16. Which scheme, begun during the COVID-19 pandemic, has now been running for six years?
Answer: D. Rolled out in June 2020, PM SVANidhi offers micro-credit to urban street vendors through the Centre and has now marked six years.
17. Which organisation runs Project UDAYAK, a territorial project that has been in the news?
Answer: B. UDAYAK is a BRO project, set up in 1989 to build strategic infrastructure across eastern Arunachal Pradesh and some parts of Assam.
18. What total outlay has been set for the MAHA Water Mission launched by the Centre?
Answer: E. The mission, short for Missions for Advancement in High-impact Areas, has a budget of ₹200 crore to boost water-sector research and innovation.
19. The Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) is carried out by which body?
Answer: D. The National Health Authority, working under the Health Ministry, runs ABDM, which has lately passed 90 crore ABHA accounts.
20. What MMR did India record for 2022-24 in the latest SRS bulletin?
Answer: A. The ratio slipped slightly from 88 in 2021-23 down to 87, according to the Sample Registration System.
21. Which index is the government planning to bring in, over time, in place of the Wholesale Price Index (WPI)?
Answer: D. WPI is to be phased out across five years, with a broader Producer Price Index covering both goods and services taking over.
22. Which sectors does the first phase of the new Services Producer Price Index take in?
Answer: B. The first phase spans seven sectors, among them banking, insurance, telecom and railways, along with securities transactions, pension fund management and air passenger transport.
23. The Common Landing Portal for Unclaimed Financial Assets was rolled out by which department?
Answer: E. Under the Finance Ministry, the Department of Financial Services started the portal so citizens can look up and claim dormant assets.
24. During which dates will the countrywide Khet Bachao Abhiyan run?
Answer: C. The Agriculture Ministry will carry out this month-long campaign through 1-30 June 2026, encouraging sustainable farming and balanced use of fertilisers.
25. Khet Bachao Abhiyan seeks to encourage fertiliser use guided by what?
Answer: A. The drive stresses judicious, balanced application informed by soil testing, soil health and scientific advice to lift productivity.
26. Under PM SVANidhi, what annual interest subsidy do street vendors receive on timely or early repayment?
Answer: B. The scheme gives a 7% yearly interest subsidy on timely or early repayment.
27. India signed a ₹5,800-crore BrahMos missile export deal with which country, as confirmed at the Shangri-La Dialogue?
Answer: C. The Defence Secretary confirmed the ₹5,800-crore deal with Vietnam; Indonesia's deal was in final stages.
28. Project UDAYAK, which celebrated its 37th Raising Day at Doomdooma, Assam, is a territorial project of which organisation?
Answer: C. The notes describe UDAYAK as a territorial project of the Border Roads Organisation.
29. What is the total outlay of the MAHA Water Mission and its duration?
Answer: B. The outlay is Rs.200 crore over five years.
30. Under the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission, the ABHA is which kind of identifier?
Answer: C. ABHA is a 14-digit unique digital health identifier.
31. Identify the correct statement on the tariff that USTR has proposed for India.
Answer: A. Under Section 301 of the US Trade Act, 1974, USTR floated an extra 12.5% duty on India and 53 other nations, citing weak action against goods made with forced labour.
32. Who held the number one spot on Forbes' list of the world's ten richest people in June 2026?
Answer: D. Elon Musk stayed in first place with about USD 835 billion, mostly from his Tesla and SpaceX stakes.
33. Pick the pair that is matched correctly.
Answer: C. Jensen Huang leads NVIDIA; the other pairs are wrong since Ellison is tied to Oracle, Arnault to LVMH, Ballmer to Microsoft and Bezos to Amazon.
34. Under which ILO Convention is forced labour defined at the international level?
Answer: E. The 1930 Forced Labour Convention, number 29, describes forced labour as work obtained through threat or coercion and without free consent.
35. Which missile defence system's fourth squadron reached India from Russia in May 2026?
Answer: C. The fourth S-400 Triumf squadron arrived under the USD 5.43 billion deal that India concluded with Russia in 2018.
36. Which task is beyond what the S-400 Triumf is built to do?
Answer: A. The S-400 is an air-defence system meant to stop aircraft, drones, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles; it has no role against submarines.
37. What is the primary aim of the Prime Minister Research Chair (PMRC) Scheme 2026?
Answer: D. It is a talent-return initiative that draws leading researchers of Indian origin from overseas universities, labs and industry to top Indian institutions.
38. Mission Senehjori seeks to promote which distinctive product of Assam?
Answer: B. The mission wants to turn Assam's GI-tagged Muga Silk, famed for its natural golden sheen, into a globally competitive luxury ecosystem.
39. What was India's real GDP growth in 2025-26, according to the RBI Annual Report 2025-26?
Answer: A. The report described India as the fastest-growing major economy, with real growth of 7.6% for 2025-26.
40. After a total reduction of 100 bps, where did the MPC bring the repo rate, per the RBI Annual Report 2025-26?
Answer: C. Through 2025 the MPC lowered the policy rate by 100 basis points in total, taking the repo rate to 5.25%.
41. Under which US law has the USTR proposed an additional 12.5% tariff on India and 53 other countries?
Answer: A. The proposal falls under Section 301 of the US Trade Act, 1974.
42. In the Forbes list of the world's richest people as of 1 June 2026, who ranks second with USD 309 billion?
Answer: D. Larry Page, an Alphabet co-founder, is second with USD 309 billion.
43. The S-400 Triumf has which NATO reporting name?
Answer: A. The notes give SA-21 Growler.
44. Who chairs the Empowered Committee of the Prime Minister Research Chair (PMRC) Scheme 2026?
Answer: B. The Empowered Committee is chaired by the Principal Scientific Adviser.
45. Which ministry anchors Mission Senehjori for Assam's Muga silk?
Answer: C. MDoNER anchors the mission, with the Ministry of Textiles as partner.
46. Which organisation under MSDE carries out the Navachar Mantra initiative?
Answer: C. NIESBUD is the body that implements the initiative for the skill development and entrepreneurship ministry.
47. Which of these is not among the six priority sectors of the Navachar Mantra Initiative?
Answer: A. Defence manufacturing is absent from the initiative's six focus areas, which instead span agriculture, health, education, climate, rural commerce and MSMEs.
48. For which audiobook album did the 14th Dalai Lama win a Grammy Award?
Answer: D. The recording won the Grammy in its audiobook narration and storytelling category.
49. Where is the 1st World Yogasana Sports Championship 2026 taking place?
Answer: B. The first edition of this five-day championship is hosted at the EKA Arena in Ahmedabad, Gujarat.
50. In the SIDE 2026 Report, what is India's rank among the world's most digitalised economies?
Answer: E. India placed fifth among 71 countries in SIDE 2026 and fourth worldwide on the CHIPS AI Index.
51. Banks received full hedging cost support from RBI until September 2026 for which deposits?
Answer: C. RBI covers the whole hedging cost on new FCNR(B) deposits of three to five years' tenor that authorised dealer banks mobilise before the deadline.
52. ADB and Standard Chartered signed agreements aimed at bolstering which area in India?
Answer: A. The tie-up targets financing shortfalls and better risk-sharing in supply chain finance for Indian companies.
53. NPCI joined hands with which bank to start UPI acceptance in Cambodia?
Answer: D. ACLEDA Bank is NPCI's partner for UPI acceptance in Cambodia, which widens India's digital payments reach abroad.
54. Which Indian initiative won the Food Planet Prize in 2026?
Answer: B. The prize recognised APCNF for changing food systems through natural farming run by communities.
55. Which organisation within the Andhra Pradesh Agriculture Department implements APCNF?
Answer: E. RySS, a non-profit set up under the state's agriculture department, drives APCNF to spread natural farming.
56. Which agency implements the Navachar Mantra initiative of the Skill Development ministry?
Answer: B. NIESBUD implements Navachar Mantra for MSDE.
57. The 14th Dalai Lama won a Grammy for which audiobook album?
Answer: B. The Grammy was for the spoken-word album Meditations.
58. Where is the 1st World Yogasana Sports Championship 2026 being held?
Answer: A. The venue is EKA Arena in Ahmedabad, Gujarat.
59. In the ICRIER-Prosus SIDE 2026 report, what was India's rank among digital economies?
Answer: C. India stood 5th of 71 countries, up from 8th of 32 in SIDE 2025.
60. Under RBI's June 2026 package, which deposits get full hedging cost support for banks?
Answer: A. Banks raising fresh 3- to 5-year FCNR(B) deposits get full hedging support.
61. India and which country jointly launched the Critical Minerals Global Supply Chain Observatory (GSCO) in New Delhi?
Answer: E. GSCO is a bilateral effort of India and the UK that tracks worldwide critical mineral supply chains and supports resource security.
62. What is a main feature of the Critical Minerals Global Supply Chain Observatory (GSCO)?
Answer: C. It relies on data-driven monitoring, predictive models and market intelligence to spot supply disruptions and strategic risks as they emerge.
63. Which company built India's first Flex-Fuel Passenger Vehicle, launched in 2026?
Answer: A. Maruti Suzuki developed the country's first flex-fuel passenger car, able to run on ethanol mixes from E20 up to E100.
64. The newly launched Flex-Fuel Vehicle (FFV) handles which range of ethanol-petrol mixes?
Answer: D. A fuel composition sensor and the ECU let the new vehicle adjust automatically to any mix between E20 and E100.
65. Which wetland was named India's 100th Ramsar Site on World Environment Day 2026?
Answer: B. Surha Tal, located in Ballia district of Uttar Pradesh, got the 100th Ramsar Site tag on 5 June 2026.
66. In which country was the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands signed?
Answer: E. The convention dates to 1971 and takes its name from the Iranian city of Ramsar; it is the international framework for wetland conservation.
67. At what level did the RBI MPC hold the repo rate steady in June 2026?
Answer: D. The committee voted unanimously to leave the repo rate at 5.25% and keep a neutral stance.
68. Which NBFC layer under RBI's Scale-Based Regulation (SBR) faces the toughest rules, including compulsory listing?
Answer: A. Being systemically important, Upper Layer NBFCs face tighter norms such as a listing mandate.
69. Which regulator rolled out the StAR NPS platform in June 2026?
Answer: E. PFRDA introduced StAR NPS to make digital onboarding and registration easier for National Pension System subscribers.
70. From what date did PFRDA's Regulatory Sandbox Framework take effect?
Answer: B. The framework came into force on 2 June 2026, allowing innovative pension-sector solutions to be tried under controlled conditions.
71. The Critical Minerals Global Supply Chain Observatory (GSCO) was launched by India and which country?
Answer: D. GSCO is an India-UK bilateral platform launched in New Delhi.
72. What is the maximum one-time budgetary support approved for the Price Stabilization Fund for ATF?
Answer: B. The Cabinet approved up to ₹10,000 crore, interest-free to OMCs.
73. Which wetland was designated India's 100th Ramsar Site on World Environment Day 2026?
Answer: D. Surha Tal in Ballia, UP, became the 100th site.
74. At its June 2026 meeting, at what level did the RBI's MPC hold the policy repo rate?
Answer: C. The MPC unanimously kept the repo rate at 5.25%.
75. Under RBI's Scale-Based Regulation, within how many years must an identified Upper Layer NBFC list?
Answer: C. The listing requirement is within 3 years of identification.
76. Which programme, announced in the Union Budget 2023-24, supports mangrove planting on coasts and salt-pan lands?
Answer: C. MISHTI, expanded as Mangrove Initiative for Shoreline Habitats and Tangible Incomes, was unveiled in that Budget to encourage mangrove cover and coastal resilience.
77. How many new electric buses does Delhi intend to add under the PM E-DRIVE Scheme?
Answer: E. Delhi aims to bring in 2,800 air-conditioned low-floor e-buses through PM E-DRIVE to build greener public transport.
78. Which ministry launched PM E-DRIVE?
Answer: D. PM E-DRIVE came from the Ministry of Heavy Industries, which introduced it in 2024.
79. What GDP growth did MoSPI's Provisional Estimates show for FY 2025-26?
Answer: A. MoSPI pegged growth at 7.7% for the fiscal year, with the fourth quarter coming in at 7.8%.
80. Under which category did the Panchayat Advancement Index (PAI) take the Gold Award at the National Awards for e-Governance 2026?
Answer: D. PAI won gold under Category VII because it applies data analytics to assess and rank Gram Panchayats.
81. About what fraction of the world's One-Horned Rhinoceros live in Kaziranga National Park?
Answer: B. Assam's Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve shelters roughly two-thirds of all One-Horned Rhinos worldwide.
82. In RBI's May 2026 Urban Consumer Confidence Survey (UCCS), the Current Situation Index (CSI) fell to which value?
Answer: E. The index dropped to 90.7 from 95.7 recorded in March 2026, signalling greater pessimism among urban consumers.
83. Who is eligible to open FCNR(B) accounts?
Answer: D. These foreign-currency term deposits with banks are open solely to NRIs and OCIs.
84. India's weight in the MSCI Global Standard Index, roughly 21% in September 2024, dropped to what figure in 2026?
Answer: A. From around 21% in September 2024, India's weight in the benchmark slid sharply to 12.3% by 2026.
85. For fresh FCNR(B) deposits of which tenor does RBI absorb the whole hedging cost until 30 September 2026?
Answer: E. Only new deposits maturing in three to five years qualify for RBI bearing the full hedging cost through that date.
86. At the June 2026 investiture, how many Shaurya Chakras were conferred, with one of them posthumous?
Answer: C. Twenty-nine Shaurya Chakras were conferred, one posthumously; 7 Kirti and 15 Vir Chakras were the other counts.
87. What does MISHTI, announced in Union Budget 2023-24, stand for?
Answer: A. MISHTI is the Mangrove Initiative for Shoreline Habitats and Tangible Incomes.
88. Under which Centre's scheme will Delhi induct 2,800 air-conditioned low-floor electric buses?
Answer: B. Delhi's e-buses will come under PM E-DRIVE.
89. According to MoSPI's Provisional Estimates, what was India's GDP growth in FY 2025-26?
Answer: B. The notes state 7.7% for FY 2025-26, with Q4 at 7.8%.
90. On which date was the Jan Samarth Portal launched by the Ministry of Finance?
Answer: A. Launched on 6 June 2022; 4th anniversary marked in June 2026.
106. All nations share climate responsibility, yet developed countries carry a heavier burden owing to historical emissions; what is this principle under the UNFCCC and Paris Agreement called?
Answer: A. CBDR-RC is a core idea in both treaties, placing a heavier duty on developed nations for emissions they produced in the past.
107. Which organisation developed Vinimay, which was inaugurated at Vigyan Bhawan?
Answer: E. Vinimay is the new name for the LPMS platform, built by the Land Ports Authority of India under the Home Ministry for smooth land port operations.
108. For visibility across the logistics chain and live logistics data, Vinimay connects with which system?
Answer: C. Integration with the Unified Logistics Interface Platform gives Vinimay a view of the supply chain and real-time data.
109. With which global banking standards is RBI's draft Counterparty Credit Risk (CCR) framework chiefly aligned?
Answer: E. The draft brings Indian rules for counterparty credit risk and capital adequacy in step with Basel III.
110. Which institution serves as a Central Counterparty (CCP) for India's government securities and forex markets?
Answer: D. CCIL, the Clearing Corporation of India Limited, plays the central counterparty role for trades in government securities and foreign exchange.
111. RBI's revised lending norms require at least what share of a REIT/InvIT's underlying assets to have positive operating cash flows for one year?
Answer: A. The older three-year requirement was dropped in favour of a cash-flow test, under which 80% of the underlying assets must show positive operating cash flows for a year.
112. What percentage of a trust's asset value is the ceiling on all banks' combined exposure to a single REIT or InvIT and its SPVs?
Answer: D. RBI kept the prudential limit that restricts banks' total exposure to a trust and its SPVs or holding companies to 49% of asset value.
113. What Priority Sector Lending (PSL) target for Small Finance Banks (SFBs) is given in the EAC-PM paper?
Answer: B. SFBs must direct 60% of their Adjusted Net Bank Credit towards priority sectors.
114. Which Union Ministry houses SAMRIDHI-M-CAD, started in April 2025?
Answer: E. The Ministry of Jal Shakti runs this programme for modernising command area development and water management, aimed at better irrigation efficiency.
115. Which of these rice varieties carries a GI tag and comes from Bihar?
Answer: C. Katarni Rice is a GI-tagged Bihar variety, and Marcha Rice from the same state is another one.
116. Which Paris Agreement article did India cite to say developed countries must provide climate finance?
Answer: B. India invoked Article 9.1.
117. The Fully Accessible Route (FAR), central to India's bond index inclusion, was introduced by which authority in 2020?
Answer: B. FAR was introduced by the RBI in 2020; it allows uncapped foreign access to specified G-secs.
118. Which body developed the Vinimay land port platform?
Answer: A. LPAI, under the Ministry of Home Affairs, built Vinimay.
119. From which date would the RBI's draft Counterparty Credit Risk guidelines for banks take effect?
Answer: D. The notes state the effective date as 1 April 2027.
120. How many NBFCs had their Certificate of Registration cancelled by the RBI in this action?
Answer: C. The RBI cancelled the CoR of 135 NBFCs.
194. With the 2026 tournament, which country becomes the first to be a World Cup host or co-host on three occasions?
Answer: E. Mexico's three World Cup hosting stints, in 1970, 1986 and 2026, are unmatched by any other country.
195. Article 6.4 of the Paris Agreement saw its first carbon credits go to a clean-cooking scheme located where?
Answer: C. The inaugural Article 6.4 credits came from a Myanmar project that swapped old wood-fired stoves for clean cookstoves.
196. Which place hosted the 22 January 2015 launch of BBBP, the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao scheme?
Answer: A. Panipat in Haryana was the venue where the Prime Minister unveiled BBBP, which aims to improve the child sex ratio and empower girls.
197. What FY27 GDP growth does the latest Global Economic Prospects report of the World Bank now project for India?
Answer: E. Citing sturdy domestic demand and structural reforms, the World Bank nudged its FY27 estimate for India up by 0.1 percentage point to 6.6%.
198. Which category of people is eligible to hold FCNR(B) deposits?
Answer: B. The FCNR(B) facility, kept in designated foreign currencies, can be used by NRIs as well as OCIs and PIOs.
199. Expand FBIL, whose reference exchange rates feed into the RBI's FCNR(B) swap window.
Answer: E. FBIL, regulated by the RBI, acts as India's administrator of financial benchmarks and releases daily official rates for major currency pairs.
200. The Lok Sabha saw the introduction of the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026 on which date?
Answer: D. Lok Sabha took up the FCRA Amendment Bill, 2026 for introduction on 25 March 2026, with wide-ranging changes to foreign contribution rules.
201. Who is the developer of Oilseeds Kisaan Mitra, the first WhatsApp AI advisory service in India aimed at oilseed farmers?
Answer: A. The multilingual AI chatbot on WhatsApp was built by ICAR-IIOR, the oilseeds research institute based in Hyderabad.
202. A NITI Aayog mission from 2016 fosters innovation and entrepreneurship via Atal Tinkering Labs and Atal Incubation Centres. Which is it?
Answer: E. Set up in 2016 within NITI Aayog, the Atal Innovation Mission supports innovation through its labs, incubators and related programmes such as ACICs.
203. Which city houses the headquarters of the NBA, the body that recently reconstituted the Expert Committee on Agrobiodiversity?
Answer: B. Chennai in Tamil Nadu is home to the NBA, an autonomous statutory body created by the 2002 Biological Diversity Act.
204. What cumulative outreach target has been set for DISHA 2.0 across its four components?
Answer: D. The target is 3 crore beneficiaries; 2.37 crore was the reach of the earlier 2021-26 phase.
205. Kunal Shah, appointed to head WhatsApp globally, earlier founded which two companies?
Answer: B. He founded FreeCharge, later acquired by Snapdeal, and then CRED.
206. Which portal for auctions did Amit Shah launch for NAFED on 23 June 2026?
Answer: B. NAFEX.in is NAFED's digital auction portal.
207. Skeletal remains from Rakhigarhi were transferred by the ASI to which institution for scientific study?
Answer: B. ASI transferred the remains to the Anthropological Survey of India under an MoU.
208. Which department prepares and publishes the IAS Civil List?
Answer: B. The e-Civil List is prepared by DoPT, the cadre controlling authority of the IAS.