1. The NITI Aayog Investment Friendliness Index (IFI) ranks States and UTs by their investment ecosystem. Which state took first place overall?
Answer: B. Gujarat led the overall table, followed by Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Goa and Odisha. Category leaders were Gujarat (Large States), Uttarakhand (Hilly and North-Eastern) and Goa (UTs/City States), and the index spans 28 States and 8 UTs, first proposed at the 9th Governing Council meeting in July 2024.
2. The NITI Aayog Investment Friendliness Index scores States on how many assessment pillars?
Answer: D. It uses eight pillars: Infrastructure, Business Climate, Resources, Government Policy, Regulatory Ease, Institutional Environment, Financial Health and Environmental Resilience. Scores above 50 mark Top Performers, 45-50 Frontrunners, 40-45 Emerging Performers, and below 40 Aspiring States.
3. The White Rabbit Technology behind India's first IST Distribution Demonstration Network at RRSL Jakkur, Bengaluru, began as open-source work at which organisation?
Answer: A. The network rests on open-source White Rabbit technology from CERN, built by the Legal Metrology Division with NPL, ISRO, BSNL and SEBI. It sends IST over fibre or Ethernet with Precision Time Protocol (IEEE 1588) to under 1 nanosecond accuracy, useful for defence, financial timestamps, 5G/6G, space and quantum work, and power or nuclear sites.
4. The Indian Navy is to commission "Malvan", the second Mahe-class indigenous vessel of what kind?
Answer: C. Malvan is a Mahe-class Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft built by Cochin Shipyard in Kochi with over 80% local content. It carries hull-mounted and towed array sonar, light torpedoes, rocket launchers and mine-laying gear to guard ports, harbours, islands and coastal assets.
5. In which national park is the newly described monkey "Congo Colobus" (Colobus congoensis), called Likweli locally, found exclusively?
Answer: E. This newly found leaf-eating monkey lives only in Lomami National Park, Democratic Republic of Congo, in high-altitude rainforest canopies. It eats leaves, fruit and seeds, makes deep roaring calls over long distances, and helps forests regrow by spreading seeds.
6. Manasbal Lake has seen migratory birds return after years of ecological decline. What is it known for?
Answer: C. Manasbal in Ganderbal district, J&K, is India's deepest freshwater lake and is looked after by the Wullar-Manasbal Development Authority. Over the winter of Dec 2025 to Jan 2026, more than 46 bird species from 23 families, including Mallard, White-headed Duck and Golden Eagle, were noted, and a Bird Watching Festival took place.
7. EPFO's "Vishwas 2026", a one-off scheme to settle damages and penalty disputes, started on 29 June 2026. For how long will it run?
Answer: E. The scheme runs for 6 months from 29 June 2026 and covers defaults before 14 June 2024. It rests on Section 14B of the EPF & MP Act, 1952 and Section 128 of the Code on Social Security, 2020, and works fully online within set time limits to encourage voluntary compliance and reduce litigation.
8. Vishwas 2026 sets a reduced penalty rate for defaults lasting up to 2 months. What is it?
Answer: B. A default of up to 2 months now attracts 0.25% per month, 2 months up to under 4 months attracts 0.50% per month, and anything beyond 4 months attracts 1% per month.
9. What did the overall unemployment rate come to in the PLFS Monthly Bulletin for June 2026, the 15th in the series?
Answer: D. The NSO's bulletin put it at 5.5%, same as May, with rural at 5.0% (from 5.1%) and urban at 6.6% (from 6.4%). LFPR for age 15 and above was 54.4%, and under Current Weekly Status one counts as employed after working at least an hour in the previous seven days.
10. Products from the Lakhpati Didi initiative were displayed at Bharat Tex 2026. What yearly income does the initiative want rural women to reach at minimum?
Answer: A. It aims for at least ₹1 lakh a year per rural woman through sustainable livelihoods, women-run enterprises and stronger SHGs. The Rural Development Ministry started it on 15 August 2023 under DAY-NRLM, and Bharat Tex is India's biggest global textile expo, held by BTTF with Textiles Ministry support.
11. DBT and which foreign partner jointly fund Phase III of the Biomedical Research Career Programme (BRCP), launched with ₹1,500 crore?
Answer: D. The UK's Wellcome Trust is the partner, giving ₹500 crore alongside DBT's ₹1,000 crore, to strengthen India's biomedical research base and develop globally competitive scientists.
12. In which city did India host the 12th BRICS Labour and Employment Ministers' Meeting during its 2026 BRICS Chairship?
Answer: A. Hyderabad in Telangana was the venue, under the theme "Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability". The ministers adopted a Declaration and India launched BRICS CONNECT for technical cooperation, knowledge sharing and capacity building.
13. Under the Shipbuilding Development Scheme (SbDS), MoPSW approved a Greenfield Shipbuilding Cluster and a Ship Repair Facility. Where, in that order?
Answer: C. In-principle approval went to a greenfield shipbuilding cluster at Porbandar and a ship repair facility at Vadinar, both in Gujarat, in support of the Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047 for home-grown shipbuilding and repair.
14. What was the subject of "Saushrutam 2026", the three-day international seminar at AIIA, New Delhi, which President Droupadi Murmu opened?
Answer: E. The seminar covered Ayurvedic Surgery and opened at the All India Institute of Ayurveda on Sushruta Jayanti. The President also opened an AI-enabled 3 Tesla MRI and released an NCISM study on women Ayurveda graduates.
15. Arjun Ram Meghwal launched the "e-VSP Portal", built with NIC. What does it offer?
Answer: B. The electronic Vidhi Sahitya Prakashan portal gives digital access to legal books, journals and publications for students, researchers, advocates, judges and other legal professionals. Separately, VISTAS opened India's first AI-integrated vertical university campus in Chennai with partners like Intel Unnati, Microsoft, Oracle Academy and TCS iON.
16. To bring multilingual AI into digital banking, the Digital India BHASHINI Division (DIBD) signed an MoU with which bank?
Answer: E. Punjab National Bank is the partner; BHASHINI's multilingual AI will let customers use PNB's digital services in several Indian languages, aiding financial inclusion. Also reported: pi-labs teamed with Google Cloud on public sector AI, and Dr. Nandini Azad of the Working Women's Forum got Bharat Samman 2026.
17. Inga Ruginienė was followed as Lithuania's 20th Prime Minister by whom?
Answer: B. Mindaugas Sinkevičius, head of the Lithuanian Social Democratic Party (LSDP), was sworn in as the 20th PM, succeeding Inga Ruginienė and heading a centre-left coalition government.
18. Amitabh Bachchan became Policybazaar's Brand Ambassador for which nationwide insurance awareness campaign?
Answer: D. He fronts the "Parivaar Sabse Pehle" campaign, which pushes health and term insurance and backs IRDAI's Insurance for All by 2047 vision.
19. Fairfax Financial Holdings is the preferred bidder for a 60.72% stake in IDBI Bank. What is the deal's value?
Answer: A. The Canadian firm would buy the 60.72% from the Government of India and LIC for ₹52,932 crore, likely the biggest foreign investment in an Indian bank, pending regulatory approvals.
20. India came third at the Asian U-19 & U-23 Boxing Championships 2026 in Jakarta, winning 29 medals. Which country led the medal table?
Answer: C. India's 29 medals (5 gold, 13 silver, 11 bronze) gave it third place in Jakarta. Uzbekistan topped the table with Kazakhstan next.
21. The ICC's newly approved formats add which stage to the Men's ODI World Cup?
Answer: A. A Super 7 stage is added to the ODI World Cup, while the T20 World Cup gets a Super 10 stage with Eliminators, intended to sharpen competition and cut dead-rubber matches.
22. Moozhikkal Pankajakshi, a Padma Shri recipient who died aged 90 in Kerala, was known for which traditional art?
Answer: C. She was recognised worldwide for keeping alive Nokkuvidya Pavakkali, Kerala's distinctive traditional puppetry.
23. Which date is shared by AI Appreciation Day and World Snake Day?
Answer: E. Both fall on 16 July. AI Appreciation Day honours AI's role in innovation, governance, health, education and the economy, while World Snake Day stresses snakes' ecological value; India has roughly 300 species, protected by the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972.