UPSC Daily Current Affairs Quiz : 19 February 2026

Correct Answer: (a) 1, 2 and 4 only

Explanation:

• Statement 1 – Correct: Nvidia announced partnerships with Indian firms including Yotta (data centres), L&T, and E2E Networks to enhance AI cloud infrastructure and enable model training, fine-tuning, and deployment within India.
• Statement 2 – Correct: Nvidia will provide access to Nemotron (a family of open-source LLMs) and NeMo (a software suite for building and managing AI agents).
• Statement 3 – Incorrect: OpenAI’s partnerships are not limited to IITs. It has signed agreements with multiple institutions including IIT-Delhi, IIM-Ahmedabad, AIIMS New Delhi, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, University of Petroleum and Energy Studies, and Pearl Academy.
• Statement 4 – Correct: OpenAI is collaborating with ed-tech platforms such as PhysicsWallah, upGrad, and HCL GUVI to expand AI skilling to a broader learner base, including students and early-career professionals.

Correct Answer: (a) 1, 3 and 4 only

Explanation:

• Statement 1 – Correct: The DGCA has proposed empowering airlines to impose a flying ban of up to 30 days directly, without referring the case to an independent committee.
• Statement 2 – Incorrect: Passengers banned under this provision will not be included in the DGCA’s official “No Fly List.” Airlines must, however, maintain a database and inform the regulator.
• Statement 3 – Correct: The proposal categorises acts such as smoking onboard, alcohol consumption on domestic flights, tampering with emergency exits, unauthorised use of life jackets, protests/sloganeering, intoxication-related unruly behaviour, and even screaming or kicking seats as disruptive acts.
• Statement 4 – Correct: The amendments have been issued under Rule 133A of the Aircraft Rules, 1937, and stakeholders have been invited to submit comments.

Correct Answer: (a) 1, 2 and 4 only

Explanation:

• Statement 1 – Correct: The International Fleet Review (IFR) is a multinational naval event where ships from various countries assemble, symbolising maritime cooperation, naval diplomacy, and interoperability.
• Statement 2 – Correct: President Droupadi Murmu, as Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, reviewed the fleet during IFR 2026 held off the Visakhapatnam coast.
• Statement 3 – Incorrect: The IFR is conducted by the Indian Navy, not the Indian Coast Guard.
• Statement 4 – Correct: India’s maritime doctrine stresses partnership, collective responsibility, and cooperation in maintaining maritime stability, aligned with the ethos of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam.

Correct Answer: (a) 1, 3 and 4 only

Explanation:

• Statement 1 – Correct: Sarvam AI unveiled two large language models (LLMs) named “Vikram,” and they are intended to be open source.
• Statement 2 – Incorrect: The Ministry of Electronics and IT had earlier emphasised inference (use of trained models) rather than training. However, later statements indicated that Indian firms could also train LLMs.
• Statement 3 – Correct: The firm launched a 35-billion parameter model and a 105-billion parameter model.
• Statement 4 – Correct: A major objective is to enhance AI capability in Indian languages, which are underrepresented in global datasets.

Correct Answer: (a) 1, 2 and 4 only

Explanation:

• Statement 1 – Correct: Cheetahs were officially declared extinct in India in 1952 due to hunting and habitat loss.
• Statement 2 – Correct: Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh is the primary site for the cheetah reintroduction project.
• Statement 3 – Incorrect: Cheetahs have been translocated from both Namibia and South Africa, not only Namibia.
• Statement 4 – Correct: The current population includes adults translocated from African countries and India-born cubs, reflecting successful breeding in the wild.