Daily Current Affairs Quiz Prelims Practice 2027
- NCIIPC (National Critical Information Infrastructure Protection Centre) functions under the National Technical Research Organisation (NTRO), which reports to the Prime Minister's Office.
- Section 70 of the IT Act, 2000 designates "Protected Systems" and provides for enhanced penalties, while Section 70A separately establishes the framework for Critical Information Infrastructure (CII) and NCIIPC's mandate.
- CERT-In, under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, requires organisations to report cyber incidents within 6 hours of detection under its 2022 rules.
- The Kudankulam data breach exposed reactor control systems and nuclear safety-classified data because the Balance of Plant (BOP) encompasses the core reactor operations of a nuclear power station.
Statements 1, 2 and 3 are correct. NCIIPC sits under NTRO, which reports to the PMO — distinct from CERT-In's home under MeitY. The IT Act splits Section 70 (designating "Protected Systems" with enhanced penalties) from Section 70A (establishing the CII framework and NCIIPC's mandate). CERT-In's 2022 rules mandate reporting cyber incidents within 6 hours of detection, among the strictest timelines globally. Statement 4 is incorrect — Balance of Plant (BOP) actually refers to support systems outside the core reactor (turbines, generators, cooling circuits, switchgear), and NPCIL confirmed the leaked Kudankulam data was limited to BOP systems, with no reactor operations or nuclear-safety-classified data compromised.
- NIPUN Bharat was launched in July 2021 under the Samagra Shiksha scheme, which was formed by subsuming Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan, and Teacher Education schemes.
- The Mission's primary target is for every child to attain foundational literacy and numeracy competencies by the end of Grade 3, and not later than Grade 5, by the year 2026–27.
- ASER data shows that Grade 3 students able to read a Grade 2 text improved from 16.3% in 2022 to 23.4% in 2024, indicating significant acceleration in FLN outcomes.
- NISHTHA is the national teacher capacity-building programme with FLN-specific modules deployed under NIPUN Bharat, while PARAKH is the national assessment body under NEP 2020.
Statements 1, 2 and 4 are correct. NIPUN Bharat was launched in July 2021 under Samagra Shiksha, the integrated scheme formed by merging SSA, RMSA, and Teacher Education programmes. Its target is FLN competency by end of Grade 3, with Grade 5 as the outer limit, by 2026–27. NISHTHA is the FLN-specific teacher training programme under NIPUN Bharat, while PARAKH is the national assessment body under NEP 2020, responsible for the PARAKH Rashtriya Sarvekshan and the Foundational Learning Study. Statement 3 is incorrect — while the improvement from 16.3% to 23.4% is accurate, this roughly 7-point gain over two years is a slow, insufficient rate of progress given the 2026–27 universal target, not "significant acceleration."
- A. Green Hydrogen 1. Produced through electrolysis of water using electricity generated from nuclear energy
- B. Grey Hydrogen 2. Produced through steam methane reforming of natural gas, releasing CO₂ as a by-product with no carbon capture
- C. Blue Hydrogen 3. Produced through electrolysis of water powered exclusively by renewable energy sources such as solar or wind; zero lifecycle CO₂ emissions
- D. Pink Hydrogen 4. Produced through steam methane reforming with the CO₂ emissions captured and stored through carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology
Green Hydrogen is produced through electrolysis powered exclusively by renewable energy, with zero lifecycle CO₂ emissions — the variant targeted by India's National Green Hydrogen Mission. Grey Hydrogen, the dominant global form, comes from steam methane reforming with no carbon capture. Blue Hydrogen uses the same SMR process but captures and stores the CO₂ via CCS technology. Pink Hydrogen is produced through electrolysis powered by nuclear energy — giving A-3, B-2, C-4, D-1.
- Paraquat dichloride is a non-selective contact herbicide that generates toxic free radicals by interfering with the electron transport chain during photosynthesis.
- The draft ban notification was issued under Section 27 of the Insecticides Act, 1968, which empowers the Central Government to prohibit any pesticide that poses risk to human or animal life after consulting the Central Insecticides Board.
- State governments possess independent authority to permanently ban centrally registered agrochemicals under the concurrent list powers of the Constitution, as demonstrated by Telangana's three-month ban in April 2026.
- A specific medical antidote for paraquat poisoning is available but is not accessible to most Indian hospitals due to its prohibitive cost — a key reason cited for the ban.
Statements 1 and 2 are correct. Paraquat is a non-selective contact herbicide that disrupts the electron transport chain during photosynthesis, generating toxic free radicals. The draft ban notification of 13 July 2026 was issued under Section 27 of the Insecticides Act, 1968, the Centre's power to prohibit risky pesticides after consulting the CIBRC. Statement 3 is incorrect — agrochemical regulation is a Central subject; states cannot permanently ban a centrally registered chemical, and Telangana's April 2026 ban was only a temporary measure illustrating that constitutional boundary, not an exception to it. Statement 4 is incorrect — there is no specific antidote for paraquat poisoning at all; its complete absence, not inaccessibility due to cost, is one of the primary reasons cited for the ban.
Option (c) is NOT correct, making it the answer — the Supreme Court has established no mandatory 15-day intervention rule; its position is that the State must provide medical aid without compelling the striker to break the fast, with compulsory intervention reserved for cases of imperative necessity to save life, assessed case-by-case, not by an arbitrary time limit. Option (a) is correct — the right to hunger strike as protest flows from Articles 19(1)(a) and 19(1)(b), not merely Article 21. Option (b) is correct — in the Dallewal case (2024), the Court held providing medical aid was a "bounden duty" of both the Union and Punjab. Option (d) is correct — the threshold for interfering with protest fasting is deliberately high and cannot be triggered by mere political inconvenience.
