Current Affairs Quiz 1 June 2026

Oman is strategically important beyond trade: it overlooks the Strait of Hormuz (through which ~85% of India’s crude passes), hosts the Port of Duqm SEZ where India has a naval berth, and has traditionally maintained dialogue with Iran. Key beneficiary sectors: engineering, pharma, textiles, marine, agri/processed food, gems and jewellery, chemicals.
CAROTAR (Customs Administration of Rules of Origin for Trade Agreements) rules prevent third-country goods being re-routed via Oman to claim India-Oman tariff benefits. India-UAE CEPA entered force May 1, 2022.

India now has 18 railway zones, each headed by a General Manager. Zones are further divided into Divisions (headed by DRMs).
Railways is a Union List subject (Entry 22, Seventh Schedule). Before SCoR, the 17th zone was the South East Central (Bilaspur).
The creation of SCoR was tied to Andhra Pradesh’s reorganisation needs after bifurcation in 2014. Other recent zones in memory: Konkan (Navi Mumbai), East Coast (Bhubaneswar), South East Central (Bilaspur).

PM SVANidhi (PM Street Vendor’s AtmaNirbhar Nidhi) was launched June 1, 2020 under MoHUA as a Central Sector Scheme. On its 6th anniversary (June 1, 2026), it had disbursed ₹17,800 crore across 1.12 crore loans to 75.5 lakh vendors, with 841 crore digital transactions worth ₹8.96 lakh crore. ~95% were first-time formal-credit users.
A 7% interest subsidy is provided annually. The SVANidhi se Samriddhi sub-programme links vendor families to 8 central welfare schemes.
The Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act, 2014 governs CoV (Certificate of Vending).

The Aravallis are among the world’s oldest mountain ranges (~1.5-2.5 billion years, Pre-Cambrian), extending ~692 km from Gujarat to Delhi. Highest peak: Guru Shikhar (1,722 m) in Rajasthan.
They act as a watershed divide, a dust barrier for the IGP, and a wildlife corridor connecting the Delhi Ridge to Sariska Tiger Reserve. The Bishnoi community in Rajasthan has historically protected the range’s biodiversity.
Multiple SC orders restrict mining but enforcement is fragmented across four states (Gujarat, Rajasthan, Haryana, Delhi). No dedicated Aravalli Protection Authority exists.

A cryptic species is genetically distinct but morphologically (visually) similar to related species — only DNA barcoding/molecular phylogenetics reveals the separation. The species is named after the Bishnoi community of Rajasthan, whose 29-tenet code (set by Guru Jambheshwar, 1451-1536) prohibits killing animals and felling green trees.
The Bishnoi are associated with the 1730 Amrita Devi incident (363 Bishnois martyred protecting khejri trees) and conservation of blackbuck. The Thar Desert herpetofauna is relatively understudied and new species are regularly being described.

J&K is a Union Territory (since October 31, 2019, under the J&K Reorganisation Act 2019). Internal security is on the Union List (Entry 2A).
The Unified Command (chaired by J&K LG) coordinates all agencies. AFSPA applies in J&K, giving security forces special powers in “disturbed areas.” The Rashtriya Rifles (RR) are the Army’s dedicated counter-insurgency force in J&K. The Rajouri-Poonch Pir Panjal belt has been an active terror corridor: dense forest, limited road access, Pakistani-backed infiltration networks.
NSG handles urban counter-terrorism; not typically deployed in jungle operations of this type.

CAROTAR applies across all India’s trade agreements and requires importers to possess and, on request, produce certificates of origin or supporting documents. Goods must undergo “substantial transformation” (usually a value-addition/change-in-tariff-heading test) in the partner country to qualify for preferential rates.
This is relevant for India-Oman CEPA: third-country goods (e.g., Chinese goods) must not be re-labelled as Oman-origin to exploit the 98% duty-free access. CAROTAR was notified by the CBIC (Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs) under the Finance Ministry.

ANC was established on October 8, 2001 (21st anniversary of India’s first nuclear test). It is distinct from the Strategic Forces Command (SFC) which manages nuclear assets.
The Theaterisation process (being pursued since 2021) aims to create more integrated theatre commands; ANC exists as the only current example. The Malacca Strait connecting the Andaman Sea to the South China Sea is a major maritime chokepoint — ~80% of China’s energy imports transit through it, making ANC’s location strategically sensitive.
The Island Development Agency (IDA) coordinates Great Nicobar Island’s development.

Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) was operationally launched on September 27, 2021, under the National Health Authority (NHA), Ministry of Health & Family Welfare. ABDM’s six foundational blocks: Health ID (ABHA), Health Facility Registry, Healthcare Professionals Registry, Unified Health Interface (UHI), Personal Health Records, and Drug Registry.
ABHA allows patients to share records with any empanelled facility. Distinguish ABHA (digital ID) from AB-PMJAY (health insurance scheme for the poor; ₹5 lakh/family/year; also under NHA).
ABDM is part of India’s broader National Digital Health Mission (NDHM).

Divyastra Mk-1 is India’s indigenous tactical loitering munition, demonstrated in Jodhpur by the Indian Army. India also operates Israeli-origin Harop loitering munitions (DRDO’s SkyStriker is another domestic variant).
Loitering munitions are effective against light armour, radar systems, and dispersed infantry. They have emerged as force multipliers for smaller armies — relatively cheap (~$10,000-50,000 vs multi-million-dollar missiles) and difficult to counter with conventional air defences.
Aligns with India’s Aatmanirbhar Bharat push in defence indigenisation.

The Bishnoi community primarily lives in Rajasthan and Haryana. Their tenets include protecting trees (especially the khejri, Prosopis cineraria) and animals (especially the blackbuck, Antilope cervicapra).
The discovery of Mesalina bishnoi was named in their honour. Distinguish: Chipko movement (1973, Chamoli district, Uttarakhand — Gaura Devi, Sunderlal Bahuguna, Chandi Prasad Bhatt).
Bishnoi’s 1730 act is a distinct, earlier event. Guru Jambheshwar is also known as “Jambhoji.”

India does not have an FTA with Bahrain, Qatar, or Saudi Arabia as standalone deals (these are part of the broader India-GCC FTA under negotiation). The India-GCC FTA negotiations were stalled for years and recently relaunched.
India’s other active FTAs include: ASEAN (goods 2010, services 2015), Japan (2011), South Korea (2010), Singapore (CECA, 2005), Sri Lanka (1998), Mauritius, Nepal, Bhutan, Afghanistan; and more recent CEPAs with UAE (2022) and Oman (2026). Note the distinction between FTA (goods-focused) and CEPA (comprehensive — goods, services, investment, mobility).

ECLGS was launched in May 2020 under the Aatmanirbhar Bharat package. Loans are extended by banks and NBFCs with GoI providing a 100% guarantee on principal and interest through NCGTC. ECLGS 1.0 targeted businesses/MSMEs with credit up to ₹25 crore; subsequent tranches expanded to hospitality, healthcare, aviation, and other stressed sectors.
ECLGS 5.0 covers specific sectors facing economic stress in 2025-26. NCGTC also administers CGTMSE (Credit Guarantee Fund Trust for Micro and Small Enterprises).
Distinguish: SIDBI provides direct/refinance credit to MSMEs; NABARD refinances agricultural credit; RBI regulates banks but does not run credit guarantee schemes.

A “Blue Moon” is the second full moon in a calendar month (not blue in colour). A “Supermoon” is a full moon at perigee — larger and brighter.
A “Blood Moon” is a full moon during a total lunar eclipse, which turns the Moon reddish from Earth’s refracted sunlight. Combining a Blue Moon + Micromoon gives a “Blue Micromoon” — rare, with the next not until ~2053.
The terms perigee (nearest) and apogee (farthest) come from Greek; “peri” = near, “apo” = away, “gee” = Earth. These concepts also apply to satellites: perigee and apogee are the low and high points of an Earth-orbiting spacecraft’s orbit.