UPSC Editorials Quiz : 3 April 2026

Solution: C

• All three statements about the Shyok River are incorrect.
• Firstly, the Shyok River does not flow entirely within India; it originates in Ladakh and flows into Pakistan-administered Gilgit-Baltistan, thereby crossing the Line of Control and forming part of the transboundary Indus River system.
• Secondly, its source is the Rimo Glacier, a part of the Siachen Glacier system in the Karakoram range. This is geographically distinct from Pangong Tso, which lies in a nearby but separate endorheic basin and does not contribute to the Shyok.
• Lastly, the river does not merge with the Ganga, nor does it flow through the plains of Punjab. Instead, the Shyok joins the Indus River near Skardu in Pakistan.

Solution: A

Only Statement 3 is correct.

• The Finance Commission (FC), constituted under Article 280 of the Indian Constitution, does not recommend borrowing limits for the Union or State governments. Borrowing by states is regulated under Article 293, and decisions on limits are taken by the Union government, often in consultation with the Ministry of Finance, not the FC.
• Secondly, the Finance Commission has no mandate to evaluate the Reserve Bank of India or its performance in monetary policy, which falls exclusively under the RBI’s autonomous jurisdiction.
• However, Statement 3 is correct. Since the 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendments, the FC is tasked with making recommendations to augment the Consolidated Fund of the States to support Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) and Urban Local Bodies (ULBs). This is a critical step in fiscal decentralization and strengthening third-tier governance.

Solution: B

Only Statements 1 and 3 are correct.

• The Colombo Process, established in 2003, is a regional consultative process (RCP) that focuses on the management of overseas employment and contractual labour for countries of origin in Asia.
• Statement 1 is correct—the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) serves as the technical and administrative secretariat through its Colombo Process Technical Support Unit (CPTSU). It supports member states in implementing initiatives and thematic discussions.
• Statement 2 is incorrect. The Colombo Process comprises only labour-sending (origin) countries, such as India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, and others. While labour-receiving countries (e.g., GCC states, Malaysia) may engage in dialogue forums like the Abu Dhabi Dialogue, they are not formal members of the Colombo Process.

Statement 3 is correct. The Process encourages bilateral agreements and policy harmonisation through thematic working groups on ethical recruitment, skills development, remittances, and more.

Solution: C

• LiDAR is an active remote sensing technology — it emits its own laser pulses rather than relying on sunlight like passive systems (e.g., optical satellites). This self-generated light penetrates vegetation gaps and reflects off surfaces such as the ground, tree canopy, or man-made structures. The return time of pulses is measured to generate a 3D point cloud, later refined into Digital Elevation Models (DEMs).
• This makes LiDAR uniquely suitable for mapping forest-covered archaeological sites, unlike passive sensors limited by cloud cover or vegetation density.

Solution: C

• Neutrinos are neutral elementary particles with extremely low mass and no electric charge. They interact only via the weak nuclear force, making their interaction cross-section with matter extraordinarily small.
• Trillions of them pass through the human body every second without any interaction. This elusive behavior is why massive, sensitive detectors like the Super-Kamiokande in Japan or the planned India-based Neutrino Observatory (INO) are required to spot rare neutrino events.
• Options d), b), and a) are factually incorrect—neutrinos do not violate relativity, are neutral, and are stable over long distances.