UPSC Current Affairs Quiz : 22 November 2025

Solution: B

• Statement 1 is incorrect: The Geological Survey of India (GSI) functions as an attached office under the Ministry of Mines, not the Ministry of Earth Sciences.
• Statement 2 is correct: The GSI was formally established in 1851. Its primary initial objective was to locate coal resources which were essential for the expanding Indian Railways network during the British colonial rule.

Solution: C

• Statement I is correct: In its recent clarification, the Supreme Court Constitution Bench held that “prolonged, unexplained, indefinite inaction” by Governors is unconstitutional. The Governor cannot keep a Bill pending indefinitely; they must act “as soon as possible.”
• Statement II is incorrect: The Supreme Court clarified that the Governor cannot “withhold assent simpliciter.” Under Article 200, if a Governor decides to withhold assent, they must return the Bill to the Legislature (provided it is not a Money Bill) with a message. They do not have a fourth option of simply sitting on the Bill (pocket veto) effectively killing it without communication. The options are: Assent, Withhold (and return), or Reserve for the President.
• Since Statement II is legally incorrect based on the SC interpretation of Article 200, the correct answer is (c). The Court emphasised that the power to withhold assent is linked to the duty to return the bill for reconsideration.

Solution: A

• Statement 1 is incorrect: The Index of Eight Core Industries is published by the Office of the Economic Adviser (OEA), under the Ministry of Commerce & Industry. It is not published by the NSO (which publishes the IIP).
• Statement 2 is incorrect: While the core industries are a major component of the industrial sector, they collectively make up 27% of the weight of the items included in the Index of Industrial Production (IIP), not more than 50%.
• Statement 3 is correct: The current base year for the Index of Eight Core Industries is 2011-12, which aligns with the base revision of national accounts.
• The ICI serves as a lead indicator for the IIP. A stagnation or contraction in the core industries (as seen recently with 0% growth) often signals a broader slowdown in industrial output.

Solution: C

• Statement 1 is incorrect: The CSC originated in 2011 as a Trilateral Maritime Dialogue between India, Sri Lanka, and Maldives. Thailand is not a founding member of this dialogue.
• Statement 2 is correct: Seychelles was previously an observer but has announced its decision to join the CSC as a full member in 2025. Bangladesh also joined recently (2024).
• Statement 3 is correct: The CSC focuses on five security pillars: Maritime Safety & Security, Counter-Terrorism, Transnational Organised Crime, Cybersecurity, and HADR (Humanitarian Assistance & Disaster Relief).
• Statement 4 is incorrect: The founding documents and the CSC Secretariat were formalised in Colombo, not New Delhi.

Solution: A

• Statement 1 is correct: According to the IMD criteria for plains, a Cold Wave is declared when the minimum temperature is ≤10°C and the departure from normal is –4.5°C to –6.4°C. (Or if the temp is ≤4°C regardless of departure).
• Statement 2 is incorrect: Cold waves are mechanistically caused by high-pressure systems (not low) over North/Northwest India which push cold, dry continental winds. Furthermore, clear skies and low moisture (not high moisture) are required to allow rapid radiational cooling at night.
• Statement 3 is incorrect: Urban areas typically experience milder cooling compared to rural or open landscapes. This is due to the Urban Heat Island effect, where concrete structures and pollution trap heat, keeping city temperatures slightly higher than the surrounding countryside.

Solution: D

• Statement 1 is incorrect: While the Indian Navy participates, the exercise is hosted and coordinated by the Indian Coast Guard. It is a multi-agency exercise involving the Navy, Coastal Police, Customs, Intelligence agencies, etc., not exclusively the Navy.
• Statement 2 is correct: The primary aim is to validate SOPs for coastal security and assess preparedness against threats like terrorism, smuggling, and sabotage.
• Statement 3 is correct: To ensure realism, the exercise employs “Red Force” teams acting as dummy intruders/terrorists to test the vigilance of the “Blue Force” (security agencies). This helps in gauging real-time vulnerabilities.

Solution: B

• Statement 1 is correct: Seychelles is a sovereign island nation and is Africa’s smallest and least populated country.
• Statement 2 is incorrect: Seychelles is located in the Western Indian Ocean, approximately 1500 km east of mainland East Africa. It is not in the eastern Indian Ocean near Indonesia.
• Statement 3 is correct: Geologically, Seychelles is unique as it comprises both granitic islands (like Mahé) and coral

Solution: D

• The Eight Core Industries are: Coal, Crude Oil, Natural Gas, Refinery Products, Fertilizers, Steel, Cement, and Electricity.
• Textiles (2) and Automobile (5) are not part of the Eight Core Industries index, although they are part of the broader Index of Industrial Production (IIP).

Solution: B

• Statement 1 is incorrect: The summit is a capacity-building forum specifically for LMICs (Low and Middle-Income Countries) to harmonize policy and build their own It is not a sales platform for HICs, but a collaborative platform for standards-based transformation.
• Statement 2 is correct: The summit includes showcases on Generative AI applications in diagnostics, clinical documentation, and health data analytics, demonstrated by innovators like Google and IIT Delhi.
• Statement 3 is incorrect: A key objective is to integrate and modernize legacy systems to reduce fragmentation (silos), not promote it. Interoperability is the core theme.

Solution: A

• Statement 1 is correct. The AMRIT initiative’s significance is the massive reduction of out-of-pocket expenditure (OOP), offering 50–90% discounts on critical and often expensive medicines (like oncology drugs) and implants. This directly contributes to Affordable Healthcare Access and supports the government’s mission for Universal Health Coverage (UHC) under Ayushman Bharat.
• Statement 2 is incorrect. The focus is on the deep discounts provided to the patient at the point of sale, using quality branded and branded-generic medicines. The mechanism described for sourcing is not the primary financial goal, which is patient savings (₹8,400 crore in savings).
• Statement 3 is incorrect. While the initiative has included the integration of Ayurvedic medicines as an ‘enhanced service’ feature in multi-disciplinary institutes, its core discounted product list remains focused on life-saving allopathic medicines, implants, and consumables for high-burden diseases.