Answer: C
Explanation
● The distinction between conventional combatants and mercenaries is a fundamental
cornerstone of international humanitarian law (IHL).
○ IHL is a set of rules that seek to limit the effects of armed conflict. It lays out the
responsibilities of states and non-state armed groups during an armed conflict.
● A combatant is typically a member of the armed forces of a party to the conflict,
whereas a mercenary is recruited from a third-party state unrelated to the conflict.
● Mercenaries usually engage in hostilities motivated primarily by personal gain as opposed
to virtues of patriotism associated with regular combatants.

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1. Consider the following statements about the Open Network for Digital Commerce
1) It is a government-backed initiative aimed at democratizing e-commerce in India.
2) It is mandatory for all the existing digital commerce applications and platforms to be a part
of the ONDC network.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Answer: A
Explanation
● Statement 1 is correct: In 2022, the government of India launched the pilot phase of open
network for digital commerce (ONDC) with an aim to democratize the country’s fast
growing digital e-commerce space that is currently dominated by the two U.S.-
headquartered firms — Amazon and Walmart.
What is ONDC?
● ONDC is a network based on open protocol and will enable local commerce across
segments, such as mobility, grocery, food order and delivery, hotel booking and travel,
among others, to be discovered and engaged through a single platform.
● It is an initiative of the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade
(DPIIT) under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
● Statement 2 is incorrect: It is neither an aggregator application nor a hosting
platform, and all existing digital commerce applications and platforms can voluntarily
choose to adopt and be a part of the ONDC network.

Role in Democratising Digital Commerce
● The ONDC platform aims to create new opportunities, curb digital monopolies and
support micro, small and medium enterprises and small traders and help them get on
online platforms.
● The ONDC aims to enable buying of products from all participating e-commerce
platforms by consumers through a single platform.
● Currently, a buyer needs to go to Amazon website/app, for example, to buy a product from a
seller on Amazon. Under ONDC, it is envisaged that a buyer registered on one participating
e-commerce site (for example, Amazon) may purchase goods from a seller on another
participating e-commerce site (for example, Flipkart).

● The ONDC model is trying to replicate the success of the Unified Payments Interface
(UPI) in the field of digital payments.
○ UPI allows people to send or receive money irrespective of the payment platforms they
are registered on.

● The open network concept also extends beyond the retail sector, to any digital
commerce domains including wholesale, mobility, food delivery, logistics, travel,
urban services, etc.
Significance
● The government believes that ONDC will put an end to the domination of the e-
commerce market by a few large platforms. Amazon and Flipkart, for instance, have
been accused of discriminating among sellers on their platforms and promoting certain
seller entities in which they hold indirect stakes.
● With an open network like ONDC that connects buyers and sellers across platforms, the
government hopes to level the playing field and make platforms redundant.
● It is said that buyers will also be able to access sellers across platforms without having to
switch between multiple platforms.
● Over the next five years, the ONDC expects to bring on board 90 crore users and 12 lakh
sellers on the network.
● The ONDC will standardize operations like cataloging, inventory management, order
management and order fulfillment, hence making it simpler and easier for small
businesses to be discoverable over network and conduct business.
Challenges
● ONDC faces its own share of challenges and risks, which must be addressed. One of the
pivotal challenges lies in ensuring the adoption and acceptance of ONDC by the various
stakeholders within the e-commerce ecosystem.
● Another challenge is to ensure the quality and reliability of the services and products
offered on the network. ONDC will have to establish clear standards and guidelines for
quality assurance, consumer protection, data privacy, cybersecurity, etc.
● ONDC will also have to ensure effective dispute resolution mechanisms for handling
complaints and grievances.
● ONDC will have to ensure the sustainability and scalability of the network to make sure
that the network can handle the increasing volume and variety of transactions and
data.

2. Consider the following statements about the “Smart Cities Mission”.
1. The objective of this scheme is to give decent quality of life for urban citizens through smart
solutions.
2. The mission is operated as a Central sector scheme.

Answer: A
Explanation
● The Smart Cities Mission was launched in 2015.
● Statement 1 is correct: The main objective of the Mission is to promote cities that
provide core infrastructure, clean and sustainable environment and give a decent
quality of life to their citizens through the application of ‘smart solutions’.

● The Mission aims to drive economic growth and improve quality of life through
comprehensive work on social, economic, physical and institutional pillars of the city.
● The focus is on sustainable and inclusive development by creation of replicable models
which act as lighthouses to other aspiring cities.
Coverage
● The mission will cover 100 cities that have been distributed among the States /Union
Territories (UT) on the basis of an equitable criteria.
● Each State/UT will have a certain number of potential Smart Cities, with each State/UT
having at least one.
Funding
● Statement 2 is incorrect: The Mission is operated as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme. The
Central Government gives financial support on an average Rs.100 crore per city per
year. An equal amount on a matching basis is to be provided by the State/Urban Local
Bodies (ULBs).
● Additional resources are to be raised through convergence, from ULBs’ own funds, grants
under Finance Commission, innovative finance mechanisms such as Municipal Bonds, other
government programs and borrowings.
● Emphasis has been given on the participation of the private sector through Public
Private Partnerships (PPP).
What are Smart Cities?
● There is no standard definition or template of a smart city.
● In the context of our country, the six fundamental principles on which the concept of
Smart Cities is based are:

Implementation by Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV)
● The implementation of the Mission at the City level will be done by a Special Purpose
Vehicle (SPV) created for the purpose. The SPV will plan, appraise, approve, release funds,
implement, manage, operate, monitor and evaluate the Smart City development projects.
● Each Smart City will have a SPV which will be headed by a full time CEO and have nominees
of Central Government, State Government and ULB on its Board.
● The SPV will be a limited company incorporated under the Companies Act, 2013 at the
city-level, in which the State/UT and the ULB will be the promoters having 50:50 equity
shareholding.
Why in News?
● The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has extended the deadline for the Smart Cities
Mission till March 2025, allowing cities to complete ongoing projects, which account for
around 10% of the total projects.

3. Consider the following statements about the Cabinet committees
1) Cabinet committees are set up by the Prime Minister.
2) All the eight cabinet committees are headed by the PM.

Answer: A
Explanation
● The Union Cabinet consists of several high-profile committees, each with specific
functions.
● Statement 1 is correct: The Prime Minister sets up these committees, which include
selected members of the Cabinet, and can modify their numbers and functions as
necessary.
● These Cabinet committees are set up to resolve issues and formulate proposals for the
consideration of the Cabinet and take decisions on matters assigned to them. The Cabinet is
empowered to review such decisions.
Membership
● The membership of each committee varies from three to eight.
● Usually, only Cabinet ministers are members of these committees. However, there are
instances where non-Cabinet ministers can be members or special invitees to committees.
● Article 74 of the Constitution provides that there shall be a Union Council of Ministers
(COM) headed by the Prime Minister to aid and advise the President. The real
executive powers lie with the COM.

● The COM consists of a Cabinet minister, MoS with independent charge, MoS and a
Deputy Minister.
● The Constitution does not classify the members of the COM into different ranks. All
this has been done informally, following British practice.
● Cabinet Ministers are higher in rank and handle large portfolios while Ministers of
State (MoS) assist the Cabinet Ministers and work under them. MoS with independent
charge directly reports to the Prime Minister for their respective ministries.
● If the Prime Minister himself is a member of any such committee, he acts as the head
of that committee.
Cabinet Committees at present
● There are eight Cabinet committees at present
○ Appointments Committee of the Cabinet,
○ Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs,
○ Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs,
○ Cabinet Committee on Investment and Growth,
○ Cabinet Committee on Security,
○ Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs,
○ Cabinet Committee on Employment & Skill Development, and
○ Cabinet Committee on Accommodation.
● Statement 2 is incorrect: All committees except the Cabinet Committee on
Accommodation and Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs are headed by the
PM.
Why in News?
● The Union government has constituted eight Cabinet committees.

4. This bird species generally favors flat open landscapes with minimal visual obstruction
and disturbance, therefore they adapt well in grasslands. Its stronghold was once the Thar
desert in the north-west and the Deccan plateau of the peninsula. Today, its population is
confined mostly to Rajasthan and Gujarat. It is listed in Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife
(Protection) Act, 1972.
The above description refers to which of the following species?

Answer: C
Explanation:
● Great Indian Bustards are one of the magnificent species of the Indian Subcontinent but
today only some 200 individuals are left in the world.
● Historically, the great Indian bustard was distributed throughout Western India, spanning
11 states, as well as parts of Pakistan. Its stronghold was once the Thar desert in the north-
west and the Deccan plateau of the peninsula.
● Today, its population is confined mostly to Rajasthan and Gujarat. Small populations
occur in Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. 

● Listed in Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, Appendix I of the CMS
(Conservation of Migratory Species) Convention, Appendix I of CITES and as Critically
Endangered on the IUCN Red List.
● It has also been identified as one of the species for the recovery programme under the
Integrated Development of Wildlife Habitats of the Ministry of Environment, Forests and
Climate Change.
● Bustards generally favor flat open landscapes with minimal visual obstruction and
disturbance, therefore adapt well in grasslands.

5. The primary function of the National Financial Reporting Authority (NFRA) is to

Answer: C
Explanation
● The National Financial Reporting Authority (NFRA) was constituted in 2018 under the
Companies Act, 2013 to continuously improve the quality of all corporate financial
reporting in India.
● Functions and Duties:
○ Recommend accounting and auditing policies and standards to be adopted by
companies for approval by the Central Government;
○ Monitor and enforce compliance with accounting standards and auditing
standards;
○ Oversee the quality of service of the professions associated with ensuring
compliance with such standards and suggest measures for improvement in the
quality of service;
○ Perform such other functions and duties as may be necessary or incidental to the
aforesaid functions and duties.

● The Authority consists of a chairperson and three full time members appointed by the
Central Government.

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