Current Affairs — 6 October 2026

1. India–Switzerland Relations: Guy Parmelin's State Visit and Five New Pacts

Basic Concept

Switzerland is one of the four members of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), along with Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway — a grouping of European states that are not part of the European Union but maintain close trade ties with it. India and the EFTA bloc signed the India–EFTA Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement (TEPA) in 2024, under which Switzerland and its EFTA partners committed to investing USD 100 billion in India and generating one million direct jobs over 15 years, in exchange for phased tariff concessions from India. TEPA formally came into force in October 2026. Switzerland is a significant source of foreign investment in India, with over 330 Swiss companies operating in sectors such as precision engineering, pharmaceuticals, chemicals and financial services, and it ranks as India's 15th largest trading partner (bilateral trade of roughly USD 19.55 billion in FY 2024-25).

Core Context

Swiss President Guy Parmelin undertook a state visit to India from 5 to 7 October 2026 — his first state visit to India and second trip of the year — holding talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi. The two sides signed five fresh bilateral agreements and also held the India–EFTA Prosperity Summit on the sidelines to mark the first anniversary of TEPA's implementation.

Latest Developments

• The five agreements signed were: a Migration and Mobility Partnership (MMP) offering multiple-entry visas valid up to five years with stays of up to six months, plus renewable one-year student permits; a Young Professionals Exchange Scheme allowing an annual exchange of 300 professionals from each country (with scope to rise to 500); a Transport and Infrastructure Collaboration Agreement on mobility technologies; a Nuclear Energy Cooperation agreement; and a Defence Cooperation pact covering military exchanges and defence production.

• PM Modi and President Parmelin announced plans to deepen cooperation in civil nuclear energy and precision-engineering defence technology as part of the broader strategic partnership.

• The visit coincided with the first anniversary of TEPA's entry into force, under which Switzerland and its EFTA partners aim to invest USD 100 billion in India and create one million jobs over 15 years.

UPSC Prelims Pointers

• EFTA (European Free Trade Association) has four members: Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland — none of them in the EU.

• India–EFTA TEPA came into force in October 2026; it targets USD 100 billion investment and 1 million jobs over 15 years.

• Switzerland is India's 15th largest trading partner, with bilateral trade of about USD 19.55 billion in FY 2024-25.

• The Swiss Federal Council (a seven-member collective executive) rotates the ceremonial presidency annually; Guy Parmelin held this post during the visit.

2. Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2026: Honouring Optogenetics

Basic Concept

The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine is awarded annually by the Nobel Assembly at the Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, as per the will of Alfred Nobel, and has been given since 1901 (alongside the Prizes in Physics, Chemistry, Literature, Peace, and the later-added Economic Sciences). Optogenetics is a technique that combines optics (light) and genetics: scientists introduce genes for light-sensitive proteins called opsins (such as channelrhodopsin, originally found in algae) into specific neurons, so that those neurons can be switched on or off simply by shining light on them. This allows researchers to establish cause-and-effect relationships between the activity of particular neurons and specific behaviours — something earlier, purely observational brain-imaging techniques could not do.

Core Context

The 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was announced on 5 October 2026 and awarded jointly to Karl Deisseroth (Stanford University, USA) and Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel (both from Germany) for their foundational work in developing optogenetics.

Latest Developments

• The prize carries a cash award of about 12 million Swedish kronor (roughly Rs 11.5 crore for 2026, after this year's increase in the Nobel sum), shared equally among the three laureates.

• Hegemann and Nagel's work identified and characterised channelrhodopsin, the light-sensitive ion channel that forms the molecular basis of optogenetics; Deisseroth's lab pioneered its use as a precise tool to control neurons in living animals.

• Optogenetics has since become a standard neuroscience research tool and holds promise for treating conditions such as Parkinson's disease, depression, epilepsy and certain forms of blindness by precisely modulating malfunctioning neural circuits.

UPSC Prelims Pointers

• The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine is awarded by the Karolinska Institute, Stockholm (not the Norwegian Nobel Committee, which awards only the Peace Prize).

• Optogenetics = optics + genetics; it uses light-sensitive opsin proteins (e.g., channelrhodopsin) to control neuron activity.

• The 2026 Medicine Nobel went to Karl Deisseroth (USA) and Peter Hegemann & Georg Nagel (Germany).

3. Coal Stock Depletion at India's Thermal Power Plants

Basic Concept

Thermal (coal-based) power plants still generate roughly 70% of India's electricity, making coal supply security central to the country's energy security. The Central Electricity Authority (CEA) prescribes a 'normative' coal stock (in days of consumption) that every plant should maintain as a buffer; a plant is classified as having a 'critical' stock when its reserves fall below 25% of this norm. Coal India Limited (CIL), a Maharatna public sector undertaking, supplies the bulk of domestic coal to power plants through long-term Fuel Supply Agreements, supplemented by e-auctions and imports.

Core Context

Multiple reports in late September and early October 2026 flagged a sharp depletion of coal stocks at Indian thermal power plants: a CRISIL report noted that the average cover had fallen to around nine days of consumption, with coal inventories dropping about 42% to 29 million tonnes in August 2026, while government data showed a large number of plants — estimates ranging from 59 to over 80 — holding stocks more than 25% below the normative level.

Latest Developments

• Industry trackers describe this as the sharpest coal-stock decline in three years, far outpacing comparable declines of 36.8% in 2023 and 31.8% in 2024 for the same period.

• The depletion comes even as electricity demand remains near record highs, driven by festive-season and industrial consumption, squeezing the buffer available to generators.

• The Power Ministry is reportedly considering a mandate requiring greater blending of imported coal with domestic coal to shore up stocks, while rising coal prices are already pressuring the profit margins of thermal generating companies.

UPSC Prelims Pointers

• CEA (Central Electricity Authority) sets the 'normative' coal stock norm; 'critical' stock is below 25% of this norm.

• Coal India Limited (CIL) is the dominant domestic coal supplier to power utilities.

• Thermal power contributes roughly 70% of India's total electricity generation.

4. 3D Concrete Printing for Rural Housing: Andhra Pradesh's PMAY-G 2.0 Pilot

Basic Concept

The Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana–Gramin (PMAY-G) is the Centre's flagship scheme to provide pucca (permanent) houses with basic amenities to eligible rural households; PMAY-G 2.0 is its expanded, enhanced-target successor phase. 3D Concrete Printing (3DCP) is a form of additive manufacturing in construction: a computer-controlled nozzle deposits a specially formulated cement-based mix layer by layer to build walls and structures directly from a digital design, without conventional brick-and-mortar masonry or extensive shuttering/formwork. It is already used in a few showcase government buildings in India and is now being extended to mass rural housing.

Core Context

On 4 October 2026, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, along with Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, launched a pilot project to build rural houses using 3DCP technology under PMAY-G 2.0, simultaneously handing over the first instalment of funds for 3 lakh PMAY-G 2.0 houses sanctioned for the state.

Latest Developments

• Andhra Pradesh has an overall PMAY-G 2.0 house allocation of about 9 lakh units, and the state government is positioning 3DCP as a low-cost, faster alternative to conventional construction for a part of this target.

• 3DCP is expected to reduce construction time, material wastage and dependence on skilled masons, while allowing for climate-resilient, customisable designs.

• The move is part of a broader national push to use modern, cost-effective construction technologies (also seen in Light House Projects under the earlier Global Housing Technology Challenge) to accelerate the 'Housing for All' goal.

UPSC Prelims Pointers

• PMAY-G provides central assistance for construction of pucca houses for eligible rural households; PMAY-G 2.0 is its latest phase.

• 3D Concrete Printing (3DCP) is a layer-by-layer additive manufacturing technique for construction.

• The pilot was launched in Andhra Pradesh on 4 October 2026.

5. Centres of Excellence for India's Newest Classical Languages

Basic Concept

India currently recognises eleven languages as 'Classical Languages': Tamil (2004), Sanskrit (2005), Kannada and Telugu (2008), Malayalam (2013), Odia (2014), and — most recently — Marathi, Pali, Prakrit, Assamese and Bengali, all granted this status by the Union Cabinet in October 2024. The classification rests on criteria framed by the Ministry of Culture: high antiquity of early texts (roughly 1,500–2,000 years), a body of ancient literature considered a valuable heritage, and a literary tradition that is original and not borrowed from another speech community. Classical status makes a language eligible for setting up Centres of Excellence, international awards for scholars, and Chairs in central universities to promote its study.

Core Context

In early October 2026, the Ministry of Education approved the establishment of five Centres of Excellence (CoEs) — one each for Classical Assamese, Classical Bengali, Classical Marathi, Classical Pali and Classical Prakrit — to be set up at central universities for focused teaching, research and preservation of these languages.

Latest Developments

• Each CoE is intended to undertake manuscript preservation, translation of classical texts, and advanced research and teaching dedicated to its respective language.

• The initiative operationalises the 2024 Cabinet decision and aligns with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020's emphasis on promoting India's linguistic and literary heritage, including classical and indigenous knowledge systems.

• Assam has separately announced that it will celebrate a 'Bhasha Gaurav Week' to mark Assamese's classical language status.

UPSC Prelims Pointers

• India now has 11 Classical Languages; the five newest (added in October 2024) are Marathi, Pali, Prakrit, Assamese and Bengali.

• Tamil was the first language to get classical status (2004); Sanskrit followed in 2005.

• Classical status criteria are framed by the Ministry of Culture based on antiquity and originality of literary tradition.

6. Supreme Court Declines to Intervene in the Great Nicobar Project PIL

Basic Concept

The Great Nicobar Island Comprehensive Development Project involves an international container transshipment terminal, a greenfield international airport, a power plant and a township on Great Nicobar Island in the Andaman & Nicobar group. It has drawn sustained environmental and tribal-rights concern because the island hosts coral reefs, nesting sites of the giant leatherback turtle at Galathea Bay, tropical rainforest, and the Shompen and Nicobarese communities, who are notified as Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs). The Forest Rights Act, 2006, requires the informed consent of forest-dwelling communities, including PVTGs, before their forest rights are diverted for non-forest use such as large infrastructure projects.

Core Context

On 5 October 2026, the Supreme Court declined to stay proceedings before the Calcutta High Court on a PIL that alleges the Great Nicobar project's clearance violated forest-rights consent requirements for the Shompen and other PVTGs; the Court instead directed the Calcutta High Court to hear and decide the matter on fixed dates (25–26 November).

Latest Developments

• The Centre, defending the project's maintainability challenge, had argued that the project is of 'great national importance' and should not face prolonged litigation.

• Justice Joymalya Bagchi, on the bench, observed that 'preservation of culture is a constitutionally protected fundamental right,' underscoring the tribal-rights dimension of the case.

• The Calcutta High Court had earlier, in May 2026, already upheld the maintainability of the PIL against the Centre's objections, and will now proceed to hear the matter on merits.

UPSC Prelims Pointers

• PVTG = Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group; the Shompen of Great Nicobar are one such group.

• The Forest Rights Act, 2006 mandates consent of forest-dwelling communities before diversion of forest land for non-forest use.

• Galathea Bay on Great Nicobar is a nesting site of the giant leatherback turtle.

7. SEBI to Partly Reverse Its Derivative Settlement Rules

Basic Concept

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), the statutory regulator for India's securities markets, oversees how futures and options (F&O) contracts are settled against the closing price of the underlying stock on their expiry day. Earlier in 2026, SEBI had introduced a Closing Auction Session (CAS) — a short, order-matching window at the end of the trading day — to determine this reference closing price, intended to curb price manipulation around derivative expiry.

Core Context

SEBI announced around 5 October 2026 that it will partly reverse the CAS-based settlement mechanism for derivatives after market participants reported sharp, disruptive price swings on expiry days following its rollout, and after the regulator received close to 20,000 stakeholder suggestions on the issue.

Latest Developments

• In place of the closing auction for derivative settlement, SEBI will adopt the Volume-Weighted Average Price (VWAP) of the last 30 minutes of trading to determine settlement prices, for a trial period of at least one year.

• The Closing Auction Session will still be used for settling the underlying stocks themselves in relatively illiquid scrips, so the reversal is partial rather than a complete scrapping of CAS.

• The shift brings India's derivative-settlement methodology closer to practices followed in major US and European markets, and implementation is expected by the end of the month.

UPSC Prelims Pointers

• SEBI (Securities and Exchange Board of India) is the statutory regulator of India's securities market, established under the SEBI Act, 1992.

• VWAP = Volume-Weighted Average Price; CAS = Closing Auction Session.

• F&O (Futures & Options) contracts are settled with reference to the closing price of the underlying asset on expiry.

8. Pakistan and Türkiye to Deploy Forces in Saudi Arabia under the Mecca Defence Pact

Basic Concept

The Mecca (also called Makkah) Joint Defence Agreement is a trilateral mutual-defence pact signed by Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Türkiye in August 2026, under which an attack on one signatory is to be treated as an attack on all — a collective-security arrangement broadly comparable in spirit to NATO's Article 5. It emerged against the backdrop of rising tensions in West Asia, including repeated attacks by Yemen's Houthi movement (which controls large parts of Yemen and is widely understood to have Iranian backing) on shipping and on Saudi and Gulf targets.

Core Context

Around 5–6 October 2026, Pakistan, Türkiye and Saudi Arabia announced an agreement to rapidly deploy Pakistani and Turkish forces and military capabilities to Saudi Arabia, operationalising the Mecca Defence Agreement in response to escalating Houthi attacks.

Latest Developments

• The move marks the first concrete activation of the pact since it was signed, moving it from a paper commitment to actual force posturing in the Gulf region.

• It deepens Pakistan's and Türkiye's defence footprint in Saudi Arabia, with implications for the regional balance of power in West Asia.

• For India, the development is being watched closely given its deep energy dependence on and large diaspora presence in the Gulf, as well as its strategic partnerships with both Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

UPSC Prelims Pointers

• The Mecca (Makkah) Joint Defence Agreement was signed by Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Türkiye in August 2026.

• The Houthi movement controls large parts of Yemen and has repeatedly attacked shipping and Gulf targets.

• India maintains strategic partnerships with both Saudi Arabia and the UAE in the Gulf region.

9. States Move Against the Mines and Minerals (Amendment) Act, 2026

Basic Concept

The Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957 (MMDR Act) governs mining regulation in India under the framework of Entry 54 of the Union List (regulation of mines and mineral development) read with Entry 23 of the State List (regulation of mines subject to Union control) and Entry 50 of the State List (taxes on mineral rights, subject to any limitations imposed by Parliament). In 2024, a nine-judge Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court, in the Mineral Area Development Authority case, held that states have an independent, substantial power to levy taxes on mineral rights under Entry 50, distinct from the Centre's royalty regime — a major affirmation of fiscal federalism.

Core Context

States including Karnataka, Telangana, Himachal Pradesh and Kerala are preparing to move the Supreme Court against the MMDR Amendment Act, 2026, which they argue curbs their taxing powers over major minerals such as coal and iron ore by seeking to impose uniform mineral rates across the country, even as it leaves 49 'minor minerals' under state control.

Latest Developments

• The Centre defends the amendment as necessary to ensure predictable, uniform mineral pricing that supports ease of doing business and attracts investment in the mining sector.

• The challenging states contend that the amendment effectively nullifies the 2024 nine-judge bench ruling by using ordinary legislation to narrow a taxing power the Court had just affirmed, raising a fresh centre-state and judiciary-versus-legislature tension.

• The dispute is part of a wider pattern of friction over fiscal federalism in 2026, alongside debates on GST compensation, devolution formulae and resource-rich states' demands for a larger share of mineral revenue.

UPSC Prelims Pointers

• Entry 50 of the State List deals with taxes on mineral rights, subject to limitations Parliament may impose.

• The 2024 Mineral Area Development Authority case was decided by a nine-judge Supreme Court bench, affirming states' taxing power over mineral rights.

• The MMDR Amendment Act, 2026 is being challenged by states including Karnataka, Telangana, Himachal Pradesh and Kerala.

10. India's Expanding Supercomputing Ecosystem under the National Supercomputing Mission

Basic Concept

The National Supercomputing Mission (NSM) was launched in April 2015 with an outlay of Rs 4,500 crore, jointly steered by the Department of Science and Technology (DST) and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), and implemented by the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC), Pune, and the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru. Its goal is to build an indigenous high-performance computing (HPC) ecosystem — reducing India's dependence on imported supercomputing technology — primarily through the indigenously developed 'PARAM' series of supercomputers installed at institutions across the country. Computing capacity is measured in petaflops, where one petaflop equals one thousand trillion (10^15) floating-point calculations per second.

Core Context

Officials announced around 4–5 October 2026 that the NSM has deployed 40 supercomputing systems with a combined capacity of 68 petaflops (up from 37 systems and 40 petaflops reported in December 2025), supporting thousands of researchers nationwide.

Latest Developments

• These systems are being used for applications including artificial intelligence research, weather prediction and climate modelling, drug discovery, crop-yield forecasting, disease tracking, flood prediction, disaster management and astrophysics.

• Officials noted that India generates roughly 20% of the world's data, underlining the strategic need for indigenous HPC capacity rather than reliance on foreign infrastructure.

• Despite the expansion, India's cumulative HPC capacity remains far behind the world's most powerful systems, such as the USA's Frontier supercomputer, and silicon chip fabrication for these systems is still largely import-dependent.

UPSC Prelims Pointers

• NSM was launched in April 2015 with a Rs 4,500 crore outlay, jointly implemented by C-DAC Pune and IISc Bengaluru.

• One petaflop = 10^15 (one thousand trillion) floating-point operations per second.

• India's indigenous supercomputer series under NSM is named 'PARAM'.

11. First National Household Travel Survey Flags Access and Gender Gaps in Mobility

Basic Concept

The National Statistics Office (NSO), under the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI), conducts large-scale household surveys (such as the National Sample Survey rounds) to generate official data on India's social and economic indicators. The National Household Travel Survey (NHTS) is India's first dedicated, nationwide survey specifically designed to capture how households travel for work, education and other purposes — data that is essential for evidence-based transport and urban-planning policy, but which India had never systematically collected before at this scale.

Core Context

The NSO released the first results of the NHTS, conducted over July 2025 to June 2026, in early October 2026; the survey covered 4.92 lakh households comprising 20.34 lakh persons across the country.

Latest Developments

• The survey found that 66.4% of students travel one kilometre or more to reach their educational institutions, highlighting continuing last-mile access gaps in school and college infrastructure.

• It revealed a significant gender gap in work-related mobility: 61.9% of men undertake daily work trips compared to just 41.9% of women, reflecting both labour-force participation gaps and mobility-related barriers faced by women.

• Policymakers are expected to use this baseline data to design better public transport, last-mile connectivity and safety interventions, particularly for students and women commuters.

UPSC Prelims Pointers

• NHTS is India's first nationwide household travel survey, conducted by the NSO (MoSPI) over July 2025–June 2026.

• The survey covered 4.92 lakh households and 20.34 lakh persons.

• Key findings: 66.4% of students travel ≥1 km to school/college; daily work-trip rate is 61.9% for men versus 41.9% for women.

12. Maiden International Cargo Shipment from Upper Assam via the Brahmaputra

Basic Concept

National Waterway-2 (NW-2) is the stretch of the Brahmaputra river from Sadiya to Dhubri in Assam, notified as a national waterway for inland water transport. Under the India–Bangladesh Protocol on Inland Water Transit and Trade, vessels can move cargo between India's landlocked North-East and the sea via Bangladesh's river network, offering a far shorter and cheaper route than road transport through the 'Chicken's Neck' corridor. This river trade route was largely dormant for decades after the partition of 1947, which cut off Assam's traditional riverine access to the sea via East Bengal.

Core Context

In late September–early October 2026, the vessel 'DLB Patkai' carried 540 metric tonnes of methanol roughly 768 km from Dibrugarh, via NW-2 and the Indo-Bangladesh Protocol Route, to Dhaka, Bangladesh — the first international cargo shipment to originate from Upper Assam since Independence.

Latest Developments

• The shipment is seen as a landmark revival of Assam's historical riverine trade links, which flourished before 1947 but were severed by partition and never adequately restored.

• To build local capacity for this emerging trade, the government has also announced a Rs 200 crore Maritime Skill Development Centre aimed at training over 50,000 youth in riverine logistics and shipping-related skills.

• The development supports India's Act East Policy and North-East connectivity goals by opening a cost-effective export route for the region's industries, reducing dependence on congested road corridors.

UPSC Prelims Pointers

• National Waterway-2 (NW-2) runs along the Brahmaputra from Sadiya to Dhubri in Assam.

• The India–Bangladesh Protocol on Inland Water Transit and Trade enables riverine cargo movement between North-East India and Bangladesh.

• The Bogibeel Bridge (over the Brahmaputra in Assam) is India's longest rail-cum-road bridge.

13. India and Japan Adopt the Operational Manual for Their Joint Crediting Mechanism

Basic Concept

Article 6 of the Paris Agreement allows countries to cooperate voluntarily in achieving their climate targets, including through bilateral mechanisms that generate Internationally Transferred Mitigation Outcomes (ITMOs) — verified greenhouse-gas emission-reduction credits that can be transferred between countries. Japan's Joint Crediting Mechanism (JCM) is one such bilateral framework, under which Japan partners with developing countries to co-finance low-carbon technology projects (such as renewable energy, energy efficiency and waste management) and share the resulting emission-reduction credits.

Core Context

India and Japan formally adopted/launched the Operational Manual for their bilateral JCM in New Delhi in early October 2026, finalising the implementation rules needed to register and run joint projects under Article 6.2 of the Paris Agreement.

Latest Developments

• The Operational Manual lays down procedures for project registration, monitoring, verification and the issuance and transfer of ITMO credits between the two countries.

• The mechanism is expected to channel Japanese public and private finance and clean technology into Indian decarbonisation infrastructure projects, spanning renewable energy, energy efficiency and related sectors.

• This formalises India's engagement with Article 6 carbon markets through a bilateral route, complementing its participation in multilateral carbon-market mechanisms under the Paris Agreement.

UPSC Prelims Pointers

• Article 6.2 of the Paris Agreement enables bilateral/cooperative approaches and the transfer of ITMOs (Internationally Transferred Mitigation Outcomes) between countries.

• Japan's Joint Crediting Mechanism (JCM) is a bilateral carbon-credit framework Japan runs with multiple partner countries.

• India and Japan adopted their JCM Operational Manual in New Delhi in early October 2026.

14. Exercise Mountain Guardian 2026: India and UAE's First Joint Mountain-Warfare Drill

Basic Concept

India has steadily deepened its defence partnership with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) under the India–UAE Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (established 2017), which includes growing cooperation in defence manufacturing, logistics and joint exercises — alongside India's existing bilateral exercises with other partners such as Japan (Dharma Guardian) and the UAE-hosted multilateral air exercise Desert Flag. Joint military exercises help partner armed forces build interoperability, exchange tactical expertise, and strengthen strategic trust, particularly in specialised terrains such as high-altitude mountains.

Core Context

India and the UAE commenced their first-ever joint army exercise, 'Exercise Mountain Guardian 2026', in Uttarakhand in early October 2026, with around 90-plus troops from both sides training together in high-altitude mountain-warfare skills.

Latest Developments

• The exercise includes training in rock climbing and mountaineering techniques, drone-based surveillance, and joint counter-terrorism drills suited to mountainous terrain.

• It is the first exercise of its kind between the Indian Army and the UAE's armed forces, marking a new, army-to-army dimension in bilateral defence cooperation that has so far been more prominent in the naval and air domains.

• The drill is expected to enhance operational interoperability between the two militaries and lay the groundwork for an annual or recurring mountain-warfare exercise series.

UPSC Prelims Pointers

• 'Mountain Guardian 2026' is the first India-UAE joint army exercise, held in Uttarakhand.

• India's existing bilateral army exercises include Dharma Guardian (with Japan) and various exercises with other strategic partners.

• The India–UAE Comprehensive Strategic Partnership was established in 2017.

15. Practice MCQs

Practice MCQs

Q1. Consider the following statements regarding Optogenetics, for which the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded:
1. It combines the use of light with genetic engineering to control the activity of specific neurons.
2. The light-sensitive proteins used in this technique, called opsins, were originally discovered in bacteria that cause tuberculosis.
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: Optogenetics combines optics and genetics to switch specific neurons on or off using light. The key light-sensitive proteins (opsins), such as channelrhodopsin, were discovered in light-sensitive algae, not in any bacterium causing tuberculosis. Statement 2 is factually incorrect.

Q2. The European Free Trade Association (EFTA), with which India implemented a Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement (TEPA) in 2026, consists of which of the following countries?
1. Switzerland
2. Norway
3. Iceland
4. Liechtenstein
5. Germany
Select the correct answer using the code given below:

• (a) 1, 2 and 5 only

• (b) 1, 2, 3 and 4 only

• (c) 2, 3, 4 and 5 only

• (d) 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5

Answer: (b) 1, 2, 3 and 4 only

Explanation: EFTA has exactly four members — Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein — none of which is in the European Union. Germany is an EU member and not part of EFTA.

Q3. Which Ministries jointly steer India's National Supercomputing Mission (NSM)?

• (a) Ministry of Education and Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology

• (b) Department of Science and Technology and Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology

• (c) Ministry of Science and Technology and Ministry of Commerce and Industry

• (d) NITI Aayog and Department of Space

Answer: (b) Department of Science and Technology and Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology

Explanation: The National Supercomputing Mission, launched in 2015 with a Rs 4,500 crore outlay, is jointly steered by the Department of Science and Technology (DST) and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), and implemented by C-DAC, Pune and IISc, Bengaluru.

Q4. With reference to the recent Supreme Court proceedings on the Great Nicobar Island project, consider the following statements:
1. The petitioners allege that the project's clearance violated the consent requirements of the Forest Rights Act, 2006 concerning Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups.
2. Galathea Bay on Great Nicobar Island is a nesting site for the olive ridley turtle.
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: The PIL does concern alleged violations of forest-rights consent for PVTGs such as the Shompen under the Forest Rights Act, 2006. However, Galathea Bay is a nesting site for the giant leatherback turtle, not the olive ridley turtle, making Statement 2 incorrect.

Q5. The power of states to levy taxes on mineral rights, which is at the centre of the current dispute over the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Act, 2026, is derived from which entry of the Seventh Schedule to the Constitution?

• (a) Entry 23 of the State List

• (b) Entry 50 of the State List

• (c) Entry 54 of the Union List

• (d) Entry 17 of the Concurrent List

Answer: (b) Entry 50 of the State List

Explanation: Entry 50 of the State List empowers states to levy taxes on mineral rights, subject to any limitations imposed by Parliament by law relating to mineral development. A 2024 nine-judge Supreme Court bench affirmed this as a substantial, independent state power, which the 2026 amendment is now accused of curbing.

Q6. Consider the following statements regarding India's first National Household Travel Survey (NHTS):
1. It was conducted by the National Statistical Office under the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation.
2. Its findings show that a higher proportion of women than men undertake daily work-related trips.
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: The NHTS was indeed conducted by the NSO under MoSPI. However, the survey found the opposite gender pattern: 61.9% of men undertake daily work trips compared to only 41.9% of women, so Statement 2 is incorrect.

Q7. The 'Mecca (Makkah) Joint Defence Agreement', recently in the news for the deployment of forces to Saudi Arabia, is a trilateral pact among Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and which other country?

• (a) Egypt

• (b) Türkiye

• (c) Qatar

• (d) Iran

Answer: (b) Türkiye

Explanation: The Mecca (Makkah) Joint Defence Agreement, signed in August 2026, is a trilateral mutual-defence pact among Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Türkiye, under which the signatories agreed to treat an attack on one as an attack on all.