1. What is the principal aim of the Panchayat (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996 (PESA)?
Answer: E. PESA takes Part IX of the Constitution to Fifth Schedule areas and treats the Gram Sabha as the final authority over governance, land and natural resources in tribal regions.
2. Recommendations on which subject are linked to the Bhuria Committee?
Answer: C. The Bhuria Committee of 1994-95 urged that Gram Sabhas be empowered and that tribal communities control their resources, and PESA was built on this.
3. BHASHINI Samudaye is mainly meant to strengthen which of India's ecosystems?
Answer: A. Under the National Language Translation Mission, BHASHINI Samudaye encourages joint creation, open datasets and participatory governance to scale up AI tools in Indian languages.
4. How is the Man Portable Anti-Tank Guided Missile (MPATGM), which India tested recently, best described?
Answer: C. MPATGM is a shoulder-fired, third-generation fire-and-forget weapon with top-attack ability, built to destroy modern main battle tanks.
5. Who chairs the expert committee that PFRDA formed on assured payouts under the NPS?
Answer: D. M. S. Sahoo, a former Chairman of IBBI, heads the 15-member panel looking at assured payouts in the NPS.
6. Why is PFRDA looking at assured payout products within the NPS?
Answer: E. NPS is a defined-contribution plan tied to markets, so income after retirement is uncertain. Assured payouts are meant to make that income more secure.
7. Which body is expected to be the main regulator of crypto exchanges in India under the proposed framework?
Answer: B. SEBI is the proposed lead regulator, looking after trading platforms, disclosures and the protection of investors.
8. Which institution launched "TGB on Wheels", billed as the first fully solar-powered mobile ATM van in India?
Answer: A. Tripura Gramin Bank rolled out "TGB on Wheels", a solar-run ATM van that extends banking to rural areas in a sustainable way.
9. What does the RBI's proposal to restart licensing of Urban Co-operative Banks (UCBs) put emphasis on?
Answer: B. The RBI suggests minimum capital of Rs 300 crore, CAR of at least 12%, low NPAs and a long track record, so that the failures seen among small UCBs are reduced.
10. Under which law did the RBI issue the Foreign Exchange Management (Guarantees) Regulations, 2026?
Answer: D. The 2026 regulations come from FEMA, 1999, and they put in place one combined framework for guarantees that involve non-residents.
11. Kiers's research estimates mycorrhizal networks sequester roughly how much CO2 annually, about one-third of yearly fossil fuel emissions?
Answer: D. The reported estimate is about 13 billion tonnes of CO2 a year, which is roughly a third of annual fossil fuel emissions.
12. The PESA Act, 1996 extends which part of the Constitution to Fifth Schedule areas?
Answer: C. PESA extends Part IX, on Panchayati Raj, to Scheduled Areas.
13. Which ministry organised BHASHINI Samudaye in New Delhi?
Answer: B. MeitY organised the event.
14. Under the National Sports Governance Rules, 2026, what is the minimum number of SOMs in a National Sports Body's General Body?
Answer: B. At least 4 SOMs are required.
15. Who chairs the PFRDA expert committee on assured payouts under NPS?
Answer: B. M. S. Sahoo, former IBBI Chairman, chairs the 15-member panel.