open justice under Article 19(1)(a) and directed exploration of livestreaming. The CJI invited Meta, WhatsApp, State High Courts, and Bar bodies to contribute to the protocol. Statement 3 is incorrect — the July 24 order was a broad prohibition covering all extraction, dissemination, and reposting of judicial AV content, not limited to commercial monetisation alone.
- The Supreme Court held in this case that open hearing in courts is the default rule, and exclusion of the public is an exceptional power.
- This judgment was overruled by the Supreme Court in Swapnil Tripathi v. Supreme Court of India (2018), which established that all court proceedings must be accessible to the public without exception.
Statement 1 is correct — Mirajkar (1967) affirmed open justice as the constitutional default, with exclusion of the public an exceptional power. Statement 2 is incorrect — Swapnil Tripathi (2018) did not overrule Mirajkar; it extended the open justice principle into the digital domain by directing exploration of livestreaming, building on rather than negating Mirajkar's foundation, and in-camera proceedings for sensitive matters remain valid.
- The scheme was originally launched in February 2019 and initially covered only small and marginal farmers owning up to 2 hectares of land.
- The benefit of ₹6,000 per year is disbursed in four equal instalments of ₹1,500 each.
- The Union Cabinet in July 2026 approved the continuation of PM-KISAN for FY 2026–27 to FY 2030–31 with a total outlay of ₹3.15 lakh crore.
- Women farmers account for nearly one out of every four PM-KISAN beneficiaries.
Statements 1, 3 and 4 are correct. PM-KISAN launched February 2019 for small/marginal farmers, later universalised in June 2019. The Cabinet approved ₹3.15 lakh crore continuation for 2026–31. Women farmers account for roughly 1 in 4 beneficiaries, receiving over ₹1.06 lakh crore collectively. Statement 2 is incorrect — the ₹6,000 benefit is disbursed in three instalments of ₹2,000 each, not four of ₹1,500.
- The MoU for Phase-I of the TMZ was signed between the Department of Telecommunications and the Government of Madhya Pradesh.
- The Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme for telecom and networking products launched in 2021 offers an incentive of 6% on incremental sales over a five-year period.
- Gwalior is part of Madhya Pradesh's Defence Industrial Corridor, which is one of the two dedicated defence corridors established in India.
Statements 1 and 2 are correct. The MoU was signed between DoT and the Madhya Pradesh government, and the 2021 PLI for telecom offers 6% incentive on incremental sales over five years. Statement 3 is incorrect — India's only two Defence Industrial Corridors are in Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu; Madhya Pradesh does not have a designated Defence Industrial Corridor, despite hosting defence manufacturing units like the Gwalior and Jabalpur ordnance factories.
Reason (R): Under the Liability Convention (1972), a launching State is absolutely liable for damage caused by its space objects on Earth's surface or in airspace, regardless of fault.
Both A and R are true, but R does not explain A. Article VI of the OST holds States responsible for national space activities including private actors, requiring authorisation and supervision. The Liability Convention separately establishes absolute liability for damage on Earth's surface or in airspace (fault-based in outer space). A addresses who is responsible (States for private actors); R addresses when liability arises (absolute vs. fault-based) — different legal questions from different instruments, not causally linked.
Kessler Syndrome, proposed by NASA's Donald J. Kessler in 1978, describes a cascade scenario in low Earth orbit where a collision generates debris that collides with other objects, generating more debris, potentially creating a self-sustaining chain that renders affected orbital shells permanently unusable. It is unrelated to solar radiation, tracking frameworks, or re-entry statistics.
- The Swadesh Darshan scheme sanctioned 76 projects across 14 thematic circuits, of which 75 have been physically completed.
- The e-Tourist Visa facility has been extended to nationals of 175 countries, with entry permitted through 33 designated airports, 19 seaports and 4 land ports.
- The 'Viksit UDAN' scheme envisages development of over 100 new aerodromes and 200 helipads with an outlay of over ₹28,840 crore.
- India's floating solar potential has been assessed by the National Institute of Solar Energy (NISE) at approximately 102.18 GWp across reservoirs and inland water bodies.
All four statements are correct. Swadesh Darshan sanctioned 76 projects across 14 circuits (₹5,295 crore), with 75 completed. The e-Tourist Visa covers 175 countries through 33 airports, 19 seaports, and 4 land ports. Viksit UDAN targets over 100 new aerodromes and 200 helipads with a ₹28,840+ crore outlay. NISE assessed India's floating solar potential at approximately 102.18 GWp.
