Current Affairs — 18 September 2026

1. US House Passes Russia Sanctions Bill: A 100% Tariff Threat to India

Basic Concept

Secondary sanctions target third countries that continue to trade with a sanctioned nation, as distinct from primary sanctions imposed directly on the sanctioned state. India has historically relied on diversified energy sourcing, including discounted Russian crude, to manage its import bill, a policy it frames as an exercise of strategic autonomy rather than allegiance to any bloc.

Core Context

The US House of Representatives passed legislation targeting Russia's energy sector and the tankers that carry its oil, authorising tariffs of up to 100% on countries that import Russian oil and gas, with India — over 51% dependent on Russian crude in recent months — among the most exposed economies, despite provisions allowing a presidential waiver.

Latest Developments

• The Indian government has reiterated its commitment to energy security through diversified sourcing while defending its right to buy oil in its own economic interest, a position it has maintained since the sanctions pressure first intensified.

• Analysts have proposed that India needs a permanent institutional mechanism — sometimes described as an “Economic Security and Sanctions Office” — to coordinate its currently fragmented response across diplomacy, banking, shipping and energy procurement in the face of such secondary-sanctions threats.

• The bill's fate now depends on the US Senate and presidential action; even if enacted, the waiver clause gives the US Administration discretion over whether and how strictly to apply tariffs to a strategic partner like India.

UPSC Prelims Pointers

• Secondary sanctions target third-country trade with a sanctioned nation, unlike primary sanctions aimed directly at that nation.

• A presidential waiver clause allows the US executive discretion in applying or withholding sanctions-linked tariffs.

• India has historically balanced energy diversification with the principle of “strategic autonomy” in its foreign policy.

• Russia has been among India's top sources of crude oil since 2022, alongside Iraq and Saudi Arabia.

2. Tata Sons' Boardroom Battle Over Chairman's Reappointment

Basic Concept

Tata Sons is the principal holding company of the Tata Group, with Tata Trusts (philanthropic bodies) holding a majority stake (around 66%) and exercising significant influence over group governance, a structure often called the “Tata model” that blends commercial enterprise with philanthropic oversight. As an “upper layer” Non-Banking Financial Company under RBI's revised regulatory framework, Tata Sons faces separate compliance pressures, including potential stock-exchange listing requirements.

Core Context

A governance dispute became public after the Tata Sons Board voted to reappoint N. Chandrasekaran as chairman despite reported opposition from Tata Trusts, with Noel Tata citing a legal opinion from a former Chief Justice in support of the Trusts' position, highlighting tension between RBI-driven listing pressures and the Trusts' preference for preserving the traditional philanthropic-governance model.

Latest Developments

• The dispute illustrates a recurring corporate-governance question in India: how much control should a philanthropic promoter entity retain over a commercial conglomerate's board decisions, especially when regulatory requirements (like NBFC listing norms) push toward more market-standard governance.

• RBI's NBFC Scale-Based Regulation framework, which brought large NBFCs like Tata Sons under enhanced supervisory and potential listing obligations, is the regulatory backdrop against which this boardroom tension has played out.

• The episode is also a useful GS4 illustration of the tension between fiduciary duty to shareholders and a promoter group's institutional legacy and values.

UPSC Prelims Pointers

• Tata Sons is the principal holding company of the Tata Group; Tata Trusts hold a majority stake in it.

• RBI's Scale-Based Regulation (2021) categorises NBFCs by size and risk, with “upper layer” NBFCs facing enhanced norms, including possible listing requirements.

• A “fiduciary duty” is the legal obligation of directors to act in the best interests of the company and its shareholders.

• Tata Sons is not currently a publicly listed company, unlike most major operating companies within the Tata Group.

3. Western Dedicated Freight Corridor Now Fully Operational

Basic Concept

Dedicated Freight Corridors (DFCs) are exclusive railway lines built solely for freight trains, separating goods traffic from passenger traffic to boost speed, capacity and cost-efficiency; India has built two such corridors under the Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India (DFCCIL) — the Eastern DFC and the Western DFC.

Core Context

The 1,506-km Western Dedicated Freight Corridor, running from Dadri (Uttar Pradesh) to Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT, Navi Mumbai), is now fully operational, completing India's 2,843-km dedicated freight backbone across both corridors.

Latest Developments

• The WDFC is reported to handle around 210 trains daily at roughly 88% of capacity, with rail freight costing about ₹1.96 per tonne-km compared to ₹11.03 per tonne-km by road, illustrating the corridor's potential to sharply cut logistics costs for bulk cargo.

• India's overall logistics costs, at about 7.97% of GDP, remain higher than in most developed economies, and DFC-driven modal shift from road to rail freight is a key lever the government is using to bring this down under the National Logistics Policy.

• By decongesting existing railway lines of freight traffic, the DFCs are also expected to free up capacity and improve punctuality for passenger trains on parallel routes.

UPSC Prelims Pointers

• The Western DFC runs from Dadri (UP) to JNPT (Navi Mumbai) and is about 1,506 km long.

• India's two dedicated freight corridors together span about 2,843 km.

• DFCCIL (Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India) is the implementing agency for both corridors.

• The National Logistics Policy (2022) aims to reduce India's logistics cost as a share of GDP.

4. India's Data Centre Boom: Capacity, Investment and Power Demand

Basic Concept

A data centre is a facility housing computing and networking infrastructure that stores, processes and distributes digital data; the sector's growth is closely tied to cloud computing, digitalisation and, increasingly, AI workloads, which are far more power- and cooling-intensive than traditional data processing.

Core Context

India's data-centre capacity has grown from 375 MW in 2020 to 1.57 GW by August 2026, with industry projections putting capacity at 8 GW by 2030, backed by nearly USD 70 billion in investment, and Mumbai alone accounting for 790 MW — more capacity than all other Indian cities combined.

Latest Developments

• The Central Electricity Authority projects that data-centre power demand could reach 17 GW by 2031-32, raising questions about grid capacity planning and the sector's alignment with India's renewable-energy and emissions targets.

• Budget 2026-27 extended a tax holiday for the data-centre sector until 2047, reflecting the government's view of digital infrastructure as a strategic priority comparable to earlier incentive regimes for manufacturing.

• The concentration of capacity in Mumbai highlights persistent regional imbalances in India's digital infrastructure, with policymakers pushing for more geographically distributed data-centre growth to reduce latency and single-location risk.

UPSC Prelims Pointers

• India's data-centre capacity grew from 375 MW (2020) to 1.57 GW (August 2026).

• Mumbai holds the largest share of India's data-centre capacity among Indian cities.

• The Central Electricity Authority projects data-centre power demand could reach 17 GW by 2031-32.

• Budget 2026-27 extended a tax holiday for the data-centre sector until 2047.

5. Stem Cell Therapy for Autism Restricted to Approved Clinical Trials

Basic Concept

Stem cell therapy uses undifferentiated cells capable of developing into various cell types, and has legitimate approved uses (such as certain blood cancers), but is also marketed — often without adequate evidence — as a treatment for conditions like Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), a neurodevelopmental condition with no established cure.

Core Context

India's Union Health Ministry has restricted stem cell therapy for Autism Spectrum Disorder to Ministry-approved clinical trials only, explicitly barring its use as standard, unproven care, following an ICMR review that found insufficient evidence to support such therapy over established behavioural interventions.

Latest Developments

• The advisory follows a Supreme Court judgment (30 January 2026) that had flagged the proliferation of unproven and expensive stem-cell treatments being marketed to desperate families of autistic children, often at high personal cost and with no demonstrated benefit.

• Non-compliant clinics face penalties under India's medical and clinical-establishment regulatory framework, marking a tightening of oversight over an alternative-medicine market that has historically operated with limited regulatory scrutiny.

• The episode underscores the broader GS2/GS3 theme of balancing patient autonomy and medical innovation against the state's duty to prevent exploitative, unproven health interventions, particularly for vulnerable groups like children with developmental disabilities.

UPSC Prelims Pointers

• Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition with no medically established cure.

• ICMR (Indian Council of Medical Research) is India's apex body for biomedical research.

• The Supreme Court's 30 January 2026 judgment is the judicial backdrop to this regulatory tightening.

• Stem cell therapy has legitimate, approved uses in select conditions such as certain blood cancers, distinct from its unproven use for autism.

6. India Electric Mobility Index 2025: Delhi Leads the EV Transition

Basic Concept

The India Electric Mobility Index benchmarks states and union territories on their EV ecosystem readiness, covering metrics like charging infrastructure, policy support, and EV adoption rates, serving as a policy tool to track India's progress toward its electric-mobility and emission-reduction goals.

Core Context

Delhi topped the India Electric Mobility Index 2025 with a score of 84, followed by Maharashtra (78) and Karnataka (73), with 29 of India's 36 states and union territories now having a dedicated EV policy in place.

Latest Developments

• Of the 21 million two-wheelers sold in India last year, only about 1.4 million (roughly 7.65%) were electric, indicating that despite headline growth, EV penetration remains modest relative to India's overall vehicle market, especially outside the leading states.

• Delhi operates around 4,286 electric buses, the largest such fleet in the country, reflecting the capital's aggressive push on public-transport electrification to tackle its chronic air-pollution problem.

• With India importing about 89% of its crude oil, EV adoption is framed not only as a climate-mitigation measure but also as a means of improving energy security and reducing the fiscal burden of oil imports.

UPSC Prelims Pointers

• Delhi topped the India Electric Mobility Index 2025 with a score of 84.

• 29 of 36 Indian states/UTs have a dedicated EV policy as of the latest count.

• India imports approximately 89% of its crude oil requirement.

• Two-wheeler EV penetration in India stood at roughly 7.65% of total two-wheeler sales last year.

7. Orangutan Trafficking Bust in Odisha: India as a Demand Market

Basic Concept

Orangutans, native only to the rainforests of Indonesia and Malaysia, are listed as critically endangered and under CITES Appendix-I, which bans international commercial trade in the species except in exceptional, non-commercial circumstances; India has been a signatory to CITES since 1976.

Core Context

Five baby orangutans were rescued in Odisha's Balasore district, raising concerns that India is increasingly functioning as a demand market for illegally trafficked exotic wildlife rather than merely a transit route, and prompting questions about the animals' welfare, custody and eventual repatriation.

Latest Developments

• Officials have clarified that repatriation of rescued exotic animals to their country of origin is not automatically obligatory under international wildlife law; the immediate priority is the animals' survival, health and welfare, with longer-term custody decisions made in consultation with the Indonesian and Malaysian authorities and international bodies.

• The case reflects a broader, worrying trend of rising demand for exotic pets among affluent Indian buyers, straining India's wildlife-enforcement agencies, which are primarily geared toward protecting native species rather than intercepting international live-animal trafficking networks.

• Effective enforcement requires closer coordination between Customs, the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau, and international CITES authorities to trace and dismantle the trafficking networks that supply such animals.

UPSC Prelims Pointers

• Orangutans are native to Indonesia and Malaysia and are listed as critically endangered.

• CITES Appendix-I bans virtually all international commercial trade in the listed species.

• India has been a party to CITES since 1976.

• India's Wildlife Crime Control Bureau, under the Ministry of Environment, is the nodal agency combating wildlife trafficking.

8. A New Wild Cat Species Named After a Century: Leopardus tilcayo

Basic Concept

Taxonomic classification of “cryptic species” — species that look nearly identical to a related species but are genetically distinct — increasingly relies on genetic analysis rather than physical appearance alone, refining our understanding of true biodiversity even within well-studied groups like wild cats.

Core Context

Scientists have formally named a new tiger-cat species, Leopardus tilcayo, found in Bolivia's cloud forest, marking the first time in over a century that a living wild cat species has been newly described and named.

Latest Developments

• Genetic data showed the tilcayo lineage diverged from related tiger-cat populations roughly 1.4 million years ago, despite outward physical similarity that had previously led to its being classified together with other tiger-cat species.

• The small cat, about 18 inches long and weighing roughly 1.4 kg, adds to the diversity of the Leopardus genus, which already includes species like the ocelot and margay found across Latin America.

• The discovery is a reminder, useful for GS3 biodiversity answers, that even large, charismatic taxonomic groups like cats can still yield genuinely new species once genetic tools are applied systematically.

UPSC Prelims Pointers

• Leopardus tilcayo was described in Bolivia's cloud forest and is the first new living wild cat species named in over a century.

• A “cryptic species” looks nearly identical to a related species but is genetically distinct.

• The Leopardus genus includes small wild cats native to Latin America, such as the ocelot and margay.

• Species discovery today relies heavily on genetic/molecular analysis rather than morphology alone.

9. Uniform Civil Code: Centre's 2029 Roadmap for NDA-Ruled States

Basic Concept

The Uniform Civil Code (UCC), envisaged under Article 44 (a Directive Principle of State Policy), would replace religion-specific personal laws on marriage, divorce, inheritance, adoption and maintenance with a single common code applicable to all citizens, creating an inherent constitutional tension with Article 25's guarantee of religious freedom.

Core Context

The Union Home Minister announced a roadmap for implementing the UCC across 21 NDA-ruled states by 2029, building on Uttarakhand, which has had a functioning UCC since January 2025, with similar bills pending presidential assent in Assam, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh.

Latest Developments

• Since “personal law” falls under the Concurrent List, both Parliament and state legislatures can legislate on it, which is why individual BJP-ruled states like Uttarakhand have moved ahead with their own UCC laws even without a central Act.

• Critics argue that a state-by-state UCC rollout could create a patchwork of differing codes rather than the constitutionally envisaged uniformity, and may reignite concerns among religious minorities about the erosion of personal-law protections.

• The debate over UCC's timing and scope continues to intersect with the ongoing judicial and political discourse on secularism, discussed elsewhere in current national debate on the Constitution's basic structure.

UPSC Prelims Pointers

• Article 44 (a Directive Principle) mandates the state to endeavour to secure a Uniform Civil Code.

• Uttarakhand became the first Indian state to implement a UCC, effective January 2025.

• “Personal law” falls under Entry 5 of the Concurrent List (List III) of the Seventh Schedule.

• Goa is often cited as India's only state with a pre-existing common civil code, inherited from Portuguese colonial law.

10. Manipur's New Kuki-Zo–Naga Fault Line and the Supreme Court's Intervention

Basic Concept

Manipur has experienced sustained ethnic violence since the Meitei-Kuki conflict erupted in May 2023, with the state remaining under President's Rule for extended periods; internal security management in such cases typically involves Article 355/356 provisions, central paramilitary deployment, and judicial oversight of humanitarian and investigative failures.

Core Context

Beyond the unresolved 2023 Meitei-Kuki conflict, a newer Kuki-Zo–Naga fault line has claimed dozens of lives since February 2026, prompting the Supreme Court to separately order investigations into over 640 camp deaths where post-mortems were largely not conducted, even as two Kuki-Zo MLAs ended their Assembly boycott, signalling tentative political re-engagement.

Latest Developments

• The emergence of a second, distinct ethnic fault line (Kuki-Zo versus Naga, alongside the original Meitei-Kuki conflict) illustrates how prolonged instability in a conflict zone can generate cascading, compounding security challenges rather than a single, containable crisis.

• The Supreme Court's direct intervention on the camp-deaths investigation reflects growing judicial willingness to step into humanitarian oversight roles when state administrative machinery is seen as compromised or overwhelmed, relevant to GS2 discussions on judicial activism.

• Allegations of selective NIA operations against one community over another add a further layer of trust-deficit between affected communities and central security agencies, complicating reconciliation efforts.

UPSC Prelims Pointers

• Manipur's Meitei-Kuki ethnic conflict began in May 2023.

• Article 355 obliges the Union to protect states against internal disturbance; Article 356 allows imposition of President's Rule.

• The NIA (National Investigation Agency) is India's federal counter-terrorism and internal-security investigation agency.

• Manipur's population includes the Meitei (Imphal Valley), Naga and Kuki-Zo (hill) communities as its principal ethnic groups.

11. Delhi's SIR Petition Gets Precedence in the Supreme Court

Basic Concept

Special Intensive Revision (SIR) is the Election Commission's comprehensive re-verification of electoral rolls; when SIR processes generate a large volume of contested exclusions or “discrepancies,” affected voters can approach courts if they believe the process lacks transparent, consistent criteria.

Core Context

The Supreme Court has agreed to prioritise hearing a petition challenging discrepancies in Delhi's SIR process, under which more than 33 lakh voters reportedly face notices citing undefined categories such as “logical discrepancies” or “mapping” issues, without clear, publicly available Election Commission criteria.

Latest Developments

• The petition's core grievance is procedural: that voters are being flagged for potential removal from the rolls without transparent, uniformly applied standards, raising due-process concerns under Article 21 (right to life and personal liberty, expansively interpreted to include fair procedure) as it intersects with the fundamental right to vote.

• The Delhi case echoes similar large-scale appeal backlogs seen in West Bengal's SIR exercise, suggesting the SIR process nationally is generating administrative bottlenecks that risk disenfranchising legitimate voters ahead of key elections.

• The Supreme Court's decision to expedite the hearing signals judicial concern that unresolved discrepancies could affect voter rolls before they are finalised, making timely resolution operationally significant.

UPSC Prelims Pointers

• SIR (Special Intensive Revision) is a comprehensive re-verification of electoral rolls conducted by the ECI.

• Over 33 lakh Delhi voters reportedly face notices under undefined SIR discrepancy categories.

• The right to vote in India is a statutory right (under the Representation of the People Act, 1950/1951), not directly a Fundamental Right.

• The Election Commission of India is a constitutional body established under Article 324.

12. NEET-SS Qualifying Percentile Reduced to 30%

Basic Concept

NEET-SS (National Eligibility cum Entrance Test for Super-Specialty) is the entrance examination for super-specialty medical courses (such as DM and MCh) pursued after post-graduate (MD/MS) qualification, and setting its qualifying percentile determines how many post-graduate doctors become eligible to compete for limited super-specialty seats.

Core Context

The government has reduced the NEET-SS qualifying percentile to 30%, a move aimed at broadening the eligible candidate pool and addressing concerns about a shortage of doctors qualifying for specialised medical training in critical super-specialty fields.

Latest Developments

• A lower qualifying percentile widens the funnel of eligible candidates without directly increasing the number of super-specialty seats, meaning competition for actual seats will likely intensify even as more candidates become technically eligible to compete.

• The move is being read alongside broader concerns about India's shortage of super-specialists (such as cardiologists, neurologists and oncologists) relative to population needs, particularly outside major metropolitan hospitals.

• Medical education regulation in India sits with the National Medical Commission (NMC), which oversees standards for undergraduate, postgraduate and super-specialty training pathways.

UPSC Prelims Pointers

• NEET-SS is the entrance exam for super-specialty courses like DM and MCh, taken after MD/MS.

• The National Medical Commission (NMC) replaced the Medical Council of India as India's medical education regulator in 2020.

• A “qualifying percentile” sets the minimum relative performance threshold for exam eligibility, distinct from a fixed cut-off score.

• India faces a well-documented shortage of super-specialist doctors relative to its population, especially in non-metropolitan areas.

13. Supreme Court Defers Class 6 Language Policy Roll-Out to 2027

Basic Concept

India's National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 recommends a three-language formula and mother-tongue/regional-language instruction, at least until Class 5 and preferably Class 8, but implementation of specific language mandates at different grade levels has repeatedly run into practical and constitutional friction with linguistic-rights concerns in non-Hindi-speaking states.

Core Context

The Supreme Court has directed the Centre to defer the roll-out of a proposed Class 6 language policy to 2027, citing the need for more extensive stakeholder consultation and a fuller assessment of its potential impact on linguistic rights and educational equity across India's diverse states.

Latest Developments

• The deferral reflects the judiciary's continuing role as a check on education-policy implementation timelines when constitutional concerns around linguistic federalism and Article 29's protection of minority language rights are raised.

• Language-in-education policy remains one of India's most politically sensitive governance areas, given the historical anti-Hindi agitations and states' strong attachment to preserving space for regional languages in schooling.

• The two-year deferral gives the Centre time to build broader consensus, potentially through consultation with State Education Departments and language experts, before any mandatory rollout.

UPSC Prelims Pointers

• NEP 2020 recommends a three-language formula, with flexibility for states to choose the specific languages.

• Article 29 protects the right of any section of citizens to conserve their distinct language, script or culture.

• Education is a Concurrent List subject, allowing both central and state governments to legislate on it.

• The Supreme Court's deferral order pushed the Class 6 language policy timeline to 2027.

14. India Secures 80% of EU Steel Import Quota Amid Global Trade Pressure

Basic Concept

The European Union applies tariff-rate quotas (TRQs) on steel imports, under which a set volume can enter at a lower or zero tariff, with steep tariffs applying above that threshold; securing a larger, more favourable quota allocation is therefore commercially significant for exporting countries' steel industries.

Core Context

India has negotiated improved access to the EU's steel-import quota system, securing about 80% of its targeted export volume through softened tariff barriers, a notable gain for domestic steel producers navigating a difficult global trade environment shaped by overcapacity concerns and rising protectionism.

Latest Developments

• The development is significant given the EU's own move toward stricter steel-safeguard measures (partly in response to Chinese overcapacity), which had threatened to squeeze out smaller exporters like India if quota negotiations had gone less favourably.

• Steel is among the sectors most exposed to the EU's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism as well, meaning Indian exporters will need to manage both quota access and carbon-cost compliance simultaneously in the years ahead.

• The outcome reflects the increasingly negotiated, quota-driven nature of global steel trade, a shift from the more open multilateral trading system envisaged under WTO's founding principles.

UPSC Prelims Pointers

• A tariff-rate quota (TRQ) allows a set import volume at a lower tariff, with higher tariffs applying beyond that threshold.

• The EU is one of India's major steel export destinations alongside other markets in Asia and the Middle East.

• Global steel-sector overcapacity, driven significantly by Chinese production, has been a persistent trade-friction issue worldwide.

• Steel is also covered under the EU's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), layering carbon-cost compliance atop quota management.

15. Counter-Terrorism Operations in Jammu & Kashmir: Udhampur Encounter and a Commander's Arrest Warrant

Basic Concept

Jammu & Kashmir continues to see periodic counter-terrorism operations against Pakistan-based outfits such as Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM) and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), both designated terrorist organisations under India's Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and by the UN Security Council's 1267 Sanctions Committee.

Core Context

Security forces killed two Jaish-e-Muhammad terrorists and apprehended a suspect during an encounter in Udhampur district, even as a court separately issued an arrest warrant against LeT commander Saifullah in connection with terrorist activities, reflecting continuing, simultaneous law-enforcement and battlefield action against cross-border militant networks.

Latest Developments

• Udhampur, in the Jammu division, has seen a resurgence of militant activity in recent years even as the security situation in the Kashmir Valley itself has shown periods of relative calm, illustrating how threat geography within J&K continues to shift.

• Formal arrest warrants against foreign-based commanders like Saifullah, even when the individual is unlikely to be physically apprehended soon, serve a legal and diplomatic function by building a documented case trail that can support extradition requests or international designation processes.

• These operations form part of the sustained, multi-agency counter-terrorism architecture in J&K involving the Army, CRPF, J&K Police and intelligence agencies working in coordination.

UPSC Prelims Pointers

• Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM) and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) are Pakistan-based terrorist organisations designated under India's UAPA.

• The UN Security Council's 1267 Sanctions Committee maintains a global list of designated terrorist entities and individuals.

• Udhampur is located in the Jammu division of Jammu & Kashmir.

• India's counter-terrorism operations in J&K involve coordination among the Army, CRPF, J&K Police and intelligence agencies.

16. Practice MCQs

Practice MCQs

Q1. With reference to “secondary sanctions,” consider the following statements:
1. They target third countries that trade with a sanctioned nation.
2. They are distinct from primary sanctions, which are imposed directly on the sanctioned country.
3. A presidential waiver, where available, removes the possibility of such sanctions being applied at all.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

• (a) 1 and 2 only

• (b) 2 and 3 only

• (c) 1 and 3 only

• (d) 1, 2 and 3

Answer: (a) 1 and 2 only

Explanation: A presidential waiver merely gives the executive discretion over whether to apply sanctions-linked tariffs; it does not eliminate the legal possibility of such tariffs, so statement 3 is incorrect.

Q2. The Western Dedicated Freight Corridor connects which of the following?

• (a) Ludhiana and Kolkata

• (b) Dadri and JNPT (Navi Mumbai)

• (c) Delhi and Chennai

• (d) Mumbai and Vishakhapatnam

Answer: (b) Dadri and JNPT (Navi Mumbai)

Explanation: The Western DFC runs about 1,506 km from Dadri in Uttar Pradesh to Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) near Navi Mumbai.

Q3. Consider the following statements regarding the Uniform Civil Code (UCC):
1. It is provided for under Article 44 as a Fundamental Right.
2. Uttarakhand was the first Indian state to implement a UCC.
3. “Personal law” falls under the Concurrent List of the Seventh Schedule.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

• (a) 1 and 2 only

• (b) 2 and 3 only

• (c) 1 and 3 only

• (d) 1, 2 and 3

Answer: (b) 2 and 3 only

Explanation: Article 44 is a Directive Principle of State Policy, not a Fundamental Right; Uttarakhand did implement India's first state-level UCC (2025), and personal law does fall under the Concurrent List, so statement 1 is incorrect while 2 and 3 are correct.

Q4. NEET-SS is the entrance examination for which of the following?

• (a) Undergraduate medical courses (MBBS)

• (b) Postgraduate medical courses (MD/MS)

• (c) Super-specialty medical courses (DM/MCh) after MD/MS

• (d) Paramedical diploma courses

Answer: (c) Super-specialty medical courses (DM/MCh) after MD/MS

Explanation: NEET-SS is the entrance test for super-specialty courses such as DM and MCh, which are pursued after completing a postgraduate MD/MS qualification.

Q5. Orangutans, occasionally seized from wildlife traffickers in India, are native to which region?

• (a) Sub-Saharan Africa

• (b) Indonesia and Malaysia

• (c) The Amazon Basin

• (d) Madagascar

Answer: (b) Indonesia and Malaysia

Explanation: Orangutans are native only to the rainforests of Indonesia (Sumatra and Borneo) and Malaysia, and are listed as critically endangered under CITES Appendix-I.

Q6. Consider the following pairs:
Organisation/Body – Relevant fact
1. DFCCIL – Implements India's Dedicated Freight Corridors
2. NMC – Regulates medical education in India
3. CEA – Regulates the Election Commission's SIR process
Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched?

• (a) 1 and 2 only

• (b) 2 and 3 only

• (c) 1 and 3 only

• (d) 1, 2 and 3

Answer: (a) 1 and 2 only

Explanation: DFCCIL implements India's dedicated freight corridors and the NMC regulates medical education; CEA (Central Electricity Authority) is a power-sector body and has no role in the Election Commission's SIR process, making pair 3 incorrect.