UPSC Current Affairs Quiz : 29 June 2026

Solution: D

• Statement 1 is correct. The manufacturing process of Green Urea requires carbon dioxide (CO2) as a structural carbon feedstock to react with green ammonia. To remain sustainable, the framework relies on capturing CO2 emitted from industrial facilities rather than generating new fossil-based carbon.
• Statement 2 is incorrect because the hydrogen is obtained via water electrolysis (splitting water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen using renewable electricity) rather than the thermal cracking of natural gas, which is the hallmark of conventional grey hydrogen.
• Statement 3 is incorrect because the process explicitly combines the generated green hydrogen with atmospheric nitrogen to form green ammonia; it does not substitute or bypass atmospheric nitrogen.

Solution: C

• Statement 1 is correct. The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) was established as a powerful executive watchdog under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, which modernized and replaced the legacy 1986 legislation.
• Statement 2 is correct. The CCPA is explicitly empowered with statutory authority to investigate violations of consumer rights, issue safety notices, order the immediate withdrawal of deceptive product labels, and impose strict financial penalties against manufacturers or endorsers engaging in misleading advertisements.

Solution: B

• “Operation Amistad” is a fast-tracked, high-capacity Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) mission launched by the Government of India. The emergency operation was officially activated in response to a series of devastating, consecutive earthquakes that struck Venezuela.
• Dispatched through the joint coordination of the Ministry of External Affairs and the Indian Armed Forces, the deployment assists local authorities with advanced search-and-rescue teams, comprehensive emergency medical care, and field hospital infrastructure to manage trauma cases within the affected regions. It highlights India’s ongoing diplomatic and strategic commitment to acting as a reliable global first responder during major international natural disasters.

Solution: A

• Statement 1 is correct. Anandamath (1882) is a deeply influential historical and political novel set during the 18th-century Sannyasi Rebellion, which acted as a major vehicle for propagating early nationalist sentiment.
• Statement 2 is correct. Devi Chaudhurani is another major work that underscores women’s inner strength and strategic resistance against the exploitative British tax systems in rural Bengal.
• Statement 3 is incorrect because Bangadarshan (founded in 1872) was a radical literary monthly magazine that served as a core engine for the Bengali Renaissance by introducing popular essays on science, history, and social philosophy to the masses; it was not an official publisher of government gazettes or administrative laws.

Solution: B

• Statement I is correct. Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay composed Vande Mataram in a blend of Sanskrit and Bengali, portraying the nation as a divine mother goddess symbolizing strength, fertility, and spiritual unity.
• Statement II is also correct. Bankim’s concept of Deshbhakti transformed patriotism into a sacred moral duty, encouraging Indians to regard service and sacrifice for the motherland as an act of spiritual devotion. Therefore, Relationship 1 is correct because the powerful maternal imagery in Vande Mataram provided the ideological foundation for Bankim’s vision of Deshbhakti, linking national liberation with religious and ethical commitment.
• Statement III is incorrect. Revolutionary organizations and underground nationalist groups did not reject Vande Mataram because of its linguistic composition. Instead, the hymn became one of the most influential patriotic songs during the freedom struggle, serving as a rallying cry in political meetings, protests, and revolutionary movements. Consequently, Relationship 2 is also correct, since Statement III directly contradicts the historical role and nationalist appeal implicit in Statement I.
• Relationship 3 is incorrect because Statement III is inaccurate and the combination of Statements I and III does not establish any conclusion regarding the pan-Indian uniformity of colonial literature. The statements concern the ideological significance and reception of a patriotic hymn rather than the literary uniformity of colonial India.

Solution: A

• The Niokolo-Koba National Park is a vast, legally protected wildlife sanctuary and international Biosphere Reserve situated in southeastern Senegal, close to its border with Guinea. Spanning nearly 913,000 hectares, it preserves one of the most vital remaining Sudanian savanna ecosystems in West Africa.
• The park protects critical populations of apex fauna, including elephants, lions, chimpanzees, and the critically endangered Western Giant Eland. It recently drew global attention following successful anti-poaching and ecological overhauls that led to its formal removal from the UNESCO List of World Heritage in Danger.

Solution: A

• Statement I is correct. The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare recently banned 16 irrational fixed-dose combination (FDC) medications across India with immediate effect, mandating a total halt on their production, sale, and distribution.
• Statement II is also correct. Under Section 26A of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940, the Central Government holds the specific statutory power to prohibit, restrict, or regulate any drug or formulation if it is determined that the drug lacks proven therapeutic justification, has an unfavorable risk-benefit profile, or presents a tangible hazard to public safety.
• Furthermore, Statement II provides the direct statutory backing and legal explanation that enables the executive branch to enforce the immediate, nationwide prohibition described in Statement I.

Solution: C

• Statement 1 is incorrect because the CCPA and the Consumer Protection Act are administered by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, not the Ministry of Corporate Affairs.
• Statement 2 is correct. A primary conceptual goal of the 2019 modernization was to legally shift the marketplace paradigm from caveat emptor to “caveat venditor”, placing a higher burden of transparency and quality assurance directly onto the manufacturers and service providers.
• Statement 3 is correct. The CCPA is structured as a powerful watchdog equipped with suo-motu intervention powers, allowing it to independently take cognisance of false marketing campaigns, deceptive packaging, or unfair trade practices without waiting for a formal grievance to be lodged by an individual consumer.

Solution: D

• Statement 1 is correct. Under Mode 2A of the Strategic Interventions for Green Hydrogen Transition (SIGHT) Programme of the National Green Hydrogen Mission, the Solar Energy Corporation of India functions as the designated intermediary procurer. It conducts e-reverse auctions to procure green ammonia from eligible developers through a transparent and competitive bidding process. SECI subsequently enters into back-to-back agreements for supplying the procured green ammonia to fertilizer manufacturers, thereby facilitating long-term market development and reducing demand-side uncertainty.
• Statement 2 is also correct. To address the price differential between green ammonia and conventionally produced grey ammonia, the Department of Fertilizers implements an Offtaker-Side Differential Subsidy (OSDS) Under this arrangement, fertilizer plants purchase green ammonia from SECI at prices linked to prevailing grey ammonia market rates. The Department of Fertilizers reimburses SECI for the difference between its procurement cost and the sale price, ensuring that fertilizer manufacturers are not burdened with the higher production cost of green ammonia. This mechanism promotes the gradual adoption of green feedstock in urea production while providing assured demand for producers.

Solution: B

• Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct, but Statement-II is not the correct explanation for Statement-I.
• Statement-I is correct because the Kopra Reservoir, located in the Bilaspur district of Chhattisgarh, achieved international recognition under the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands.
• Statement-II is also correct because it describes the reservoir’s origin as an artificial water body built for irrigation and fish farming that gradually developed into a rich wetland over several decades.
• However, its designation as a Ramsar site is not explained by its history as an irrigation node. Instead, it was designated due to its current ecological value as a critical migratory bird flyway node, its rich trophic food web, and its complex micro-habitats that support thousands of long-distance wintering waterbirds. Environmentalists and local panchayats pushed for its official preservation because of this vital avian influx and its role as a regional hydrological stabilizer.