UPSC Current Affairs Quiz : 10 January 2026

Solution: D

The PANKHUDI portal is an integrated digital platform designed to enhance the ease of living for women and children by streamlining Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) partnerships. It acts as a single-window interface for individuals, NRIs, NGOs, and corporates to contribute to priority social sectors like nutrition, health, and Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE).

Solution: A

• Statement 1 is correct; the 2006 Act was a major shift from the 1929 Sarda Act, moving towards prohibition, protection, and punishment.
• Statement 2 is incorrect because, under PCMA 2006, child marriages are generally voidable at the option of the contracting party who was a child, rather than automatically void from the start. However, they are void in specific cases involving force, trafficking, or deceit.
• Statement 3 is correct; it mandates the appointment of CMPOs to prevent such marriages and collect evidence. Current government targets include reducing prevalence by 10% by 2026 and complete elimination by 2030, aligning with SDG 5.3.

Solution: B

• Both statements are factually correct. Spina Bifida is a congenital neural tube defect that occurs when the spine and spinal cord don’t form properly during the first 28 days of pregnancy. It is also true that pre-conception folic acid intake can prevent over 70% of these cases.
• However, Statement II is a preventative measure, not an explanation of what the condition is or its physiological mechanism (the failure of the neural tube to close). Therefore, while both are true, Statement II does not explain the definition provided in Statement I.

Solution: B

• Statement 1 is incorrect because Industry 4.0 and advanced logistics are the focus areas for Champion Districts, which are already at a higher level of scale and sophistication.
• Statement 2 is correct; for Aspirational Districts, the focus is on the foundation and formalization stages, including skilling, certification, and supporting SHGs.
• Statement 3 is correct; the entire DLTT plan uses data-driven scoring based on factors like export performance, MSME ecosystem, and workforce presence to categorize districts. This ensures that interventions are tailored to the specific needs and potential of each district.

About District-Led Textiles Transformation (DLTT) Plan:

What it is?

• A sector-specific, district-level transformation strategy that uses data-driven categorisation to strengthen India’s textile ecosystem—ranging from advanced export clusters to foundation-stage districts—through tailored interventions.

Ministry involved: Ministry of Textiles

Aim: To drive inclusive, sustainable, and export-oriented growth in textiles by decentralising policy execution to districts, strengthening MSMEs, formalising the workforce, and creating globally competitive clusters.

Key features:

• Data-driven district scoring: Based on Export Performance, MSME ecosystem, and Workforce presence.
• Two-pronged district strategy:
  • Champion Districts (Scale & Sophistication): Mega Common Facility Centres (CFCs), Industry 4.0 adoption, advanced logistics, and direct export market linkages.
  • Aspirational Districts (Foundation & Formalisation): Basic skilling & certification, Raw Material Banks, promotion of SHGs, cooperatives, and micro-enterprises.
• Purvodaya convergence: Special focus on Eastern & North-Eastern India—tribal belt development, connectivity, and GI tagging of unique handicrafts.
• Collaborative model: Convergence of government schemes with industry and academia to scale proven cluster models.

Solution: D

The fight against child marriage in India has deep historical roots. The Age of Consent Act, 1891, was the first legal attempt to address the issue of child marriage. This was followed by the Child Marriage Restraint Act of 1929 (Sarda Act), which set the minimum marriage age at 14 for girls and 18 for boys. Social reformers like Raja Rammohan Roy and Jyotirao Phule played pivotal roles in creating the social momentum for these laws. Later, the 2006 Act shifted the paradigm toward prohibition and protection.

Solution: D

• DEX is India’s first indigenously developed cosmic dust detector. Developed by the Physical Research Laboratory (PRL) and launched by ISRO, its primary mission is to measure the flux of interplanetary dust particles (IDPs).
• These particles enter our atmosphere at hypervelocities (>4 km/s) and can pose a significant risk to satellite safety. By logging impacts at a rate of approximately one particle per 1,000 seconds, DEX provides mission-critical data that helps validate global dust models and aids in the planning of future deep-space and crewed missions.

Solution: A

• Statement I is correct as Pralay is a quasi-ballistic surface-to-surface missile.
• Statement II is also correct and provides the technical reasoning for why it is called “quasi-ballistic.” A traditional ballistic missile follows a parabolic arc determined by gravity once its engines stop.
• However, a quasi-ballistic missile like Pralay stays within the atmosphere for a longer duration, maintains a lower trajectory, and has the ability to maneuver or change its path during flight. This maneuverability is specifically designed to defeat enemy Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) systems, as the interceptor cannot easily calculate the impact point.
• Therefore, Statement II directly explains the characteristic of the missile mentioned in Statement I. It is intended to strengthen tactical deterrence on the battlefield.

Solution: C

• Statement I correctly captures the core intent of the Market Access Support (MAS) Intervention, which is to reduce entry barriers in international markets, particularly for smaller exporters such as MSMEs, farmer-producer-linked entities, and first-time exporters. These barriers are not tariff-based alone, but largely relate to high upfront costs and informational asymmetries.
• Statement II is correct and directly explains Statement I. MSMEs typically face prohibitive costs of participation in international trade fairs, buyer–seller meets, branding exercises, and overseas marketing, along with limited access to reliable and predictable market intelligence regarding demand, standards, and buyer networks. The MAS Intervention addresses precisely these constraints by providing financial and institutional support, thereby lowering the cost and risk of market entry.
• Statement III is incorrect. The MAS Intervention is not implemented by NITI Aayog. It is administered under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, operationalised through export promotion bodies such as APEDA and MPEDA, depending on the product category.

Solution: B

• PRAGATI (Pro-Active Governance and Timely Implementation) is a multi-purpose and multi-modal platform launched in 2015.
• Statement 1 is correct because it uniquely combines a three-tier system involving the PMO, Central Government Secretaries, and State Chief Secretaries. This ensures that the Prime Minister can directly interact with both central and state officials to resolve bottlenecks.
• Statement 2 is incorrect as PRAGATI is the opposite of a static database; it is an ICT-enabled real-time monitoring system that uses technologies like GIS and video conferencing to track live project progress.
• Statement 3 is correct; the platform achieves unified data sourcing by integrating various portals like CPGRAMS for grievances, the Project Monitoring Group (PMG), and MoSPI databases. This integration reduces silos in governance and promotes transparency and accountability.

Solution: C

• Statement 1 is correct; the Red Sea is a vital maritime corridor linking the Mediterranean (via the Suez Canal in the north) to the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea (via the Bab el-Mandeb Strait in the south).
• Statement 2 is incorrect; while the Red Sea is bordered by Egypt, Sudan, Eritrea, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen, Djibouti actually borders the Gulf of Aden, not the Red Sea directly.
• Statement 3 is correct; the Red Sea is one of the saltiest bodies of water in the world due to high evaporation and low precipitation. Geologically, it is a rift valley formed by the separation of the African and Arabian plates, leading to the formation of deep axial troughs and hot brine pools that are highly mineralized.
• Saudi Arabia’s new regulations for its coastline highlight the region’s growing importance for digital coastal tourism and environmental protection of its unique coral reef ecosystems.