UPSC Current Affairs Quiz : 17 March 2026

Solution: B

• Statement 1 is incorrect. Force majeure is not an automatic statutory right, nor does it universally apply under international maritime law or all commercial contracts. It is primarily a contractual clause, meaning it applies only if explicitly included in the agreement between parties. In some jurisdictions, similar relief may arise under doctrines like frustration of contract, but that is distinct from force majeure.
• Statement 2 is correct. For a party to successfully invoke a force majeure clause, the event must generally be unforeseeable, beyond the control of the parties, and must render performance impossible or impracticable. Typical examples include natural disasters, war, or government actions. Courts also examine whether the affected party took reasonable steps to mitigate the impact.

Solution: A

Explanation:

• Both statements are correct. Statement-I accurately describes the unilateral nature of Section 301, which has historically been a point of contention in international trade because it allows the U.S. to act as “judge and jury” before seeking multilateral consensus via the WTO.
• Statement-II provides the underlying legal justification and objective for such power: the USTR’s mandate to investigate and eliminate foreign barriers—such as intellectual property theft or excess manufacturing capacity—that harm American interests.
• Statement-II explains why the U.S. maintains such a broad, unilateral tool (Statement-I), as it views these “unreasonable” practices as requiring a swift domestic response to protect its domestic industry, especially when international bodies are seen as slow or ineffective.

Solution: C

• Statement 1 is correct. Atomic clocks operate by measuring the precise frequency of electromagnetic radiation emitted or absorbed during transitions between energy levels of atoms, most commonly Cesium-133 or Rubidium. These atoms provide extremely stable and accurate time standards, making them ideal for satellite navigation systems like GPS, GLONASS, and NavIC.
• Statement 2 is also correct. Satellite navigation systems rely on precise timing signals to calculate distances using the speed of light. Even a nanosecond-level error in time measurement can translate into meter-level errors in positional accuracy on Earth. Since positioning is based on trilateration from multiple satellites, any timing error directly propagates into spatial inaccuracies.

Solution: D

• Statement 1 is correct; unlike the Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) used by GPS, NavIC utilizes High Earth Orbits (GEO/GSO) to ensure the satellites remain stationary or semi-stationary relative to India.
• Statement 2 is correct because these high-inclination orbits ensure that the satellites are positioned at a higher elevation angle for users in India, which helps signals bypass obstacles like tall trees or deep valleys that might block GPS signals.
• Statement 3 is incorrect. NavIC is a regional system, not a global one. Its primary service area covers India and a region extending 1,500 km beyond its borders. While it provides strategic independence for the subcontinent, it does not aim for global coverage like the four major GNSS systems (GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, and BeiDou).

Solution: C

• Statement I is correct as it defines the core purpose of the Sujal Gaon ID.
• Statement II is correct and explains the policy framework (JJM 2.0) that necessitates such an ID for better governance and transparency.
• Statement III, however, is incorrect. The Sujal Gaon ID is actually linked and integrated with the Sujalam Bharat platform. This integration is designed to combine the “infrastructure ID” (the scheme) with the “service-area ID” (the beneficiaries) to create a comprehensive digital map of the entire water supply chain.

Solution: A

• The CSW plays a major role in international law and policy.
• Statement 1 is incorrect; while UN Women currently provides secretariat support, the CSW was established decades before UN Women (founded in 2010) existed. Historically, various UN divisions supported it.
• Statement 2 is correct; the CSW has been instrumental in standard-setting and was a key driver in the creation of CEDAW, often described as the international bill of rights for women.
• Statement 3 is incorrect because the CSW is known for being the largest annual UN forum that is highly inclusive. While it is an intergovernmental body (decisions are made by states), the dialogue platform is open to civil society, NGOs, and other UN agencies.
• Thousands of NGO representatives attend every year to influence the “Agreed Conclusions” and participate in side events. This multi-stakeholder approach is a hallmark of the CSW, ensuring that grassroots voices from around the world can inform high-level policy discussions on gender equality and women’s empowerment.

Solution: C

• Statement-I is correct. Savitribai Phule is often called the “Mother of modern Marathi poetry.” She used her verses to criticize the caste system and encourage the marginalized to seek education.
• Statement-II is incorrect. Her works were written in Marathi, the language of the common people in her region, precisely because her goal was to reach the masses and oppressed communities, not the “scholarly elite” who typically used Sanskrit.
• Writing in the vernacular was a revolutionary act in itself, as it broke the monopoly of the upper castes over knowledge and literature. Her poetry collections, such as Kavya Phule (1854), are seminal texts in the history of Indian social reform literature. They reflect her deep commitment to rationalism and her belief that education was the “third eye” through which the oppressed could see the reality of their condition and work toward liberation.

Solution: B

• Statements 1 and 3 are correct. Benzene is a volatile organic compound and a known human carcinogen associated with leukemia. Its presence in oily rainfall is a major public health concern. Topography plays a critical role; as seen in Tehran, surrounding mountains act as a barrier, preventing smoke from dispersing and forcing the “atmospheric loading” of pollutants to settle over the city.
• Statement 2 is incorrect. PFAS are called “forever chemicals” precisely because they do not break down in the environment or the human body. They are resistant to water, grease, and heat, making them persistent pollutants that can contaminate groundwater for generations.

Statement 4 is incorrect. The residue from black rain is viscous, greasy, and oily. It leaves permanent or very difficult-to-remove stains on infrastructure. Standard rainwater harvesting filters are designed for natural sediments and are not capable of filtering out complex hydrocarbons or oily contaminants, rendering the harvested water toxic and unusable for domestic or agricultural purposes.

Solution: D

Statement 1 is incorrect because the UNSC is one of the six principal organs established by the UN Charter in 1945. It has been a central part of the UN structure since its inception.

Statement 2 is incorrect because the Presidency of the Security Council rotates monthly among all its members (both the 5 permanent and 10 non-permanent members) in alphabetical order of their names. It is not restricted to the P5 (China, France, Russia, UK, and USA). The Council’s primary responsibility is maintaining international peace and security, and it remains the only body capable of authorizing collective military action or imposing binding economic sanctions. Its significance lies in its ability to provide legal legitimacy to international interventions. All member states are obligated under the Charter to implement its decisions, making it the most influential body in global diplomacy.

Solution: A

• Statement I highlights the core philosophy of Samriddh Gram—connecting BharatNet (digital infrastructure) with Panchayats (local governance).
• Statement II describes the ultimate objective, which is to create a template (model) that can be scaled across India’s 600,000+ villages.
• Statement III explains the operational mechanism: the Samriddhi Kendras, which act as “one-stop shops.” In the context of the question, both Statement II and Statement III explain Statement I. The convergence mentioned in Statement I is achieved through the Samriddhi Kendras (Statement III) and is motivated by the desire to create a replicable model (Statement II).
• Without the functional hub (Kendras) and the broader goal of transformation, the convergence of digital and physical infrastructure would lack both a medium and a purpose. This pilot project in villages like Umri and Chaurawala tests how effectively high-speed internet can be translated into tangible citizen services like tele-medicine and e-commerce, thereby bridging the rural-urban digital divide and empowering local self-government.