UPSC Current Affairs Quiz : 7 October 2025

Solution: C

• The Namchik-Namphuk coal block marks a significant step for Arunachal Pradesh’s economy as its first commercial coal mining venture. Located in the Changlang district in the southeastern part of the state, it falls within the resource-rich Upper Assam coal belt. The project aims to boost the state’s revenue and create local employment, aligning with the central government’s vision for developing the Northeast.
• The mining operations are guided by the “Mission Green Coal Regions” framework, which emphasizes sustainable practices such as land reclamation and afforestation to mitigate environmental impact. The estimated reserves are around 5 crore tonnes, intended for domestic use to enhance India’s energy self-reliance under the Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative.

Solution: B

• Statement 1 is incorrect. The Critical Mineral Recycling Incentive Scheme is managed by the Ministry of Mines, not the Ministry of Environment. It is a key component of the National Critical Mineral Mission (NCMM).
• Statement 2 is correct. The scheme is designed to be inclusive, offering support to both established large-scale recyclers and emerging start-ups. This tiered approach, with different incentive ceilings, encourages broad participation and innovation in the recycling sector.
• Statement 3 is incorrect. The primary objective is to reduce India’s import dependence on critical minerals and build strategic independence, particularly from nations like China. It aims to create a robust circular economy for these materials within the country, not to boost exports.

Solution: D

• Statement 1 is incorrect. A blizzard is a severe mid-latitude snowstorm, not a tropical one. It is defined by strong winds (≥56 km/h), low temperatures (below freezing), and poor visibility due to blowing snow. High temperatures and light winds are contrary to the defining characteristics of a blizzard.
• Statement 2 is incorrect. A blizzard develops when a cold, dense polar or continental air mass interacts with a moist maritime or tropical air mass. This interaction forces the warm, moist air to rise, cool, and condense, leading to intense snowfall. The steep pressure gradient between these air masses generates the high winds.
• Statement 3 is incorrect. A “ground blizzard” is a specific weather event where no new snow is falling. Instead, strong winds pick up and blow pre-existing, loose snow from the ground, causing significantly reduced visibility and creating whiteout conditions.

Solution: A

• Statement 1 is incorrect. Schedule M is a crucial component of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940, and its associated rules from 1945. It specifically deals with the manufacturing of pharmaceutical products, not food items.
• Statement 2 is incorrect. The revised Schedule M norms are designed to bring Indian GMP standards in alignment with global benchmarks, specifically the World Health Organization (WHO)-GMP and the Pharmaceutical Inspection Co-operation Scheme (PIC/S) standards. This move is intended to strengthen India’s reputation as a reliable global supplier of quality medicines.
• Statement 3 is correct. The revised norms introduce several modern quality management principles. A central requirement is the mandatory adoption of a Pharmaceutical Quality System (PQS), which provides a comprehensive framework for managing quality and risk throughout the entire manufacturing process, from design to distribution.

Solution: A

• The Assertion (A) is correct. The launch of Southeast Asia’s first coral larvae cryobank is a pioneering initiative in marine conservation. It addresses the urgent threat of coral bleaching and biodiversity loss caused by rising ocean temperatures and other environmental stressors. By creating a “genetic seed vault” for corals, it provides a crucial tool for safeguarding the future of these vital marine ecosystems.
• The Reason (R) is also correct and provides the direct explanation for the assertion. The core function of the cryobank is to freeze and store coral larvae at ultra-low temperatures, a process known as cryopreservation. This technique preserves their genetic diversity for decades. This preserved material can be used in the future to revive damaged reefs or reintroduce species that may have disappeared from their natural habitats, directly linking the cryobank’s function to the goal of long-term conservation and restoration.

Solution: C

• Vitrification is a cutting-edge cryopreservation technique that is central to the functioning of the coral larvae cryobank. The process begins with treating the larvae with cryoprotective solutions that act like an antifreeze for cells. The key step is then the ultra-rapid cooling, achieved by plunging the samples into liquid nitrogen at –196°C.
• This rapid temperature drop prevents the formation of damaging ice crystals inside and outside the cells, instead transforming the water content into a stable, glass-like (amorphous) state. This method is crucial for preserving the structural integrity of complex biological samples like coral larvae, which are large and lipid-rich, making them particularly challenging to freeze using conventional methods.

Solution: B

• Statement 1 is correct. Commercial coal mining marks a major policy shift by ending the long-standing monopoly of state-owned Coal India Ltd. (CIL) on the sale of coal. Under this policy, private sector companies can participate in auctions to win mining leases and are free to mine and sell the coal to any buyer in the open market.
• Statement 2 is correct. While the legal framework was introduced with the Coal Mines (Special Provisions) Act, 2015, the policy was fully operationalized in 2020 as a key structural reform under the AatmaNirbhar Bharat Abhiyan to boost domestic production and attract private investment.
• Statement 3 is incorrect. The auction process for commercial coal mining is conducted by the Ministry of Coal, Government of India, to ensure a transparent and competitive bidding process. CIL is a public sector undertaking engaged in coal mining and is not the regulatory body for auctions involving private players.
• Statement 4 is incorrect. The policy’s objective is to increase competition and private sector participation in the coal sector to enhance efficiency, adopt new technologies, and reduce India’s reliance on coal imports.

Solution: A

• Statement 1 is incorrect. Darjeeling is located in the Eastern Himalayas, which are geologically young and tectonically active mountains. The rock strata are largely unconsolidated and prone to erosion, making the slopes inherently unstable, unlike the ancient and stable geology of the Deccan Plateau.
• Statement 2 is correct. Anthropogenic factors play a crucial role in increasing landslide vulnerability in Darjeeling. Unscientific construction on steep slopes, extensive deforestation for tea plantations and settlements, and improper road cutting have significantly weakened the slopes and interfered with natural drainage systems, making the area more susceptible to failure.
• Statement 3 is incorrect. The Darjeeling region receives intense and prolonged monsoon rainfall. This heavy precipitation leads to the saturation of soil and rock, increasing its weight and pore water pressure while reducing the shear strength of the slope materials, which is a primary trigger for landslides.

Solution: D

• Statement 1 is incorrect. NATPOLREX-X is a national-level exercise organized by the Indian Coast Guard. While it involves foreign observers from numerous countries, it is not a bilateral exercise with any single nation. Its focus is on domestic inter-agency coordination for pollution response.
• Statement 2 is incorrect. Exercise KONKAN-25 is fundamentally a bilateral exercise between the Indian Navy and the UK’s Royal Navy. The primary aim of Exercise KONKAN-25 is to improve naval interoperability, maritime domain awareness, and joint operational readiness between the participating navies, focusing on anti-air, anti-surface, and anti-submarine warfare. The oil spill response drill is the objective of NATPOLREX-X, not KONKAN.

Solution: C

• Statement-I is correct. Prior to 1991, India had one of the most protectionist trade regimes in the world, with extremely high customs duties (tariffs). A central pillar of the post-1991 reforms, under the umbrella of Globalisation, was to dismantle this protectionist structure. The government embarked on a policy of gradual but significant reduction in the peak rates of customs duties across a wide range of products. This was done to expose domestic industry to international competition, encourage efficiency, and provide consumers with access to better quality and cheaper goods.
• Statement-II is incorrect. The primary objective of reducing import tariffs was not to increase government revenue. In fact, in the short term, reducing tax rates could potentially lead to a decrease in revenue, although this can sometimes be offset by an increase in the volume of imports (as described by the Laffer curve principle). The core economic rationale behind tariff reduction was strategic:
  • To enhance the competitiveness of the Indian industry by forcing it to improve quality and reduce costs.
  • To remove the anti-export bias of the previous regime, where high protection on inputs made exports uncompetitive.
  • To integrate the Indian economy with the global economy.
  • To benefit consumers through lower prices and greater choice. The goal was to improve economic efficiency and growth, not to maximize customs revenue.