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Answer: (A)
Statement 1 – Correct: Digi Yatra is based on a decentralised, mobile wallet-based architecture.
Statement 2 – Incorrect: Digi Yatra is completely voluntary; passengers can choose conventional identity verification.
Statement 3 – Correct: It employs Facial Recognition Technology (FRT) to facilitate contactless, paperless and seamless passenger processing.
Statement 4 – Incorrect: Facial recognition data is not intended for permanent storage on airport servers. The stated data-retention policy provides for deletion within 24 hours of flight departure.
Statement 5 – Incorrect: Digi Yatra does not seek to eliminate conventional passenger verification channels.
Therefore, option A is the correct answer.
Statement 1 – Correct: Digi Yatra is based on a decentralised, mobile wallet-based architecture.
Statement 2 – Incorrect: Digi Yatra is completely voluntary; passengers can choose conventional identity verification.
Statement 3 – Correct: It employs Facial Recognition Technology (FRT) to facilitate contactless, paperless and seamless passenger processing.
Statement 4 – Incorrect: Facial recognition data is not intended for permanent storage on airport servers. The stated data-retention policy provides for deletion within 24 hours of flight departure.
Statement 5 – Incorrect: Digi Yatra does not seek to eliminate conventional passenger verification channels.
Therefore, option A is the correct answer.
With reference to Project 18A, consider the following statements:
1. It is envisaged as a successor to the Visakhapatnam-class (Project 15B) destroyers, with enhanced stealth features, greater displacement and Integrated Electric Propulsion.
2. The programme envisages the construction of both surface guided-missile destroyers and nuclear-powered attack submarines (SSNs).
1. It is envisaged as a successor to the Visakhapatnam-class (Project 15B) destroyers, with enhanced stealth features, greater displacement and Integrated Electric Propulsion.
2. The programme envisages the construction of both surface guided-missile destroyers and nuclear-powered attack submarines (SSNs).
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Answer: (A)
Statement 1 is correct: Project 18A (P-18) is the Indian Navy's Next-Generation Destroyer (NGD) programme, aimed at developing advanced stealth-guided missile destroyers.
It is conceived as a successor to the Visakhapatnam-class destroyers (Project 15B).
Important proposed features include:
○ Greater displacement: Expected to exceed 13,000 tonnes, compared with approximately 7,400 tonnes of the Visakhapatnam class.
○ Enhanced stealth: Enclosed mast, optimised hull design, radar-absorbent materials and infrared signature suppression.
○ Integrated Electric Propulsion (IEP): An advanced propulsion arrangement that can support the high electrical-power requirements of modern sensors and weapons.
○ Indigenous content: Expected to be approximately 75%.
Statement 2 is incorrect: Project 18A is a surface-combatant programme focused on next-generation guided-missile destroyers.
○ It does not include the construction of nuclear-powered attack submarines (SSNs).
○ India's proposed SSN development programme is separate and is commonly referred to as Project 75 Alpha.
○ Do not confuse it with:
Project 75: Six Kalvari-class (Scorpene) conventional diesel-electric submarines.
Statement 1 is correct: Project 18A (P-18) is the Indian Navy's Next-Generation Destroyer (NGD) programme, aimed at developing advanced stealth-guided missile destroyers.
It is conceived as a successor to the Visakhapatnam-class destroyers (Project 15B).
Important proposed features include:
○ Greater displacement: Expected to exceed 13,000 tonnes, compared with approximately 7,400 tonnes of the Visakhapatnam class.
○ Enhanced stealth: Enclosed mast, optimised hull design, radar-absorbent materials and infrared signature suppression.
○ Integrated Electric Propulsion (IEP): An advanced propulsion arrangement that can support the high electrical-power requirements of modern sensors and weapons.
○ Indigenous content: Expected to be approximately 75%.
Statement 2 is incorrect: Project 18A is a surface-combatant programme focused on next-generation guided-missile destroyers.
○ It does not include the construction of nuclear-powered attack submarines (SSNs).
○ India's proposed SSN development programme is separate and is commonly referred to as Project 75 Alpha.
○ Do not confuse it with:
Project 75: Six Kalvari-class (Scorpene) conventional diesel-electric submarines.
Consider the following statements regarding the Shey Phoksundo National Park:
1. It is the largest national park in Nepal and the country's only trans-Himalayan national park
2. The park encompasses Phoksundo Lake, an alpine body of water that is completely devoid of aquatic life.
3. The park serves as a prime habitat for the Snow Leopard, Himalayan Blue Sheep (Bharal), and Musk Deer.
1. It is the largest national park in Nepal and the country's only trans-Himalayan national park
2. The park encompasses Phoksundo Lake, an alpine body of water that is completely devoid of aquatic life.
3. The park serves as a prime habitat for the Snow Leopard, Himalayan Blue Sheep (Bharal), and Musk Deer.
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Answer: (D)
Statement 1 is correct: Established in 1984, Shey Phoksundo National Park (covering 3,555 𝑘𝑚 ) is the largest national park in Nepal. Located in the Dolpa and 2 Mugu districts of northwestern Nepal, it is also the country's only trans-Himalayan national park, bridging the high Tibetan plateau and the southern Himalayan slopes.
Statement 2 is correct: Phoksundo Lake, an oligotrophic alpine lake situated at an altitude of approximately 3,611 meters is the park's central feature. Due to its high altitude, extreme temperatures, mineral composition, and lack of organic nutrients, the lake is notable for completely lacking any aquatic life (fish or micro-fauna).
Statement 3 is correct: The park is a vital high-altitude wildlife sanctuary. It harbors key prey-predator dynamics essential to alpine ecosystems, notably protecting the endangered Snow Leopard (Panthera uncia), its primary prey species the Himalayan Blue Sheep or Bharal (Pseudois nayaur), and the Himalayan Musk Deer (Moschus chrysogaster).
Therefore, option D is the correct answer.
Statement 1 is correct: Established in 1984, Shey Phoksundo National Park (covering 3,555 𝑘𝑚 ) is the largest national park in Nepal. Located in the Dolpa and 2 Mugu districts of northwestern Nepal, it is also the country's only trans-Himalayan national park, bridging the high Tibetan plateau and the southern Himalayan slopes.
Statement 2 is correct: Phoksundo Lake, an oligotrophic alpine lake situated at an altitude of approximately 3,611 meters is the park's central feature. Due to its high altitude, extreme temperatures, mineral composition, and lack of organic nutrients, the lake is notable for completely lacking any aquatic life (fish or micro-fauna).
Statement 3 is correct: The park is a vital high-altitude wildlife sanctuary. It harbors key prey-predator dynamics essential to alpine ecosystems, notably protecting the endangered Snow Leopard (Panthera uncia), its primary prey species the Himalayan Blue Sheep or Bharal (Pseudois nayaur), and the Himalayan Musk Deer (Moschus chrysogaster).
Therefore, option D is the correct answer.
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman released a ₹250 commemorative coin on 3 November 2026 at IIT-BHU, Varanasi, marking the 250th birth anniversary of Muthuswami Dikshitar.
Important for UPSC: Art & Culture → Carnatic Music → Trinity of Carnatic Music → Muthuswami Dikshitar → Classical Compositions → Commemorative Coins.
Important for UPSC: Art & Culture → Carnatic Music → Trinity of Carnatic Music → Muthuswami Dikshitar → Classical Compositions → Commemorative Coins.
NPCI announced a revised framework introducing MDR on select high-value UPI Person-to-Merchant (P2M) transactions, marking a change from the zero-MDR system introduced in 2020.
Important for UPSC: Indian Economy → Digital Payments → UPI → NPCI → RBI → Merchant Discount Rate → Financial Inclusion → Digital Economy.
Important for UPSC: Indian Economy → Digital Payments → UPI → NPCI → RBI → Merchant Discount Rate → Financial Inclusion → Digital Economy.
Consider the following statements regarding Qeshm Island:
1. It is the largest island in the Persian Gulf, located near the Strait of Hormuz.
2. It is separated from the Iranian mainland by the Khuran (Clarence) Strait.
3. It serves as a major trade and transit hub with designated free-zone status.
1. It is the largest island in the Persian Gulf, located near the Strait of Hormuz.
2. It is separated from the Iranian mainland by the Khuran (Clarence) Strait.
3. It serves as a major trade and transit hub with designated free-zone status.
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Answer: (D)
Statement 1 is correct: Qeshm Island is the largest island in the Persian Gulf, positioned strategically near the entrance of the Strait of Hormuz.
Statement 2 is correct: The Khuran (Clarence) Strait separates the northern shore of Qeshm Island from the Iranian mainland.
Statement 3 is correct: The island holds an important economic status as a free-trade zone, featuring industrial infrastructure, ports, and commercial developments.
Therefore, option D is the correct answer.
Statement 1 is correct: Qeshm Island is the largest island in the Persian Gulf, positioned strategically near the entrance of the Strait of Hormuz.
Statement 2 is correct: The Khuran (Clarence) Strait separates the northern shore of Qeshm Island from the Iranian mainland.
Statement 3 is correct: The island holds an important economic status as a free-trade zone, featuring industrial infrastructure, ports, and commercial developments.
Therefore, option D is the correct answer.
Consider the following statements regarding the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory:
1. It is a multi-wavelength space observatory dedicated primarily to detecting and studying gamma-ray bursts (GRBs).
2. The observatory is equipped with a Burst Alert Telescope, an X-ray Telescope, and an Ultraviolet/Optical Telescope as its three primary instruments.
3. It is an international mission led by NASA in partnership with scientific institutions in the United Kingdom and Italy.
1. It is a multi-wavelength space observatory dedicated primarily to detecting and studying gamma-ray bursts (GRBs).
2. The observatory is equipped with a Burst Alert Telescope, an X-ray Telescope, and an Ultraviolet/Optical Telescope as its three primary instruments.
3. It is an international mission led by NASA in partnership with scientific institutions in the United Kingdom and Italy.
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Answer: (D)
Statement 1 is correct: The Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory is a space telescope mission specifically engineered to locate and study gamma-ray bursts—the most energetic explosions in the universe.
Statement 2 is correct: It houses three complementary, co-aligned instruments comprising the wide-field Burst Alert Telescope (BAT), the X-ray Telescope (XRT), and the Ultraviolet/Optical Telescope (UVOT) to capture both prompt high-energy emissions and multi-wavelength afterglows.
Statement 3 is correct: Swift is a cooperative international space mission led by NASA, with major scientific and hardware contributions from the United Kingdom and Italy.
Therefore, option D is the correct answer.
Statement 1 is correct: The Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory is a space telescope mission specifically engineered to locate and study gamma-ray bursts—the most energetic explosions in the universe.
Statement 2 is correct: It houses three complementary, co-aligned instruments comprising the wide-field Burst Alert Telescope (BAT), the X-ray Telescope (XRT), and the Ultraviolet/Optical Telescope (UVOT) to capture both prompt high-energy emissions and multi-wavelength afterglows.
Statement 3 is correct: Swift is a cooperative international space mission led by NASA, with major scientific and hardware contributions from the United Kingdom and Italy.
Therefore, option D is the correct answer.
With reference to District Planning Committees (DPCs) in India, consider the following statements:
1. The Parliament is empowered to determine the composition of District Planning Committees and the manner in which their seats are filled.
2. At least four-fifths of the members of a District Planning Committee shall be elected
from among the elected members of Panchayats and Municipalities in the district, in proportion to the rural–urban population ratio.
3. The Chairperson of every District Planning Committee forwards the draft development plan directly to the Governor for approval.
1. The Parliament is empowered to determine the composition of District Planning Committees and the manner in which their seats are filled.
2. At least four-fifths of the members of a District Planning Committee shall be elected
from among the elected members of Panchayats and Municipalities in the district, in proportion to the rural–urban population ratio.
3. The Chairperson of every District Planning Committee forwards the draft development plan directly to the Governor for approval.
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Answer: (B)
Statement 1 is incorrect: Under Article 243ZD(2) of the Constitution, the State Legislature (not Parliament) is empowered to make provisions by law regarding the composition of District Planning Committees, the manner in which their seats are filled, their functions, and the selection of their Chairperson.
Statement 2 is correct: Article 243ZD(2)(b) provides that not less than four-fifths (4/5th) of the total members of a DPC must be elected:
○ By and from among elected members of Panchayats at the district level and Municipalities in the district.
○ In proportion to the ratio between the rural and urban populations of the district.
Statement 3 is incorrect: Article 243ZD(4) explicitly states that the Chairperson shall forward the development plan, as recommended by the DPC, to the Government of the State.
Therefore, option B is the correct answer.
Statement 1 is incorrect: Under Article 243ZD(2) of the Constitution, the State Legislature (not Parliament) is empowered to make provisions by law regarding the composition of District Planning Committees, the manner in which their seats are filled, their functions, and the selection of their Chairperson.
Statement 2 is correct: Article 243ZD(2)(b) provides that not less than four-fifths (4/5th) of the total members of a DPC must be elected:
○ By and from among elected members of Panchayats at the district level and Municipalities in the district.
○ In proportion to the ratio between the rural and urban populations of the district.
Statement 3 is incorrect: Article 243ZD(4) explicitly states that the Chairperson shall forward the development plan, as recommended by the DPC, to the Government of the State.
Therefore, option B is the correct answer.