The ‘Arabian Sea Mini Warm Pool (MWP)’, recently in the news, is a phenomenon with which of the following characteristics? It is a patch of unusually warm sea surface temperatures that forms in the southeastern Arabian Sea. It typically forms during April and May, just before the onset of the Indian Summer Monsoon. It is … Read more
Consider the following statements about the classification of minerals in India: The Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957, classifies minerals into major and minor categories. Limestone has recently been classified exclusively as a major mineral, regardless of its end use. The power to make rules for the regulation of minor minerals is vested … Read more
The National Security Guard (NSG) is an elite force in India. In this context, consider the following: It was established in 1986 and operates under the Ministry of Home Affairs. It is a task-oriented force with two complementary elements: the Special Action Group (SAG) and the Special Ranger Groups (SRG). It was modelled on the … Read more
With reference to the Global Hunger Index (GHI), consider the following statements: The GHI score is calculated based on four indicators: undernourishment, child stunting, child wasting, and child mortality. A score of 0 represents the best possible score (no hunger), while 100 is the worst. The 2025 report places India in the ‘serious’ hunger category. … Read more
Consider the following statements regarding the status of elephants in India, based on the recent DNA-based population estimation (SAIEE): The Western Ghats region hosts the largest population of wild elephants in the country. Among the states, Assam supports the highest population of elephants. Asian Elephants are listed as ‘Endangered’ on the IUCN Red List and … Read more
With reference to global forest conservation efforts mentioned in the Forest Declaration Assessment 2025 Report, consider the following goals: The Bonn Challenge aims to bring 350 million hectares of degraded landscapes into restoration by 2030. Under the Bonn Challenge, India has pledged to restore 26 million hectares by 2030. Target 2 of the Kunming-Montreal Global … Read more
The Codex Committee on Spices and Culinary Herbs (CCSCH), recently in news, is associated with which of the following? It is a subsidiary body of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC). Its primary role is to elaborate global standards for spices and culinary herbs. India is the host country for the committee, and the Spices Board … Read more
Regarding the recent update to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, consider the following statements: The conservation status of the Green Sea Turtle has improved from ‘Endangered’ to ‘Least Concern’. The Indian Roller and Indian Courser have been uplisted to ‘Near Threatened’ status. A primary threat to these newly uplisted bird species is the … Read more
Consider the following recent initiatives unveiled by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI): The Unified Lending Interface (ULI) aims to function as a Digital Public Infrastructure to enhance credit delivery. A Certificate of Deposit (CD) is a money market instrument with a minimum maturity period of seven days. Tokenisation of CDs involves creating a digital … Read more
Rhodamine B, a substance often mentioned in news reports concerning food safety, is associated with which of the following characteristics? It is a water-soluble synthetic dye known for its bright pink colour. It is classified as a carcinogen and is toxic to human health. Its use is legally permitted in the textile industry but banned … Read more