Current Affairs Quiz 24 June 2026

NAFED is the central nodal agency for procurement of pulses, oilseeds and onions under the Price Support Scheme (PSS) and the Price Stabilisation Fund (PSF), both housed under the PM-AASHA (Pradhan Mantri Annadata Aay SanraksHan Abhiyan) umbrella. PSS procures at the Minimum Support Price when prices fall below it; PSF buffers consumer price volatility.
NAFEX.in was launched on June 23, 2026, alongside DRISHTI, an ERP system, and NAFED Kalyan, which earmarks 1% of NAFED profits for scholarships for farming families. The Ministry of Cooperation also oversees PACS computerisation, the new multi-state cooperative seed/organic/export bodies, and the cooperative sector’s formalisation.

TReDS was conceived to operationalise the MSMED Act, 2006 provision requiring buyers to pay MSMEs within 45 days. Three platforms operate it: RXIL, M1xchange and Invoicemart.
The 2026 Master Direction (June 23, 2026) consolidated all instructions, set a minimum net worth of Rs 25 crore for platform operators (existing entities to comply by 31 March 2028), allowed financiers to use credit-guarantee cover, and admitted insurance companies and government-notified credit-guarantee funds as participants. It builds on the Factoring Regulation (Amendment) Act, 2021, which widened the pool of entities permitted to undertake factoring.
MSME Samadhaan is the parallel grievance portal for delayed payments.

The Biological Diversity Act, 2002 (amended in 2023) created a three-tier structure: the National Biodiversity Authority (NBA, headquartered in Chennai), State Biodiversity Boards (SBBs), and Biodiversity Management Committees (BMCs) at the local level. ABS requires those accessing India’s biological resources or associated traditional knowledge for commercial use to share benefits.
The NBA has mobilised over Rs 266 crore since 2008, disbursed about Rs 145 crore to 10,500-plus BMCs and stakeholders, and realised Rs 21.26 crore in FY 2025-26, with Red Sanders and the seed sector contributing the largest shares. The Cartagena Protocol, by contrast, governs living modified organisms (biosafety), not benefit sharing.

The CPSE classification has three tiers. Miniratna (Category I and II) is the entry level.
Navratna requires Miniratna-I status, a Schedule A listing, and a high composite performance score. Maharatna requires existing Navratna status, a stock-exchange listing, average annual turnover above Rs 25,000 crore, net worth above Rs 15,000 crore, and net profit above Rs 5,000 crore over three years, plus a significant global presence.
Navratna autonomy allows investment up to Rs 1,000 crore or 15% of net worth in one project. CPCL was the 28th Navratna; the total number of Navratnas rose further when Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) was also elevated in the same window.
The framework empowers CPSE boards to compete commercially.

The Vijayanagara empire (founded 1336) was ruled by four successive dynasties: Sangama, Saluva, Tuluva and Aravidu. Krishnadevaraya (reigned 1509-1529) of the Tuluva dynasty was its greatest ruler.
Sadasiva Raya (reigned 1542-1570) was a later Tuluva king under whom real power was held by the regent Aliya Rama Raya, whose defeat and death at the Battle of Talikota (Rakshasa-Tangadi) in 1565 against a coalition of Deccan Sultanates led to the sacking of the capital Hampi. The inscriptions at Sadasivakona record the building of a Siva temple and mutt.
Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the ASI protects monuments under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains (AMASR) Act, 1958.

Ayushman Bharat has two pillars: PM-JAY (the insurance arm, Rs 5 lakh per family) and Ayushman Arogya Mandirs, formerly Health and Wellness Centres (the primary-care arm). The scheme was later extended to all citizens aged 70 and above (Ayushman Vay Vandana).
Key digital terms must be distinguished: ABHA (Ayushman Bharat Health Account) is a digital health ID, not insurance; the Ayushman card is the PM-JAY entitlement card; ABDM (Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission) is the broader digital-health ecosystem. India’s public-health spending is around 2% of GDP, against the 2.5% target set by the National Health Policy, 2017.
High out-of-pocket expenditure remains the central challenge to Universal Health Coverage.

The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region hosts roughly 9 million Indians and is India’s largest source of inward remittances. Qatar supplies a significant share of India’s imported LNG through long-term contracts with companies such as Petronet LNG. The Ministry of External Affairs operates consular and welfare mechanisms, including the e-Migrate system and Pravasi Bharatiya Bima Yojana insurance for emigrant workers.
Industrial accidents in the energy sector raise questions of occupational safety and the protection of migrant labour abroad. Qatar also hosts the Al Udeid air base and has acted as a diplomatic interlocutor in several West Asian conflicts.

Under Article 76, the Attorney General (AG) is appointed by the President, holds office during the President’s pleasure, must be qualified to be a Supreme Court judge, and has the right of audience in all courts and to speak in Parliament (without a vote). The AG is not a full-time government servant and may take private practice subject to restrictions.
The Solicitor General and Additional Solicitors General are appointed by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet under the Law Officers (Conditions of Service) Rules. For comparison: Article 148 covers the Comptroller and Auditor General, Article 324 the Election Commission, and Article 280 the Finance Commission.

Interstellar objects originate outside the Solar System and are not gravitationally bound to the Sun, identifiable by their hyperbolic trajectories and high velocities. 1I/Oumuamua (2017) was the first, a cigar-shaped object; 2I/Borisov (2019) was the first interstellar comet. 3I/ATLAS shows cometary activity and deuterium-rich water, suggesting formation around an old, cold star, with age estimates running into billions of years. The Allen Telescope Array, operated by the SETI Institute, searches for technosignatures, that is, signs of technology.
The “I” in the names denotes interstellar; ATLAS stands for Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System.

The Padma Awards, instituted in 1954, are India’s civilian honours, given in three descending categories: Padma Vibhushan (exceptional and distinguished service), Padma Bhushan (distinguished service of a high order), and Padma Shri (distinguished service). They are announced on Republic Day and conferred at Civil Investiture Ceremonies.
For 2026, 65 awards were conferred: 2 Padma Vibhushan, 7 Padma Bhushan, and 56 Padma Shri. Recipients cannot use them as titles.
The Bharat Ratna is the highest civilian award and stands above the Padma series. Article 18 abolishes titles, permitting only military and academic distinctions.

Geographical Indications in India are granted under the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999, administered by the Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trade Marks (CGPDTM) under the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT). A GI identifies goods as originating from a specific place where a given quality or reputation is essentially attributable to that origin.
Darjeeling tea was India’s first GI. Rajasthan’s GI crafts also include Blue Pottery of Jaipur, Kathputli, and Molela clay work. Thewa’s defining feature, fusing gold onto glass without adhesive, is a closely guarded family technique of the Raj-Soni community of Pratapgarh.

Factoring is the sale of a business’s accounts receivable (invoices) to a third party (the factor) at a discount, in exchange for immediate cash. Before 2021, only NBFCs with factoring as their principal business could operate, which limited credit supply on TReDS. The 2021 amendment implemented recommendations of the U.K. Sinha Committee on MSMEs, broadening who can be a financier and mandating registration of factoring transactions with a central registry (CERSAI).
The RBI’s 2026 TReDS Master Direction extends this by admitting insurers and credit-guarantee funds and allowing credit-guarantee cover, further de-risking financing of MSME receivables.

The National Health Policy (NHP), 2017 replaced the 2002 policy and set goals including 2.5% of GDP on health by 2025, increasing state health spending to over 8% of their budgets, and ensuring availability of free essential drugs and diagnostics at public facilities. India’s high out-of-pocket expenditure (a large share of total health spending) pushes millions into poverty annually.
The 15th Finance Commission recommended health grants and a larger role for local bodies in primary health. Ayushman Bharat, with its insurance arm (PM-JAY) and primary-care arm (Ayushman Arogya Mandirs), is the policy’s flagship vehicle, but the spending shortfall remains the binding constraint on Universal Health Coverage.

PM-AASHA was launched in 2018 and revamped subsequently. It comprises components including the Price Support Scheme (PSS), under which agencies like NAFED procure pulses, oilseeds and copra at the MSP when market prices fall below it; the Price Deficiency Payment Scheme (PDPS), which pays farmers the difference between MSP and the sale price without physical procurement; and the Price Stabilisation Fund (PSF), which buffers consumers against sharp price spikes.
The Minimum Support Price itself is recommended by the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP). NAFED’s new NAFEX.in portal digitises the auctions through which procured stocks are disposed of, improving transparency in PSS and PSF operations.