UPSC Current Affairs Quiz : 4 July 2025

Solution: D

• Option (d) is correct. “The Trust was specifically established to oversee the recognition of future Dalai Lama reincarnations, safeguarding religious traditions from political interference.” This is its unique and most critical function, distinguishing it from other Tibetan institutions.

Solution: C

• Option (c) is correct. The framework’s central objective is to manage the end-of-life stage of a mine in a way that is just, inclusive, and locally relevant. It addresses both the socio-economic continuity (livelihoods, skilling) and ecological restoration (land reclamation, water renewal) for the affected communities, ensuring a sustainable future post-mining.

Solution: B

• Statement 1 is incorrect. The FRI system uses multiple data sources for risk classification. Besides the NCRP, it takes inputs from the Department of Telecommunications’ (DoT) Chakshu platform and direct reports from banks and UPI providers. This collaborative data-sharing model is crucial to its effectiveness.
• Statement 2 is correct. This describes the core function of the FRI. It is designed for real-time, risk-based intervention. By integrating the FRI through APIs, banks can receive immediate risk alerts, enabling them to take preventive actions like delaying, declining, or flagging suspicious transactions for further verification, thereby preventing potential financial loss.
• Statement 3 is incorrect. The FRI system was developed and launched by the Digital Intelligence Unit (DIU) under the Department of Telecommunications (DoT). The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has advised banks to integrate it, playing a crucial role in its adoption, but it does not manage or operate the system itself.

Solution: D

• Statement 1 is incorrect. A key feature of the SPREE scheme is its nature as a one-time amnesty. It explicitly offers that no retrospective penalty or contribution will be demanded for the pre-registration period. This is designed to remove the fear of financial burden and encourage voluntary registration.
• Statement 2 is incorrect. The scheme is specifically aimed at bringing unregistered employers and employees, especially contractual, temporary, and informal sector workers, under the ESI social security net. Its main goal is the formalization of employment for those who are currently outside the formal system.
• Statement 3 is incorrect. The SPREE 2025 scheme was launched by the Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC), which falls under the administrative control of the Ministry of Labour and Employment. Its purpose is social security expansion, not revenue collection for the Ministry of Finance.

Solution: A

• Statement 1 is incorrect. The institute is described as a premier autonomous body under the Ministry of Women and Child Development. An autonomous body is typically registered under a law like the Societies Registration Act, not necessarily a statutory body created by its own Act of Parliament.
• Statement 2 is correct. Its headquarters are in New Delhi and that a new Regional Centre in Ranchi will be inaugurated to cater to Eastern India.
• Statement 3 is incorrect. The institute’s functions are broad and not limited to ICDS training. It is the national apex institute for training, research, policy support, and capacity-building across various WCD schemes like Mission Shakti and Poshan 2.0, and also delves into gender, mental health, and adolescent welfare.

Solution: C

• Statement I is correct. It accurately states the overarching objective of the FfD4 conference, which is to address systemic issues in global economic governance and overhaul the global financial architecture to make it more equitable and sustainable.
• Statement II is correct. The conference has a reform-oriented agenda that includes restructuring institutions like MDBs. The goal is to make them more effective in channeling finance towards sustainable development and climate action, as highlighted by the need to align finance with climate goals. This statement clearly explains a major component of the reform mentioned in Statement I.
• Statement III is incorrect. The conference’s focus is on restoring trust between developed and developing nations and pushing for climate justice and equitable finance. Proposals like global solidarity levies and calls for accountability from the richest 1% (who cause a disproportionate share of emissions) indicate a push for developed nations to fulfill their financial commitments, not shift the burden onto the Global South.

Solution: C

• Statement 1 is incorrect. While a ₹1 lakh crore corpus is established, the scheme is designed to catalyze private sector investment, not just rely on government funding. The corpus will be leveraged to attract private capital.
• Statement 2 is incorrect. The scheme offers a diverse range of financial support. In addition to equity and risk capital, it provides long-term loans at minimal or zero interest, which is a key feature to ease capital constraints for established private firms, not just startups.
• Statement 3 is incorrect. The scheme prioritizes projects with higher Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs). The objective is to fast-track innovations that are closer to market readiness and commercial application, thereby ensuring quicker economic impact.
• Statement 4 is correct. A specific feature of the RDI Scheme is its support for Technology Acquisition. This allows Indian firms to procure critical foreign technologies to build domestic capabilities and enhance national self-reliance, especially in strategic sectors.

Solution: A

• Statement-I is correct. The framework’s contribution goes beyond local community welfare. By systematically restoring mined-out lands, it directly supports India’s larger environmental commitments, including climate adaptation (making ecosystems more resilient), ecological regeneration, and progress towards net-zero goals.
• Statement-II is correct. This statement lists the specific ecological restoration goals of the RECLAIM Framework. These activities—land reclamation, recharging the water table, and extensive afforestation—are the practical steps taken on the ground to restore the ecological balance of a post-mining landscape.
• Statement-II provides the direct ecological mechanisms through which the broader goal in Statement-I is achieved.

Solution: A

• Statement-I is correct. The 14th Dalai Lama has reaffirmed that the Gaden Phodrang Trust would be the sole authority responsible for identifying and recognizing his future reincarnation.
• Statement-II is correct. The primary motivation behind empowering the Trust with this exclusive authority is to ensure the integrity and autonomy of a deeply religious process. It is a direct response to concerns about external influence, particularly from political entities like the Chinese government, which has expressed intentions to control the selection of the next Dalai Lama. The move reinforces religious sovereignty.
• Statement-II provides the direct and most important reason for the action described in Statement-I.

Solution: B

• Statement I is correct. The key feature of the ToT programme is its “Focus on behavioural insights, strategic revenue planning, and local innovation.” This details the methodology of the training.
• Statement II is correct. The objective is to “Empower Panchayats to become financially self-reliant” by enhancing their capability to generate “Own Source Revenue (OSR).” This describes the goal of the programme.
• Statement III is incorrect. It was a collaboration between IIM Ahmedabad and the Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA). The current training is for 16 States/UTs with more planned, not all states at once.
• Statement I explains how the programme works (through behavioural insights and strategic planning) to achieve the goal mentioned in Statement II (enhancing OSR).