UPSC Current Affairs Quiz, 12 October 2026

Explanation

Statement 1 is correct: India's trade agreements with the United Arab Emirates (the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, CEPA) and with Australia (ECTA) both entered into force in 2022, marking the beginning of India's revived FTA push. Statement 2 is a conceptual error: the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) — comprising Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein — is a distinct body from the European Union. An FTA with EFTA does not grant preferential access to the EU's single market; they are separate trade blocs with separate memberships and governance structures. Statement 3 is correct: India has concluded FTA negotiations with the European Union and has separately been seeking a trade agreement with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), both as part of its expanding trade diplomacy.

Explanation

Statement 1 is correct. The Indra Sawhney ruling established that the 50% ceiling on reservations is a binding constitutional principle — not a mere policy guideline — that embodies the constitutional balance between equality of opportunity (Articles 14, 16(1)) and affirmative action (Articles 15(4), 16(4)). It circumscribes state power regardless of the numerical strength of backward classes. Statement 2 is incorrect. The 103rd Constitutional Amendment (2019), which inserted Articles 15(6) and 16(6) to provide 10% EWS reservation, explicitly carved the EWS quota out of the general merit pool — it operates as a separate, additional category and was expressly designed not to disturb the existing reservation structure. Courts have clarified that this amendment does not obliterate the Indra Sawhney 50% ceiling applicable to SC/ST/OBC reservations, nor does it grant States legislative freedom to push backward-class reservation beyond 50%. Statement 3 is incorrect. Indra Sawhney did contemplate that exceptional circumstances (such as for extraordinary backwardness among communities in remote areas) could justify exceeding 50%, but this is an extremely narrow and judicially supervised exception — it does not follow the procedure of Presidential assent under Article 340 (which relates to appointment of a backward-classes commission). No such blanket route via Article 340 exists for piercing the ceiling; courts have consistently struck down attempts to exceed 50% by ordinary state legislation without meeting the exceptional-circumstances threshold.

Explanation

Leprosy is indeed classified as a Neglected Tropical Disease (NTD) under the WHO framework. Because it is caused by a communicable pathogen (Mycobacterium leprae), delayed diagnosis allows the disease to progress in the individual and also risks further transmission in the community — making timely identification a public-health concern, not just a clinical one. Statement 1 is therefore correct. Statement 2 reflects a well-established principle in India's public-health discourse: given the severe shortage of dermatologists relative to population need, training primary-care physicians and health workers, establishing referral pathways, and deploying teledermatology are seen as essential complements — not substitutes — to specialist training, precisely because specialist numbers alone cannot close the access gap. This is consistent with National Health Policy goals around primary healthcare strengthening and task-shifting. Statement 2 is also correct.

Explanation

The IMF AI Preparedness Index is an established measure that assesses how ready a country is to adopt and benefit from AI — encompassing infrastructure, legal frameworks, human capital, and institutional capacity. India's score on this index is significantly below that of the United States, which constrains its potential growth dividend from AI. Labour productivity is correctly described: AI raises output per worker by helping workers complete tasks more efficiently, not by eliminating labour wholesale. The third pair is incorrect because 'first-order exposure to generative AI' refers specifically to jobs where workers can perform their existing tasks more efficiently with the help of chatbots or AI tools — it is an augmentation concept, not a displacement concept. It does not mean AI fully replaces all human roles; rather, it identifies occupations where AI can assist workers in doing their work better. The conflation of 'exposure' with 'full replacement' is a common misconception in AI governance discourse.

Explanation

Statement 1 is correct. The MPC was constituted under Section 45ZB of the RBI Act, 1934 (inserted by the 2016 amendment), with the mandate to maintain price stability while keeping growth in mind. Its primary tool is setting the policy repo rate. The inflation target is 4% CPI with a lower tolerance of 2% and an upper tolerance of 6% (i.e., ±2% band). Statement 2 is incorrect. The inflation target is NOT set unilaterally by the RBI's Central Board of Directors. Under the RBI Act (Section 45ZA), the Central Government, in consultation with the RBI, determines the inflation target by notification, and this target is reviewed every five years. The Central Board governs RBI's general operations and has a distinct mandate; it does not set the inflation target. This is a key constitutional-legal distinction between the MPC's rate-setting role and the government's target-setting role.