1. The African Great Green Wall has evolved from a tree-planting project to a landscape-based approach integrating agroforestry and climate adaptation.
2. The Aravalli Green Wall Project in India aims to act as a natural wind-break against dust storms from the Thar Desert.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Statement 1 – Correct: The Great Green Wall, launched by the African Union in 2007, initially focused on creating a continuous tree belt to halt desertification. However, it now follows a “mosaic” model of sustainable land management — combining agroforestry, soil and water conservation, livelihood creation, and climate adaptation.
Statement 2 – Correct: India’s Aravalli Green Wall Project (2023) seeks to combat land degradation and desertification along the Aravalli range. It also functions as a wind-break to reduce dust storms and the eastward spread of the Thar Desert, thereby improving air quality in northern India.
1. It is an autonomous statutory body under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI).
2. It is the designated national depository for all digital financial instruments, including electronic Bank Guarantees.
3. It operates under the administrative oversight of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) for e-Governance–related integration.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Statement 1 – Incorrect: NeSL is not a statutory body. It is a private limited company incorporated under the Companies Act, 2013, and registered with the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI) as India’s first Information Utility (IU) under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC), 2016. It is regulated by IBBI but not an autonomous or statutory organization.
Statement 2 – Incorrect: NeSL is not a national depository for all digital financial instruments. It specifically handles authenticated financial information related to debts and guarantees (such as e-BGs) but does not act as a universal repository like NSDL or CDSL. Its primary role is to maintain verified records of financial obligations and claims for insolvency resolution, not general depository functions.
Statement 3 – Correct: For the Electronic Bank Guarantee (e-BG) framework, NeSL operates in technical and administrative collaboration with the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) through the National e-Governance Division (NeGD). This collaboration enables integration with Entity Locker and other Digital India initiatives, promoting paperless governance and interoperability across departments.
1. They are legally valid only when issued through banks empanelled by the Reserve Bank of India under the e-BG framework.
2. Every e-BG is digitally signed, e-stamped, and stored with the National E-Governance Services Limited (NeSL) for verification.
3. Integration with the National e-Governance Division (NeGD) enables beneficiaries to access e-BGs via the Entity Locker platform.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Statement 1 – Incorrect: There is no RBI-specific empanelment for banks under the e-BG framework. Any scheduled commercial bank can issue an e-BG provided it follows RBI/IBA guidelines and uses the NeSL platform for secure execution and storage.
Statement 2 – Correct: Each e-BG is digitally executed using e-stamp and digital signature, and is securely stored with NeSL, India’s first Information Utility registered under the IBBI. This ensures authenticity and tamper-proof record-keeping.
Statement 3 – Correct: In 2025, NeSL and NeGD signed an MoU integrating e-BG access with the Entity Locker system, allowing beneficiaries and applicants to retrieve e-BGs through this MeitY platform.
1. e-NAM recently expanded its scope to include value-added and processed agricultural products to enhance farmers’ market access and price realization.
2. The platform facilitates interstate trade of agricultural commodities among APMC-linked mandis.
3. The Directorate of Marketing and Inspection (DMI) operates the e-NAM portal and conducts the online bidding process.
4. Every commodity listed on e-NAM is automatically eligible for procurement at the Minimum Support Price (MSP).
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Statement 1 – Correct: In 2025, the government broadened e-NAM’s coverage to include value-added and processed commodities such as mustard oil, mentha oil, and lavender oil. This expansion aims to strengthen digital agricultural marketing and ensure better price realization through quality-linked trading.
Statement 2 – Correct: e-NAM enables interstate trading, and the first such trade took place when apples from Jammu & Kashmir were sold to a mandi in Maharashtra, marking a milestone in true market integration.
Statement 3 – Incorrect: The DMI develops tradable parameters and quality standards but does not operate or manage the e-NAM portal. The Small Farmers’ Agribusiness Consortium (SFAC) implements and manages the platform.
Statement 4 – Incorrect: Listing on e-NAM does not automatically make a commodity eligible for MSP procurement. MSP is announced separately for select crops and is not linked to e-NAM trading.
Expansion of Coverage: Nine new commodities have been added to e-NAM. The total number of tradable items is now 247.
Purpose of Expansion: Wider access to a transparent, digital trading platform across India. Better market linkage and price discovery.
Consultation Process: DMI framed quality parameters after consultations with states, traders, experts, and SFAC.
Approval: Approved by the Union Minister of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan.
Quality-based Pricing: Standardized parameters link prices to quality. Ensures fair value and reduces dependence on middlemen.
New Commodities Added:
- Green Tea
- Tea
- Aswagandha Dry Roots
- Mustard Oil
- Lavender Oil
- Mentha Oil
- Virgin Olive Oil
- Lavender Dried Flower
- Broken Rice
Farmer Benefits: Greater reach, improved price realization, and stronger bargaining power.
Platform Reach: With 247 commodities tradable, e-NAM continues to grow as a transparent and inclusive marketplace.
1. The National Logistics Policy integrates digital systems and infrastructure development through coordination with PM GatiShakti.
2. PM GatiShakti supports both brownfield optimisation and greenfield asset creation through integrated planning.
3. Multimodal Logistics Parks are multimodal freight hubs (aggregation, storage, value-add), not limited to port–cluster linkages.
4. India’s performance in the World Bank LPI (and LEADS) is used as a benchmark under the National Logistics Policy.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
S1 — Correct: The National Logistics Policy (NLP) aligns digital reforms such as ULIP and e-Logs with infrastructure planning under PM GatiShakti, ensuring integration between digital and physical layers of logistics.
S2 — Correct: PM GatiShakti functions as an integrated planning framework supporting both new (greenfield) infrastructure creation and optimization of existing (brownfield) assets — such as the National Master Plan (NMP) and Bharatmala expressways.
S3 — Correct: Multimodal Logistics Parks (MMLPs) are multimodal freight hubs facilitating aggregation, storage, value addition, and distribution. They integrate road, rail, air, and waterways — not limited to port–cluster linkages.
S4 — Correct: The NLP tracks progress through benchmarking indicators like the World Bank’s Logistics Performance Index (LPI) and India’s LEADS index.
1. It aims to conserve dispersing tigers outside protected reserves through a landscape-level approach.
2. It excludes Northeastern tiger habitats, as tiger populations there are not part of the national metapopulation framework.
3. It links AI-based conflict warning systems with community participation through “Bagh Mitra” and youth-led Rapid Response Teams.
4. It treats tiger reserves as the sole focus of funding and monitoring activities.
How many of the above statements are correct?
Statement 1 – Correct: The TOTR project focuses on conserving tigers living and dispersing outside protected reserves through a landscape-level approach that integrates corridors, buffer areas, and human-use zones.
Statement 2 – Incorrect: It includes Northeastern states such as Assam and Arunachal Pradesh among the 17 tiger-range states. There is no exclusion based on metapopulation density or connectivity.
Statement 3 – Correct: TOTR integrates AI-based human–wildlife conflict warning systems with community engagement through “Bagh Mitra” volunteers and youth-led Rapid Response Teams, linking technology with local participation.
Statement 4 – Incorrect: The project extends beyond tiger reserves, targeting non-reserve landscapes for monitoring, habitat improvement, and coexistence strategies — reserves are not its sole focus.
1. It was established by an act of Parliament in 1963.
2. It only provides financial assistance to primary cooperatives (not state or federal level cooperatives).
3. Its operational domain includes marketing, storage, processing, and export of agricultural produce via cooperatives.
4. Its head office is located in New Delhi.
Which of the above statements are correct?
Statement 1 – Correct: NCDC is a statutory corporation established under an Act of Parliament in 1963 to promote cooperative development in India.
Statement 2 – Incorrect: NCDC does not limit financial assistance to primary cooperatives. It extends support to state-level, multi-state, and national federations, enabling cooperative growth at multiple tiers.
Statement 3 – Correct: Its functions include planning and promoting programmes for marketing, processing, storage, export, and import of agricultural produce and other commodities through cooperatives.
Statement 4 – Correct: The headquarters of the NCDC is located in New Delhi.
GOBAR-DHAN: Aims to convert cattle dung and organic farm waste into bio-CNG and compost, promoting circular rural economies.
SATAT: Seeks to establish Compressed Biogas (CBG) plants and promote clean fuel adoption for transportation and industry.
National Policy on Biofuels, 2018: Serves as the umbrella framework for promoting advanced biofuels, including ethanol, biodiesel, and CBG, while encouraging technological innovation.
Pradhan Mantri Urja Ganga (PMUG): Not a biofuel or biogas initiative. It focuses on natural gas infrastructure development — expanding gas pipeline networks under the “Urja Ganga” project. It does not directly relate to biofuel policy or biogas promotion.
1. It is located in Kopargaon, Maharashtra.
2. The project embodies the principle of a circular economy by converting agricultural and sugarcane by-products into clean energy and bio-fertilizers.
3. It is being supported by the National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC).
Which of the above statements are correct?
Statement 1 – Correct: The plant is located in Kopargaon, Ahilyanagar district of Maharashtra. It is India’s first cooperative multi-feed Compressed Biogas (CBG) plant, inaugurated in 2025.
Statement 2 – Correct: The project embodies the circular economy model by converting sugarcane by-products such as press-mud, molasses, and jaggery waste into compressed biogas (CBG) and bio-fertilizer. It integrates bio-energy and nutrient recovery, reducing emissions and dependency on imports.
Statement 3 – Correct: The initiative is financially supported by the National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC) under the Ministry of Cooperation. It aims to promote farmer-led energy enterprises and cooperative participation in renewable energy.
Exercise KONKAN-25: A bilateral naval exercise between the Indian Navy and the United Kingdom’s Royal Navy, conducted off India’s western coast in 2025.
Significance: This was the first edition to involve both nations’ aircraft carriers — INS Vikrant and HMS Prince of Wales — marking a new milestone in Indo-UK maritime cooperation and interoperability.
Objective: To enhance joint operational capability, maritime security coordination, and interoperability between the two navies through complex sea-based operations.