UPSC Current Affairs Quiz : 29 January 2026

Solution: A

• Statement 1 is incorrect. The National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) is a statutory body, not a constitutional one. It was established under the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987. Its primary mandate is to provide free and competent legal services to the weaker sections of society, ensuring that opportunities for securing justice are not denied to any citizen due to economic or other disabilities.
• Statement 2 is correct. The organizational structure of NALSA is headed by the Chief Justice of India, who serves as its Patron-in-Chief. This high-level leadership underscores the importance of legal aid in the Indian judicial system.
• Statement 3 is also correct. The Legal Aid Defence Counsel (LADC) Scheme, launched in 2022, is a significant initiative by NALSA. It aims to provide dedicated legal defence and representation to accused persons, particularly undertrials, across hundreds of districts, thereby strengthening the legal aid delivery mechanism at the grassroots level.

Solution: A

• Statement-I is correct. Mangrove forests are widely recognized for their significant role in climate change mitigation and adaptation. They act as natural buffers against climate-related hazards such as cyclones and sea-level rise.
• Statement-II is also correct and provides a direct explanation for Statement-I.

The climate mitigation capacity of mangroves is primarily due to their ability to sequester large amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. This carbon, often referred to as “blue carbon,” is stored in the plants’ biomass (trunks, roots) and, most importantly, in the underlying soil. The waterlogged, anaerobic soil conditions in mangrove forests slow down decomposition, allowing carbon to remain locked away for centuries or even millennia. This makes them one of the most carbon-dense ecosystems on Earth.

Solution: A

• Statement 1 is incorrect. Section 12 of the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987, outlines the criteria for persons eligible for free legal services. This list is extensive and includes not only members of SC/ST but also women, children, persons with disabilities, victims of human trafficking, industrial workmen, and persons with an annual income below a certain prescribed limit.
• Statement 2 is correct. One of the key functions of NALSA, along with the State and District Legal Services Authorities, is to organize Lok Adalats. These are alternative dispute resolution forums where disputes or cases pending in court or at the pre-litigation stage are settled amicably.
• Statement 3 is incorrect. Para-Legal Volunteers (PLVs) are not qualified lawyers who argue cases. They are trained community legal workers who act as a bridge between the community and legal services institutions. Their role is primarily in outreach, legal awareness, and providing basic legal advice and assistance, not representing clients in court.

Solution: C

• Statement 1 is incorrect. While Tilak’s ‘Gita Rahasya’ is a commentary on the Bhagavad Gita, his interpretation emphasized Karma Yoga (the path of action) over renunciation. However, he framed this as a justification for activism and resistance in the material world, particularly in the context of the freedom struggle, rather than just selfless service in a general sense.
• Statement 2 is incorrect. Bal Gangadhar Tilak founded two influential newspapers: ‘Kesari’, which was published in Marathi, and ‘The Mahratta’, which was published in English. The English newspaper was intended to convey nationalist views to the English-speaking Indian elite and the British administration, while ‘Kesari’ targeted the Marathi-speaking common populace.
• Statement 3 is incorrect. The revival of Ganesh Utsav (1893) and Shivaji Jayanti by Tilak was a strategic political move, not mainly religious one. His primary aim was to use these traditional festivals as a platform for mass mobilization, fostering a sense of national pride and unity among people to build a broad-based movement against colonial rule. They were tools of cultural nationalism.

Solution: A

Statement 1 is incorrect. The Indian flapshell turtle is a freshwater species typically found in rivers, ponds, lakes, and canals, not in saltwater environments.

Statement 2 is correct. The turtle is called “flapshell” because of the flaps of skin on its plastron, which can cover its limbs when retracted, providing protection.

Statement 3 is incorrect. The Indian flapshell turtle is classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, not Critically Endangered.

Solution: C

• Statement 1 is incorrect. The NPPA has the authority to revise prices as necessary, including in extraordinary situations, and not only once a year.
• Statement 2 is correct. Under the Essential Commodities Act, NPPA enforces price controls on essential drugs to ensure availability and affordability.

Statement 3 is correct. NPPA has the power to initiate legal action against companies that do not comply with pricing regulations, as mandated under the DPCO, 2013.

Solution: A

Only Statement 2 is correct: Coking coal does indeed produce valuable by-products such as coke oven gas, tar, benzole, and ammonia sulphate, which are widely used across chemical and power industries.

Coking coal has a high carbon content, essential for blast furnace operations in steel production, making it suitable for these applications.

Additionally, India is not self-sufficient in coking coal production due to limited domestic reserves, and as a result, it remains a net importer to meet its industrial demands. This reliance highlights India’s dependency on coking coal imports despite its status as a major steel producer.

Solution: A

Statement 1 is incorrect. The Great Indian Bustard is classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, indicating an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild.

Statement 2 is incorrect. The species prefers dry grasslands and scrublands and is mainly found in the Thar Desert of Rajasthan, not in forested regions.

Statement 3 is correct. The Great Indian Bustard is an opportunistic feeder, consuming grass seeds, insects, small rodents, and reptiles.

Solution: B

• Statement 1 is correct. The Asian Giant Tortoise is considered a keystone species because its activities, such as feeding on fruits and dispersing their seeds, significantly influence the structure and health of its forest ecosystem. Its disappearance can have cascading negative effects on forest regeneration.
• Statement 2 is incorrect. The species is herbivorous, with a diet consisting of leaves, fruits, mushrooms, and other plant matter. It is not a carnivore.
• Statement 3 is correct. One of the unique biological traits of the Asian Giant Tortoise is that the female guards her nest mound after laying eggs, a form of maternal care that is rare among chelonians (turtles and tortoises).

Solution: D

• Statement-I is incorrect because the six-month rule for filling a vacancy applies to the office of the President of India, not the Vice President. The Constitution does not specify a fixed timeline for holding the election for the Vice President’s office when a vacancy occurs due to resignation, death, or removal.
• Statement-II is also incorrect. While Article 68 of the Constitution deals with the time of holding an election to fill a vacancy in the office of the Vice President, it only states that an election to fill a vacancy must be held “as soon as possible after the occurrence of the vacancy.” It does not prescribe a specific mandatory timeline like the six-month period for the President. The Election Commission of India is responsible for conducting the election in a timely manner, but there is no constitutional compulsion for it to be within six months.