1. Agri-tech startup Grow Indigo recently paid around 2,500 farmers for more than 57,000 agricultural carbon credits. What was notable about this payment?
A. It was routed entirely through the Compliance Carbon Market
B. It was made from the company’s own funds even though the credits were not yet fully sold
C. It was funded by a World Bank concessional line of credit
D. It was paid in the form of subsidised farm inputs rather than cash
E. It was restricted to farmers holding more than ten hectares
View Answer
Explanation: Farmers received Rs 3,000 to Rs 15,000 each. Paying before the credits find buyers shifts the market risk from the farmer to the aggregator, which matters because uncertain and delayed payouts have been the main reason smallholders hesitate to adopt carbon-farming practices.
2. According to the study by CSK Himachal Pradesh Krishi Vishvavidyalaya and Savannah Seeds, direct-seeded rice using SAVA-134 FullPage reduced methane emissions by nearly how much?
A. 30 per cent
B. 50 per cent
C. 65 per cent
D. 90 per cent
E. 100 per cent
View Answer
Explanation: Flooded paddy fields create anaerobic conditions in which methane-producing bacteria thrive, so avoiding continuous standing water sharply cuts emissions. The study also reported better water productivity and soil health, which is why DSR has become the main source of agricultural carbon credits in India.
3. One carbon credit generally represents the reduction or removal of how much greenhouse gas?
A. 100 kg of carbon dioxide equivalent
B. 500 kg of carbon dioxide equivalent
C. 1 tonne of carbon dioxide equivalent
D. 10 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent
E. 100 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent
View Answer
Explanation: The tonne of CO2-equivalent is the common unit that lets emissions of different gases be compared and traded. Agricultural carbon credits arise from practices that either cut emissions, as direct-seeded rice does with methane, or raise soil carbon storage, which is harder to measure and verify.
4. The Grass Mache technique developed by a Srinagar artisan uses which raw material?
A. Rice straw left after harvest in the Kashmir Valley
B. Aquatic weeds and grasses removed from Dal Lake
C. Willow twigs from Wular Lake wetlands
D. Waste wool from Pashmina processing
E. Discarded walnut shells from Kashmir orchards
View Answer
Explanation: The craft adapts Kashmir’s centuries-old papier-mache tradition. Dried weeds are turned into a fine fibrous pulp, mixed, moulded and dried into a natural, stone-like texture. It is a practical example of the circular economy, turning a waste stream from lake de-weeding into an input for livelihoods.
5. Dal Lake in Srinagar is managed by which authority?
A. Jammu and Kashmir Pollution Control Committee
B. National Mission for Clean Ganga
C. Lakes Conservation and Management Authority
D. Wetlands International South Asia
E. Central Water Commission
View Answer
Explanation: The LCMA was formerly known as LAWDA. Dal Lake is an urban lake suffering from eutrophication, encroachment and weed infestation, with Azolla, Salvinia, water hyacinth and Ceratophyllum as the main invasive weeds. Unlike Wular, Dal is not a Ramsar Site, though Wular, Hokersar, Surinsar-Mansar and Tsomoriri are.
6. Ophiopogon japonicus, recorded for the first time in India, was reported from which State?
A. Sikkim
B. Arunachal Pradesh
C. Meghalaya
D. Nagaland
E. Manipur
View Answer
Explanation: The evergreen perennial herb of the family Asparagaceae, known as dwarf lilyturf or mondo grass, was recorded from West Kameng district. It is mainly found in China, Japan and Korea at 200 to 2,800 metres, and its roots, called Ophiopogonis Radix or Maidong, are used in traditional East Asian medicine.
7. The Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana, which completed six years on 10 September 2026, was launched with an outlay of how much?
A. Rs 6,000 crore
B. Rs 11,040 crore
C. Rs 15,000 crore
D. Rs 20,050 crore
E. Rs 25,050 crore
View Answer
Explanation: PMMSY was launched in 2020 for FY2020-21 to FY2024-25 and later extended through FY2025-26. It is implemented by the Department of Fisheries under the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, and has both Central Sector and Centrally Sponsored Scheme components, a structure NABARD aspirants should note.
8. The CM Startup and NIPUN Mission approved by the Chhattisgarh Cabinet carries an outlay of how much, and over what period?
A. Rs 200 crore over three years
B. Rs 300 crore over five years
C. Rs 500 crore over five years
D. Rs 750 crore over seven years
E. Rs 1,000 crore over ten years
View Answer
Explanation: NIPUN stands for New-Age Industry Preparedness through Up-skilling of New Generation Youth. It will set up Entrepreneurship Development Centres in all 33 districts, five Centres of Excellence and 100 Emerging Technology Labs covering AI, Internet of Things, Big Data and Blockchain, with a NIPUN Job Engine linking trained youth to industry.
9. India’s foreign exchange reserves reached a record level in the week ended 4 September 2026. What was the total?
A. $685.7 billion
B. $704.9 billion
C. $740.8 billion
D. $785.7 billion
E. $812.4 billion
View Answer
Explanation: The weekly jump of $44.9 billion was itself a record, and reserves have risen by more than $100 billion since 5 June, when the concessional swap scheme was announced. FCNR(B) flows of about $127 billion exceeded expectations, taking India to the position of fourth-largest holder of reserves globally.
10. At the Global Fintech Fest 2026, which body was recognised by the RBI as the second Self-Regulatory Organisation for the fintech sector?
A. Fintech Association for Consumer Empowerment
B. Digital Lenders Association of India
C. Unified Fintech Forum
D. Payments Council of India
E. Bharat Fintech Federation
View Answer
Explanation: An SRO sets and enforces conduct standards within an industry, easing the regulator’s supervisory burden as the sector grows. At the same 7th edition in Mumbai, the RBI expanded Bharat Connect forex services to EUR, GBP, CAD, CHF and AED, and SEBI launched the Demat 2.0 pilot for corporate bond tokenisation using Distributed Ledger Technology.
11. The World Circular Economy Forum 2026, hosted by India at Gandhinagar, was created in 2017 on the initiative of which organisation?
A. United Nations Environment Programme
B. Ellen MacArthur Foundation
C. Sitra, the Finnish Innovation Fund
D. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
E. World Economic Forum
View Answer
Explanation: WCEF was created to mark the centenary of Finland’s independence. The 2026 edition at the Mahatma Mandir Convention Centre from 15 to 18 September is the 10th milestone edition and its debut in South Asia, themed “Circular Economy: Transition for People and Prosperity”, aimed at moving from a take-make-waste model to a regenerative one.
12. Cochin Shipyard Limited signed a 50:50 joint venture with UAE-based Drydocks World to expand the International Ship Repair Facility at Kochi. What is the total investment?
A. Rs 900 crore
B. Rs 1,200 crore
C. Rs 1,800 crore
D. Rs 2,400 crore
E. Rs 3,600 crore
View Answer
Explanation: Each partner invests Rs 900 crore. The venture pairs CSL’s shipbuilding and repair capability with Drydocks World’s expertise in vessel repair, maintenance, conversion and offshore EPC services. CSL is a Miniratna enterprise under the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, and ship repair is a focus area for import substitution.
13. Tata Steel commissioned India’s first Coke Oven Gas Injection Project at its Meramandali plant. Coke Oven Gas contains more than what proportion of hydrogen?
A. 25 per cent
B. 40 per cent
C. 55 per cent
D. 70 per cent
E. 85 per cent
View Answer
Explanation: COG is a hydrogen-rich by-product of coke production. Purified gas injected through tuyeres at Blast Furnace 1 partially replaces carbon-based reducing agents, cutting fossil-fuel use and emissions. The project at the Odisha plant supports Tata Steel’s Net Zero target for 2045, part of the wider push to decarbonise steel.
14. National Forest Martyrs Day, observed in India on 11 September, commemorates which historical event?
A. The Chipko Movement of 1973
B. The Khejarli Massacre of 1730
C. The Silent Valley agitation of 1978
D. The Bishnoi Sanctuary declaration of 1975
E. The Appiko Movement of 1983
View Answer
Explanation: The massacre took place in Rajasthan, where villagers died resisting the felling of khejri trees. The observance was designated by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change in 2013 and is commemorated at the National Forest Martyrs Memorial in Dehradun, honouring those who died protecting forests and wildlife.
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