1. With which partner did the FAO publish the report "Forests for Food: Nourishing People, Sustaining the Planet"?
Answer: C. CIFOR-ICRAF, the Center for International Forestry Research and World Agroforestry, worked on it through the Landscape Alliance under the Collaborative Partnership on Forests Joint Initiative. FAO dates from 1945 and is based in Rome.
2. The report says pollinators that live in forests underpin what proportion of global crop production?
Answer: A. The 85 per cent figure belongs to a different finding, that forested watersheds supply freshwater to over 85 per cent of major world cities. The report also notes farmland in 155 countries relies on forests elsewhere for up to 40 per cent of yearly rainfall.
3. According to the report, how many people mainly used woodfuel for cooking in 2022?
Answer: D. That number equals 23 per cent of the world's people. A further 410 million needed wood energy just to boil and sterilise drinking water, over 1 billion use forest medicinal plants for basic healthcare, and over 5 billion rely on forests somewhat for livelihoods.
4. What was the average yearly deforestation from 2015 to 2025?
Answer: B. Deforestation and net forest loss are separate measures. Gross deforestation stayed at 10.9 million hectares a year, while net loss dropped from 10.7 to 4.12 million hectares because forest expansion offsets part of the loss.
5. India's first soil carbon payments to individual farms were made under whose 'Aadi' programme?
Answer: E. Grow Indigo is an agri-tech venture of Mahyco and US-based Indigo Ag. More than 2,550 small farmers in Punjab and Haryana got over ₹2.9 crore by DBT for verified regenerative practices, in an effort begun in 2019 against stubble burning and groundwater depletion.
6. Under the soil carbon payment mechanism, farmers get upfront payments or what part of the net earnings from carbon-credit sales?
Answer: C. Farmers adopt practices such as Direct Seeded Rice, minimum tillage, cover crops and residue retention, which are then verified with satellite data, crop models and soil samples before credits are sold. The first cycle, 2019 to 2022, covered about 30,000 acres and over 50,000 certified credits.
7. Which afforestation method does the 'Bharat Vann' green initiative at Lodhi Colony Park use?
Answer: A. The Miyawaki method packs multi-layered native plants densely to make self-sustaining micro-forests fast. The New Delhi Municipal Council implements the project with IIFCL CSR funds and the Enviro Creators Foundation, and Nirmala Sitharaman inaugurated it to reduce particulate pollution and urban heat.
8. To what level did the Union Cabinet approve raising the mandatory EPFO wage ceiling?
Answer: E. The limit moves up from ₹15,000 and is the threshold of basic pay plus dearness allowance that decides compulsory coverage under the EPF and Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 1952. The Expenditure Finance Committee cleared the increase in June 2026.
9. What was the EPFO wage ceiling just before the 2014 revision?
Answer: B. The ₹6,500 limit held from 2004 until 1 September 2014, when it became ₹15,000. Rising state minimum wages in the next twelve years pushed starting earnings up to or past ₹15,000, leaving new workers outside automatic coverage.
10. To what level did Moody's Ratings lift its FY27 real GDP growth forecast for India?
Answer: E. The new 7.0 per cent, up from 6 per cent, is the highest among major agencies, ahead of RBI at 6.7, ADB and S&P at 6.6, Goldman Sachs at 6.5 and Fitch at 6.4. Moody's also sees FY27 inflation at 4.8 per cent against 2.4 per cent in FY26.
11. What is India's current sovereign rating from Moody's?
Answer: D. Baa3 is the lowest investment grade at Moody's, matching Fitch's BBB-, while S&P upgraded India to BBB last year, a notch above both. Constraints cited are high government debt, weak debt affordability and low per capita income.
12. At what year-on-year rate did India's real GDP grow in the first six months of 2026?
Answer: A. The growth compares with 7.3 per cent in 2025. It was supported by strong private consumption, firm gross fixed capital formation and steady services, with public infrastructure spending and a hoped-for revival in private investment.
13. Under which theme was SEMICON India 2026 held?
Answer: D. The Prime Minister inaugurated the 5th edition at Yashobhoomi, the India International Convention & Expo Centre in New Delhi, on Vishwakarma Diwas. The India Semiconductor Mission, MeitY and SEMI, the global electronics industry body, jointly organise it.
14. As per the FAO report, how many wild species are used worldwide for food, energy, medicine and materials?
Answer: B. At least 10,000 of these are eaten directly as food. In remote forest-dependent communities, wild forest foods can supply up to 80 per cent of daily protein and close to half of total food by weight.
15. Approximately how many appointment letters have been issued through all 20 Rozgar Mela editions?
Answer: D. Cumulative letters across 20 editions are about 12.75 lakh.