1. Tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan reportedly turned into a major confrontation after Pakistan began which military operation?
Answer: E. Islamabad is reported to have started Operation Ghazab lil-Haq against Afghan fighters and militant sites near the Durand Line. The fighting moved beyond border skirmishes to airstrikes, artillery and armour.
2. Which company set up the Assembly, Test, Marking and Packaging (ATMP) semiconductor plant that was inaugurated at Sanand in Gujarat?
Answer: A. The Sanand ATMP plant belongs to Micron Technology Inc. and was opened by PM Narendra Modi. Such plants turn DRAM and NAND wafers into finished memory and storage products.
3. The Micron ATMP project received what share of capital subsidy from the Union Government under the India Semiconductor Mission?
Answer: D. The Centre bore half of the project capital cost, roughly ₹22,516 crore, under the India Semiconductor Mission. Gujarat added a further 20% of support.
4. Which authority introduced the Government Bank Dashboard and the Government Bank Manual to make government banking more transparent and efficient?
Answer: B. The Controller General of Accounts rolled out both tools to track government bank transactions in real time. They also bring standard procedures and better reconciliation for public funds.
5. India's first home-designed dedicated combat helicopter, the LCH Prachand, is built by which organisation?
Answer: C. HAL designed and builds the light combat helicopter Prachand. It can fight in the air, strike armour and handle counter-insurgency, and it is made for high terrain such as Siachen and Ladakh.
6. On which river does National Waterway-2, the site of several newly opened inland waterway projects, lie?
Answer: D. NW-2 follows the Brahmaputra in Assam. New projects there, including the Bogibeel customs complex and the Dhubri Gateway, aim to boost cargo, border trade and river tourism.
7. About what share of India's overseas trade is now carried out in rupees, as part of the push to internationalise the currency?
Answer: B. Roughly 5% of India's foreign trade is invoiced and settled in rupees. RBI supports this through Special Rupee Vostro Accounts and local-currency deals, which lessen reliance on the US dollar.
8. Which organisation launched eSushrut@Clinic, a digital platform meant for small and medium-sized clinics?
Answer: E. The National Health Authority is behind this SaaS platform for smaller clinics. It handles patient records, appointments and consultations, and links with the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission.
9. Rice fortified and supplied through government welfare schemes carries which set of micronutrients?
Answer: A. Fortified rice contains iron, folic acid and vitamin B12, which helps fight anaemia. It reaches people via TPDS, PM-POSHAN, ICDS and PM Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana.
10. The World Bank has pointed out that about what proportion of agricultural subsidies worldwide is tied to deforestation?
Answer: C. The World Bank estimates around 14% of global farm subsidies feed into deforestation. Many such payments reward harmful habits like heavy fertilizer use that damages soil.
11. In the Pakistan–Afghanistan confrontation, what is the name of the operation launched by Pakistan?
Answer: B. The notes name Operation Ghazab lil-Haq as Pakistan's operation.
12. Micron's Sanand facility inaugurated by the Prime Minister is which kind of semiconductor unit?
Answer: B. The notes call it an Assembly, Test, Marking and Packaging plant; fabrication happens elsewhere.
13. Which authority launched the Government Bank Dashboard and Government Bank Manual?
Answer: A. The Controller General of Accounts, under the Government of India, launched both tools.
14. Which company designed and manufactured the LCH Prachand under the Light Combat Helicopter programme?
Answer: B. The notes name HAL as designer and manufacturer of LCH Prachand.
15. Which waterway hosted the three infrastructure projects opened by Sarbananda Sonowal at Dibrugarh in 2026?
Answer: A. The projects were opened on NW-2, the Brahmaputra stretch.
16. Reports say the US and Israel carried out a 2026 strike campaign on Iran's nuclear and missile facilities under which name?
Answer: C. The joint US-Israeli offensive on Iranian nuclear and ballistic missile sites was reportedly code-named Epic Fury, also called Operation Genesis. It pushed what had been an indirect rivalry into open, direct confrontation.
17. A long-term uranium deal worth roughly CAD 2.6 billion was struck by India with which nation?
Answer: E. The pact with Canada is valued at about CAD 2.6 billion (around US 1.9 billion) and covers uranium supply over many years. It also provides for collaboration on Small Modular Reactors and other advanced nuclear technology.
18. 'Legacy Thrust Territories', a term brought in by the Ministry of Home Affairs, deals mainly with which concern?
Answer: B. These are districts once hit by Naxalism that stay under watch and get development support after security gains. The aim is to stop Left Wing Extremism from returning.
19. Which place hosted the National Arogya Fair 2026?
Answer: D. The fair ran from 25 to 28 February 2026 at Shegaon, a town in Maharashtra's Buldhana district. It brought Allopathy, Ayurveda, Yoga, Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy together on one integrated healthcare platform.
20. While sharing securities-related posts on social media, market intermediaries are required by SEBI to show what?
Answer: A. Every registered intermediary must disclose its registered name along with its SEBI registration number on digital platforms. This helps people tell genuine entities apart from unregistered finfluencers and curbs fraud and misleading advice.
21. A penalty of ₹11.50 lakh was levied by the Reserve Bank of India on Mahindra & Mahindra Financial Services Limited mainly for breaching which framework?
Answer: C. The company levied revised foreclosure charges without amending the loan agreements and had gaps in how it handled customer grievances. These lapses breached the Fair Practices Code that applies to NBFCs.
22. The Index of Industrial Production (IIP) is a gauge of what in India's economy?
Answer: E. IIP tracks the output of manufacturing, mining and electricity generation. Analysts use it as a quick reading of how the industrial economy is moving in the short run.
23. Payments Banks and Small Finance Banks in India are both licensed and supervised by which body?
Answer: B. The RBI grants licences to and regulates both categories. Small Finance Banks may lend and take deposits, while Payments Banks are mostly limited to payment and deposit services.
24. For the financial year 2025-26, EPFO has recommended what interest rate on EPF deposits?
Answer: D. EPFO proposed holding the rate steady at 8.25% for FY 2025-26. This keeps returns stable for over 6 crore subscribers.
25. The newly introduced 50% portfolio overlap limit from SEBI chiefly applies to which category of mutual funds?
Answer: A. SEBI capped overlap at 50% between thematic and sectoral schemes run by the same fund house. The idea is to avoid near-duplicate portfolios and make the schemes more distinct and transparent.
26. What was the name of Iran's military response to the 2026 US-Israel strikes?
Answer: B. Iran answered with Operation Truthful Promise 4; Epic Fury (Genesis) was the US-Israel operation.
27. India and Canada aim to raise bilateral trade to what level by 2030 under the CEPA push?
Answer: B. The CEPA acceleration targets USD 50 billion by 2030.
28. Which ministry introduced the concept of Legacy Thrust Territories?
Answer: B. The Ministry of Home Affairs introduced LTTs to prevent LWE resurgence.
29. National Arogya Fair 2026 was organised at which place?
Answer: A. The fair took place at Shegaon, Buldhana.
30. What must SEBI-registered intermediaries disclose on securities-related social media content under the new circular?
Answer: B. The circular requires registered name and SEBI registration number.
31. What best explains why the Strait of Hormuz matters strategically?
Answer: D. Hormuz is among the most important energy chokepoints on earth. A big portion of the Persian Gulf's oil and LNG exports squeezes through this narrow channel to reach world markets.
32. Between which pair of countries does the Strait of Hormuz lie?
Answer: C. Iran sits to the north of the strait and Oman to the south. The channel links the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and onward to the Arabian Sea.
33. What share of the divisible tax pool goes to the states under the 16th Finance Commission (2026–31) recommendations?
Answer: A. The 16th Finance Commission kept the states' portion of the divisible pool of central taxes at 41%. This simply continues what the 15th Finance Commission had recommended.
34. Which criterion did the 16th Finance Commission newly add to the horizontal devolution formula?
Answer: B. A new parameter called Contribution to GDP, weighted at 10%, was brought into the horizontal devolution formula. It took the place of earlier parameters such as tax effort or fiscal discipline.
35. The National Mobile Monitoring System (NMMS) app is mainly used in carrying out which government scheme?
Answer: E. Under MGNREGS the NMMS app logs workers' attendance and uploads geotagged site photos. This makes wage payments more transparent.
36. To which bird family does the Dusky Eagle-Owl belong?
Answer: B. The Dusky Eagle-Owl, Ketupa coromanda, is a large raptor of the owl family Strigidae. It lives across South and Southeast Asia.
37. IRDAI has suggested that insurers move away from IGAAP and adopt which accounting framework?
Answer: C. The insurance regulator wants insurers to shift from Indian GAAP to Indian Accounting Standards. Ind AS is aligned with the international IFRS standards.
38. How much can the portfolio overlap between thematic or sectoral funds and other equity schemes be, according to SEBI's revised mutual fund categorisation norms?
Answer: A. SEBI set a 50% ceiling on overlap so that schemes stay meaningfully distinct. This stops fund houses from launching several funds holding near-identical portfolios.
39. Which description fits a Certificate of Deposit (CD) best?
Answer: E. A CD is a money market instrument through which banks raise short-term funds from institutional investors. Its maturity usually runs from 7 days up to a year.
40. What is the minimum Liquidity Coverage Ratio (LCR) that the Reserve Bank of India obliges banks to hold?
Answer: D. LCR makes sure banks keep enough high-quality liquid assets to cover a 30-day stress period. RBI sets the floor for this ratio at 100%.
41. The Strait of Hormuz lies between Iran and which country?
Answer: A. Iran is to the north and Oman to the south.
42. Under which Article of the Constitution is the Finance Commission constituted, as per the 16th Finance Commission notes?
Answer: B. Article 280 governs the Finance Commission.
43. Which mobile application records MGNREGS worker attendance with mandatory facial recognition from 1 March?
Answer: A. The National Mobile Monitoring System requires face authentication.
44. What is the IUCN status of the Ruddy Shelduck according to the notes?
Answer: C. The IUCN lists the Ruddy Shelduck as Least Concern.
45. Where is the 14th WTO Ministerial Conference (MC14) held?
46. To which international convention has India's 7th National Biodiversity Report been sent?
Answer: E. The report went to the CBD and reviews how far India has come in conserving biodiversity. It also measures alignment with the 2030 targets of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF).
47. By 2030, what share of the world's land and marine areas is the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF) meant to protect?
Answer: B. The framework carries the well-known 30x30 goal, which means safeguarding 30% of land and sea areas by 2030. It is meant to stop the loss of biodiversity and shield ecosystems.
48. For which nationwide exercise were the mascots 'Pragati' and 'Vikas' unveiled?
Answer: D. The two mascots were released to build awareness and encourage people to take part in Census 2027. Pragati is shown as a woman enumerator and Vikas as a man, together standing for inclusive development.
49. 'Sanand 2.0' describes Sanand in Gujarat turning into a centre for which industry?
Answer: A. Sanand was earlier known as a car-making cluster, labelled Sanand 1.0. Its shift to chip manufacturing, anchored by Micron Technology's ATMP plant, is what the 2.0 tag refers to.
50. The ₹590-crore fraud found in Haryana government accounts was tied to which bank?
Answer: C. The state accounts were held at a Chandigarh branch of IDFC First Bank, where the irregularities worth ₹590 crore surfaced. Forged cheques, doctored bank entries and money routed to private parties were reportedly involved.
51. Under the relief the RBI has proposed for small digital fraud victims, what is the highest amount a customer can be compensated?
Answer: E. A customer losing up to ₹50,000 could get back as much as ₹25,000, provided the fraud is reported within five days. The compensation would be borne jointly by the RBI and the banks.
52. Which body notified the changes that bring crypto assets and CBDCs into India's tax reporting framework?
Answer: B. The CBDT amended the Income-tax Rules, 2026. As a result crypto assets, CBDCs and some electronic money products now fall under financial account reporting.
53. What does SEBI's debit freeze facility on mutual fund folios let an investor do?
Answer: D. It is an optional lock that an investor can place on a folio. While it is active, any outflow such as redemption or transfer is stopped until the investor removes the lock.
54. What does the acronym SWIFT expand to?
Answer: A. SWIFT is a worldwide messaging network that over 11,000 financial institutions use to send payment instructions safely. It underpins much of international banking.
55. India and the UAE plan to connect their central bank digital currencies for instant cross-border transfers. What is India's CBDC called?
Answer: C. The RBI issues India's central bank digital currency under the name e-Rupee. The two countries are looking at a bridge linking it to the UAE's Digital Dirham for instant payments across borders.
56. How many of India's 23 national biodiversity targets were reported as on track for 2030 in the 7th National Report?
Answer: A. Only two targets are currently on track.
57. Which are the official mascots of Census 2027?
Answer: B. Pragati is the female and Vikas the male enumerator mascot.
58. Which US-based company set up an ATMP facility at Sanand, Gujarat?
Answer: A. Micron Technology, headquartered in Idaho, built the Sanand plant.
59. Which museum decided to return the bronze idol of Saint Tirumankai Alvar to Tamil Nadu?
Answer: B. The Ashmolean Museum (Oxford) decided to return it.
60. In the fraud case reported in March 2026, whose accounts at IDFC First Bank's Chandigarh branch were affected?
Answer: B. Haryana government department accounts were hit.
61. What is the main purpose of the SHINE mobile app introduced by Indian Railways?
Answer: B. SHINE stands for Sexual Harassment Incident Notification for Empowerment and was introduced on International Women's Day. It is tied to the HRMS and offers confidential complaints with quicker redressal.
62. The Government of India has announced standards under the National Green Hydrogen Mission for which products?
Answer: C. Standards now exist for green ammonia and green methanol, which are derivatives of green hydrogen. They set emission thresholds and bring transparency to production and trade.
63. At what altitude do Very Low Earth Orbit (VLEO) satellites usually operate?
Answer: E. VLEO covers orbits from 150 km to 450 km, which is below ordinary LEO at 500 to 2000 km. BEL and Bellatrix Aerospace are teaming up on such satellites.
64. Which state will stage the inaugural Khelo India Tribal Games (KITG) in 2026?
Answer: D. Chhattisgarh will host the first-ever KITG from 25 March to 6 April 2026. Raipur, Jagdalpur and Sarguja are the venues.
65. Under which government platform does the SWAYATT initiative operate?
Answer: A. SWAYATT, short for Startups, Women and Youth Advantage through e-Transactions, began in 2019 on GeM. It helps startups, women entrepreneurs and youth-led firms take part in public procurement.
66. For which bank did the Reserve Bank of India waive the need to create a Non-Operative Financial Holding Company (NOFHC)?
Answer: D. RBI eased the NOFHC rule for AU Small Finance Bank as it becomes a universal bank. The structure would still be needed if it later sets up other financial services entities.
67. What risk weight do NBFCs currently carry on retail loans?
Answer: E. NBFCs face a 100% risk weight on retail loans while banks face about 75%. That gap raises NBFC capital needs and weakens their competitiveness against banks.
68. Under RBI's Scale-Based Regulation framework, in which category do large and systemically important NBFCs fall?
Answer: C. The framework sorts NBFCs into Base, Middle, Upper and Top layers. Big, systemically important ones sit in the Upper Layer and are supervised nearly as strictly as banks.
69. Which body launched the National Climate Stack Innovation Challenge?
Answer: A. NABARD started the challenge in March 2026. Its goal is a National Climate Stack giving ready-to-use climate intelligence for agriculture, rural finance and public planning.
70. What does DiCRA, the platform named in the National Climate Stack initiative, stand for?
Answer: B. DiCRA expands to Data in Climate Resilient Agriculture. It is a digital public good due to be upgraded into digital public infrastructure for climate-resilient farming and rural finance planning.
71. What does SHINE, launched by Indian Railways, stand for?
Answer: A. SHINE expands to Sexual Harassment Incident Notification for Empowerment.
72. Which ministry is the nodal ministry for the National Green Hydrogen Mission, under which green ammonia standards were announced?
Answer: A. MNRE is the nodal ministry for the mission.
73. On which date is International Women's Day observed?
Answer: D. The Prime Minister's greeting was on International Women's Day, March 8.
74. Bharat Electronics Limited signed an MoU with which start-up to develop VLEO satellite systems?
Answer: C. The MoU partner was Bellatrix Aerospace.
75. In which state will the first Khelo India Tribal Games be held?
Answer: D. The games are to be hosted by Chhattisgarh.
76. Which country became the world's biggest arms importer over 2021-2025, according to the SIPRI Report 2025?
Answer: D. Ukraine took the top spot with 9.7% of all global arms imports. The ongoing war with Russia drove this surge in purchases.
77. TERI's LaBL 2.0 initiative is mainly about what?
Answer: A. LaBL 2.0 stands for Lighting a Billion Lives 2.0. It delivers clean, decentralised renewable energy to rural and underserved communities.
78. Which UN body does the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) work under?
Answer: C. CSW is a functional commission of ECOSOC, set up in 1946. Its role is to advance gender equality and the empowerment of women.
79. The Chief Election Commissioner of India can be removed in the same way as which office-holder?
Answer: E. Article 324(5) lays down that removal must follow the same procedure and grounds as for a Supreme Court judge. This protection keeps the Election Commission independent.
80. Under the revised RBI guidelines for banks, what is the ceiling on dividend payout?
Answer: B. The RBI has limited payouts to 75% of Profit After Tax. Banks must also meet conditions such as adequate capital and asset quality.
81. What is the effect on the system when the RBI buys government securities through Open Market Operations (OMO)?
Answer: D. Purchases of government securities put money into the banking system. That raises the amount of liquidity available.
82. What is the main advantage of letting NBFCs count quarterly profits towards their capital base?
Answer: A. When quarterly profits are recognised as capital, NBFCs can lend and invest more during the year instead of waiting for annual accounts.
83. What are green bonds, such as those issued by Bank of Baroda, mainly meant to fund?
Answer: C. The money raised through green bonds goes into projects with environmental benefits, for instance renewable energy and sustainable infrastructure.
84. Women own what share of agricultural landholdings in India?
Answer: E. Just 13.9% of farm holdings are in women's names. This restricts their access to formal credit and to government schemes.
85. Which programme is specifically aimed at encouraging sustainable farming practices among women farmers?
Answer: B. This project empowers women in agriculture by encouraging sustainable methods and giving them a bigger voice in decisions.
86. In SIPRI's arms transfers report for 2021-2025, what share of global arms imports did India account for?
Answer: C. India held 8.2% of global arms imports.
87. Which organisation launched LaBL 2.0 (Lighting a Billion Lives 2.0) in New Delhi?
Answer: C. The Energy and Resources Institute launched LaBL 2.0.
88. The Commission on the Status of Women is a commission of which UN organ?
Answer: C. CSW functions under ECOSOC.
89. Which ministry organised the #SheLeadsBharat Shakti Walk in 2026?
Answer: B. The Ministry of Women and Child Development organised it.
90. Which Article governs removal of the Chief Election Commissioner?
Answer: B. Article 324(5) ties the CEC's removal to the Supreme Court judge process.
Answer: E. The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment organises it to showcase what Divyangjan have achieved. It encourages awareness, inclusion and equal participation.
107. Under which mission does the Dumpsite Remediation Accelerator Programme (DRAP) operate?
Answer: B. DRAP is a focused one-year drive within Swachh Bharat Mission - Urban 2.0. It clears old waste dumps so the freed land can be put to productive use.
108. In which IUCN Red List category is the Great Indian Bustard placed?
Answer: D. This bird is among the most threatened in the country and sits in the Critically Endangered category. That status brings the highest protection.
109. On which infrastructure is the Samriddh Gram Phygital Services Initiative built?
Answer: A. It runs on the BharatNet rural broadband network and delivers combined physical and digital ('phygital') services through village-level Samriddhi Kendras.
110. The RBI's 'Awareness Program on Digital Payments' was started during which event?
Answer: C. It began in the 6th edition of Digital Payments Awareness Week, held 9 to 13 March 2026. The goal is to encourage safe digital payments and better financial literacy.
111. What does the term bancassurance mean?
Answer: E. Under this model a bank acts as a distributor for insurance companies and sells their policies to customers through its own branches.
112. Which RBI instrument works by purchasing government bonds to add liquidity to the system?
Answer: B. In OMOs the central bank buys government securities from the market. The payment for them adds cash to the banking system.
113. In bancassurance, what does mis-selling chiefly mean?
Answer: D. It happens when buyers are misled or pushed into policies that do not fit their financial needs or means.
114. Which farm product is most exposed because of heavy dependence on West Asian export markets?
Answer: A. A large part of India's rice exports goes to West Asia, so geopolitical trouble in the region hits this product especially hard.
115. Which allied sector has recorded the strongest average yearly growth in recent years?
Answer: C. Fisheries have expanded about 8.8% a year, ahead of livestock at 7.1% and crops at 3.5%. That makes it the fastest-growing allied agricultural segment.
116. Which ministry organises Purple Fest?
Answer: B. Purple Fest is organised by the Social Justice and Empowerment ministry.
117. Which ministry implements the Dumpsite Remediation Accelerator Programme (DRAP)?
Answer: B. DRAP is implemented by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.
118. What is the IUCN Red List status of the Great Indian Bustard?
Answer: B. It is listed as Critically Endangered.
119. Which department implements the Samriddh Gram Phygital Services Pilot Initiative?
Answer: B. The pilot is implemented by the Department of Telecommunications.
120. Which rules did the Centre amend in 2026 to strengthen the captive power generation framework?
Answer: A. The Electricity (Amendment) Rules, 2026 amend the Electricity Rules, 2005.
136. Why did the Government of India pull back the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill, 2025?
Answer: B. The bill was taken back so that its provisions could be reworked and improved. It is expected to be brought to Parliament again afterwards.
137. The 'State of Working India 2026' report from Azim Premji University says what share of unemployed youth aged 20-29 were graduates in 2023?
Answer: D. Graduates made up 67% of jobless young people in 2023. This points to a steep increase in unemployment among the educated.
138. Exercise Sea Dragon mainly concentrates on which type of operation?
Answer: A. Sea Dragon is a multinational anti-submarine warfare drill hosted by the US Navy. It builds skills in maritime surveillance and in hunting submarines.
139. What is the purpose of the Public Insurance Registry (PIR) proposed by IRDAI?
Answer: C. The registry would pool insurance data from across a policy's life. That should improve transparency, help detect fraud and make things better for customers.
140. What is the main aim of the '.bank.in' domain introduced by the RBI?
Answer: E. It is a dedicated and secure web domain for banks. By making genuine bank sites easy to identify, it cuts phishing and builds trust in digital banking.
141. What is the upper limit on bank funding for acquisitions under the RBI's new acquisition finance rules?
Answer: B. Banks may finance no more than 75% of the deal value. The acquirer must therefore bring in at least 25% as its own equity.
142. An ICRIER report says what percentage of India's fertiliser value chain relies on imports?
Answer: D. About 68.6% of the fertiliser value chain relies on imported inputs. This leaves the country exposed to shocks in the global market.
143. Under which scheme does the ICRIER paper suggest placing urea?
Answer: A. Moving urea into the NBS regime would encourage a balanced mix of nutrients and curb overuse of nitrogen.
144. The Asia-Africa Agri Alliance (AAAA) has been set up as which kind of institution?
Answer: C. It takes the form of a Section 8 entity, created to foster cooperation in farming between the two continents.
145. Which of these is a core goal of the Asia-Africa Agri Alliance (AAAA)?
Answer: E. The alliance works on farm trade, investment, sharing technology and building capacity between Asia and Africa.
146. Who moved the motion to withdraw the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill, 2025 in the Lok Sabha?
Answer: B. Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal moved the motion.
147. Which institution published the State of Working India 2026 report?
Answer: B. The report is from Azim Premji University.
148. Which organisation released the 2026 report 'Safe Disposal of Unused Medicines'?
Answer: B. The report is by the United Nations Environment Programme.
149. Exercise Sea Dragon is led by the navy of which country?
Answer: D. The exercise is led by the United States Navy.
150. What does D+1 delivery mean under India Post's 24 Speed Post?
Answer: A. D+1 means the parcel arrives the day after booking.
166. What was the theme of the World Happiness Report 2026?
Answer: B. This edition examined how digital platforms affect people's well-being, under the title Happiness and Social Media.
167. Where did India rank in the World Happiness Report 2026?
Answer: D. India stood 116th in 2026, up from 118th in 2024 and 126th in 2023. It still trails several regional neighbours.
168. Which group is the Krishi Sakhi Initiative mainly meant to help?
Answer: A. The initiative seeks to empower women in agriculture, getting more of them involved and raising their awareness of crop insurance.
169. Which body implements the BHAVYA scheme?
Answer: C. The National Industrial Corridor Development Corporation runs BHAVYA, which sits under the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade.
170. Besides panels, which solar manufacturing components were added to the ALMM framework?
Answer: E. Ingots and wafers now come under the list, a step meant to strengthen local manufacturing and lower reliance on imports.
171. Why does the RBI hold Variable Rate Repo (VRR) auctions?
Answer: B. Through VRR auctions the central bank lends funds to banks for brief periods, easing temporary gaps in system liquidity.
172. Under which facility can banks keep spare funds with the RBI without giving collateral?
Answer: D. The SDF lets banks place surplus money with the RBI with no security needed. It forms the lower bound of the liquidity corridor.
173. What was the chief cause of the rupee sliding to ₹93.72 per dollar?
Answer: A. Costlier crude lifted the import bill and the demand for dollars, which pulled the rupee down.
174. Through which channel does the West Asia conflict mainly affect Indian agriculture?
Answer: C. Dearer crude oil and gas push up diesel and fertiliser prices. Farmers face higher costs and thinner profits as a result.
175. From which region does India source a large share of its fertilizer imports?
Answer: E. Supplies come heavily from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman and the UAE, so geopolitical disruption in the region puts India at risk.
176. What rank did India secure in the World Happiness Report 2026?
Answer: C. India ranked 116th.
177. Which organisation launched the Krishi Sakhi Initiative?
Answer: B. The notes say AIC launched Krishi Sakhi.
178. How many industrial parks will BHAVYA develop with an outlay of ₹33,660 crore?
Answer: B. BHAVYA is to develop 100 plug-and-play industrial parks.
179. From which date does the ALMM framework cover solar ingots and wafers?
Answer: A. The extension is effective 1 June 2028.
180. What is the central outlay of the Small Hydro Power Development Scheme approved by the Union Cabinet?
Answer: A. The total central allocation is ₹2,584.60 crore for FY 2026-27 to FY 2030-31.
196. Which laws does the Corporate Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026 propose to amend?
Answer: B. The bill changes the Companies Act, 2013 and the Limited Liability Partnership Act, 2008 together. Its purpose is simpler rules and easier business conduct.
197. What is the Finance Bill, 2026 chiefly meant to do?
Answer: D. It gives legal force to the tax and revenue measures announced in the Union Budget 2026-27.
198. India holds Exercise Lamitiye 2026 with which country?
Answer: A. This is a two-nation military exercise between India and Seychelles. The word Lamitiye is Creole for friendship, pointing to the close strategic bond.
199. The National DMF Summit 2026 is about better use of funds under which programme?
Answer: C. The summit looks at spending District Mineral Foundation money effectively, particularly in Aspirational Districts and Blocks.
200. Which major reform concerning Foreign Portfolio Investors (FPIs) has SEBI put forward?
Answer: E. Under the proposal FPIs would settle only the net difference between their purchases and sales. That lowers capital needs and boosts efficiency.
201. Whom does the UPI-linked overdraft facility from Bank of Baroda target?
Answer: B. It offers small digital credit of up to ₹5,000 to verified women self-help group members who have Jan Dhan accounts.
202. Which institution looks after the Depositor Education and Awareness (DEA) Fund?
Answer: D. The RBI maintains the fund, which collects unclaimed deposits. The money is later spent on awareness and protection of depositors.
203. Which technologies are mainly used for real-time monitoring of crops?
Answer: A. AI analytics, IoT sensors and satellite data are combined to follow crop health, soil quality and irrigation patterns.
204. What is the chief advantage of putting QR codes on agricultural supply chains?
Answer: C. A scan lets buyers see where a crop came from, how it was grown and its quality, which builds trust.
205. In what way does Artificial Intelligence (AI) help agriculture?
Answer: E. AI analyses complicated farm data to support better decisions, forecasting and crop management.
206. In which year was World Meteorological Day first celebrated?
Answer: C. It was first celebrated on 23 March 1961, eleven years after the WMO was founded in 1950.
207. Which two Acts does the Corporate Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026 seek to amend?
Answer: A. The Bill amends the Companies Act, 2013 and the LLP Act, 2008.
208. Exercise Lamitiye 2026 is a bilateral military exercise between India and which country?
Answer: C. It is an India–Seychelles exercise.
209. Which ministry organised the National DMF Summit 2026?
Answer: C. The Ministry of Mines organised the summit.
210. What reform for FPIs was SEBI to consider at its March 2026 board meeting?
Answer: B. SEBI was considering netting of funds, i.e. net settlement.
211. What is SWAMIH Investment Fund II mainly meant to do?
Answer: D. The ₹15,000 crore fund targets unfinished affordable and mid-income housing projects and gives relief to stuck homebuyers.
212. Under which project is the stealth frigate Taragiri (F41) being built?
Answer: E. Taragiri is a stealth guided-missile frigate from Project 17A, which stresses stealth and modern combat ability.
213. What was the reason for India's withdrawal from the Iran–Pakistan–India (IPI) pipeline project?
Answer: C. India left the project in 2007 over U.S. sanctions worries (CAATSA), pricing disputes and security risks, particularly in Balochistan.
214. Which kinds of industries does the term "Orange Economy" describe?
Answer: A. It covers fields like media, entertainment, digital content and cultural industries that depend on creativity, intellectual property and technology.
215. What is the highest guarantee coverage offered to small MFIs under CGSMFI-2.0?
Answer: B. The scheme has tiered guarantee cover, and small MFIs get the top tier of 80% to encourage microfinance lending.
216. What does a negative Net FDI indicate?
Answer: A. It arises when foreign money leaving through repatriation and disinvestment is greater than fresh inflows, signalling strain on the external sector.
217. SEBI lowered the minimum investment in Social Impact Funds (AIFs) to what amount?
Answer: C. The minimum fell from ₹2 lakh to ₹1,000, which is intended to widen retail participation and inclusive finance.
218. What is the chief aim of RBI's cross-border CBDC initiatives?
Answer: B. RBI is building cross-border CBDC systems to cut costs, speed up settlement and ease compliance in global payments.
219. What does Agri-Photovoltaics (AgriPV) mean?
Answer: D. Panels are placed on farmland so the same land produces electricity and crops, which uses land more efficiently.
220. Because it tolerates shade, which crop is best suited to AgriPV?
Answer: E. Shade-loving crops like turmeric, ginger and leafy vegetables do well under the reduced sunlight below solar panels.
221. Before becoming chairman, Jose Joseph Kattoor had been on South Indian Bank's board as what since July 2024?
Answer: D. He had been an Independent Director since 18 July 2024 before taking the chair.
222. Which national programme is India's main vehicle for tuberculosis elimination?
Answer: C. The NTEP is the primary national mission against TB and uses a patient-first approach.
223. India's exports to the US in February 2026 changed by what amount?
Answer: B. Exports to the US dropped 12.88% to $6.88 billion, yet it remained the largest market.
224. What is the corpus of SWAMIH Investment Fund II?
Answer: D. The fund size is ₹15,000 crore.
225. Which shipyard built the stealth frigate Taragiri (F41) under Project 17A?
Answer: C. Taragiri was built by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited, Mumbai.
226. Which organization publishes the Global Terrorism Index (GTI)?
Answer: E. The Institute for Economics and Peace issues the GTI every year. It gauges terrorism's impact in each country using incidents, deaths, injuries and property damage.
227. Which country was ranked first in the Global Terrorism Index 2026?
Answer: B. Pakistan came out on top with the highest impact score of 8.574, with Burkina Faso and Niger next.
228. The recently launched Internal Audit Portal belongs to which ministry?
Answer: D. The Ministry of Rural Development introduced it to make audits more transparent and accountable, with live tracking.
229. What does the Jal Seva Aankalan Framework mainly deal with?
Answer: A. Within the Jal Jeevan Mission it is used to evaluate rural tap water services, relying on community involvement and digital monitoring.
230. What is the RoDTEP scheme designed to do?
Answer: C. RoDTEP returns the embedded duties and taxes that exporters would otherwise bear, so that taxes are not exported and goods stay competitive abroad.
231. Raajmarg Infra Investment Trust (RIIT) is an instance of which type of vehicle?
Answer: E. RIIT is an InvIT sponsored by NHAI. It raises money for new infrastructure by monetizing existing highway assets.
232. For what can the Gift Prepaid Payment Instruments (PPIs) proposed by SEBI be used?
Answer: B. SEBI's idea is to widen financial inclusion by letting people gift mutual fund investments to others, rather than general spending.
233. What is the main purpose of the unified mandate system proposed by the RBI?
Answer: D. Users would see every recurring payment mandate in one dashboard, across channels such as UPI and cards, making them easier to track.
234. What share of economically active rural women in India work in agriculture?
Answer: A. Roughly 80% of such women are in farming, which shows how central they are to the sector.
235. What is the Namo Drone Didi Scheme mainly intended to do?
Answer: C. It equips women self-help groups with drones, backed by 80% central assistance, for jobs such as spraying and crop monitoring.
236. Since 2018, how much has Nikshay Poshan Yojana transferred to TB patients, as cited at the launch?
Answer: D. Rs 4,590 crore has gone to 1.39 crore TB patients since 2018.
237. The SHG-Bank Linkage award given to Karnataka Grameena Bank is aligned with which scheme?
Answer: B. The bank's SHG work is aligned with the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana - National Rural Livelihoods Mission.
238. Which body publishes the Global Terrorism Index?
Answer: B. The GTI is published by the Institute for Economics and Peace.
239. Which ministry launched the real-time Internal Audit Portal?
Answer: B. The portal was launched by the Ministry of Rural Development.
240. Which body conducts the ground-level assessment under the Jal Seva Aankalan Framework?
Answer: A. The VWSC carries out the community-led assessment.
286. Which option correctly defines Maternal Mortality?
Answer: E. It covers a woman's death while pregnant, during childbirth or up to 42 days after the pregnancy ends, where pregnancy-related causes are responsible.
287. Which factor has helped bring down India's Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) in a big way?
Answer: B. Delivering in a facility gives mothers skilled care and emergency help, which greatly lowers maternal deaths.
288. In the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS), the 'Usual Status' approach looks at employment over what period?
Answer: D. Usual Status (ps+ss) classifies a person by activity during the preceding year, giving a longer-term picture of employment.
289. Which sector still accounts for the largest share of employment according to PLFS 2025?
Answer: A. Farming still engages the biggest part of the workforce, about 43%, although that proportion is slowly shrinking.
290. The PM E-DRIVE Scheme chiefly seeks to promote what?
Answer: C. The scheme backs electric two-wheelers and three-wheelers so that dependence on fossil fuels and carbon emissions come down.
291. What is the main aim of the RBI's dollar unwind directive?
Answer: E. Banks were told to trim their dollar positions in order to back the rupee and stop it from falling too sharply.
292. What do we call the position of a bank that holds more foreign currency assets than liabilities?
Answer: B. Having more assets than liabilities in a foreign currency leaves the bank net long in that currency.
293. Which description best fits rupee depreciation?
Answer: D. Depreciation means the rupee buys less, so a larger number of rupees is needed to purchase one dollar.
294. Which entity did the RBI penalise for breaching Prepaid Payment Instrument (PPI) norms?
Answer: A. The penalty on Pine Labs related to full-KYC PPIs that were issued without proper verification, against RBI norms.
295. What is the principal purpose of Priority Sector Lending (PSL)?
Answer: C. PSL makes sure that areas such as agriculture, MSMEs and weaker sections get enough bank credit.
296. In which year did Gurjant Singh receive the Arjuna Award?
Answer: C. Sources record his Arjuna Award in 2021.
297. What does EASA stand for?
Answer: B. EASA is the European Union Aviation Safety Agency.
298. Gopalpur Port in the Port of Refuge arrangement covers which routes?
Answer: B. Gopalpur on the east coast covers Bay of Bengal and Malacca Strait routes.
299. Which IAF platforms already carry ASRAAM, per reports?
Answer: B. ASRAAM is already integrated with the LCA Tejas and the upgraded SEPECAT Jaguar.
300. Payments Vision 2028 promotes interoperability of which platform to help MSME receivables?
Answer: B. It backs full interoperability across TReDS platforms.