UPSC Prelims Practice
Current Affairs Quiz 14 June 2026
Daily Practice
Test Your Knowledge
13 questions based on today’s current affairs & editorials
13 MCQs
Explanations
Statistics
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Question 1 of 13
World Blood Donor Day, observed on June 14, marks the birth anniversary of which scientist?
FACT: World Blood Donor Day (June 14, observed since 2004) marks the birthday of Karl Landsteiner, who discovered the ABO blood group system and won the Nobel Prize in 1930. ANALYSIS: The WHO 2026 theme is "One Drop of Humanity.
Give Blood. Save Lives."
Give Blood. Save Lives."
📝 Concept Note
In India, blood is regulated as a drug under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940, and the apex body is the National Blood Transfusion Council (NBTC) under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The Supreme Court in Common Cause v. Union of India (1996) led to the ban on professional (paid) donation.
🎯 Concept Kit — tap to expand
| 🔗 Cross-Paper Links | GS2 (health governance), GS3 (science of blood groups). |
| ✍️ Mains Keywords | voluntary donation, blood safety, transfusion services. |
| ⚠️ Common Mistake | confusing Landsteiner (blood groups) with Fleming (penicillin). |
| 📌 Exam Tip | ABO system = Landsteiner, Nobel 1930; WBDD since 2004. |
| 🎤 Interview | ** how to reach 100 percent voluntary blood donation? |
Question 2 of 13
India’s retail (CPI) inflation in May 2026 was reported at which level?
FACT: MoSPI reported CPI retail inflation at 3.93 percent in May 2026, up from 3.48 percent in April, driven by firmer food prices (food inflation 4.78 percent). ANALYSIS: The print remains comfortably within the RBI’s 4 percent plus or minus 2 percent tolerance band.
📝 Concept Note
The CPI is compiled by the National Statistical Office (NSO) under MoSPI and is the headline measure the RBI targets, distinct from the Wholesale Price Index (WPI). The RBI’s Flexible Inflation Targeting framework (since 2016) sets a 4 percent target with a 2 to 6 percent band, decided by the six-member Monetary Policy Committee.
🎯 Concept Kit — tap to expand
| 🔗 Cross-Paper Links | GS3 (economy, monetary policy). |
| ✍️ Mains Keywords | inflation targeting, food inflation, supply-side reform. |
| ⚠️ Common Mistake | confusing CPI (retail, RBI target) with WPI (wholesale). |
| 📌 Exam Tip | RBI band = 4 percent plus or minus 2 percent. |
| 🎤 Interview | ** can monetary policy tame food inflation? |
Question 3 of 13
As part of the 2026 statistical overhaul, the base years of India’s GDP and Index of Industrial Production (IIP) were updated to which year?
FACT: MoSPI updated the base years of GDP and the IIP to 2022-23 (from 2011-12) and the CPI to 2024 (from 2012). ANALYSIS: The IIP item basket was also expanded to 463 item groups to capture new products.
📝 Concept Note
A base year is the reference year (set to 100) against which an index is measured. Rebasing captures structural change in the economy, the rise of services, digital activity and new manufacturing, improving accuracy, transparency and international comparability.
🎯 Concept Kit — tap to expand
| 🔗 Cross-Paper Links | GS3 (economy, statistics). |
| ✍️ Mains Keywords | base-year revision, official statistics, GDP measurement. |
| ⚠️ Common Mistake | assuming all indicators share one base year; GDP/IIP are 2022-23, CPI is 2024. |
| 📌 Exam Tip | IIP basket expanded to 463 item groups. |
| 🎤 Interview | ** how to keep official statistics credible? |
Question 4 of 13
Kerala’s Priyadarshini scheme, effective June 15, 2026, provides free travel on KSRTC services to which group?
FACT: The Priyadarshini scheme provides free travel on most KSRTC services to all women (income-agnostic) and transgender persons, at a cost of about Rs 800 crore a year borne by the state. ANALYSIS: Kerala joins states that have introduced free women’s bus travel.
📝 Concept Note
Such schemes are debated as women’s empowerment through mobility, which can raise female workforce participation, versus the fiscal sustainability of loss-making state transport corporations. The issue connects to the wider “freebies versus welfare” debate, including before the courts.
🎯 Concept Kit — tap to expand
| 🔗 Cross-Paper Links | GS2 (welfare, women), GS3 (fiscal sustainability). |
| ✍️ Mains Keywords | gendered mobility, workforce participation, freebies debate. |
| ⚠️ Common Mistake | assuming the scheme is income-targeted; it is income-agnostic. |
| 📌 Exam Tip | operator is KSRTC. |
| 🎤 Interview | ** do free-travel schemes empower women or strain finances? |
Question 5 of 13
Gujarat’s Industrial Policy 2026 introduced an "ultra mega industrial unit" category with what minimum investment threshold?
FACT: The ultra mega industrial unit category requires a minimum investment of Rs 10,000 crore and over 3,000 jobs in thrust sectors. ANALYSIS: The policy expanded thrust sectors from 9 to 16, adding semiconductors, nuclear equipment and drones and robotics.
📝 Concept Note
State industrial policies operate alongside central initiatives such as the India Semiconductor Mission, the Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) schemes and Make in India. The competition among states to attract high-tech anchor investment reflects competitive federalism.
🎯 Concept Kit — tap to expand
| 🔗 Cross-Paper Links | GS3 (industrial policy, manufacturing), GS2 (federalism). |
| ✍️ Mains Keywords | competitive federalism, anchor investor, PLI, MSME linkage. |
| ⚠️ Common Mistake | conflating state policy with central PLI. |
| 📌 Exam Tip | ultra-mega = Rs 10,000 crore + 3,000 jobs. |
| 🎤 Interview | ** do state incentive wars help or hurt? |
Question 6 of 13
The Nilachakra, recently trademarked by the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration, is best described as:
FACT: The Nilachakra is the eight-spoked metal disc atop the Puri Jagannath Temple spire and the official SJTA logo, trademarked along with “Ananda Bazar” and “Patitapabana” under the Trade Marks Act, 1999. ANALYSIS: The move protects sacred identifiers from unauthorised commercial use.
📝 Concept Note
A trademark (under the Trade Marks Act, 1999, administered by the CGPDTM) identifies the source of goods or services and is distinct from a Geographical Indication (GI Act, 1999), which links a product to a place of origin. The Puri temple is a Char Dham site famous for the Rath Yatra.
🎯 Concept Kit — tap to expand
| 🔗 Cross-Paper Links | GS1 (art and culture), GS2/GS3 (IP law). |
| ✍️ Mains Keywords | intellectual property, cultural heritage, trademark vs GI. |
| ⚠️ Common Mistake | confusing a trademark with a GI tag. |
| 📌 Exam Tip | Trade Marks Act 1999 vs GI Act 1999. |
| 🎤 Interview | ** should sacred symbols be protected by commercial IP law? |
Question 7 of 13
What is the Reserve Bank of India’s flexible inflation-targeting band for CPI inflation?
FACT: Under Flexible Inflation Targeting (since 2016), the RBI targets 4 percent CPI inflation with a tolerance band of plus or minus 2 percent (that is, 2 to 6 percent). ANALYSIS: May 2026 inflation at 3.93 percent sits just below the 4 percent target.
📝 Concept Note
The framework is set by the government in consultation with the RBI and operated by the six-member Monetary Policy Committee under the RBI Act, 1934 (amended 2016). The RBI has held the repo rate at 5.25 percent with a neutral stance amid West Asia oil risk.
🎯 Concept Kit — tap to expand
| 🔗 Cross-Paper Links | GS3 (monetary policy). |
| ✍️ Mains Keywords | inflation targeting, MPC, repo rate. |
| ⚠️ Common Mistake | misremembering the band as 5 percent plus or minus 2. |
| 📌 Exam Tip | target 4 percent, band 2 to 6 percent; MPC has 6 members. |
| 🎤 Interview | ** is flexible inflation targeting right for India? |
Question 8 of 13
PM Modi’s June 14-16, 2026 visit was historic as the first by an Indian Prime Minister to which country?
FACT: PM Modi began the first-ever visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Slovakia (June 14-16, 2026), arriving in Bratislava. ANALYSIS: Slovakia, independent since 1993 after the peaceful split of Czechoslovakia, is an EU, NATO and Eurozone member.
📝 Concept Note
Slovakia’s counterparts are PM Robert Fico and President Peter Pellegrini. The visit, part of a wider Europe engagement, covers trade, AI, defence and mobility, against the backdrop of the India-EU FTA push and India’s outreach to Central Europe.
🎯 Concept Kit — tap to expand
| 🔗 Cross-Paper Links | GS2 (India and Europe). |
| ✍️ Mains Keywords | India-EU FTA, Central Europe, strategic autonomy. |
| ⚠️ Common Mistake | confusing Slovakia (Bratislava) with Slovenia (Ljubljana). |
| 📌 Exam Tip | Velvet Divorce split Czechoslovakia in 1993. |
| 🎤 Interview | ** why deepen ties with smaller EU states? |
Question 9 of 13
The India Meteorological Department’s seventh Regional Meteorological Centre, inaugurated in June 2026 to strengthen Himalayan weather monitoring, is located at:
FACT: The IMD’s seventh Regional Meteorological Centre was inaugurated at Jammu, adding Doppler Weather Radars and Automatic Weather Stations across Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh and Himachal Pradesh. ANALYSIS: It strengthens cloudburst and flash-flood early warning in the fragile Himalayas.
📝 Concept Note
The southwest monsoon normally onsets over Kerala around June 1 and covers the country by mid-July, driven by differential heating and the seasonal shift of the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ). In June 2026 the monsoon advanced into more parts of West Bengal and Bihar.
🎯 Concept Kit — tap to expand
| 🔗 Cross-Paper Links | GS1 (geography, monsoon), GS3 (disaster management). |
| ✍️ Mains Keywords | early warning, cloudburst, ITCZ. |
| ⚠️ Common Mistake | confusing the monsoon onset (Kerala, ~June 1) with full coverage (~mid-July). |
| 📌 Exam Tip | 7th RMC = Jammu. |
| 🎤 Interview | ** how to improve Himalayan disaster preparedness? |
Question 10 of 13
The ASI epigraphical survey in the Nallamala forest documented inscriptions mainly linked to which empire and temple?
FACT: The Archaeological Survey of India documented inscriptions in the Nallamala forest (Eastern Ghats, Andhra Pradesh-Telangana) mostly from the Vijayanagara Empire, recording donations to the Srisailam (Mallikarjuna Jyotirlinga) temple. ANALYSIS: Nallamala is also India’s largest tiger reserve by area.
📝 Concept Note
Srisailam houses the Mallikarjuna jyotirlinga, one of the twelve jyotirlingas. The ASI functions under the Ministry of Culture, and protection of monuments is governed by the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains (AMASR) Act, 1958.
Epigraphy, the study of inscriptions, is a key source of medieval history.
Epigraphy, the study of inscriptions, is a key source of medieval history.
🎯 Concept Kit — tap to expand
| 🔗 Cross-Paper Links | GS1 (art, culture, medieval history), GS3 (conservation). |
| ✍️ Mains Keywords | epigraphy, Vijayanagara, jyotirlinga, AMASR Act. |
| ⚠️ Common Mistake | attributing the inscriptions to the Cholas. |
| 📌 Exam Tip | Srisailam = Mallikarjuna jyotirlinga; Nallamala in the Eastern Ghats. |
| 🎤 Interview | ** how to balance heritage study with tiger conservation? |
Question 11 of 13
India’s Consumer Food Price Index (CFPI) for May 2026 stood at which level?
FACT: Food inflation, measured by the CFPI, was 4.78 percent in May 2026, up from 4.20 percent in April, the main driver of the rise in headline inflation. ANALYSIS: Vegetable prices, notably tomatoes, firmed sharply.
📝 Concept Note
The CFPI is the food sub-index of the CPI. Food inflation is the swing factor in headline retail inflation and is driven by supply-side conditions for perishables, which monetary policy cannot directly address; it responds to cold chains, buffer stocking and market reform.
🎯 Concept Kit — tap to expand
| 🔗 Cross-Paper Links | GS3 (economy, agriculture, inflation). |
| ✍️ Mains Keywords | food inflation, perishables, supply chain. |
| ⚠️ Common Mistake | treating food inflation as monetary-policy-controllable. |
| 📌 Exam Tip | CFPI = food sub-index of CPI. |
| 🎤 Interview | ** what fixes structural food inflation? |
Question 12 of 13
In India, blood and blood products are regulated as a "drug" under which law, with the apex policy body being the National Blood Transfusion Council?
FACT: Blood is regulated as a drug under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940, and the apex body is the National Blood Transfusion Council (NBTC) under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. ANALYSIS: State Blood Transfusion Councils implement policy at the state level.
📝 Concept Note
The Supreme Court’s ruling in Common Cause v. Union of India (1996) led to the ban on professional (paid) blood donation, pushing India toward voluntary and replacement donation. The e-Rakt Kosh portal manages blood-bank availability online.
🎯 Concept Kit — tap to expand
| 🔗 Cross-Paper Links | GS2 (health regulation), GS3 (science). |
| ✍️ Mains Keywords | blood safety, voluntary donation, transfusion services. |
| ⚠️ Common Mistake | assuming a separate blood law; it falls under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act. |
| 📌 Exam Tip | apex body = NBTC; portal = e-Rakt Kosh. |
| 🎤 Interview | ** how to ensure equitable blood access for rare groups? |
Question 13 of 13
Which of the following correctly pairs a June 2026 development with its detail?
FACT: The ultra mega industrial unit category was introduced by the Gujarat Industrial Policy 2026. The others are wrong: Priyadarshini is a Kerala scheme, the Nilachakra was trademarked under the Trade Marks Act (not the GI Act), and the CPI was rebased to 2024 (not 2011-12).
ANALYSIS: A composite recall check across the day’s items.
ANALYSIS: A composite recall check across the day’s items.
📝 Concept Note
Composite matching questions are common in Prelims. Anchor each fact: Gujarat (ultra mega unit), Kerala (Priyadarshini), Trade Marks Act 1999 (Nilachakra), CPI base 2024, GDP/IIP base 2022-23.
🎯 Concept Kit — tap to expand
| 🔗 Cross-Paper Links | all GS papers (current affairs recall). |
| ✍️ Mains Keywords | institutional and scheme mapping. |
| ⚠️ Common Mistake | mismatching scheme to state or law. |
| 📌 Exam Tip | practise matching events to their exact state, law or value. |
| 🎤 Interview | ** none (factual recall). |
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