UPSC Current Affairs Quiz, 4 August 2026

Explanation

SDN1 (Site Directed Nuclease 1) does NOT introduce exogenous (foreign) DNA. Like SDN2, it mutates a native gene in its native location to create an alternative allele with an altered expression and function. The mutants produced by both SDN1 and SDN2 are free of externally introduced DNA and are indistinguishable from spontaneous or induced mutants. Precisely because of this, both SDN1 and SDN2 products are exempted from biosafety regulation under Rules 7–11 of the Environment Protection (Rules) 1989, under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. Pair 1 is therefore incorrectly described — it falsely attributes 'foreign DNA introduction' to SDN1, which is actually the distinguishing feature of the more tightly regulated SDN3 category. Pair 2 is correctly described for SDN2.

Explanation

Statement 1 is correct: CAQM was established under the Commission for Air Quality Management in NCR and Adjoining Areas Act, 2021, and its directions carry statutory force — they are legally binding on all bodies within its jurisdiction, a significant upgrade over the predecessor EPCA which lacked such statutory backing. Statement 2 is correct: the CAQM Act empowers the Commission to issue statutory directions that can delegate enforcement powers — including the power to prosecute violators before a Judicial Magistrate — to Urban Local Bodies and Municipal Corporations within the NCR, as illustrated by the expansion of such powers to additional ULBs for dust-control enforcement at C&D sites. Statement 3 is false on two counts: GRAP is not triggered by market mechanisms — it is an emergency response framework activated by administrative decision based on Air Quality Index (AQI) thresholds, and CAQM has a direct statutory role in its implementation and enforcement, including issuing directions specifically referencing the GRAP Schedule for C&D activities. The GRAP framework predates CAQM (it was originally developed by EPCA and approved by the Supreme Court), but CAQM now oversees and enforces it under statutory authority.

Explanation

Pair 1 is correctly matched: FAME India Phase II (operational from April 2019 to March 2024) provided demand incentives for e-2W, e-3W and e-4W vehicles, subsidies for e-buses, and support for setting up EV public charging stations — a classic demand-side plus infrastructure push. Pair 3 is also correctly matched: the PM e-Bus Service – PSM scheme, notified in October 2024, specifically aims to provide payment security to e-bus operators when Public Transport Authorities default on payments, making it a financial risk-mitigation mechanism rather than a direct manufacturing or demand scheme. Pair 2 is incorrectly matched: the PLI scheme for ACC Battery Storage is focused on establishing a competitive domestic manufacturing ecosystem for Advanced Chemistry Cells (batteries themselves) — not for automotive technology products broadly. It is the PLI-Auto scheme that targets advanced automotive technology (AAT) products including EVs. The ACC-PLI scheme's purpose is battery-cell manufacturing, which is a distinct upstream input industry, not automotive manufacturing per se. Aspirants must distinguish between PLI-Auto (vehicle and component manufacturing) and ACC-PLI (battery cell manufacturing) — two separate PLI instruments with different industry targets.

Explanation

Statement 1 is correct. E20 refers to a blend of 20% ethanol and 80% petrol. India's National Biofuel Policy and the Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) Programme have set progressive blending targets — with E20 as the target blend — to reduce crude oil imports, cut carbon emissions, and support domestic sugarcane and grain farmers. Statement 2 is incorrect. Ethanol has a lower calorific value (energy content per litre) than petrol, not a higher one. As a result, vehicles running on higher ethanol blends such as E20 typically experience a reduction in fuel economy — commonly estimated at around 2–6% for E20 — because more fuel must be burned to deliver the same energy output. This is a well-established concern with ethanol blending and a central point of criticism from consumers and vehicle manufacturers.