UPSC Current Affairs Quiz, 1 November 2026

Explanation

A Verifiable Credential (VC) is a W3C-standard construct — a cryptographically signed digital attestation that the holder keeps in their own device wallet. The key feature is that the credential is device-resident and user-controlled, not held by a centralised government server; this is precisely what makes the model 'self-sovereign.' NFC (Near Field Communication) is a short-range radio-frequency technology used to read the encrypted chip in an e-passport; this chip contains biographic data and a digital signature issued by the issuing government, allowing software to verify that the passport has not been tampered with. Both pairs 1 and 2 are therefore correctly described. Pair 3, however, inverts the defining principle of self-sovereign identity (SSI). Under SSI, the user — not a central authority — controls and selectively discloses their identity data. A model in which a central authority manages and shares user data on the user's behalf is the traditional federated-identity or centralised model, which is the conceptual opposite of SSI. Because pair 3 mischaracterises SSI as a centralised architecture, it is incorrectly matched, making '1 and 2 only' the correct answer.

Explanation

Statement 1 is correct. The Indian cheetah (Asiatic subspecies, Acinonyx jubatus venaticus) was declared extinct in India in 1952. Because no viable Asiatic cheetah population exists in the wild outside Iran, Project Cheetah sources African cheetahs (A. j. jubatus) from Namibia and South Africa — a fact confirmed by the presence of South African cheetahs at Kuno under the reintroduction programme. Statement 2 is correct. Kuno was upgraded from a Wildlife Sanctuary to a National Park in 2018 and is governed under Section 35 of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. National Parks represent the strictest protected-area category under Indian law — no grazing, no human habitation, and no resource extraction is ordinarily permissible inside a National Park, making it suitable as an apex carnivore habitat. Statement 3 is incorrect. The IUCN (2013) Guidelines for Reintroductions and Other Conservation Translocations define a 'reintroduction' strictly as the intentional movement and release of an organism within its indigenous range from which it has disappeared, using individuals of the same (sub)species. Because the Indian cheetah was the Asiatic subspecies and the animals being brought in are the African subspecies, the Kuno project does not satisfy this strict definition. Under IUCN terminology, it would more accurately be classified as a 'conservation introduction' or 'assisted colonisation' — moving a taxon outside its indigenous range to achieve a conservation benefit. This distinction matters for evaluating whether the project meets international best-practice norms for wildlife reintroduction.

Explanation

Pair 1 is correctly matched: inverter ride-through settings (also called low-voltage and frequency ride-through) are configurations that allow rooftop solar inverters to stay connected to the grid during brief deviations in voltage or frequency, preventing a cascade of simultaneous disconnections that can deepen a generation deficit. Pair 2 is incorrectly matched: Under Frequency Load Shedding (UFLS) automatically disconnects selected electrical loads (i.e., demand/consumers), not generation sources, in order to reduce demand and thereby stabilise grid frequency when supply suddenly falls short. UFLS is a demand-side emergency tool, not a supply-side one. Pair 3 is correctly matched: non-dispatchable generation refers to renewable sources such as rooftop solar and wind whose output is weather-dependent and cannot be commanded to increase or decrease output in the way that conventional dispatchable plants (coal, hydro, gas) can be. The distinction between dispatchable and non-dispatchable generation is foundational to understanding grid frequency management challenges as India scales up rooftop solar.

Explanation

Pair 1 is correctly matched: the Finance Commission is a constitutional body established under Article 280 of the Constitution. It is constituted every five years (or earlier) and its core mandate includes recommending the distribution of central taxes between the Union and the States. Pair 2 is correctly matched: tax devolution refers to the transfer of a specified share of the divisible pool of central taxes to the States. The divisible pool comprises most central taxes (excluding cesses and surcharges earmarked for specific purposes), and the Finance Commission recommends the percentage share — currently 41% — to be transferred. Pair 3 is incorrectly matched: Article 275 of the Constitution deals with grants-in-aid from the Consolidated Fund of India to States, not with the constitution of the Finance Commission. Confusing Article 275 (grants-in-aid) with Article 280 (Finance Commission) is a common error; these are two distinct fiscal-federalism instruments — devolution is formula-based and mandatory, while grants-in-aid are discretionary supplements recommended by the Finance Commission for specific needs.

Explanation

Statement 1 is incorrect: designated protest sites are an administrative mechanism created by governments to balance competing rights — they have no constitutional or statutory mandate. The Constitution guarantees the right to peaceful assembly under Article 19(1)(b), but does not require governments to earmark specific sites; such sites are a convenience measure, not a constitutional prerequisite. Statement 2 is correct: in Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan (2018), the Supreme Court upheld the right to protest as sacrosanct, set aside the National Green Tribunal's blanket ban on protests at Jantar Mantar, and designated it as a protest site subject to prior permissions — including conditions on crowd size — to be obtained from the administration to facilitate (not obstruct) protests. This reflects the classic Article 19(2) and 19(3) framework: the right is fundamental but subject to reasonable, proportionate regulation. Statement 3 is incorrect: in Amit Sahni (2020), the Shaheen Bagh case, the Supreme Court held precisely the opposite — the right to peaceful protest cannot be stretched to a point where it severely disrupts the daily lives of other citizens (such as commuters). The Court drew a clear line between protected protest and impermissible indefinite blockade of public thoroughfares, reinforcing that Article 19(1)(b) rights are subject to reasonable restrictions in the interest of public order and the rights of others.