UPSC Current Affairs Quiz : 21 October 2025

Solution: A

Statement 1 is incorrect.

• The BIMSTEC Charter, adopted in 2022, was a milestone that formalized the grouping, granting it legal identity and outlining governance protocols, including rotational chairmanship and sectoral responsibilities.
• The 6th Summit highlighted people-centric regionalism, focusing on educational, youth, and cultural linkages as vital for deepening cooperation beyond trade and security.
• BIMSTEC decisions are taken through consensus, akin to SAARC’s model, though BIMSTEC has shown more agility.

Statement 1 is incorrect — China is neither a member nor an observer in BIMSTEC. The grouping connects South and Southeast Asia without Chinese involvement, offering India an alternative to Chinese-led regional forums like the Lancang-Mekong or BRI initiatives.

Solution: B

• The Hadlus are low-lying swampy grasslands within the park that become marshy during monsoons and dry in summer. These are ecologically crucial as they offer high-quality forage and water, attracting elephants, gaurs, and deer, particularly during dry spells.
• Statement 2 is correct — Nagarahole lies on the eastern edge of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve and is contiguous with Bandipur (south), Wayanad (southwest), and Mudumalai (southeast).
• Statement 3 is incorrect — the Kabini River does not originate in Nagarahole. It forms part of the park’s northern boundary, flowing eastward, ultimately joining the Cauvery River, which drains into the Bay of Bengal — not the Arabian Sea. Its origin lies in Wayanad, Kerala. Thus, while the river is ecologically crucial to the park, it is a boundary river, not an originating one.

• What is BIMSTEC?
  • A regional grouping connecting South Asia and Southeast Asia to promote technical and economic cooperation among nations bordering the Bay of Bengal.
• Established On: 6 June 1997, via the Bangkok Declaration.

• • Originally named BIST-EC (Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, and Thailand Economic Cooperation).
  • On 22 December 1997 during a special Ministerial Meeting in Bangkok, the Group was renamed ‘BIMST-EC’ (Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Thailand Economic Cooperation).
  • In 1998, Nepal became an observer.
  • In February 2004, Nepal and Bhutan became full members and renamed as BIMSTEC in 2004.

• Headquarters: Dhaka, Bangladesh (Operational since 2014).
• Members (7 Countries): Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Thailand.
• Chairmanship Procedure: Rotational leadership in alphabetical order of member states.
• Objectives of BIMSTEC:

• • Promote economic cooperation among countries bordering the Bay of Bengal.
  • Facilitate sectoral collaboration in trade, technology, energy, transport, and environment.
  • Address shared regional challenges including terrorism, poverty, and climate change.
  • Foster regional connectivity through cross-border infrastructure and digital links.
  • Enable people-to-people ties, cultural exchanges, and academic partnerships.

• Key Features of BIMSTEC:

• • Bridge between SAARC and ASEAN: Offers a unique geostrategic platform uniting South and Southeast Asia.
  • Sector-led cooperation: Began with six sectors in 1997, now streamlined to seven core sectors post-2021 reforms.
  • Focus on Security and Trade: Includes counter-terrorism, disaster management, and maritime cooperation.
  • Vision-based Agenda: 6th Summit to adopt Bangkok Vision 2030 and Maritime Transport Agreement.
  • Institutional Strengthening: BIMSTEC Charter signed in 2022; Secretariat operational since 2014.

Solution: C

• The Pradhan Mantri Janjatiya Unnat Gram Abhiyan (PMJUGA) is a holistic initiative launched with the core objective of accelerating development in tribal-dominated villages by ensuring saturation of various centrally sponsored schemes.
• The programme specifically targets Scheduled Tribe-majority villages, aiming to bridge critical gaps in access to basic amenities such as sanitation, education, health, drinking water, housing, electricity, and financial inclusion.
• Seventeen key Union Ministries are working in coordination under this mission to provide integrated and focused interventions.
• While components like forest-based livelihoods and natural resource management are included in the larger ecosystem approach of the initiative, they are supportive elements rather than the central aim. The overarching focus remains the comprehensive socio-economic upliftment of tribal communities by ensuring that no basic welfare scheme is left out of reach in these villages.
• Therefore, the most accurate description of its main goal is saturation of basic schemes in tribal-majority regions.

Solution: A

Statement 2 is incorrect.

The Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act (2013) was enacted to address corruption at both the national and state levels in India. It mandates the establishment of Lokayuktas in all Indian states to investigate allegations of corruption against public officials at the state level. This helps decentralize the anti-corruption mechanism, ensuring that states have an independent body to handle complaints.

At the national level, the Lokpal deals with corruption cases involving central government officials, ensuring accountability at the federal level. The distinction between Lokpal (national) and Lokayuktas (state) highlights the dual approach to tackling corruption across different levels of governance.

However, while Lokayuktas can investigate corruption cases and make recommendations, they do not have judicial powers to enforce their decisions, meaning their recommendations are not legally binding. This limits their ability to ensure corrective actions are taken, as the implementation of their recommendations depends on the government’s discretion.

Solution: B

The India Semiconductor Mission (ISM) offers a 50% capital expenditure subsidy to encourage domestic semiconductor manufacturing, making statement 2 correct.

The primary goal of ISM is to reduce India’s dependency on semiconductor imports, especially for critical technologies, making statement 4 correct.

However, ISM is not specifically part of the Digital India Initiative (statement 1) and does not solely focus on both civilian and defense manufacturing (statement 3), as its scope is broader, covering the overall semiconductor ecosystem. Therefore, only statements 2 and 4 are correct.

Solution: B

Statement 1 is incorrect: The Arctic Council is a high-level intergovernmental forum but not a treaty-based body and does not handle territorial or resource claims. It promotes cooperation among Arctic states and Indigenous communities on environmental and sustainable development issues.

Statement 2 is correct: The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) governs maritime entitlements, including Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) and continental shelf claims in the Arctic. As sea ice retreats, countries are submitting claims for extended continental shelves, particularly for areas rich in hydrocarbons.

Statement 3 is correct: The Northeast Passage, also referred to as the Northern Sea Route, runs along Russia’s Arctic coast and connects the North Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean, offering a shorter shipping route between Europe and Asia compared to traditional ones through the Suez Canal.

Solution: B

• Statement 1 is incorrect: Rights to exploit Arctic resources are determined by UNCLOS, which allows coastal states to claim exclusive economic zones (EEZs) and potentially extended continental shelves. Hence, rights are not equally distributed but based on scientific and legal claims.
• Statement 2 is incorrect: Despite its harsh climate, the Arctic harbors significant biodiversity, including polar bears, walruses, Arctic foxes, migratory birds, cold-water corals, and diverse plankton ecosystems.
• Statement 3 is correct: Permafrost in the Arctic contains large quantities of methane and carbon dioxide. When it thaws due to rising temperatures, it releases these gases, which are potent contributors to climate change.

Solution: C

• In shallow coastal areas, underwater cables are vulnerable to disturbances from ship anchors, trawling nets, dredging, and other human activities.
• To minimize the risk of damage, cables are buried under the seabed using specialized ploughs or water jetting systems.
• However, in deeper oceanic zones, these risks are minimal due to the absence of large-scale human activity and the technical difficulty and cost of burial at those depths. Consequently, cables are usually laid directly on the ocean floor beyond the continental shelf.
• The burial has no impact on data transmission speed or bandwidth, which are instead determined by fiber-optic technology and repeaters.
• Submarine detection and security considerations exist but are not the main reason for cable burial.

Solution: B

• Only statement 3 is correct. Tariffs serve dual purposes: governments collect them as revenue and also use them to regulate foreign trade by making imports more expensive, thus protecting domestic industries.
• Statement 1 is incorrect. While WTO members must notify and justify tariff changes, WTO does not approve tariffs per se. Countries retain sovereign rights to impose tariffs within their committed bound rates.
• Statement 2 is also incorrect. Under MFN rules, WTO members are required to apply the same tariff rates to all members, ensuring non-discrimination.

solution: D

Price Support Scheme (PSS): This scheme ensures that the government directly procures crops at the Minimum Support Price (MSP) when market prices fall below a threshold. It primarily targets pulses and oilseeds to stabilize prices for farmers.

Price Deficit Payment Scheme (PDPS): Under PDPS, the government compensates farmers for the difference between the MSP and the actual market price. This scheme applies when the market price is lower than the MSP but does not involve direct procurement.

Market Intervention Scheme (MIS): MIS is invoked when there is an overproduction or glut in the market for certain commodities, causing a drop in prices. It helps stabilize prices by removing surplus stock from the market.

Price Stabilisation Fund (PSF) maintains buffer stocks of commodities like pulses and onions.