1. India’s first non-GMO high-expansion popcorn maize hybrid seed was developed with which ICAR institute?
A. ICAR-Indian Institute of Maize Research
B. ICAR-Indian Institute of Millets Research
C. ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute
D. ICAR-Indian Institute of Seed Science
E. ICAR-National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources
View Answer
Explanation: Vice-President C. P. Radhakrishnan launched the hybrid at Musunuru in Eluru district of Andhra Pradesh, in association with Gourmet Popcornica. Non-GMO means the traits were built through conventional breeding, crossing selected parent lines over generations, rather than by inserting foreign genes. The commercial point is import substitution, since India’s premium popcorn processors have depended on imported hybrid seed technology.
2. In popcorn maize, high expansion is measured by which parameter?
A. Kernel weight per thousand grains
B. Expansion ratio, the volume of popped corn per unit of unpopped kernel
C. Starch content as a percentage of dry weight
D. Moisture retention at harvest
E. Days to physiological maturity
View Answer
Explanation: Expansion ratio is the commercial quality benchmark for popcorn maize because processors sell volume rather than weight, so a higher ratio yields more product from the same grain. This makes it a specialty crop distinct from ordinary field maize grown for feed or starch. A domestic hybrid meeting premium expansion standards strengthens farmer-market linkages by giving growers access to processor contracts.
3. Periyar Kullan, newly registered by NBAGR, is Kerala’s second indigenous cattle breed after which breed?
A. Vechur
B. Punganur
C. Kasaragod Dwarf
D. Malabari
E. Attappady Black
View Answer
Explanation: Registration is carried out by the ICAR-National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources at Karnal, Haryana, which maintains India’s official record of animal genetic resources. Vechur is the world’s smallest cattle breed at roughly 130 kg, while Periyar Kullan weighs 150 to 200 kg and yields 2.5 to 4 litres of A2 beta-casein milk daily. Formal registration matters because it makes a breed eligible for conservation support under programmes such as the Rashtriya Gokul Mission.
4. Periyar Kullan cattle are reared mainly under which system?
A. Intensive stall-fed dairying
B. Semi-feral and silvopastoral systems
C. Transhumant migratory herding
D. Zero-grazing commercial units
E. Feedlot fattening systems
View Answer
Explanation: Silvopastoral means trees, forage and livestock share the same land, and these cattle graze mixed vegetation in rubber and spice plantations and forest fringes with minimal human management. Their range covers riverine and plantation belts of Ernakulam and Thrissur districts, around Koovappady, Angamaly, Kothamangalam and Chalakudy. The breed is also known locally as Kuttampuzha cattle and Andukanni.
5. Carbosulfan, proposed for a ban, belongs to which class of insecticides?
A. Organochlorine
B. Organophosphate
C. Carbamate
D. Pyrethroid
E. Neonicotinoid
View Answer
Explanation: Carbamates act as acetylcholinesterase inhibitors, disrupting nerve signal transmission, and the government’s concern is the absence of any known antidote in case of accidental exposure. The proposed ban under the Insecticides Act, 1968 would cover manufacture, import, transport, distribution, sale and use. An expert panel constituted on 14 January submitted its report on 12 June, following the pattern of earlier reviews under the Anupam Verma Committee.
6. As per the RBI August Bulletin, the southwest monsoon rainfall deficit improved from minus 35.4 per cent at June-end to what level at July-end?
A. Minus 25 per cent
B. Minus 20 per cent
C. Minus 13 per cent
D. Minus 8 per cent
E. Minus 3 per cent
View Answer
Explanation: By 24 August the shortfall had narrowed further to just minus 1 per cent, effectively erasing the June scare. The RBI tracks monsoon performance closely because a weak kharif season feeds into food inflation, rural demand and the credit quality of agricultural lending. A June deficit that recovers in July is far less damaging than a uniform shortfall, since sowing windows for most kharif crops remain open into July.
7. The kharif sowing deficit reported in the RBI August Bulletin narrowed from minus 22 per cent to what figure?
A. Minus 15.4 per cent
B. Minus 11.7 per cent
C. Minus 8.1 per cent
D. Minus 2.9 per cent
E. Minus 0.4 per cent
View Answer
Explanation: Sowing area recovers faster than rainfall statistics because farmers hold seed and simply wait for adequate soil moisture before planting. Bringing acreage to within 3 per cent of normal substantially reduces the risk of a kharif output shortfall, which is what eases the agricultural risk the Bulletin flags. Yield, however, still depends on rainfall distribution during the grain-filling stage rather than on sown area alone.
8. The Garbhini Mitra course launched by the All India Institute of Ayurveda functions under which ministry?
A. Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
B. Ministry of Ayush
C. Ministry of Women and Child Development
D. Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship
E. Ministry of Education
View Answer
Explanation: AIIA, New Delhi is an autonomous premier institution under Ayush, and the six-month offline course begins in the 2026-27 academic session. The programme deliberately trains non-clinical support personnel who offer lifestyle guidance, dietary advice and wellness assistance through pregnancy and the postpartum period. Crucially, the cadre is expected to facilitate timely referral to qualified medical professionals rather than substitute for clinical care.
9. Under Odisha’s Bidesh Sikhyabruti scheme, selected SC/ST students can receive assistance of up to how much per year?
A. Rs 10 lakh
B. Rs 15 lakh
C. Rs 20 lakh
D. Rs 25 lakh
E. Rs 40 lakh
View Answer
Explanation: Fifty students are selected annually, and eligibility is restricted to universities ranked among the top 200 in the QS World University Rankings. The ranking filter keeps the outlay focused on institutions where a foreign degree carries a clear labour-market premium. The scheme operates under the Mukhyamantri Medhabi Chhatra Protsahan Yojana.
10. NITI Aayog’s report ‘Reimagining Skilling for Viksit Bharat@2047’ identified how many youth aged 15 to 29 as not in education, employment or training?
A. 4.2 crore
B. 6.1 crore
C. 8.7 crore
D. 10.3 crore
E. 12.5 crore
View Answer
Explanation: The report also finds only 8.25 per cent of graduates employed in roles matching their qualifications, pointing to a mismatch problem rather than a pure shortage of jobs. Fewer than one in twelve secondary schools offer vocational subjects, which leaves the school system feeding almost everyone into a general academic track. A large NEET population is the clearest sign that the demographic dividend can turn into a liability without absorption pathways.
11. PNGRB approved about 1,800 km of LPG pipelines that will expand the common-carrier network from roughly 7,700 km to what length?
A. About 8,200 km
B. About 8,800 km
C. About 9,500 km
D. About 10,400 km
E. About 11,200 km
View Answer
Explanation: The projects span six states with an estimated investment of around Rs 7,000 crore, and include the Cherlapally-Nagpur, Jhansi-Sitarganj and Shikrapur-Goa-Hubli lines. Moving LPG by pipeline instead of road tankers cuts transport cost, road congestion and safety risk on a product that must otherwise travel in pressurised vessels. Common-carrier status means third-party marketers can book capacity, which is what keeps a pipeline monopoly contestable.
12. UPI, which completed ten years on 25 August 2026, accounted for roughly what share of India’s digital payments in FY26?
A. 62 per cent
B. 71 per cent
C. 78 per cent
D. 84 per cent
E. 92 per cent
View Answer
Explanation: Annual transaction volume rose from 1.78 crore in FY17 to more than 24,162 crore in FY26, with value climbing from Rs 0.07 lakh crore to around Rs 314 lakh crore. The scale of the jump reflects UPI’s interoperable design, where any app can reach any bank account through a common addressing layer. That volume growth, largely in small-value payments, is also why the pricing question for UPI remains unresolved.
13. In the Citigroup and Axis Bank partnership for NRI FCNR investments, what instrument will Axis Bank issue?
A. Standby Letters of Credit
B. Certificates of Deposit
C. Masala Bonds
D. Participatory Notes
E. Commercial Paper
View Answer
Explanation: Citigroup provides the financing through its offshore operations while the SBLC from Axis Bank serves as the credit backstop for that lending. FCNR deposits are held by non-resident Indians in foreign currency, so the exchange risk sits with the bank rather than the depositor. Arrangements that raise FCNR inflows are useful to policymakers because they add directly to foreign exchange reserves.
14. According to IRCC data, how many Indians were admitted as Canadian permanent residents in the first half of 2026?
A. 22,915
B. 31,480
C. 44,335
D. 58,260
E. 71,540
View Answer
Explanation: That is nearly one in four of the 1.8 lakh permanent residents Canada admitted in the period, far ahead of the Philippines at 13,475 and China at 9,630. India’s share has nevertheless slipped from about 30 per cent in 2023 to 25 per cent in 2025, when 98,830 Indians were admitted. India remains the world’s largest recipient of remittances and holds the largest overseas migrant population, around 18.5 million according to NITI Aayog.
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