Current Affairs — 28 September 2026

1. India's First LNG-Powered Train Flagged Off

Basic Concept

Indian Railways relies overwhelmingly on diesel and electric traction, and diesel locomotives on non-electrified routes contribute significantly to particulate and nitrogen-oxide emissions besides adding to fuel-import costs. As part of decarbonising transport in line with India's Net Zero by 2070 pledge, Indian Railways has been piloting alternative fuels — full electrification, hydrogen fuel-cell trains, and now liquefied natural gas (LNG) as a "bridge fuel" that can replace a large share of diesel in a dual-fuel locomotive without requiring a wholly new propulsion system. LNG is natural gas cooled to about −162°C, at which point it becomes a liquid roughly 1/600th of its gaseous volume, allowing a large quantity of gas-based fuel to be carried compactly on board a train. This is relevant to GS3 (infrastructure, environment, and energy) as an example of retrofitting existing rolling stock for lower emissions rather than waiting for full electrification.

Core Context

Union Home Minister Amit Shah flagged off India's first LNG-powered train from Sabarmati, Gujarat, on its inaugural run to Mahesana. The train is a non-AC chair-car service using dual-fuel technology, in which cryogenic LNG substitutes for a significant share of the diesel normally consumed, while diesel is retained for ignition and back-up power.

Latest Developments

• The train uses two Driving Power Cars (DPCs) of 1,400 HP each, retrofitted with electronically controlled gas-injection systems that regulate the diesel–LNG mixture, with LNG substituting for roughly 40% of the diesel that would otherwise be used.

• Each DPC carries an insulated 2,200-litre cryogenic LNG tank, giving the train sufficient range for approximately 444 km of daily operation.

• Indian Railways estimates annual savings of about ₹11.9 lakh per DPC, or roughly ₹23.9 lakh for a full eight-coach train, mainly from the lower cost of natural gas relative to diesel.

• The dual-fuel system completed more than 2,000 km of mainline trials under varying loads before being cleared for passenger service, and is expected to reduce particulate matter, nitrogen oxides, and carbon dioxide emissions compared with a conventional diesel train.

• The initiative supports Indian Railways' broader target of eliminating diesel consumption by 2030, alongside its electrification drive and a separate hydrogen fuel-cell train pilot.

UPSC Prelims Pointers

• LNG is natural gas cooled to about −162°C for compact storage and transport in liquid form.

• India's first LNG-powered train runs on the Sabarmati–Mahesana section in Gujarat.

• Indian Railways aims for zero diesel consumption / net-zero carbon emissions by 2030.

• Dual-fuel technology retrofits an existing diesel locomotive rather than replacing it outright.

2. Should the Right to Vote Be a Fundamental Right?

Basic Concept

India adopted universal adult suffrage at independence itself, well ahead of many older democracies, and the 61st Constitutional Amendment Act, 1988 lowered the voting age from 21 to 18. Yet the right to vote occupies an unusual constitutional position: Article 326 provides for elections to the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies "on the basis of adult suffrage," but the Supreme Court, most notably in Kuldip Nayar v Union of India (2006), has held that the right to vote is a statutory right conferred by the Representation of the People Acts, 1950 and 1951, and not a Fundamental Right under Part III. This means Parliament can, in principle, alter the contours of the right to vote through ordinary legislation, subject to Article 326 and general principles of free and fair elections, rather than the stronger protection a Part III right would carry.

Core Context

The debate over elevating the right to vote to a Fundamental Right has resurfaced following administrative friction inside the Election Commission of India, including reported internal objections by sitting Election Commissioners and technical glitches in the ECI's ECINet software that briefly excluded a small number of verified voters — around 97 in Goa — from the electoral rolls before they were restored.

Latest Developments

• Commentators note that because welfare entitlements such as rations, pensions, and scholarships are increasingly linked administratively to electoral-roll status, a wrongful deletion caused by a clerical or technical error can cascade into loss of unrelated welfare access — a form of "digital exclusion" a purely statutory right may not adequately guard against.

• Proposed safeguards under discussion include individual (not only bulk) notices before deletion, a meaningful hearing and reasoned order, a time-bound and accessible appeal mechanism, and a clearer separation between electoral-roll status and welfare-scheme eligibility.

• Supporters of reclassification argue it would let such due-process safeguards be tested against the higher constitutional-review standard under Article 32, rather than ordinary statutory or administrative-law review.

• Critics point out that Article 326 already constitutionalises adult suffrage and elections already run under a detailed statutory framework (the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, framed under the Representation of the People Act, 1950), so reclassification alone would not automatically fix administrative or technological failures such as software glitches.

UPSC Prelims Pointers

• Article 326 provides for elections to the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies on the basis of adult suffrage.

• Kuldip Nayar v Union of India (2006) held the right to vote to be a statutory, not a Fundamental, right.

• The 61st Constitutional Amendment Act, 1988 reduced the voting age from 21 to 18 years.

• Electoral rolls are prepared under the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, framed under the Representation of the People Act, 1950.

3. Kallakkadal — Understanding Swell-Surge Flooding

Basic Concept

Coastal flooding in India is popularly associated with cyclonic storm surges or tsunamis, but a distinct, lesser-known phenomenon called Kallakkadal (Malayalam, loosely "sea that arrives like a thief") causes sudden flooding along parts of the Kerala, Lakshadweep, and southern Tamil Nadu coasts even under calm, clear-sky conditions. It is caused by long-period ocean swells — waves generated by storms thousands of kilometres away, often in the Southern Ocean or South Atlantic — that travel across the Indian Ocean and grow in height on reaching shallow coastal waters, especially at high tide. This distinguishes it clearly from a cyclonic storm surge (driven by local winds and low pressure) or a tsunami (driven by undersea earthquakes), each requiring different early-warning approaches. For GS1 (physical geography) and GS3 (disaster management), Kallakkadal is a useful example of a hazard needing long-range ocean monitoring rather than local weather forecasting.

Core Context

Kerala's coastline, along with parts of Lakshadweep and southern Tamil Nadu, has again seen Kallakkadal-related flooding and warnings, renewing attention on the phenomenon and on India's swell-surge early-warning capability, coordinated by the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS).

Latest Developments

• Kallakkadal episodes feature unusually long wave periods (often exceeding 15–22 seconds) and occur without local rainfall, storms, or pressure changes, making them hard to anticipate without a dedicated warning system.

• INCOIS operates a Swell Surge Early Warning System that combines satellite and buoy-based ocean observations with numerical wave models to forecast the arrival and likely intensity of a swell surge.

• A typical episode can persist 12–48 hours, with repeated flooding pulses intensifying around each high tide, damaging coastal homes, fishing harbours, roads, and sea walls, and letting saltwater intrude into nearby freshwater sources.

• Worst-affected areas are typically low-lying, densely populated coastal stretches such as Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Alappuzha, and Ernakulam in Kerala, along with parts of Lakshadweep.

• Because the triggering storms originate far away, effective early warning depends on international and regional ocean-observation data sharing, not Indian coastal monitoring alone.

UPSC Prelims Pointers

• Kallakkadal is sudden coastal flooding caused by long-period ocean swells, distinct from cyclonic storm surge or tsunami.

• INCOIS (Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services), headquartered in Hyderabad, runs India's Swell Surge Early Warning System.

• Kallakkadal-prone areas include the Kerala coast, Lakshadweep, and southern Tamil Nadu.

• Unlike tsunamis (seismic origin) or storm surges (local cyclonic winds), Kallakkadal originates from distant mid-ocean storms and can occur in clear weather.

4. Exercise Tarang Shakti 2026

Basic Concept

India conducts a range of bilateral and multilateral exercises to build interoperability with foreign forces, showcase indigenous platforms, and strengthen defence diplomacy under initiatives like Aatmanirbhar Bharat. Tarang Shakti is the Indian Air Force's flagship multinational Large Force Employment (LFE) air exercise, first held in 2024, bringing together fighter, transport, and support aircraft from India and partner air forces for realistic combined-air-operations training — a format broader than a typical bilateral exercise. This is relevant to GS3 (security, defence technology and diplomacy).

Core Context

The second edition of Exercise Tarang Shakti is underway at Air Force Station Jodhpur, Rajasthan, under the theme "Power in Partnership," bringing together the Indian Air Force and seven partner air forces, notable for the first-ever operational participation of United States Air Force F-35 stealth fighters in an exercise on Indian soil.

Latest Developments

• The core flying contingent includes the United States, Australia, France, Germany, the United Arab Emirates, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh, while a much larger number of countries are taking part as observers, pushing total international engagement to around 40 nations.

• Aircraft flying alongside the IAF's own Su-30MKI, Tejas, and Rafale fleet include the US F-35, plus transport and support aircraft such as the A400M, C-130, and aerial-refuelling tankers.

• Training covers fifth-generation combat tactics, sensor fusion and stealth-aircraft integration, Dissimilar Air Combat Training (DACT), beyond-visual-range engagements, offensive and defensive counter-air operations, and coordinated tactical airlift.

• Side events include an International Defence Aviation Seminar and aerospace-industry visits, showcasing indigenous platforms such as the HAL Tejas to visiting air forces.

• The exercise coincides with other ongoing India–partner exercises, including Yudh Abhyas (India–US), Varuna (India–France), and Nomadic Elephant (India–Mongolia), reflecting a dense period of Indian defence-diplomacy activity.

UPSC Prelims Pointers

• Tarang Shakti is the IAF's multinational Large Force Employment (LFE) air exercise; its second edition is hosted at Jodhpur, Rajasthan.

• This edition marks the first-ever participation of US F-35 stealth fighters in an air exercise held in India.

• HAL Tejas is India's indigenous single-engine light combat aircraft, showcased during the exercise.

• Dissimilar Air Combat Training (DACT) is combat training between different aircraft types to build tactical adaptability.

5. The Caspian Sea

Basic Concept

The Caspian Sea is the world's largest inland body of water, classified as an endorheic (closed-basin) lake because it has no natural outlet to the ocean, even though its scale and salinity lead many geographers to also call it a full-fledged "inland sea." It lies at the junction of Europe and Asia, bordered by Russia and Kazakhstan to the north, Turkmenistan and Iran to the south and east, and Azerbaijan to the west, flanked by the Caucasus Mountains, the Central Asian steppe, and the Iranian plateau. For GS1 (world physical geography/mapping) and GS2/GS3 (international relations, energy security), the Caspian matters to India chiefly through the International North–South Transport Corridor (INSTC), intended to connect India to Central Asia, Russia, and Northern Europe via Iran and the Caspian.

Core Context

Renewed attention on the Caspian Sea stems from its dual significance — as a strategically important waterway for India's Central Asia connectivity ambitions, and as a body of water facing an accelerating ecological crisis due to declining water levels.

Latest Developments

• The Caspian Sea holds roughly 78,200 cubic kilometres of water — about a third of all water held in inland water bodies worldwide — over a surface area of about 386,400 sq km, lying about 27 metres below global mean sea level.

• Its basin is markedly asymmetric: the northern Caspian averages just 4–8 metres in depth, while the southern basin plunges to a maximum depth of around 1,025 metres.

• About 88% of the river inflow into the Caspian comes from the Volga River, with the Ural and Terek rivers contributing smaller shares; since the sea has no outlet, its level is governed almost entirely by the balance between inflow and evaporation.

• Water levels have fallen for decades due to upstream damming (reducing Volga discharge) and rising evaporation linked to climate change, with recent annual declines exceeding 20 cm in some years and an overall fall of roughly 2 metres since the 1990s.

• Geologically a remnant of the ancient Paratethys Sea, the Caspian also holds substantial offshore oil and gas reserves, adding an energy-security dimension to relations among its five bordering states.

UPSC Prelims Pointers

• The Caspian Sea is the world's largest inland (endorheic) water body, bordered by Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Iran, and Azerbaijan.

• About 88% of its river inflow comes from the Volga River.

• The INSTC connects India to Central Asia, Russia, and Northern Europe via Iran and across the Caspian Sea.

• The Caspian Sea is a geological remnant of the ancient Paratethys Sea.

6. Reimagining Kashmir as India's Gateway to Eurasia

Basic Concept

Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh historically sat on trans-Himalayan trade routes connecting South Asia with Central Asia and Tibet via the ancient Silk Route network, shaping local traditions — Kashmiri carpets and papier-mâché work carry visible Persian and Central Asian influences from this era. Partition in 1947, and subsequent tensions along the Line of Control (LoC) and Line of Actual Control (LAC), severed most of these historic land routes, gradually turning the region from an economic bridge into what is often described as a security-centric frontier. This is relevant to GS1 (art & culture, historical geography) and GS2/GS3 (neighbourhood relations, border management, regional economic integration).

Core Context

A renewed policy conversation has emerged around moving India's approach to Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh beyond a purely security-centric frame, toward restoring the region's older role as an economic bridge to Central Asia, leveraging India's large, youthful population and economic aspirations as an argument for stability through development in the border region.

Latest Developments

• Proponents argue carefully regulated cross-border commerce could create material incentives for durable stability, by distributing economic activity — via land corridors, cold chains, and dry ports — more widely across the region rather than concentrating it in a few urban centres.

• Suggested mechanisms include phased pilot trade corridors, "smart border" architecture using technology such as RFID-based tracking for verifiable, low-risk cross-border movement of goods, and greater use of platforms like the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) for connectivity dialogue.

• Acknowledged constraints include continuing bilateral impasses with Pakistan and China, unresolved sovereignty questions over Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and Aksai Chin, the region's fragile high-altitude ecology, and persistent security and regulatory risks along any proposed corridor.

• The idea draws an implicit comparison with India's other connectivity initiatives, such as the INSTC through Iran and the Caspian region, suggesting a wider Indian interest in reviving overland Eurasian linkages wherever geopolitically feasible.

UPSC Prelims Pointers

• The historic Silk Route connected South Asia with Central Asia and Tibet through the Kashmir region.

• Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and Aksai Chin are disputed territories bordering Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh respectively.

• The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) is a Eurasian political, economic, and security grouping of which India is a full member.

• Ladakh is a Union Territory without its own legislature, unlike Jammu & Kashmir.

7. India's National Digital Tourism Stack and Expanded e-Visa Access

Basic Concept

Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) refers to shared, interoperable digital systems — such as Aadhaar, UPI, and DigiLocker — that governments build as public goods for citizens and businesses to build services upon, rather than each sector building siloed technology from scratch. India has extended this DPI approach beyond finance and identity into sectors like health (Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission) and now tourism, reflecting a push to use AI and shared digital rails to improve planning, promotion, and service delivery at scale. This is relevant to GS3 (growth, employment, infrastructure) and GS1 (society/culture, given tourism's overlap with heritage promotion).

Core Context

Around World Tourism Day 2026, the Government of India highlighted the rollout of a National Digital Tourism Stack — a DPI-style platform meant to use AI and shared digital infrastructure to improve tourism planning, promotion, and visitor services — alongside a significant expansion of India's e-Visa facility.

Latest Developments

• India's e-Visa facility has been expanded to cover 172 countries, accessible through 88 designated entry ports, widening the pool of foreign travellers who can obtain visas online.

• Tourism contributed an estimated 5.22% of India's GDP in 2023–24 and supported around 8.46 crore jobs, underlining the sector's scale as an employment generator.

• Ongoing scheme support includes Swadesh Darshan 2.0 (53 destination-development projects worth about ₹2,207 crore) and PRASHAD for pilgrimage and heritage augmentation (54 projects worth about ₹1,726 crore).

• A dedicated skilling initiative, Paryatan Mitra/Paryatan Didi, has trained 4,382 candidates as tourist facilitators to improve visitor experience at heritage and pilgrimage sites.

• Related announcements around the same period included an expanded UDAN regional air-connectivity push (about ₹28,840 crore), growth in cruise-tourism passengers (about 4.62 lakh in 2025–26), and a lighthouse-tourism initiative covering 75 facilities.

UPSC Prelims Pointers

• Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) refers to shared digital systems like Aadhaar, UPI, and DigiLocker underpinning multiple services.

• Swadesh Darshan 2.0 and PRASHAD are Ministry of Tourism schemes for destination and pilgrimage/heritage development respectively.

• World Tourism Day is observed annually on 27 September under the UN Tourism (UNWTO) framework.

• India's e-Visa facility now extends to 172 countries through 88 entry ports.

8. Bharat Maritime Insurance Pool — Early Uptake and Falling War-Risk Premiums

Basic Concept

Indian shipping and cargo interests have historically depended heavily on foreign marine insurers and reinsurers for hull, cargo, and war-risk cover, which can become expensive or scarce during periods of regional conflict or heightened maritime risk, as seen with attacks on shipping in the Red Sea/Gulf of Aden region in recent years. To reduce this dependence, India set up the Bharat Maritime Insurance Pool (BMIP) — a sovereign-backed domestic marine insurance pool — as part of a wider push for self-reliance in critical financial and infrastructure services, relevant to GS3 (economy, infrastructure, security of trade routes).

Core Context

Updated figures on the Bharat Maritime Insurance Pool, launched earlier in 2026, show growing uptake among Indian shipping and cargo interests along with a notable easing of previously elevated war-risk insurance premiums.

Latest Developments

• BMIP operates with a total corpus of about ₹13,906.50 crore, including a sovereign guarantee of around ₹12,980 crore, and is administered by the General Insurance Corporation of India (GIC Re), India's public-sector reinsurer.

• It offers cover across Hull & Machinery, Cargo, Protection & Indemnity (P&I), and War Risk — the major marine insurance classes Indian shipowners and exporters typically need.

• More than 3,000 cargo and war-risk policies had been issued under the pool by early September 2026, indicating steadily growing domestic uptake since launch.

• War-risk insurance premiums for Indian shipping interests have reportedly fallen by 35–40% from earlier conflict-driven peaks, partly attributed to the availability of a credible, competitively priced domestic alternative to foreign war-risk cover.

• By building domestic underwriting capacity for high-risk categories like war risk, BMIP aims to reduce the vulnerability of Indian trade to sudden withdrawal or repricing of cover by foreign insurers during geopolitical crises.

UPSC Prelims Pointers

• The Bharat Maritime Insurance Pool (BMIP) is administered by the General Insurance Corporation of India (GIC Re).

• BMIP provides Hull & Machinery, Cargo, Protection & Indemnity, and War Risk cover.

• The pool carries a sovereign guarantee to backstop large claims and build market confidence.

• Rising Red Sea/Gulf of Aden shipping risks in recent years pushed up global war-risk insurance premiums, a key backdrop to BMIP's creation.

9. India's Reusable Launch Vehicle Push — Agnikul's Agnibaan and Beyond

Basic Concept

Reusable Launch Vehicles (RLVs) — rockets designed to be recovered and flown again rather than discarded after a single use — are central to reducing the cost per kilogram of reaching orbit. India's space-sector reforms since 2020 have opened launch-vehicle development to private players alongside ISRO, and the Technology Development Board (TDB), a statutory body under the Department of Science and Technology, provides risk capital for such deep-technology capabilities, often through instruments like Optionally Convertible Debentures (OCDs) rather than pure grants. This is relevant to GS3 (science and technology, space policy, Aatmanirbhar Bharat in strategic sectors).

Core Context

The Technology Development Board approved funding of about ₹200 crore for Agnikul Cosmos to advance its Agnibaan reusable launch vehicle programme, part of a broader wave of government risk-capital support for India's private space start-ups.

Latest Developments

• The TDB funding for Agnikul is structured through Optionally Convertible Debentures under the Research, Development and Innovation (RDI) Fund route, aimed at advancing Agnibaan's Technology Readiness Level (TRL) from around TRL-4 to TRL-8 — the stage associated with a fully tested, flight-qualified system.

• Agnikul Cosmos is known for its semi-cryogenic, 3D-printed rocket engine technology and for conducting an early Indian launch of a rocket built around a single-piece 3D-printed engine.

• In a related move, the TDB separately allocated about ₹63.84 crore to GalaxEye Space Solutions, an Indian start-up developing multi-sensor ("OptoSAR") satellite imaging that combines optical and synthetic-aperture radar data — reflecting a wider pattern of government co-funding across India's space start-up ecosystem.

• These moves build on India's 2020 space-sector reforms and the creation of IN-SPACe as a single-window regulator, which together have enabled private firms to raise both private capital and government risk-capital for capital-intensive projects like reusable rockets.

UPSC Prelims Pointers

• The Technology Development Board (TDB) is a statutory body under the Department of Science and Technology that funds commercialisation of indigenous technology.

• Agnikul Cosmos's Agnibaan is a semi-cryogenic reusable launch vehicle under development in India.

• Technology Readiness Level (TRL) is a standard 1-to-9 scale measuring the maturity of a technology.

• IN-SPACe is India's single-window autonomous agency for promoting and regulating private space-sector activities.

10. IAF's Firepower Boost — SAT-SAAW Anti-Airfield Weapons

Basic Concept

Precision-guided stand-off weapons let an air force strike high-value targets such as enemy airfields and runways from outside the range of most short-range air-defence systems, reducing risk to the launching aircraft while degrading an adversary's ability to sustain air operations. India has been steadily indigenising such munitions under the Aatmanirbhar Bharat framework, with public-sector firms like Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) central to producing precision-guided weapons for the armed forces. This connects to GS3 (defence and security, indigenisation of defence production).

Core Context

The Ministry of Defence signed a contract worth about ₹810.79 crore with Bharat Dynamics Limited for the supply of 160 indigenously developed Satellite Smart Anti-Airfield Weapons (SAT-SAAW) to the Indian Air Force.

Latest Developments

• SAT-SAAW is a precision-guided, satellite-navigation-aided stand-off weapon capable of striking targets such as runways and airfield infrastructure from a considerable distance, reducing the launching aircraft's exposure to enemy air defences.

• The contract supports the government's Aatmanirbhar Bharat push in defence, under which a growing share of the IAF's weapons inventory is sourced domestically rather than imported.

• Deliveries are expected to be phased over the coming years, with induction into IAF service anticipated around 2028–29.

• Bharat Dynamics Limited, headquartered in Hyderabad, is a Navratna defence public-sector undertaking under the Ministry of Defence, specialising in guided missiles and allied equipment.

UPSC Prelims Pointers

• SAT-SAAW stands for Satellite Smart Anti-Airfield Weapon, a precision-guided, satellite-aided stand-off munition.

• Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL), headquartered in Hyderabad, is a Navratna defence public-sector undertaking.

• "Stand-off weapons" strike targets from outside the range of most short-range air-defence systems.

• Aatmanirbhar Bharat in defence aims to raise the share of indigenously manufactured equipment in the armed forces' inventory.

11. Interest-Free Loan Support for Andhra Pradesh's FCV Tobacco Growers

Basic Concept

Flue-Cured Virginia (FCV) tobacco is a commercially important cash crop grown mainly in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, cured through a barn-based flue-curing process that requires significant working capital for inputs, fuel, and barn maintenance each season. Because tobacco cultivation involves a long gap between input costs and eventual sale — typically through auction platforms regulated by the Tobacco Board — growers are particularly exposed to seasonal liquidity stress, especially after years of weak prices or adverse weather. Interest-free or subsidised crop loans are a recurring policy tool to ease such stress for cash-crop farmers, relevant to GS3 (agriculture and farmer welfare).

Core Context

The Central Government approved an interest-free loan of ₹50,000 per curing barn for FCV tobacco growers in Andhra Pradesh, benefiting an estimated 44,000 farmers, with a total outlay of about ₹220 crore to be disbursed through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT).

Latest Developments

• The scheme targets Andhra Pradesh's FCV tobacco-growing belt specifically, reflecting the state's dominant share of India's flue-cured Virginia tobacco output.

• Disbursal through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) ensures the loan amount is credited directly to growers' bank accounts, in line with the wider shift away from cash or intermediary-routed subsidy payments.

• The support aims to ease pre-season working-capital pressure ahead of the curing cycle, without adding an interest burden on top of already thin margins in years of subdued tobacco prices.

• The Tobacco Board, a statutory body under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, regulates FCV tobacco production, auction, and export, and is typically involved in administering such grower-support measures.

UPSC Prelims Pointers

• Flue-Cured Virginia (FCV) tobacco is primarily grown in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.

• The Tobacco Board, under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, regulates FCV tobacco cultivation, auction, and export in India.

• Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) routes government subsidies directly into beneficiaries' bank accounts.

• FCV tobacco is cured using a barn-based "flue-curing" process, distinguishing it from sun-cured or air-cured tobacco.

12. Practice MCQs

Practice MCQs

Q1. Consider the following statements regarding India's first LNG-powered train:
1. It runs on the Sabarmati–Mahesana section in Gujarat.
2. LNG completely replaces diesel in its dual-fuel propulsion system.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

• (a) 1 only

• (b) 2 only

• (c) Both 1 and 2

• (d) Neither 1 nor 2

Answer: (a) 1 only

Explanation: LNG substitutes for only about 40% of the diesel used; the dual-fuel system still relies on diesel for ignition and part of the fuel mix, so statement 2 is incorrect.

Q2. Consider the following statements:
1. The Constitution of India lists the right to vote as a Fundamental Right under Part III.
2. Article 326 provides for elections to the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies on the basis of adult suffrage.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

• (a) 1 only

• (b) 2 only

• (c) Both 1 and 2

• (d) Neither 1 nor 2

Answer: (b) 2 only

Explanation: The Supreme Court in Kuldip Nayar v Union of India (2006) held the right to vote to be a statutory, not a Fundamental, right; Article 326 constitutionalises adult suffrage but does not place voting in Part III.

Q3. Which of the following statements about "Kallakkadal" is/are correct?
1. It is caused by long-period ocean swells generated by storms far from the Indian coast.
2. It is typically accompanied by strong local winds and heavy rainfall.
3. INCOIS operates an early warning system for this phenomenon.
Select the correct answer using the code below:

• (a) 1 and 2 only

• (b) 2 and 3 only

• (c) 1 and 3 only

• (d) 1, 2 and 3

Answer: (c) 1 and 3 only

Explanation: Kallakkadal occurs under calm, clear-sky conditions without local storms or rainfall, so statement 2 is wrong; it is caused by distant swells (statement 1 correct) and INCOIS runs a dedicated Swell Surge Early Warning System (statement 3 correct).

Q4. With reference to Exercise Tarang Shakti 2026, consider the following statements:
1. It is a bilateral air exercise between India and the United States.
2. It marks the first operational participation of US F-35 aircraft in an exercise held in India.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

• (a) 1 only

• (b) 2 only

• (c) Both 1 and 2

• (d) Neither 1 nor 2

Answer: (b) 2 only

Explanation: Tarang Shakti is a multinational, not merely bilateral, exercise involving several air forces besides India and the US; this edition does mark the first-ever operational participation of US F-35 aircraft on Indian soil.

Q5. Consider the following statements about the Caspian Sea:
1. It is the world's largest inland water body and is classified as an endorheic lake.
2. The Volga River contributes the largest share of its river inflow.
3. It has a natural outlet to the Arabian Sea through Iran.
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: The Caspian Sea is endorheic and has no natural outlet to any ocean, so statement 3 is incorrect; the Volga River supplies roughly 88% of its river inflow, making statement 2 correct.

Q6. With reference to recent government initiatives, consider the following statements:
1. The Bharat Maritime Insurance Pool is administered by the General Insurance Corporation of India.
2. SAT-SAAW is a naval anti-submarine weapon developed for the Indian Navy.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

• (a) 1 only

• (b) 2 only

• (c) Both 1 and 2

• (d) Neither 1 nor 2

Answer: (a) 1 only

Explanation: BMIP is administered by GIC Re; SAT-SAAW (Satellite Smart Anti-Airfield Weapon) is an air-launched, satellite-guided stand-off weapon for the Indian Air Force aimed at airfields, not a naval anti-submarine weapon.