1. The ‘DAANVEER’ initiative, which invites citizens, CSR entities and the Indian diaspora to donate desktop computers to verified Gram Panchayats, is an initiative of which Union Ministry?
A. Ministry of Rural Development
B. Ministry of Panchayati Raj
C. Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology
D. Ministry of Cooperation
E. Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship
View Answer
Explanation: DAANVEER is a technology-enabled, people-led Computer Crowdsourcing Initiative of the Ministry of Panchayati Raj (MoPR). It lets individuals, philanthropic bodies, CSR partners and the diaspora directly purchase and donate standardised desktop computers to state-verified Gram Panchayats that lack IT hardware. The initiative complements infrastructure funding available under the Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan (RGSA) and aims to bridge the rural digital divide and strengthen grassroots digital governance through voluntary, transparent public contributions.
2. Under the DAANVEER initiative, a donor selects a verified Panchayat on which application and then completes the purchase through which ONDC-linked marketplace?
A. UMANG App and GeM portal
B. eGramSwaraj App and eNAM portal
C. Meri Panchayat App and DigiHaat
D. BharatNet App and Bharat Marketplace
E. Gram Manchitra App and TReDS
View Answer
Explanation: DAANVEER uses app-to-marketplace integration. A donor picks a state-verified Gram Panchayat on the Meri Panchayat App and is taken to DigiHaat, the ONDC-linked marketplace, with details pre-filled. Only Panchayats officially identified by States as lacking IT infrastructure are listed, hardware bundles are government-approved and standardised, and the donor can track payment, dispatch, delivery and receipt in real time. Once the Panchayat Secretary confirms delivery, the donor gets a verifiable Certificate of Appreciation.
3. NABARD signed an MoU for rural infrastructure and PPP financing with NaBFID. Which statement about NaBFID is correct?
A. It was set up in 2016 under the RBI Act, 1934, with headquarters in New Delhi
B. It was set up in 2021 under the NaBFID Act, 2021, with headquarters in Mumbai
C. It was set up in 2019 under the Companies Act, 2013, with headquarters in Chennai
D. It was set up in 2021 as a subsidiary of SIDBI, with headquarters in Lucknow
E. It was set up in 2023 under the Banking Regulation Act, 1949, with headquarters in Ahmedabad
View Answer
Explanation: The National Bank for Financing Infrastructure and Development was established in 2021 under the NaBFID Act, 2021, and is India’s Development Finance Institution (DFI) for infrastructure financing, headquartered in Mumbai with Rajkiran Rai G as Managing Director. Its MoU with NABARD aims to channel long-term, competitively priced finance into rural infrastructure and allied value chains, covering water and sanitation, irrigation, post-harvest storage and cold chains, terminal markets, rural roads and bridges, warehousing and compressed biogas projects.
4. The Banas Bio-CNG Model Plant inaugurated in Banaskantha district, Gujarat, is a joint initiative of Banas Dairy, Suzuki Motor Corporation and which third partner?
A. Indian Oil Corporation Limited
B. National Dairy Development Board
C. Indian Council of Agricultural Research
D. National Cooperative Dairy Federation of India
E. Gujarat State Fertilizers and Chemicals
View Answer
Explanation: The plant at Vinchhivadi in Dhanera taluka is a joint initiative of Banas Dairy, Suzuki Motor Corporation and the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB). It processes 100 metric tonnes per day of cattle dung through anaerobic digestion to produce clean fuel and organic fertiliser, promoting clean energy, the circular economy and extra income for livestock farmers. At the same event, nine taxis were flagged off under the country’s first rural cooperative-model “Gramin Bharat Taxi” service, in which drivers own their vehicles.
5. Under the new fortnightly sugar allocation system to be introduced from September, what minimum share of the allocation must mills sell in the first week?
A. 25 per cent
B. 30 per cent
C. 40 per cent
D. 50 per cent
E. 60 per cent
View Answer
Explanation: The Centre is replacing the monthly sugar quota system with a fortnightly allocation system from September. Mills must sell at least 40 per cent of their allocated quantity in the first week and the balance in the following week. They have also been directed to dispatch sold sugar within one week. The change is intended to smooth market supply, prevent bunching of sales and reduce price volatility in the domestic sugar market.
6. PM SVANidhi completed one year of its restructured phase on 27 August 2026. Up to which date has the scheme been extended?
A. 31 March 2027
B. 31 March 2028
C. 31 December 2029
D. 31 March 2030
E. 31 March 2032
View Answer
Explanation: PM SVANidhi has been extended up to 31 March 2030. The revamped scheme moves beyond pure credit to cover digital payments, social security linkage, financial inclusion and entrepreneurship support for street vendors. It continues to provide collateral-free working-capital loans with a 7 per cent interest subsidy on timely repayment, which builds a credit history for vendors who were earlier outside the formal financial system.
7. S&P Global Ratings flagged a risk of fiscal slippage while retaining a stable outlook on India. What is the Centre’s fiscal deficit target for FY27?
A. 3.9 per cent of GDP
B. 4.3 per cent of GDP
C. 4.9 per cent of GDP
D. 6.6 per cent of GDP
E. 7.3 per cent of GDP
View Answer
Explanation: The Centre’s FY27 fiscal deficit target is 4.3 per cent of GDP. S&P expects the Centre’s deficit to fall to 3.9 per cent by FY30, while the general government fiscal deficit, which combines the Centre and the States, is projected at 7.3 per cent of GDP in FY27, declining to 6.6 per cent by FY30. Despite flagging slippage risk, the agency retained a stable outlook on the sovereign rating.
8. Which of the following about the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana, which completed 12 years, is NOT correct?
A. It was launched on 28 August 2014 after being announced from the Red Fort on 15 August 2014
B. Its tagline is “Mera Khaata, Bhagya Vidhata”
C. It provides Basic Savings Bank Deposit accounts with no minimum balance requirement
D. It is implemented under the Department of Financial Services, Ministry of Finance
E. It is implemented under the Ministry of Rural Development through the JAM trinity
View Answer
Explanation: PMJDY is administered by the Department of Financial Services under the Ministry of Finance, not the Ministry of Rural Development. It is India’s National Mission for Financial Inclusion, anchored in the principle “Banking the Unbanked, Securing the Unsecured, Funding the Unfunded”. It offers Basic Savings Bank Deposit accounts with no minimum balance and integrates with Direct Benefit Transfers through the Jan Dhan-Aadhaar-Mobile (JAM) trinity, which does support the scheme.
9. The RBI relaxed access to its concessional dollar-rupee swap facility outside the designated weekly window. This applies to FCNR(B)-related transactions exceeding what amount?
A. USD 25 million
B. USD 50 million
C. USD 100 million
D. USD 250 million
E. USD 500 million
View Answer
Explanation: The RBI has allowed banks to access its concessional dollar-rupee swap facility outside their designated weekly window for FCNR(B)-related transactions exceeding USD 100 million. Banks receiving such large inflows can now use the facility on the same day instead of waiting for their allotted day. The move reduces the lag between mobilisation of foreign currency non-resident deposits and their transfer to the RBI, easing liquidity management for banks.
10. India’s crude oil imports from Russia in August 2026 are estimated at about 2.1 million barrels per day. What share of India’s total crude imports does Russia still account for?
A. Less than 10 per cent
B. About 15 per cent
C. About 25 per cent
D. More than 40 per cent
E. More than 75 per cent
View Answer
Explanation: Russia remains India’s largest crude oil supplier, accounting for more than 40 per cent of India’s crude imports. August 2026 volumes of around 2.1 mbpd are lower than the record 2.6 mbpd seen in June and July. The decline is attributed to refinery maintenance schedules, reduced Russian availability and stronger buying competition from China, rather than to any weakening of Indian refining demand.
11. In the discussion on climate-proofing India’s food system, “diversified procurement” as a pillar mainly refers to which of the following?
A. Expanding MSP coverage beyond rice and wheat to millets, pulses and oilseeds suited to local climates
B. Allowing private traders to procure the entire marketable surplus of foodgrains
C. Importing foodgrains from a wider set of countries to diversify supply risk
D. Procuring foodgrains only through cooperative societies instead of state agencies
E. Replacing physical procurement entirely with direct cash transfers to farmers
View Answer
Explanation: Climate-proofing means redesigning agricultural, procurement, storage and public distribution policy to withstand climate change, shifting from volumetric calorie production through monoculture towards sustainable food and nutrition security. Its five pillars are diversified procurement, a diversified PDS that adds millets and pulses to PM POSHAN and Anganwadi programmes, climate-proof storage such as flood-resilient silos and cold chains, weather-based planning using IMD forecasts, and sustainable farming with micro-irrigation, resilient seeds and weather-indexed insurance under PM Fasal Bima Yojana.
12. The world’s first Drought Resilience Index (DRI) and Drought Resilience Investment Facility (DRIF) were launched at which international forum?
A. UNFCCC COP30
B. UNCCD COP17
C. CBD COP17
D. Ramsar COP15
E. UN Water Conference 2026
View Answer
Explanation: A new global drought resilience architecture was launched at UNCCD COP17 to shift the world from reactive crisis response to proactive preparedness. The DRI is the first comprehensive technical metric of a country’s systemic capacity to withstand drought, using AI-powered analytics and vulnerability mapping to guide policy and investment. The DRIF is the first global catalytic financing platform dedicated to drought resilience, using public capital to de-risk investment and unlock larger institutional and private finance flows.
13. Ammannia telanganensis, a newly described freshwater flowering plant from Telangana, belongs to which plant family?
A. Asteraceae
B. Fabaceae
C. Lythraceae
D. Poaceae
E. Orchidaceae
View Answer
Explanation: Ammannia telanganensis is an annual, herbaceous, semi-aquatic plant of the Lythraceae or loosestrife family, described in the international taxonomy journal Phytotaxa. It grows in wet sandy soils along seasonal streams, temporary puddles and marshy margins of freshwater bodies, and was recorded at Narsingi and Gachibowli in Rangareddy district and at Vatwarlapalle in the Amrabad Tiger Reserve, Nagarkurnool district. It flowers and fruits from November to February alongside Ammannia multiflora and Rotala species.
14. R. Praggnanandhaa became the first Indian to win the Grand Chess Tour Finals in 2026. Whom did he defeat in the final?
A. Magnus Carlsen
B. Fabiano Caruana
C. Hikaru Nakamura
D. Ding Liren
E. Levon Aronian
View Answer
Explanation: Indian Grandmaster R. Praggnanandhaa won the Grand Chess Tour 2026 Finals by defeating Fabiano Caruana 15-13 in the final held at the Saint Louis Chess Club. He became the first Indian champion in the history of the Grand Chess Tour and collected a winner’s prize of USD 200,000, adding to a strong run for Indian chess in international circuit events.
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