Daily Quiz -- May 14, 2026

NEET-UG (National Eligibility cum Entrance Test – Undergraduate) is the single-window national entrance for MBBS, BDS and Ayush courses under Section 14 of the National Medical Commission Act, 2019. The NMC Act replaced the Indian Medical Council Act, 1956 and created the National Medical Commission.
NEET was made compulsory after the Supreme Court ruling in Modern Dental College v. State of MP (2016). The NTA conducts JEE (Main), NEET-UG, CUET-UG/PG, UGC-NET, CSIR-UGC-NET, NCHM-JEE, NID-DAT and NIFT entrance examinations across about 3.5-4 crore unique candidates annually.
The Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024 punishes leaks with imprisonment of 3-10 years, fine up to Rs 1 crore for individuals and minimum Rs 1 crore for entities, with non-bailable, non-compoundable, cognizable offences. The CBI derives its powers from the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act, 1946 and is functionally placed under the DoPT.

WPI structure: Primary Articles (weight 22.62 per cent), Fuel & Power (13.15 per cent), Manufactured Products (64.23 per cent). CPI-Combined, compiled by NSO with base 2012, includes both goods and services and weights services at about 28 per cent.
WPI excludes taxes while CPI includes them. The 6-member Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) operates under Section 45ZA of the RBI Act, 1934 – three RBI members (Governor, Deputy Governor in charge of monetary policy, one Executive Director) and three external members nominated by the Central Government; the Governor has a casting vote.
The MPC reviews the policy repo rate at least four times a year (usually six). Inflation target valid till 2026; 4 per cent +/- 2 per cent on CPI-Combined.
India imports over 85 per cent of crude requirements, making fuel WPI highly sensitive to West Asia tensions and the Strait of Hormuz risk premium.

India has the 5th largest coal reserves in the world (after US, Russia, Australia, China). India produced about 997 MT of coal in FY 2024-25, with Coal India Limited (CIL) accounting for about 75 per cent.
CIL was created under the Coal Mines (Nationalisation) Act, 1973. Lignite (brown coal) is concentrated in Neyveli (Tamil Nadu, NLCIL), Mata-no-Madh and Panandhro (Gujarat), and Barsingsar (Rajasthan).
Syngas downstream uses: urea via ammonia synthesis (replaces imports of 25-30 per cent of urea), methanol (NITI Aayog Methanol Economy Programme, 2016), SNG (pipeline gas), DRI (replaces coking coal in steel-making). The 2026 scheme is the fiscal-incentive vertical under the National Coal Gasification Mission (conceptualised in 2020).
India’s coking coal imports are about 50-55 MT/year, the principal target of substitution. India announced net-zero by 2070 at COP26 Glasgow (November 2021); coal gasification with CCUS layering is part of the bridge pathway.

GIC Re (General Insurance Corporation of India) was set up in 1972 and remains India’s sole national reinsurer. IRDAI is the statutory regulator under the IRDA Act, 1999, with headquarters at Hyderabad.
The insurance FDI cap has been progressively raised: 49 per cent (Insurance Laws (Amendment) Act, 2015), 74 per cent (Finance Act, 2021), and 100 per cent under the automatic route in 2026. International precedents for sovereign-backed pools include Pool Re (UK, 1993, for terrorism risk), TRIA (US Terrorism Risk Insurance Act, 2002), and the Japan Earthquake Reinsurance Pool.
The Marine Insurance Act, 1963 in India follows the UK Marine Insurance Act, 1906. P&I (Protection and Indemnity) is third-party liability cover – crew injury, pollution, wreck removal, cargo damage – globally dominated by the International Group of P&I Clubs (13 mutual clubs).

The Kimberley Process has 60 Participants representing 86 countries (the EU is counted as one Participant for its 27 member states). Two Observers participate – the World Diamond Council (industry) and the Kimberley Process Civil Society Coalition.
A “conflict diamond” is defined in UN GA Resolution 55/56 (December 1, 2000) as a rough diamond used by rebel movements to finance war against legitimate Governments – a narrow definition often criticised for excluding State-sponsored violence, environmental damage and human-rights abuses. India has chaired the KP in 2008 and 2019, and again in 2026.
The implementation partner in India is the Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC), set up in 1966 under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. Surat is India’s principal diamond cutting hub (~80 per cent of polished output) and the Bharat Diamond Bourse at BKC, Mumbai (inaugurated November 2010) is the world’s largest diamond trading complex by floor area.

The Nordic 5 are Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden. EFTA (European Free Trade Association, 1960) has four members – Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.
The India-EFTA TEPA was signed on March 10, 2024 and entered into force in October 2025; it commits EFTA to USD 100 billion of investment in India over 15 years. India has been a Permanent Observer at the Arctic Council since 2013, and released its Arctic Policy in March 2022.
India’s Arctic research station Himadri at Ny-Alesund, Svalbard has been operational since 2008 under the NCPOR (National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research), Goa, under the Ministry of Earth Sciences. India-Nordic bilateral trade is approximately USD 19 billion (2024).
Norway operates the Government Pension Fund Global, the world’s largest sovereign wealth fund (~USD 1.7 trillion AUM).

Section 3(4) of the Railways Act, 1989 empowers the Central Government to modify the limits of, or create, a Railway zone by notification. The AP Reorganisation Act, 2014 was enacted on March 2, 2014; Telangana was formed on June 2, 2014; the residuary AP commitments under Schedule XIII included a new railway zone, special category status, Polavaram project, new High Court, AIIMS Mangalagiri and others.
The earlier 17 Indian Railway zones were: Central, Eastern, East-Central, East-Coast, Northern, North-Central, North-Eastern, Northeast-Frontier, North-Western, Southern, South-Central, South-East-Central, South-Eastern, South-Western, Western, West-Central, Metro Railway Kolkata (declared a zone in 2010, functioning since 1984). Indian Railways runs about 13,200 trains per day, carries about 23 million passengers/day and 3 million tonnes of freight/day, and is the world’s fourth largest network.
The Railway Board was restructured to a five-member body in December 2019 with a merged CEO & Chairman post. The Indian Railway Management Service (IRMS) was created in 2019 by merging eight Group A services.

India’s NDC commitments (updated 2022): 50 per cent non-fossil installed power capacity by 2030, 45 per cent reduction in emissions intensity (versus 2005), and net-zero by 2070 (announced at COP26 Glasgow, November 2021). SATAT (Sustainable Alternative Towards Affordable Transportation) was launched on October 1, 2018 by MoP&NG to promote Compressed Bio-Gas (CBG) with 15+ year offtake guarantees from oil PSUs.
India’s Ethanol Blending Programme targets 20 per cent ethanol blending (E20) by 2025-26; achieved blending is about 14-15 per cent. The Pradhan Mantri JI-VAN Yojana (2019) supports second-generation ethanol plants using agricultural residue.
The 5th iEGoM (Informal Empowered Group of Ministers) on energy supply chain disruption is chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. Shaktikanta Das served as RBI Governor from December 12, 2018 to December 10, 2024 and thereafter as Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister.

The CBI’s structure includes the Anti-Corruption Division, Special Crimes Division, Economic Offences Division, Directorate of Prosecution and Policy & Coordination Division. The Director, CBI is appointed under Section 4A of the DSPE Act (inserted by the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013) by a committee comprising the Prime Minister, the Leader of Opposition (or leader of the single largest Opposition party) and the Chief Justice of India or his nominee.
The Director has a fixed two-year tenure (extendable up to a maximum of five years after the 2021 amendment). Vineet Joshi v. State of Manipur (2019), Vineet Narain v. Union of India (1997), and Subramanian Swamy v. Director, CBI (2014) are landmark cases concerning CBI autonomy and Section 6A of DSPE. The Lokpal (Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013) has supervisory authority over CBI in matters referred to it.

ISPRL (Indian Strategic Petroleum Reserves Ltd) was created in 2004 as a Special Purpose Vehicle, originally under Oil Industry Development Board, then transferred to MoP&NG. India joined the International Energy Agency (IEA) as an Association country in 2017 – IEA standards recommend 90 days of net imports as strategic stockholding; India’s SPR currently covers about 10-12 days of net imports (rising to 22 days with Phase II). The five-largest crude oil suppliers to India in recent fiscal years have rotated between Russia (post-2022 surge), Iraq, Saudi Arabia, UAE and the US. India operates additional commercial inventories at refineries (about 65 days).
The Strait of Hormuz separates Iran from Oman/UAE and carries about 20-21 mb/d. The principal regional bypasses are the Habshan-Fujairah ADCOP pipeline (UAE, ~1.5-1.8 mb/d, commissioned 2012) and Saudi Arabia’s East-West Petroline (~5 mb/d).

EFTA was established in 1960 in Stockholm by the seven outer countries that did not join the EEC – UK, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Austria, Switzerland and Portugal. Most members later moved to the EU; the four remaining members are Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.
EFTA-India trade is about USD 18-20 billion, dominated by Swiss exports (precious metals, pharmaceuticals, machinery). India’s key concessions: tariff cuts on industrial goods, IP commitments aligned with TRIPS+; the principal Indian gain is the binding investment commitment.
The TEPA is the first FTA with an investment commitment of this magnitude. India has signed CEPAs/CECAs with Japan (2011), Korea (2009), UAE (in force since May 2022), Australia (Eco-CTA in force since December 2022, full ECTA in force since 2025), Mauritius (2021), EFTA (2024); India-UK FTA was concluded in May 2024 and is undergoing parliamentary processes.

The constitutional architecture of education: Education was originally a State subject (Entry 11, State List) until the 42nd Constitutional Amendment Act, 1976 moved it to the Concurrent List (Entry 25). Entry 66 of the Union List has always been a Central subject for coordination and standards in higher education.
Significant cases on this distinction: State of Tamil Nadu v. K. Shyam Sunder (2011) and Modern Dental College (2016). The National Medical Commission Act, 2019 also created the NMC (replacing MCI), four autonomous Boards (UG, PG, Medical Assessment & Rating, Ethics & Medical Registration), and a National Examination – NEXT – for postgraduate licensure.
The Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024 covers all NTA, UPSC, SSC, RRB, IBPS and similar examinations. The Radhakrishnan Committee (2024) on Examination Reforms recommended computer-based testing, multi-stage examinations, and a single secure question-paper bank.

IRDAI was first constituted as an interim regulator in 1996 on the Malhotra Committee (1994) recommendation; the IRDA Act, 1999 gave it statutory status; the IRDA Act was renamed in 2014 (IRDAI Act). It has a Chairperson and nine other members (full-time and part-time).
The Insurance Laws (Amendment) Act, 2015 also enabled foreign reinsurance branches in India. The insurance industry has 24 life insurers, 27 general insurers, and 1 reinsurer (GIC Re); LIC was created under the Life Insurance Corporation Act, 1956 (still applicable post-IPO 2022).
The Bima Sugam, Bima Vistaar and Bima Vahaks framework was rolled out in 2024-25 to deepen retail insurance access. The Public Liability Insurance Act, 1991 is a separate statutory mandate for industrial-accident cover.
Insurance comes under Entry 47 of the Union List.

The National Bioenergy Programme of MNRE, Phase I (2021-22 to 2025-26), has an outlay of Rs 858 crore covering three sub-programmes: Waste-to-Energy, Biomass Programme (BPDB), and Biogas Programme. The Ethanol Blending Programme (EBP) targets E20 (20 per cent ethanol blending) by 2025-26; achieved blending is about 14-15 per cent.
The Pradhan Mantri JI-VAN Yojana (2019) supports 2G ethanol plants from agri-residue (with IOCL Panipat as the flagship). Biodiesel is being promoted from non-edible oilseeds (jatropha, karanja, mahua, neem) with a B20 target by 2030.
Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) flights have been operated by Indigo and Air India since 2024 on a limited basis. The CORSIA (Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation) of ICAO becomes mandatory from 2027.
SATAT’s twin objectives are energy security and farmer income (waste-valorisation).

Indian Railways is one of the world’s largest single-employer organisations and the fourth largest national rail network. The Railway Budget was historically presented separately from the Union Budget; this was discontinued in 2017 (Budget 2017-18) – merging both.
The Indian Railway Management Service (IRMS), created in 2019, merged eight Group A services (IRTS, IRAS, IRPS, IRSME, IRSE, IRSEE, IRSSE, IRSS) into a single service. Indian Railways operates DFCCIL (Dedicated Freight Corridors – Eastern and Western), HSR projects (Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train via NHSRCL since 2017), and corporatised subsidiaries (IRCTC, IRFC, RVNL, RailTel, Konkan Railway, CRIS).
Vande Bharat trains began service in 2019 and have over 100 services by 2026. The Bullet Train uses Shinkansen E5 technology from Japan.