Daily Current Affairs Quiz
Daily Quiz — March 17, 2026
Question 1 of 10
The Sahitya Akademi was established in which year?
Sahitya Akademi was established on March 12, 1954, under the Ministry of Education, as India's national academy of letters. It was inaugurated by Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and is headquartered in New Delhi. It functions as an autonomous body that promotes Indian literature through awards, fellowships, seminars, and publications.
💡 Concept Note
Sahitya Akademi gives annual awards in 24 languages — the 22 Scheduled languages listed in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution, plus English and Rajasthani. Each winner receives Rs 1 lakh cash, an engraved copper plaque, and a shawl at a formal ceremony. The Akademi also confers the Sahitya Akademi Fellowship (highest honour, limited to living authors of exceptional contribution) and the Bhasha Samman for contributions to classical or endangered languages. It also gives Translation Prize and Yuva Puraskar for writers under 35.
Question 2 of 10
Navtej Sarna won the Sahitya Akademi Award 2025 for which work?
Navtej Sarna won the Sahitya Akademi Award 2025 in the English category for his novel Crimson Spring — a historical fiction set around the Jallianwala Bagh massacre of April 1919, narrated through nine characters including Indians and Britons. The awards were announced on March 16, 2026. Jeete Jee Allahabad (memoir) by Mamta Kalia won in the Hindi category.
💡 Concept Note
Navtej Sarna is a former Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer who served as India's Ambassador to the USA (2016-18) and High Commissioner to the UK (2014-16). His other works include The Book of Nanak, We Weren't Lovers Like That, and Indians at Herod's Gate. Crimson Spring recreates the Jallianwala Bagh massacre of April 13, 1919 when Brigadier Reginald Dyer ordered troops to fire on an unarmed crowd in Amritsar, killing hundreds. The massacre galvanised India's independence movement and is closely connected with GS Paper 1 (Modern India history).
Question 3 of 10
How many languages does the Sahitya Akademi recognise for its annual awards?
Sahitya Akademi awards cover 24 languages — the 22 Scheduled languages of the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution, plus English and Rajasthani. Rajasthani is included despite not being a Scheduled language because of its large speaker base and rich literary tradition.
💡 Concept Note
The Eighth Schedule currently lists 22 languages. The 92nd Constitutional Amendment Act, 2003 added Bodo, Dogri, Maithili, and Santhali, taking the total from 18 to 22. The Eighth Schedule falls under Part XVII (Official Language) of the Constitution. Article 344 provides for the Official Language Commission to recommend languages for inclusion. The demand to include Bhojpuri, Rajasthani, Tulu, and other languages in the Eighth Schedule remains an ongoing political and cultural debate.
Question 4 of 10
India's NavIC satellite navigation system provides coverage up to how many kilometres beyond India's borders?
NavIC (Navigation with Indian Constellation, formerly IRNSS) is designed to provide positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) services over India and up to 1,500 km beyond India's borders, encompassing the South Asian region including neighbouring countries. Position accuracy in the primary service area is better than 20 metres.
💡 Concept Note
NavIC became operational in 2018. It uses 7 satellites: 3 in Geostationary Orbit (GEO) at fixed equatorial positions + 4 in Geosynchronous Orbit (GSO) with inclination. NavIC is India's answer to GPS (USA), GLONASS (Russia), Galileo (EU), and BeiDou (China). NVS-01 (launched 2023) is the first next-generation NavIC satellite with indigenous Indian atomic clocks. India mandates NavIC chip compatibility in all smartphones sold domestically (effective 2023). NavIC is also used for fishermen tracking, disaster management, and precision agriculture.
Question 5 of 10
IRNSS-1F's atomic clock failure in March 2026 is significant because it was which type of satellite in the NavIC constellation?
IRNSS-1F is a Geostationary (GEO) satellite in the NavIC constellation, stationed at 32.5 degrees East longitude at approximately 36,000 km altitude. Its atomic clock failed on March 13, 2026, after completing its 10-year design life. This left NavIC with only 3 operational satellites (IRNSS-1B, IRNSS-1L, and NVS-01) — below the minimum 4 required for reliable navigation.
💡 Concept Note
NavIC uses two orbit types: 3 GEO (at 32.5 degrees E, 83 degrees E, and 131.5 degrees E) + 4 GSO (geosynchronous inclined orbit at 29 degrees inclination). IRNSS-1A was the first NavIC satellite to suffer atomic clock failure (2017). IRNSS-1I was launched in 2018 as a replacement. Six of 11 NavIC satellites launched since 2013 have failed, mostly due to defective imported atomic clocks. NVS-01 (2023) carries the first indigenous Indian atomic clock — a major step in space self-reliance. The atomic clock failure issue has accelerated India's indigenisation of space components.
Question 6 of 10
The World Bank loan for the Uttar Pradesh Clean Air Management Program (2026) was provided through which World Bank lending arm?
The USD 300 million UP Clean Air Program loan was provided by IBRD (International Bank for Reconstruction and Development), the World Bank arm that lends to middle-income and creditworthy countries at near-market rates. India has graduated from IDA (concessional) lending and borrows exclusively from IBRD. The program targets a 20-30% reduction in PM2.5 concentrations in 17 non-attainment cities of Uttar Pradesh.
💡 Concept Note
World Bank Group has 5 institutions: IBRD (middle-income lending), IDA (poorest countries, concessional), IFC (private sector), MIGA (political risk insurance), and ICSID (investment dispute settlement). India is the World Bank's largest borrower. UP is home to several of India's most polluted cities including Kanpur, Varanasi, and Agra. India's National Clean Air Programme (NCAP, 2019) targets 40% PM reduction by 2026 in 131 non-attainment cities. The Indo-Gangetic Plain (UP, Bihar, Punjab, Haryana) is consistently among the world's most polluted regions due to geography, agriculture burning, and industrial density.
Question 7 of 10
The UP Clean Air Management Program aims to transition over 700 brick kilns to which cleaner technology?
The program targets transition of 700+ brick kilns to Zig-Zag kiln technology, which reduces coal consumption by 20-25% and particulate matter (PM) emissions by 60-70% compared to traditional Fixed Chimney Bull's Trench Kilns (FCTBK). The improved airflow pattern in Zig-Zag kilns enables more complete combustion of coal fuel.
💡 Concept Note
Uttar Pradesh has one of India's highest concentrations of brick kilns, contributing significantly to the Indo-Gangetic Plain's severe winter air pollution. Alternatives to FCTBK include Zig-Zag kilns, Vertical Shaft Brick Kilns (VSBK), and tunnel kilns. India's National Clean Air Programme (NCAP, 2019) targets 40% reduction in PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations by 2026 in 131 non-attainment cities. UP accounts for approximately 40% of India's total brick production and has the most non-attainment cities of any Indian state.
Question 8 of 10
The plant species Henckelia monophylla, rediscovered in Arunachal Pradesh after 189 years, belongs to which plant family?
Henckelia monophylla belongs to the family Gesneriaceae (the African violet family), known for ornamental herbs with tubular flowers. The species was first collected in 1837 by British botanist William Griffith in the Mishmi Hills of Lohit district, Arunachal Pradesh, and was rediscovered in 2026 by Botanical Survey of India (BSI) researchers. The name monophylla means single-leaved in Latin.
💡 Concept Note
Botanical Survey of India (BSI, headquartered in Kolkata, founded 1890) conducts systematic flora surveys under the Flora of India programme. The Eastern Himalayas including Arunachal Pradesh are part of one of India's four biodiversity hotspots (Eastern Himalaya). The other three Indian hotspots are: Western Ghats, Indo-Burma, and Sundaland (Andaman and Nicobar overlap). Arunachal Pradesh has the highest density of plant species in India. India has over 47,000 plant species with approximately 33% being endemic.
Question 9 of 10
Megamalai Wildlife Sanctuary, where ZSI documented nine new species in 2026, is located in which district of Tamil Nadu?
Megamalai Wildlife Sanctuary (also called the High Wavy Mountains) is located in Theni district, Tamil Nadu, within the Western Ghats biodiversity hotspot. The sanctuary spans 643 sq km and is known for dense shola forests and grasslands. ZSI (Zoological Survey of India) documented 9 new species including insects, spiders, and freshwater fish during recent surveys.
💡 Concept Note
Megamalai is contiguous with Periyar Tiger Reserve and is home to elephants, leopards, sloth bears, and the Critically Endangered lion-tailed macaque (Macaca silenus) — endemic to Western Ghats. The Western Ghats is a UNESCO World Heritage Site (2012) and one of India's four biodiversity hotspots. ZSI (established 1916, HQ Kolkata) publishes the Fauna of India and conducts biodiversity assessments nationally. Tamil Nadu has the most Ramsar sites (20) and the highest number of wildlife sanctuaries in peninsular India.
Question 10 of 10
The Lower Kopili Hydroelectric Project (120 MW), inaugurated in 2026, is situated on a tributary of which major river?
The Kopili River is a tributary of the Brahmaputra River in Assam. The Lower Kopili Hydroelectric Project (120 MW) strengthens clean energy infrastructure in Northeast India and is operated by NEEPCO (North Eastern Electric Power Corporation). The Kopili river system also hosts the existing Kopili HEP (275 MW) upstream, making it a key hydro corridor.
💡 Concept Note
The Brahmaputra (called Tsangpo in Tibet, Siang or Dihang in Arunachal Pradesh) is India's largest river by water volume and second longest after the Ganga. Major Brahmaputra tributaries in Assam: Subansiri, Jia Bharali, Manas, Kopili, and Dhansiri. NEEPCO (North Eastern Electric Power Corporation Ltd) is a public sector enterprise under the Ministry of Power, dedicated to hydropower development in Northeast India. India has pledged 500 GW of non-fossil fuel electricity capacity by 2030 under its NDC commitments to the Paris Agreement (2015).