1. MeitY launched NIDAR 2.0, the National Innovation Challenge for Drone Application and Research, in partnership with which body?
Answer: E. The 2026-27 edition is a national hackathon for engineering students under the SwaYaan Capacity Building Initiative, approved in July 2022. Track 1 is drone innovation such as disaster-response swarms, medical delivery and GPS-denied navigation; Track 2 is indigenous flight controllers and autopilots on C-DAC's VEGA Microprocessor.
2. Which framework, titled the 'Anatomy of Cyber Failure', appears in the Digital Threat Report 2025-26 on India's BFSI sector?
Answer: D. The report's second edition, issued by MeitY with CERT-In, CSIRT-Fin and SISA Information Security, also offers an 18-month roadmap. It finds that AI favours attackers, attack cycles are shortening and attacks imitate genuine sessions; CERT-In works under MeitY per the IT Act 2000, and CSIRT-Fin is the financial sector's response team.
3. The LAHDC Act, 1997 is being extended to all seven Ladakh districts. Which two districts did it originally cover?
Answer: C. The Act first set up Autonomous Hill Development Councils in Leh and Kargil for decentralised governance. After 17 new tehsils were created, it will cover the whole UT; the councils control local development planning, Khalsa Sarkar land, undemarcated forests and certain local taxes.
4. What does the 'SHANTI Vision', unveiled by EAM S. Jaishankar for India's 2028-29 UNSC campaign, stand for?
Answer: A. It is India's diplomatic framework for seeking a non-permanent Security Council seat, putting weight on the Global South, a rules-based order, peacekeeping reform including Women, Peace and Security, responsible technology governance and development partnerships across 79 countries.
5. How many terms has India served so far as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council?
Answer: B. The terms were 1950-51, 1967-68, 1972-73, 1977-78, 1984-85, 1991-92, 2011-12 and 2021-22. The Council has 15 members, 5 permanent and 10 elected for two years, and India has sent nearly 3 lakh personnel to about 50 peacekeeping missions.
6. Odisha has proposed raising Debrigarh Wildlife Sanctuary to 'Debrigarh-Gaur National Park'. Along which reservoir does the sanctuary lie?
Answer: A. The 353 sq km sanctuary in Bargarh district sits on the Hirakud Reservoir of the Mahanadi, and about 290.65 sq km would become the park's core, free of human settlements. Its tropical dry deciduous forests were a base for Veer Surendra Sai's resistance against British rule.
7. From what date will the RBI's revised governance framework for bank boards, which lets boards concentrate on strategy and risk instead of routine matters, apply?
Answer: C. The framework trims what goes to boards by handing routine work to committees and management, strengthens the Chairperson's role in setting agendas, improves information flow and adds periodic governance reviews, so boards can attend to strategy, risk, financial stability and compliance.
8. Under RBI's proposed one-time approval for mutual funds, insurers and pension funds acquiring bank stakes, the approval would cover acquisitions up to what share of the bank's paid-up capital or voting rights?
Answer: B. At present these investors need RBI's prior approval to reach 5% or more, and again if they fall below 5% and later cross it. The draft amendment lets RBI, after the first approval, permit later purchases up to 10% in that same bank, subject to conditions.
9. On which date will the nationwide 'Hariyali Amavasya Tree Festival' plantation drive under the Vriksh Mitra Abhiyan, launched by Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, take place?
Answer: E. The festival turns planting trees into a national celebration within a people-led campaign built around the 'One Tree, Five Companions' pledge and a Vriksh Mitra Pariwar network from national to village level. It also links plantation to PM Gram Sadak Yojana and Lakhpati Didi Yojana and ties in with Mission LiFE.
10. The Union Government has prohibited 'Paraquat Dichloride'. What kind of agrochemical is it?
Answer: D. Often sprayed to clear fields after harvest, it ranks among the most toxic herbicides and the Agriculture Ministry banned it. No specific antidote exists, and small amounts can trigger multi-organ failure, lung fibrosis and kidney and liver damage, with thousands of deaths from suicide, accidents and homicides linked to it.
11. Crystal Crop Protection launched six agri innovations for Kharif 2026, including 'Samorian', a patented herbicide with a triple mode of action. For which crop is it intended?
Answer: D. Samorian handles both grassy and broadleaf weeds in soybean. The other launches are Takuro for maize, Xeberia and MAXentra for paddy fungicide, Valtruva for cotton insect control and KGR-T GreenAg, an organic nutrition product delivered in effervescent tablets.
12. The 'SANKALP Framework' for quality, sustainability and efficiency in public infrastructure was released at whose 172nd Annual Day?
Answer: A. The Central Public Works Department held the event at Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi, where Housing & Urban Affairs Minister Manohar Lal launched the framework together with two publications about India's urban development journey.
13. PM Modi's 10-11 July 2026 trip to New Zealand was the first by an Indian PM in how many years?
Answer: E. Relations were raised to a Strategic Partnership, 10 MoUs were signed and a Roadmap to 2030 adopted. The countries also aim to double trade to NZD 7 billion by 2030, with cooperation on defence, maritime security, agriculture, education and critical technologies.
14. Which bank started 'FinSpark'26', a national cybersecurity hackathon themed 'Securing the Future of Banking'?
Answer: C. The hackathon invites solutions for banking security, AI-based fraud detection, insider threats and cyber resilience, with prizes worth over ₹10 lakh.
15. FIU-IND came second at the Best Egmont Case Award (BECA) 2026 for exposing a cyber fraud and money laundering network of roughly what size?
Answer: B. The Financial Intelligence Unit-India was Runner-up for the case, which led to cash and cryptocurrency seizures, asset attachment and prosecution under the PMLA, 2002.
16. Which reusable rocket prototype did JAXA successfully lift off and land in its first such test?
Answer: E. The RV-X rose about 10 metres, hovered for 40 seconds and touched down safely, a significant step in Japan's reusable launch vehicle programme.
17. India beat England by 270 runs in the first Women's Test at Lord's. Who was the first woman to hit a Test century there?
Answer: D. In the win captained by Harmanpreet Kaur, one of India's biggest Test victories, Bhatia's hundred was a first at Lord's among women, and debutant Kranti Gaud took five wickets.
18. Anjum Chopra joined the ICC Hall of Fame 2026 along with Kevin Pietersen. Which Indian woman to be honoured is she?
Answer: C. The former India captain is the third Indian woman and the 13th Indian overall in the Hall of Fame, inducted together with ex-England captain Pietersen.
19. Tamil writer Poomani died aged 79. Which novel won him the 2014 Sahitya Akademi Award?
Answer: A. His Sahitya Akademi win in 2014 was for Agnaadi, while his novel Vekkai became the film Asuran. In other news, veteran Congress leader and former Central Silk Board Chairman H. Hanumanthappa, a former Rajya Sabha MP, died at 94.
20. What is the title of the debut book by Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla about his Axiom-4 mission?
Answer: B. Its full title is 'The Second Orbit: Belief of a Man… Dreams of 1.4 Billion Hearts', and it recounts his path as an astronaut, the Axiom-4 flight to the ISS and India's human spaceflight ambitions.
21. International Malala Day on 12 July honours Malala Yousafzai's birthday and which year's UN speech?
Answer: C. The day recalls her 2013 address to the UN urging education for all. 12 July is also the International Day of Combating Sand and Dust Storms, whose 2026 theme is 'From Source to Impact: Protecting Land and Life from Sand and Dust Storms'.
22. Andhra Pradesh's 'Pillale Sampada' (Children are Wealth) initiative offers ₹30,000 for a third child. How much does it propose for a fourth child?
Answer: A. The scheme aims to encourage balanced population growth as fertility declines, and concentrates on maternal health, childcare and public awareness.
23. The 'Seafarer Safety Tracker' launched by Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal aims chiefly at safeguarding Indian seafarers in which conflict-prone area?
Answer: E. Built on a 'Seafarer-First' approach, the tool allows continuous monitoring, prompt emergency response and coordinated help for Indian crew, especially around the Strait of Hormuz.
24. Which group kept the top spot as India's most valuable brand at US$33.6 billion in Brand Finance's India 100 Report 2026?
Answer: B. The report values India's top 100 brands at US$252.8 billion, 7% above 2025. Infosys and Life Insurance Corporation came after the Tata Group.