UPSC Daily Current Affairs Quiz : 23 January 2026

Correct Answer: (b) 2 and 4 only

Explanation 

• Statement 1  Incorrect  While the Governor’s address is prepared and approved by the Council of Ministers, constitutional practice (as clarified by the Supreme Court) holds that the Governor must act on aid and advice, but disputes over content do not grant personal discretion to alter or refuse the address.
• Statement 2  Correct  Article 176 of the Constitution mandates that the Governor shall address the first session of the State Legislature each year, outlining the government’s policies and programmes.
• Statement 3  Incorrect  The Governor cannot refuse to deliver the address merely because it criticises the Union government. The address reflects the elected State government’s views, not the Governor’s personal opinion. Refusal violates constitutional conventions.
• Statement 4  Correct  Judicial precedents (including cases involving gubernatorial conduct) have clarified that the Governor’s address forms part of the aid and advice framework under Article 163, leaving little to no discretionary space.

Correct Answer: (a) 1 only

Explanation

• Statement 1  Correct  The ninth edition of the Kerala Literature Festival was inaugurated by Sunita Williams at Kozhikode Beach, as reported in the news.
• Statement 2  Incorrect  KLF is not a Union Government–funded festival under the Ministry of Culture. It is organised by literary and civil society groups, though government ministers and international dignitaries often participate.

Correct Answer: (d) Neither 1 nor 2

Explanation

• Statement 1  Incorrect  The Vaikom Satyagraha (1924–25) did not demand temple entry. Its objective was limited to securing access to public roads surrounding the Vaikom temple for oppressed castes. Temple entry movements emerged later.
• Statement 2 – Incorrect  Periyar was already a prominent social reformer and had ideological leanings that later shaped the Dravidian movement. His participation in the Vaikom Satyagraha did not mark the beginning of his association with Dravidian ideology; rather, it reinforced and radicalised his anti-caste politics.

Correct Answer: (a) 1 only

Explanation

• Statement 1 – Correct  A synthesis report prepared for the Commission for Air Quality Management found that secondary particulate matter contributes about 27% to Delhi’s winter pollution, making it the largest single contributor, ahead of transport, biomass burning, dust, and industry.
• Statement 2 – Incorrect  Secondary particulate matter is not emitted directly. It is formed in the atmosphere through chemical reactions involving primary pollutants such as SO₂, NOₓ, and volatile organic compounds, largely in the presence of ammonia, leading to the formation of sulphates and nitrates.

Correct Answer: (a) 1 and 2 only

Explanation

• Statement 1 – Correct  Parts of the Great Nicobar Island projectincluding Galathea Bay, Pemmaya Bay and Nanjappa Bayrequire diversion of forest land where the Nicobarese lived before being displaced by the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.
• Statement 2 – Correct  The Tribal Council is the apex representative institution of the Nicobarese people, who are officially recognised as a Scheduled Tribe under the Constitution.
• Statement 3 – Incorrect  The Forest Rights Act, 2006 requires Gram Sabha consent, not individual consent, for diversion of forest land and recognition or surrender of community forest rights. Individual signatures or “surrender certificates” have no legal sanctity under the Act.