1. Which Union Ministry is behind DAANVEER, a scheme through which citizens, CSR bodies and overseas Indians can gift desktop computers to verified Gram Panchayats?
Answer: A. DAANVEER is the Panchayati Raj Ministry's people-led computer crowdsourcing effort for Panchayats without IT hardware. It supplements funding under the Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan.
2. In DAANVEER, a donor picks a verified Panchayat on one app and then buys through an ONDC-linked marketplace. Which two?
Answer: C. The donor chooses a state-verified Panchayat on the Meri Panchayat App and is sent to DigiHaat with details filled in. After the Panchayat Secretary confirms delivery, the donor receives a Certificate of Appreciation.
3. NABARD signed an MoU with NaBFID on rural infrastructure and PPP financing. Which description of NaBFID is accurate?
Answer: D. NaBFID is India's development finance institution for infrastructure, established by its own 2021 Act and based in Mumbai. The pact aims to bring long-term finance to rural infrastructure such as irrigation, cold chains and rural roads.
4. Banas Dairy and Suzuki Motor Corporation teamed up with which third organisation for the Banas Bio-CNG Model Plant in Banaskantha, Gujarat?
Answer: B. NDDB is the third partner in the plant at Vinchhivadi, which turns 100 tonnes of cattle dung a day into clean fuel and organic fertiliser by anaerobic digestion.
5. Sugar allocation turns fortnightly from September. Of the allocation, what is the smallest share mills are obliged to sell during week one?
Answer: B. Week one must see no less than 40 per cent of a mill's quantity sold, the balance following in week two, with dispatch inside a week. The switch from monthly quotas is aimed at steadier prices.
6. The restructured PM SVANidhi turned a year old on 27 August 2026. Its extended validity runs till which date?
Answer: E. The scheme now runs until 31 March 2030. It keeps giving collateral-free working-capital loans with a 7 per cent interest subsidy for timely repayment, helping vendors build a credit history.
7. While cautioning about slippage in public finances, S&P left its India outlook stable. What fiscal deficit has the Centre targeted for FY27?
Answer: C. The FY27 target is 4.3 per cent of GDP. S&P sees the Centre's deficit at 3.9 per cent by FY30, while the combined Centre and states deficit is put at 7.3 per cent in FY27.
8. As PMJDY reaches its 12th year, identify the claim about it that is false.
Answer: D. Responsibility for PMJDY lies with the Finance Ministry's Department of Financial Services rather than Rural Development. Direct benefit transfers connect to it via the JAM trinity of Jan Dhan, Aadhaar and mobile.
9. Banks may now tap the RBI's concessional dollar-rupee swap facility beyond their set weekly slot for FCNR(B) deals larger than what size?
Answer: A. Large FCNR(B) inflows above USD 100 million no longer have to wait for a bank's allotted day. Same-day use of the window shortens the delay before such deposits reach the RBI.
10. India's crude imports from Russia in August 2026 are put at about 2.1 million barrels a day. What share of total Indian crude imports does Russia still supply?
Answer: A. Russia remains India's biggest crude supplier with over 40 per cent of imports. August volumes were below the record 2.6 million bpd of June and July because of refinery maintenance, lower Russian availability and stronger Chinese buying.
11. In the debate on climate-proofing India's food system, what does the pillar of 'diversified procurement' mainly mean?
Answer: C. Diversified procurement is one of five pillars that aim to move away from monoculture towards food and nutrition security. The others cover a diversified PDS, climate-proof storage, weather-based planning and sustainable farming.
12. The world's first Drought Resilience Index and Drought Resilience Investment Facility were launched at which international forum?
Answer: D. The new architecture, unveiled at UNCCD COP17, is meant to shift countries from reacting to crises to preparing for them. The DRI measures a country's capacity to withstand drought, and the DRIF mobilises private and institutional finance.
13. To which plant family does Ammannia telanganensis, a freshwater flowering species newly reported from Telangana, belong?
Answer: B. This annual semi-aquatic herb belongs to the loosestrife family, Lythraceae, and was described in the journal Phytotaxa. It grows in wet sandy soils beside seasonal streams and was found in Rangareddy district and the Amrabad Tiger Reserve.
14. In 2026 R. Praggnanandhaa made history as India's first Grand Chess Tour Finals champion. Which player was his opponent in the title match?
Answer: E. He defeated Fabiano Caruana 15-13 in the final at the Saint Louis Chess Club. As the first Indian Grand Chess Tour champion, he took home a prize of USD 200,000.
15. What does GLOF stand for in the context of Himalayan hazards?
Answer: A. GLOF means Glacial Lake Outburst Flood.