1. India released its first Guide to Grasslands and Other Open Natural Ecosystems (ONEs) at the UNCCD's COP17. In which city was COP17 held?
Answer: A. The UN desertification convention's 17th conference took place in Ulaanbaatar. India's own turn as host came with COP14 in New Delhi in 2019, which produced the Delhi Declaration.
2. On what date was the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) adopted in Paris?
Answer: B. Agenda 21 at the 1992 Rio Earth Summit recommended it, and it was adopted in Paris on 17 June 1994, entering into force in December 1996. That date is now the World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought.
3. Under its UNCCD commitments, how much degraded land has India pledged to restore by 2030?
Answer: C. India's pledge of 26 million hectares by 2030 matches the Land Degradation Neutrality goal under SDG 15.3. The SAC-ISRO atlas puts about 30 per cent of the country's land under some degradation.
4. A Centre of Excellence for Eri Silk Weaving, called Ryndia locally, opened in Ri-Bhoi district. Which state is it in?
Answer: D. Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma inaugurated it in Ri-Bhoi district of Meghalaya. Eri silk is also called Ahimsa Silk because the moth is not killed during production.
5. The Jal Jeevan Mission marked seven years on 15 August 2026. How much water per person per day is a Functional Household Tap Connection meant to deliver?
Answer: E. The mission works to a norm of 55 litres per person daily through household taps. Begun on 15 August 2019 under the Jal Shakti Ministry, it has reached over 15.91 crore rural households.
6. What Centre-State cost-sharing ratio does the Jal Jeevan Mission use for Himalayan and North-Eastern states?
Answer: A. The Centre pays 90% for Himalayan and North-Eastern states, 100% for Union Territories and half for all other states. Because JJM is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme, costs are shared with states.
7. The Union Cabinet pushed the Jal Jeevan Mission deadline out from 2024 to which date?
Answer: B. The Cabinet moved the target from 2024 to December 2028. A village earns Har Ghar Jal status only once its Gram Sabha resolves that each household has a working tap with enough water of the required quality.
8. NABARD introduced the RSVC-AMRIT platform for rural innovation. What does AMRIT stand for here?
Answer: C. Prof. Ajay Kumar Sood launched the platform on 15 August 2026. It serves as the digital backbone of the RuTAGe Smart Village Centre ecosystem, tracking technologies from discovery to field validation and deployment.
9. In which year was NABARD, India's apex institution for agriculture and rural development finance, set up?
Answer: D. NABARD began in 1982 with its headquarters in Mumbai. SIDBI (1990) and NHB (1988) are younger and are easily mixed up with it.
10. West Bengal officially started Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY on 16 August 2026. How much annual health cover does it give each family?
Answer: E. The scheme covers up to Rs 5 lakh per family per year, with about 2,000 hospitals to be empanelled and all citizens above 70 included. The state also began the Mukhyamantri Swasthya Bima Yojana for families outside AB-PMJAY.
11. NITI Aayog's 3rd Services Thematic report finds that professional services make up roughly what portion of India's total services exports?
Answer: A. The report, India's Services Sector: Insights on Regulatory Regime in Professional Services, says these services account for nearly a quarter of services exports. Barriers it notes include nationality and residency rules, licensing and recognition of foreign qualifications.
12. RBI's draft guidelines of 6 August 2026 propose limiting NBFCs to which kind of credit product?
Answer: B. The draft would in effect stop NBFCs from giving revolving credit such as overdrafts or credit cards, leaving fixed-amount loans repaid on a schedule. The Finance Industry Development Council warns this could favour banks through regulatory arbitrage.
13. Which bank did RBI fine Rs 59.20 lakh for not following directions on Interest Rate on Deposits and Securitisation of Standard Assets?
Answer: C. An inspection based on the bank's position at 31 March 2025 found it paid interest on some current account deposits against RBI rules and carried out synthetic securitisation of standard assets contrary to guidelines.
14. What total value of projects did MeitY clear for incentives under the Electronics Component Manufacturing Scheme (ECMS)?
Answer: D. ECMS encourages domestic production of electronic parts that India has mostly imported. Approved projects earn incentives linked to turnover or capex, and several items such as hermetic terminals and metalised capacitor films will be made here for the first time.
15. Where was the 17th Conference of the Parties to the UNCCD held, at which India launched its Guide to Grasslands?
Answer: C. COP17 of the UNCCD took place at Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.