1. The Union Cabinet cleared four fresh semiconductor projects worth ₹4,600 crore under the India Semiconductor Mission. Which one is India’s first commercial Silicon Carbide (SiC) fab?
Answer: A. Working with the UK’s Clas-SiC Wafer Fab Ltd., SiCSem will run the country’s first commercial SiC compound semiconductor plant in Odisha, serving defence, EVs and solar inverters.
2. What new name did the Mines and Minerals (Development & Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2025 give to the National Mineral Exploration Trust (NMET)?
Answer: B. The trust is now NMEDT with a wider remit covering offshore and overseas exploration of critical minerals, and leaseholders pay 3% of royalty instead of 2%.
3. Which bill takes the place of the 1908 Indian Ports Act, aiming at modern port governance and greener operations?
Answer: C. The 2025 bill supersedes the old law with updated rules, digital port procedures, green and safe port standards, and new bodies such as MSDC and State Maritime Boards.
4. CDSCO and the Health Ministry recently rolled out SHRESTH. Which area does it concern?
Answer: D. SHRESTH is the first index of its kind, comparing state drug regulators against WHO benchmarks, ranking them every month and encouraging uniform drug regulation.
5. In what capacity did the RBI give Paytm Payments Services Ltd. (PPSL) its in-principle approval?
Answer: E. With this nod PPSL can bring merchants on board and let them take several kinds of digital payment.
6. Group insolvency, cross-border insolvency and pre-packaged insolvency for large corporates are introduced by which amendment bill?
Answer: A. The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code amendment seeks quicker resolution of corporate distress through these three mechanisms.
7. From which date will NPCI stop UPI Pull (Collect) transactions because of increasing fraud?
Answer: B. The Pull/Collect feature ends on 31 October 2025, since fraudsters exploited it to persuade users to approve payments they never intended.
8. Which long-standing law has the Income Tax Bill, 2025 superseded?
Answer: C. After around sixty years the 1961 Act is being replaced, with a single “Tax Year” concept, broader digital asset definitions and compulsory digital compliance.
9. RBI recently let foreign investors park surplus balances held in Vostro accounts in which instrument?
Answer: D. Idle money in Vostro accounts, which Indian banks keep for overseas banks, may now go into central government securities, supporting rupee trade settlement.
10. India’s CPI inflation dropped to 1.55% in July 2025, an eight-year low. Which statement describes what the CPI basket covers?
Answer: E. The Consumer Price Index tracks retail prices across food and beverages, clothing, housing, fuel and light, and other items such as education, health and transport.
11. The Equator Prize 2025 had winners from how many countries?
Answer: E. Ten winners were chosen from nine countries.
12. In which year did Azerbaijan militarily retake Nagorno-Karabakh, displacing thousands of ethnic Armenians?
Answer: E. The background notes that Azerbaijan reclaimed the region by force in 2023.
13. Through which scheme is the Rs 300 PMUY subsidy delivered?
Answer: B. The subsidy operates through the Pratyaksh Hastantarit Labh (PAHAL) DBT scheme.
14. Which ministry implements the India Semiconductor Mission under the Semicon India Programme?
Answer: B. MeitY implements the mission.
15. Under the MMDR Amendment Bill 2025, leaseholders' contribution to NMEDT rises to what share of royalty payable?
Answer: D. The contribution increases from 2% to 3% of royalty payable.