1. Under which scheme did the Government of India begin a CBDC pilot for food subsidy distribution in Puducherry?
Answer: A. The Puducherry pilot runs under PMGKAY, using programmable digital rupee tokens issued by the RBI that work only at authorised fair price shops, adding transparency and curbing leakage in the PDS.
2. India signed a Statement of Intent to set up the Sweden–India Technology and Artificial Intelligence Corridor (SITAC). With which country was it signed?
Answer: E. India and Sweden agreed the Statement of Intent to create SITAC, which is meant to deepen collaboration in AI, innovation, research and digital technologies.
3. In which year did the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) mark its 29th Foundation Day?
Answer: D. TRAI was set up in 1997 under the TRAI Act, and its 29th Foundation Day fell in 2026, underlining its role in regulating telecom and protecting consumers.
4. Concern over what led Saudi Arabia to ban poultry imports from several countries, India among them?
Answer: C. The ban on poultry from about 40 countries, India included, was imposed to stop the spread of bird flu and protect food safety in the country.
5. Which issue does the UN's #MakeASafetyStatement campaign in India aim to raise awareness about?
Answer: D. The campaign encourages safe road habits such as wearing helmets and seat belts, not driving drunk, and behaving responsibly on roads.
6. In which city did the Reserve Bank of India set up a high-security greenfield data centre?
Answer: A. The facility in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, is meant to make India's financial infrastructure more resilient and secure, especially payment systems such as UPI, NEFT and RTGS.
7. The Asian Development Bank signed a financing agreement of up to USD 108 million with which housing finance company?
Answer: E. The ADB deal with Aavas Financiers backs affordable housing finance and widens access to home loans for low-income households.
8. Which institution issues the digital tokens used in the CBDC-based subsidy pilot?
Answer: D. The programmable digital rupee tokens in the pilot are issued by the RBI and can only be spent for set purposes, such as buying food grains from authorised shops.
9. Which aspect of the financial system is the RBI's new Odisha data centre chiefly meant to strengthen?
Answer: B. The Bhubaneswar centre is built to improve data security, operational resilience and continuity for digital payment platforms like UPI, NEFT and RTGS.
10. What feature are the programmable CBDC tokens in the food subsidy pilot chiefly designed to deliver?
Answer: D. Subsidies carried on such tokens can be spent only for what they are meant for, since beneficiaries must use them at authorised fair price shops, which adds transparency and limits misuse.
11. How many economies does the World Bank's Women, Business and the Law 2026 report cover?
Answer: B. The 11th edition covers 190 economies.
12. How many member states of the GCC are part of the proposed India-GCC FTA?
Answer: A. The agreement covers the six GCC states.
13. What is the scientific name of the Smew recorded in Kaziranga?
Answer: B. The Smew is Mergellus albellus.
14. Which Article of the Constitution empowers Parliament to change the name of a state?
Answer: C. Article 3 covers new states, boundaries and name changes.
15. Which body implements Corporate Average Fuel Efficiency (CAFE) norms in India?
Answer: B. BEE under the Ministry of Power implements CAFE norms.