UPSC Prelims Practice
Current Affairs Quiz 22 July 2026
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15 questions based on today’s current affairs & editorials
15 MCQs
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Question 1 of 15
The Teesta Stage-VI hydropower project, site of a July 2026 tunnel disaster, is located in which state?
FACT: The Teesta Stage-VI Hydroelectric Project, where a suspected methane burst and explosion in the Head Race Tunnel trapped 25 workers, at least 22 of whom died, is in Namchi district, South Sikkim, on the Teesta river, developed by NHPC. ANALYSIS: The accident underlined the hazards of hydropower construction in the young, fragile Himalaya.
📝 Concept Note
The Teesta basin also saw the 2023 Teesta-III glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF).
🎯 Concept Kit — tap to expand
| 🔗 Cross-Paper Links | GS1 geography, GS3 disaster management. |
| ✍️ Mains Keywords | Himalayan hydropower, tunnel safety, disaster preparedness. |
| ⚠️ Common Mistake | placing the Teesta in another state. |
| 📌 Exam Tip | the Teesta flows through Sikkim and West Bengal. |
| 🎤 Interview | ** Dams in fragile mountains. |
Question 2 of 15
The Teesta river, in the news in July 2026, is a transboundary river shared with:
FACT: The Teesta is a major transboundary river shared between India and Bangladesh, and water-sharing on it is a long-standing bilateral issue. ANALYSIS: The Teesta Stage-VI project is a run-of-river plant on this river in Sikkim.
📝 Concept Note
Methane (CH4) is a flammable and asphyxiant gas, a hazard in tunnelling.
🎯 Concept Kit — tap to expand
| 🔗 Cross-Paper Links | GS1 geography, GS2 India-Bangladesh. |
| ✍️ Mains Keywords | transboundary rivers, water diplomacy. |
| ⚠️ Common Mistake | associating the Teesta with Nepal. |
| 📌 Exam Tip | the Teesta is shared with Bangladesh. |
| 🎤 Interview | ** River-water sharing with neighbours. |
Question 3 of 15
By joining the WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies in July 2026, India became the:
FACT: India deposited its Instrument of Acceptance of the WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies, becoming the 123rd member to do so. ANALYSIS: The agreement is the first WTO pact with an environmental-sustainability objective, curbing subsidies for illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.
📝 Concept Note
The agreement was adopted at the 12th Ministerial Conference (MC12) in Geneva in 2022 and entered into force on September 15, 2025.
🎯 Concept Kit — tap to expand
| 🔗 Cross-Paper Links | GS2 international institutions, GS3 environment. |
| ✍️ Mains Keywords | WTO, sustainability, blue economy, fisher livelihoods. |
| ⚠️ Common Mistake | thinking it is a purely trade pact. |
| 📌 Exam Tip | the AFS is the first environment-focused WTO agreement. |
| 🎤 Interview | ** Trade and sustainability. |
Question 4 of 15
The World Trade Organization (WTO) is headquartered in and headed by:
FACT: The WTO is headquartered in Geneva and is headed by Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, who received India’s Instrument of Acceptance of the Fisheries Subsidies Agreement. ANALYSIS: India has sought stronger special and differential treatment for small and traditional fishers.
📝 Concept Note
The Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies targets IUU fishing and subsidies for overfished stocks.
🎯 Concept Kit — tap to expand
| 🔗 Cross-Paper Links | GS2 international institutions. |
| ✍️ Mains Keywords | WTO, special and differential treatment, distant-water fleets. |
| ⚠️ Common Mistake | confusing the WTO with the IMF or UN. |
| 📌 Exam Tip | WTO is in Geneva; DG is Okonjo-Iweala. |
| 🎤 Interview | ** India at the WTO. |
Question 5 of 15
The ICMR technologies licensed in July 2026 include SHetA2, a targeted therapeutic against which condition?
FACT: SHetA2, a first-in-class anti-HPV therapeutic for cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN), was licensed by ICMR to Emcure Pharmaceuticals under its Patent Mitra initiative. ANALYSIS: HPV (human papillomavirus) causes most cervical cancer, a high-burden cancer among Indian women.
📝 Concept Note
ICMR also licensed next-generation typhoid vaccine technologies from ICMR-NIRBI, Kolkata to Biological E.
🎯 Concept Kit — tap to expand
| 🔗 Cross-Paper Links | GS3 science-tech and health. |
| ✍️ Mains Keywords | technology transfer, Atmanirbhar health, cervical-cancer elimination. |
| ⚠️ Common Mistake | confusing HPV with other pathogens. |
| 📌 Exam Tip | SHetA2 targets HPV-linked cervical neoplasia. |
| 🎤 Interview | ** Lab-to-market in health. |
Question 6 of 15
The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) is the apex body for biomedical research under which ministry?
FACT: The ICMR is the apex body for the formulation, coordination and promotion of biomedical research in India, functioning under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. ANALYSIS: Its Patent Mitra initiative supports commercialisation of publicly funded innovations.
📝 Concept Note
ICMR-NIRBI, Kolkata was formerly known as NICED.
🎯 Concept Kit — tap to expand
| 🔗 Cross-Paper Links | GS3 science-tech. |
| ✍️ Mains Keywords | research institutions, technology transfer. |
| ⚠️ Common Mistake | placing ICMR under the science ministry. |
| 📌 Exam Tip | ICMR is under the Health Ministry. |
| 🎤 Interview | ** Public research and innovation. |
Question 7 of 15
Mission Golden Spice, launched in July 2026, aims to build a value chain for which product?
FACT: Mission Golden Spice, a Rs 175.45 crore five-year mission under the Ministry of DoNER, aims to build a global GI-tagged value chain for Lakadong turmeric from the Jaintia Hills of Meghalaya. ANALYSIS: Lakadong turmeric has one of the world’s highest curcumin contents, about 7 to 12 per cent.
📝 Concept Note
The mission mandates about 99 per cent women participation in processing.
🎯 Concept Kit — tap to expand
| 🔗 Cross-Paper Links | GS3 economy and agriculture. |
| ✍️ Mains Keywords | GI tag, value chains, women-led FPOs, North-East development. |
| ⚠️ Common Mistake | confusing Lakadong turmeric with another spice. |
| 📌 Exam Tip | Lakadong turmeric is from Meghalaya, high curcumin. |
| 🎤 Interview | ** Premiumising farm produce. |
Question 8 of 15
Lakadong turmeric is prized mainly for its high content of:
FACT: Lakadong turmeric is prized for its high curcumin content, about 7 to 12 per cent, among the highest in the world, which gives it strong colour, flavour and medicinal value. ANALYSIS: This makes it valuable for nutraceutical and spice exports under a GI-tagged value chain.
📝 Concept Note
It comes from the Jaintia Hills of Meghalaya in the North East.
🎯 Concept Kit — tap to expand
| 🔗 Cross-Paper Links | GS3 agriculture. |
| ✍️ Mains Keywords | curcumin, nutraceuticals, GI branding. |
| ⚠️ Common Mistake | confusing curcumin with capsaicin (chillies). |
| 📌 Exam Tip | turmeric’s key compound is curcumin. |
| 🎤 Interview | ** Value addition in spices. |
Question 9 of 15
Shabdalok, inaugurated in July 2026 at the National Library, Kolkata, is:
FACT: Shabdalok, the “Museum of the Word”, inaugurated at the National Library in Kolkata, is described as India’s first immersive language museum, with galleries celebrating India’s languages, including the 22 in the Eighth Schedule. ANALYSIS: It uses holograms and AI to showcase linguistic heritage.
📝 Concept Note
The National Library, Kolkata is India’s largest library and a library of public record.
🎯 Concept Kit — tap to expand
| 🔗 Cross-Paper Links | GS1 art, culture and society. |
| ✍️ Mains Keywords | linguistic diversity, Eighth Schedule, cultural preservation. |
| ⚠️ Common Mistake | misidentifying the museum’s theme. |
| 📌 Exam Tip | Shabdalok is India’s first language museum, in Kolkata. |
| 🎤 Interview | ** Preserving India’s languages. |
Question 10 of 15
The Eighth Schedule of the Constitution, celebrated at Shabdalok, currently lists how many languages?
FACT: The Eighth Schedule currently lists 22 languages; it originally had 14, and the latest additions, Bodo, Dogri, Maithili and Santhali, were made by the 92nd Amendment in 2003. ANALYSIS: Shabdalok celebrates these scheduled languages and India’s wider linguistic heritage.
📝 Concept Note
There are demands to include more languages, such as Bhojpuri, in the Eighth Schedule.
🎯 Concept Kit — tap to expand
| 🔗 Cross-Paper Links | GS2 Constitution, GS1 society. |
| ✍️ Mains Keywords | Eighth Schedule, linguistic rights. |
| ⚠️ Common Mistake | misremembering the count (22, not 18). |
| 📌 Exam Tip | the Eighth Schedule has 22 languages. |
| 🎤 Interview | ** Language and identity. |
Question 11 of 15
France’s 2026 law on children and social media is notable because France became the:
FACT: France passed a law making it the first European Union country to ban social media for children under 15, with new accounts blocked from around September 2026. ANALYSIS: Australia was the first country globally to legislate an age limit (under-16, in 2025).
📝 Concept Note
In India, the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 requires verifiable parental consent for processing the data of those under 18.
🎯 Concept Kit — tap to expand
| 🔗 Cross-Paper Links | GS2 governance and social issues. |
| ✍️ Mains Keywords | online child safety, age verification, data protection. |
| ⚠️ Common Mistake | thinking France was first globally (Australia was). |
| 📌 Exam Tip | France is the first EU country to ban under-15 social media. |
| 🎤 Interview | ** Protecting children online. |
Question 12 of 15
India’s framework for protecting children’s data online is primarily provided by:
FACT: The Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act, 2023 governs the processing of personal data, including special protections for children, requiring verifiable parental consent for those under 18. ANALYSIS: It is India’s main reference point when comparing global moves like France’s under-15 social-media ban.
📝 Concept Note
The Information Technology Rules, 2021 also impose due-diligence duties on intermediaries.
🎯 Concept Kit — tap to expand
| 🔗 Cross-Paper Links | GS2 governance, data protection. |
| ✍️ Mains Keywords | DPDP Act, parental consent, online harms. |
| ⚠️ Common Mistake | attributing child-data rules only to the IT Act. |
| 📌 Exam Tip | children’s data is covered by the DPDP Act, 2023. |
| 🎤 Interview | ** Balancing safety and privacy. |
Question 13 of 15
The national flag of India was adopted by the Constituent Assembly, with the resolution moved by, on July 22, 1947 by:
FACT: The Constituent Assembly adopted the national flag on July 22, 1947, with the resolution moved by Jawaharlal Nehru. ANALYSIS: The tricolour is based on the Swaraj flag, with the Ashok Chakra, a 24-spoke wheel, replacing the charkha.
📝 Concept Note
The Ashok Chakra is taken from the Lion Capital of Ashoka at Sarnath.
🎯 Concept Kit — tap to expand
| 🔗 Cross-Paper Links | GS1 modern history, national symbols. |
| ✍️ Mains Keywords | national flag, Constituent Assembly. |
| ⚠️ Common Mistake | confusing the mover of the resolution. |
| 📌 Exam Tip | Nehru moved the flag resolution on July 22, 1947. |
| 🎤 Interview | ** The making of national symbols. |
Question 14 of 15
The Naying Hydroelectric Project cleared in July 2026 is on the Siyom river, a tributary system linked to which major river?
FACT: The roughly 1,000 MW Naying project in West Siang, Arunachal Pradesh, is on the Siyom river in the Siang basin; the Siang is the Indian name for the Yarlung Tsangpo, which becomes the Brahmaputra. ANALYSIS: The basin is strategically significant given China’s planned mega-dam on the Yarlung Tsangpo.
📝 Concept Note
Arunachal Pradesh is an integral part of India; the developer is NEEPCO.
🎯 Concept Kit — tap to expand
| 🔗 Cross-Paper Links | GS1 geography, GS2 IR, GS3 energy. |
| ✍️ Mains Keywords | hydropower, water security, transboundary rivers. |
| ⚠️ Common Mistake | not linking the Siang to the Yarlung Tsangpo. |
| 📌 Exam Tip | Siang = Yarlung Tsangpo = Brahmaputra. |
| 🎤 Interview | ** Water and strategic security. |
Question 15 of 15
India’s first dengue vaccine, approved in July 2026, received marketing authorisation from:
FACT: The Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO), India’s national drug regulator, granted marketing authorisation for a dengue vaccine (Qdenga), reported as India’s first. ANALYSIS: Dengue, spread by the Aedes aegypti mosquito and having four serotypes, is a high-burden disease in India.
📝 Concept Note
A vaccine complements, but does not replace, vector-control measures.
🎯 Concept Kit — tap to expand
| 🔗 Cross-Paper Links | GS2 health, GS3 science-tech. |
| ✍️ Mains Keywords | vaccines, vector-borne disease, drug regulation. |
| ⚠️ Common Mistake | attributing approval to the ICMR or WHO. |
| 📌 Exam Tip | CDSCO is India’s drug regulator. |
| 🎤 Interview | ** Fighting vector-borne disease. |
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