UPSC Current Affairs Quiz : 3 November 2025

Solution: B

The Marine Fisheries Census (MFC) 2025 represents a significant modernization of data collection in the fisheries sector.

• Statement 1 is correct. This census is noted as the first-ever paperless, geo-referenced enumeration, moving away from traditional manual surveys.
• Statement 2 is incorrect. The implementation and funding roles are reversed. The census is fully funded by the Department of Fisheries, Government of India, and implemented by the ICAR–Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI). The Fishery Survey of India (FSI) provides operational support but is not the primary implementing or funding agency.
• Statement 3 is correct. A key objective of the census is to create a comprehensive database of marine fisher households. This includes capturing socio-economic indicators such as income, debt, insurance, and crucially, the extent of coverage under central welfare schemes like the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) and the PM-MKSSY (Pradhan Mantri Matsya Kisan Samridhi Sah-Yojana).

Solution: C

The ‘Aadhaar Vision 2032’ is a strategic roadmap by UIDAI to upgrade India’s digital identity infrastructure.

• Statement 1 is incorrect. The framework was launched by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), which operates under the Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY), not the Ministry of Home Affairs. Its focus is on digital identity for governance and economy, not internal security linkage.
• Statement 2 is correct. Blockchain integration is a key technological feature of the framework. The goal is to leverage blockchain’s inherent properties of immutability and traceability to enhance transparency and security in Aadhaar-based transactions.
• Statement 3 is correct. Recognizing future threats, the framework plans to adopt quantum-resilient security. This involves implementing quantum-safe cryptographic techniques to protect the Aadhaar system from potential attacks by next-generation quantum computers, which could break current encryption standards.
• Statement 4 is correct. Legal and privacy compliance is a core pillar. The framework is explicitly aligned with the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act, 2023. This is being achieved through a “Privacy-by-Design” approach, ensuring principles like consent-based data use, user control, and minimal data retention are embedded in the system architecture.

Solution: A

• Statement 1 is incorrect. The award is instituted and administered by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), not the Ministry of Defence, as it pertains to internal security and police forces.
• Statement 2 is correct. One of the stated aims of the award is to motivate excellence in policing. By recognizing exceptional professionalism, courage, and integrity, it serves as a career motivation mechanism, encouraging high standards and efficiency across the police forces.

Statement 3 is incorrect. The award is given on Sardar Patel’s birth anniversary to reinforce his legacy as India’s first Home Minister and the architect of national unity and strong internal security.

Solution: C

• (a) Act East Policy: The exercise supports the Act East Policy by engaging with ASEAN and other eastern navies, but this is a component of a broader vision.
• (b) IPOI: It also reinforces the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI), particularly its security pillar.
• (c) MAHASAGAR: The convergence is held “under the MAHASAGAR” MAHASAGAR, which stands for Maritime Activities, Humanitarian Assistance, and Security And Growth for All in the Region, is India’s vision for collective maritime security and cooperation. Hosting a major multilateral exercise, an International Fleet Review (IFR), and an Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) conclave directly implements this vision of being a regional convenor for security and growth.
• (d) COMPACT initiative: This is related to the U.S.–India defence partnership and is not the guiding vision for the multilateral MILAN exercise.

Solution: D

• Statement 1 is correct. A primary goal is to ensure a “free, open, and rules-based Indo-Pacific” and safeguard “maritime security and free flow of commerce” in general.
• Statement 2 is correct. The framework explicitly mentions expanding “coordination with like-minded partners through the Quad” and other mechanisms to strengthen collective security.
• Statement 3 is correct. The objective of “Enhanced Interoperability and Coordination” is aimed at achieving “joint readiness” and a “joint response to common security threats” to deter regional instability.
• Statement 4 is incorrect. The framework supports “free flow of commerce” in the “Indo-Pacific”.

Solution: B

• Statement 1 is incorrect. Tanzania is not landlocked; it has a significant coastline along the Indian Ocean to the east. Furthermore, while it is just south of the Equator, it is not entirely south; a small portion lies north of the Equator.
• Statement 2 is correct. Tanzania is home to some of Africa’s most significant physical landmarks. This includes Mount Kilimanjaro (5,895 m), which is the continent’s highest peak, and Lake Tanganyika, which is one of the world’s deepest and longest freshwater lakes, forming part of the East African Rift System.

Solution: A

• Action 1 (Increasing expenditure on public projects) is a classic expansionary fiscal policy. Government spending acts as an injection into the economy, creating jobs and demand. This is a suitable action.
• Action 2 (Cutting tax rates) is another expansionary fiscal policy. Lower taxes increase the disposable income of households and corporations, encouraging consumption and investment. This is a suitable action.
• Action 3 (Increasing the interest rates) is a contractionary monetary policy. Higher interest rates make borrowing more expensive, which discourages investment and consumption. This is done to control inflation, not to fight a recession. During a recession, interest rates are typically lowered. This action is unsuitable.
• Action 4 (Reducing the Statutory Liquidity Ratio) is an expansionary monetary policy. A lower SLR means banks have to hold a smaller portion of their deposits as liquid assets, freeing up more funds for lending, which can boost investment and consumption. This is a suitable action.

Solution: C

• Option (a) is incorrect. No large sanctuary in India is completely isolated or free from potential human-wildlife conflict; managing this is part of the project. It is not “geographically isolated.”
• Option (b) is incorrect. The sanctuary is described as having mixed deciduous forests, not dense tropical rainforests. Furthermore, African cheetahs are adapted to grasslands and savannas, not dense rainforests. The sanctuary’s habitat (forests, grasslands, and shrubs) is deemed suitable, but “dense tropical rainforest” is an incorrect description.
• Option (c) is correct. Nauradehi is a large sanctuary (1,197 sq. km) in the upper Vindhyan range that acts as a vital wildlife corridor. It features mixed deciduous forests, diverse vegetation including grasses and shrubs, and supports a wide range of fauna like blackbuck, chinkara, and sambhar. This rich prey base makes it an ideal habitat for supporting a predator like the cheetah and ensuring species expansion.

Option (d) is incorrect. The last confirmed sighting of the Asiatic cheetah in India was in 1948 in Chhattisgarh (then part of Central Provinces and Berar), not specifically Nauradehi.

Solution: A

• Statement-I is correct. The SIR is explicitly defined as a “large-scale, document-based voter verification exercise.” Its entire process relies on verifying details against historical rolls or, if needed, supporting documents.
• Statement-II is correct. The SIR is not an arbitrary exercise; it is the implementation of a legal mandate. Its purpose is to ensure the electoral rolls are “clean, error-free, and verified,” aligning with the legal requirements for voter registration (like citizenship) stipulated in the Representation of the People Act, 1950.
• Statement-II provides the legal and foundational reason why the ECI is conducting the SIR described in Statement-I. The Representation of the People Act, 1950, governs the preparation and revision of electoral rolls. The SIR is the method (a document-based verification) being used to enforce the provisions of that Act. Therefore, Statement-II is the correct explanation for Statement-I.

Solution: D

1. Kheda Satyagraha (1918): This was one of Patel’s first major involvements in the freedom struggle alongside Mahatma Gandhi, advocating for farmers’ rights in Gujarat.
2. Bardoli Satyagraha (1928): Patel led this successful farmers’ agitation against oppressive taxation, which earned him the title “Sardar” from the women of Bardoli.
3. President of INC (1931): Sardar Patel presided over the Karachi Session of the Indian National Congress.
4. Integration of Hyderabad (1948): This occurred after India’s independence (1947) while Patel was serving as the Home Minister, through Operation Polo.