UPSC Daily Current Affairs Quiz : 19 March 2026

Correct Answer: (c) 1 and 3 only

Explanation: Statement 1 is correct. The first line of the report clearly states: "Twenty-two India-bound vessels in the Persian Gulf region have been identified for evacuation for safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz by the Indian government." This confirms that the government took this step to protect its shipping interests.

Statement 2 is incorrect. While the report mentions that the ships carried various flags (Marshall Islands, Liberia, Greece, etc.), it also provides a specific breakdown. Of the 20 energy-critical vessels, 10 are Indian-flagged. This means half of this crucial group are Indian vessels. The other ten are foreign-flagged. Furthermore, two additional container vessels are Indian-flagged. Therefore, it would be inaccurate to say a "majority" were foreign-flagged. The numbers are evenly split or slightly favour Indian-flagged ships in the critical category.

Statement 3 is correct. The report provides a specific example: "Two LPG carriers and one oil tanker - Shivalik, Nanda Devi and Jag Laadki - were evacuated earlier, escorted by the Indian Navy from the Gulf of Oman region." It also confirms that "The three ships have reached India." This directly supports the statement that the Navy provided escorts to ensure their safe arrival.

Correct Answer: (a) 1 only 

Explanation: Statement 1 is correct. The report explicitly states the Bill seeks "to regulate laws related to marriage, divorce, succession and live-in relationships irrespective of religion, caste, creed, or gender." This is the core objective of a Uniform Civil Code.

Statement 2 is incorrect. The report clearly mentions a specific and significant exception: "the Bill document... states that it will not apply to members of Scheduled Tribes and certain groups whose customary rights are protected under the Constitution." Therefore, the Bill does not provide for complete uniformity as it exempts these constitutionally protected groups.

Statement 3 is incorrect. The report states that the Bill was "tabled by Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi," not the Chief Minister himself.

Since only statement 1 is correct, the right answer is (a) 1 only.

Correct Answer: (c) 1 and 3 only

Explanation: Statement 1 is correct. The first paragraph clearly states, "The Hindu and VIT Chennai will organise a webinar..." and mentions it is part of their initiative, "Biotechnology: Role in Industry 5.0-Sustainable Future Pathways".

Statement 2 is incorrect. The webinar's focus is forward-looking. It aims to provide "insights on the role of biotechnology in the food and nutrition sector" and help attendees understand "career opportunities and emerging trends." There is no mention of discussing the historical development of ancient biotechnology.

Statement 3 is correct. The report lists the speakers, who include a professor and dean from VIT (G. Jayaraman), an associate professor from NIFTEM (Chakkaravarthi Saravanan), and industry professionals like a technical director (R. Balaguru) and a general manager from ITC Limited (Anand K. Jadi). Since statements 1 and 3 are correct, and statement 2 is incorrect, the right answer is (c) 1 and 3 only.

Correct Answer: (a) 1 and 2 only

Explanation: Statement 1 is correct. The headline and the article highlight the Supreme Court's key question. The Court asked if the ED should "merely watch" when a Chief Minister obstructs its work. Justice Mishra explicitly questioned whether the ED would be left "remediless" in such an "unusual situation," stating, "There cannot be a vacuum. It cannot be that there is no remedy in law to a situation."

Statement 2 is correct. The report details the West Bengal government's primary argument against the maintainability of the ED's petition. Senior advocate Shyam Divan submitted that the ED is not a "body corporate" nor a "legal or natural person," and therefore cannot approach the Supreme Court under Article 32, which is a remedy for individuals whose fundamental rights are violated. Kapil Sibal, appearing for the Chief Minister, also argued that an ED officer does not have a "fundamental right" to investigate.

Statement 3 is incorrect. While the West Bengal government did argue that the Supreme Court was not the appropriate forum (suggesting the Union government could use Article 131 instead), the statement that they "accepted that the ED has the right to investigate" is too broad and not directly supported by the text. Their main argument was about the forum and the legal standing of the ED, not a blanket acceptance of an unencumbered right to investigate in this specific instance. The core of their argument was about the maintainability of the petition, not conceding the ED's right to investigate in the context of this dispute. Since statements 1 and 2 are correct, the right answer is (a) 1 and 2 only.

Correct Answer: (b) 2 and 3 only

Explanation: Statement 1 is incorrect. The report clearly states that the House approved an expenditure of over ₹53 lakh crore "by applying the guillotine, passing the Demands for Grants for various Ministries without a discussion." It further mentions that only two ministries (Agriculture and Railways) were discussed. Therefore, it is not true that all ministries were passed after a detailed discussion.

Statement 2 is correct. The report explains the application of 'guillotine' as a process to pass the Demands for Grants for various ministries without discussion. In parliamentary procedure, this is exactly what the guillotine does: it puts an end to the debate on the Demands for Grants and forces a vote on the outstanding proposals to conclude the discussion on the Budget.

Statement 3 is correct. The report details the speech of Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. He specifically mentioned that stalled irrigation projects from the UPA era were brought under the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana. He also discussed the government's plans for awareness and training under the Natural Farming Mission.

Since statements 2 and 3 are correct, the right answer is (b) 2 and 3 only.