UPSC Current Affairs Quiz : 15 December 2025

Solution: D

The CoalSETU policy is a significant reform in the coal sector aimed at seamless and transparent utilisation.

• Statement 1 is incorrect: CoalSETU is not exclusively for export. It is a window under the NRS Linkage Policy that allows any domestic industrial buyer to secure long-term coal linkages for own use or for export. It aims to support industrial growth and reduce import dependence, not just facilitate exports.
• Statement 2 is incorrect: The policy explicitly mentions that Traders are barred from bidding in this window. This restriction is in place to prevent speculative hoarding of coal resources and ensure that the fuel is available to genuine industrial users and washery operators.
• The policy introduces export flexibility. Companies participating in this window may export up to 50% of the allotted coal. Furthermore, the export of washed coal is also allowed, which encourages the growth of private washeries and improves the viability of domestic coal in international markets.

This policy complements the 2020 reforms allowing commercial mining without end-use restrictions.

Solution: B

• Statement 1 is incorrect: The poem ‘Sagara Pran Talamalala’ was composed around 1909 on the shores of Brighton, England. It was not written in the Cellular Jail. Savarkar was at India House in London at the time, facing surveillance before his eventual arrest and transportation.
• Statement 2 is correct: The poem is a Marathi patriotic work where the poet invokes the sea (Sagara). He personifies the ocean, begging it to carry him back to his “Matru-bhoomi” (Motherland), expressing deep torment and homesickness. It symbolizes the anguish of political exiles.
• Statement 3 is correct: The context of the poem’s composition involves the tightening British grip on revolutionaries. It was written during the period when Madan Lal Dhingra assassinated Curzon Wyllie, an event that led to increased repression of the India House group. Savarkar, who influenced Dhingra, was facing imminent threat, adding to the emotional weight of the poem.

Solution: B

• Pair 1 is correctly matched: Siliserh Lake is located in Alwar district, Rajasthan. It lies within the buffer zone of the Sariska Tiger Reserve. It was built in 1845 by Maharaja Vinay Singh and supports species like the River Tern and Tiger.
• Pair 2 is correctly matched: Kopra Jalashay is located in Chhattisgarh (near Bilaspur). It is a reservoir-type wetland originally constructed for irrigation purposes. It is now recognized for its ecological importance, supporting migratory birds like the Greater Spotted Eagle.
• Pair 3 is incorrectly matched: Batang Toru is not a wetland in Odisha; it is an ecosystem in North Sumatra, Indonesia, known for the Tapanuli Orangutan. The Egyptian Vulture is associated with Kopra Jalashay (Chhattisgarh), not Batang Toru.

India’s tally of Ramsar sites has now reached 96 with these additions.

Solution: B

• Statement 1 is correct: The Tapanuli orangutan was formally described as a distinct species in 2017, making it the most recently identified great ape. However, genetic studies indicate it represents the most ancient orangutan lineage.
• Statement 2 is correct: They exhibit dietary specializations unique among orangutans, specifically the consumption of certain caterpillars and pinecones.
• Statement 3 is incorrect: In orangutan biology, including Tapanuli, Flanged males are the dominant ones with large cheek pads and throat sacs. Unflanged males are smaller and lack these features.

Solution: C

• Option (c) is correct: Unlike most meteor showers which originate from comets (icy bodies), the Geminids arise from an asteroid named 3200 Phaethon. Phaethon is a rocky body with a highly elliptical orbit.
• Option (a) is incorrect: The Swift-Tuttle comet is responsible for the Perseid meteor shower, not the Geminids.
• Option (b) is incorrect: The Constellation Gemini is the radiant (the point in the sky where they appear to come from), but the interaction of solar wind with the magnetosphere causes Auroras, not meteor showers.
• Option (d) is incorrect: While space debris can cause streaks, the periodic Geminid shower is a natural celestial event caused by asteroid debris.

The Geminids are unique because of their rocky asteroid origin, leading to bright, slow-moving, and often yellow or white meteors.

Solution: D

• Statement-I is incorrect: The Atomic Energy Act, 1962 (along with the CLND Act 2010) created a framework that primarily restricted the nuclear sector to the state. It established a state monopoly, severely restricting private participation in the operation of nuclear power plants. The lack of private entry is exactly what the new bill seeks to correct.
• Statement-II is correct: The SHANTI Bill specifically targets the “ambiguous liability burdens” of the previous regime. It introduces a reformed Nuclear Liability Architecture, which includes a clear delineation of operator vs. supplier responsibilities, insurance-backed caps, and government backstopping. This alignment with global norms is crucial for attracting international and private investment.

Solution: A

• Statement 1 is incorrect: Project UNNATI was launched in 2019, not 2025. It is an existing initiative aimed at skill upgradation.
• Statement 2 is correct: The core objective of Project UNNATI is Skill Upgradation. It intends to train MGNREGA workers (specifically those from households completing 100 days of work) to improve their livelihoods by moving them from unskilled manual labour to skilled or semi-skilled employment.
• Statement 3 is incorrect: The project has fallen short of its targets. While the target was 2 lakh workers, only 90,894 had been trained till March 2025. It has not surpassed the target.

Solution: A

• Statement 1 is incorrect: The wage and material ratio of 60:40 is maintained at the Gram Panchayat level, not the District level. This ensures that the primary focus remains on wage employment for locals rather than material-intensive contracts.
• Statement 2 is correct: The Act mandates Social Audits by the Gram Sabha. This is a critical feature for transparency, allowing the beneficiaries to scrutinize the implementation and expenditure of the scheme.
• Statement 3 is incorrect: The right to unemployment allowance is triggered if work is not provided within 15 days of the demand, not 30 days.

Solution: D

• Statement-I is correct: Kopra Jalashay is located in Chhattisgarh in the upper catchments of the River Mahanadi.
• Statement-II is incorrect: The Tapanuli orangutan is found in Sumatra, Indonesia, not India. Kopra Jalashay is designated as a Ramsar site for its bird population (like the Greater Spotted Eagle) and hydrological importance, not for orangutans.
• Statement-III is correct: The wetland faces significant anthropogenic and natural threats, including siltation, invasive non-native species, and intensive agriculture.

Solution: C

• 1-A: The Kailasa Temple (Cave 16) is the most famous structure at Ellora. It is the largest single monolithic rock excavation in the world, carved from top to bottom, removing roughly 200,000 tonnes of rock, and is dedicated to Lord Shiva.
• 2-B: Cave 10, popularly known as the Vishvakarma Cave, is the only Chaitya hall (prayer hall) in the Buddhist group of caves at Ellora. It features a stupa and a large seated Buddha.
• 3-C: The Tomb of Malik Ambar is located in Khultabad, which is a nearby heritage cluster to Ellora.
• 4-D: Cave 15 (Dashavatara Cave) is a Hindu cave that was originally a Buddhist monastery. It features a large open court and a monolithic Nandi pavilion, characteristic of the transition to Hindu rock-cut architecture.