Answer: B
Soln:
RBI’s Financial Inclusion Index:
● The Financial Inclusion Index (FI-Index) was launched by the Reserve Bank of India in
2021 to track the process of ensuring access to financial services, timely and adequate
credit for vulnerable and low-income groups at an affordable cost. Hence, statement 1 is
incorrect.
● The Fi-Index is a comprehensive index, incorporating details of banking, investment,
insurance, postal, as well as the pension sector in consultation with government and
respective sector regulators.
● The FI-Index comprises three broad parameters — access (35%), usage (45%), and
quality (20%) — with each of these consisting of various dimensions, which are computed
based on a number of indicators. Hence, statement 3 is incorrect.
● The index captures information on various aspects of financial inclusion in a single value
ranging between 0 and 100, where 0 represents complete financial exclusion and 100
indicates full financial inclusion. Hence, statement 2 is correct.
● The FI-Index has been constructed without any ‘base year’ and as such it reflects
cumulative efforts of all stakeholders over the years towards financial inclusion.
● The Index is published annually in July every year.

● The Reserve Bank's FI-Index rose to 64.2 in March 2024, showing growth across all
parameters.
● The improvement in FI-Index is mainly contributed by usage dimension, reflecting
deepening of financial inclusion.

1. Cities Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan, recently seen in news, are located in which of the following
countries?

Answer: B
Soln:
● Fordow has Iran's most heavily fortified nuclear site used for uranium enrichment, which
is built deep beneath a mountain. Hence, option B is correct.
● Natanz has the largest uranium enrichment facility in Iran.
● Isfahan has Iran's largest nuclear research site, which was targeted by Israel 2 times
since the crisis began on June 13, 2025.

2. With reference to mangrove forests, consider the following statements.
1. Mangrove swamps are coastal wetlands mainly found in tropical and subtropical regions.
2. They are characterized by halophytic trees, shrubs and other plants growing in brackish to saline tidal waters.
3. In India, mangroves are found along the eastern coast only.

Answer: A
Explanation
● Statement 1 is correct: Mangrove swamps are coastal wetlands found in tropical and
subtropical regions.
● Mangroves belong primarily to the families Rhizophoraceae, Acanthaceae, Lythraceae,
Combretaceae, and Arecaceae.
● Statement 2 is correct: They are characterized by halophytic (salt loving) trees, shrubs
and other plants growing in brackish to saline tidal waters.
● These wetlands are often found in estuaries, where fresh water meets salt water.
Significance of mangroves
● A wide diversity of plants and animals are found in mangrove swamps. Since these
estuarine swamps are constantly replenished with nutrients transported by fresh water
runoff from the land and flushed by the ebb and flow of the tides, they support a bursting
population of bacteria and other decomposers and filter feeders.
● Because mangroves create dense foliage and close proximity of trees, they protect
shorelines from damaging winds and waves. A series of studies in the early 2000s
discovered that mangroves with an average height of 6-10 metres could shorten a cyclone’s
waves by 60%.
● Their protective role has been widely recognized especially after the devastating Tsunami
of 2004.
● Mangrove forests stabilize the coastline, and help prevent erosion by stabilising
sediments with their tangled root systems.

● Mangroves also have a big impact on climate. Mangroves are powerhouses when it comes
to carbon storage. Studies indicate that mangroves can sequester greater amounts of
carbon than other trees in the peat soil beneath. They store this carbon for thousands of
years.
● The intricate root system of mangroves also makes these forests attractive to fish and other
organisms seeking food and shelter from predators.
● Many people living in and around mangroves depend on them for their livelihood. The
trees are a source of wood for construction and fuel. The ecosystem provides local
fishermen with a rich supply of fish, crabs and shellfish. The ecosystem also supports
tourism.
Distribution:
● Mangroves can be found in more than 120 countries and territories in the tropical and
subtropical regions of the world. The largest extent of mangroves is found in Asia (42%)
followed by Africa (20%), North and Central America (15%), Oceania (12%) and South
America (11%).
● In India, the deltas of the Ganges, Mahanadi, Krishna, Godavari, and the Cauvery rivers
contain mangrove forests. 
● The Sundarbans in West Bengal is the largest mangrove region in the world and a
UNESCO World Heritage Site. It spans from the Hooghly River in West Bengal to the
Baleswar River in Bangladesh. 
● Statement 3 is incorrect: Gulf of Kachchh harbours one of the major mangrove
formations of India. Pichavaram in Tamil Nadu has a vast expanse of water covered with mangrove forests. It is home to many aquatic bird species.
● The backwaters in Kerala also have a high density of mangrove forest.

3. Consider the following statements about the Food Corporation of India (FCI)
1) It is a statutory corporation under the Department of Food and Public Distribution, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution.
2) Maintaining a satisfactory level of operational and buffer stocks of foodgrains to ensure national food security is one of its objectives.

Answer: C
Explanation
● Statement 1 is correct: The Food Corporation of India (FCI) is a statutory corporation
under the Department of Food and Public Distribution, Ministry of Consumer Affairs,
Food and Public Distribution.
● It was setup in 1965 under the Food Corporation’s Act 1964 to fulfill following objectives
of the Food Policy:
○ Effective price support operations for safeguarding the interests of the farmers,
○ Distribution of foodgrains throughout the country for public distribution system
and
○ Statement 2 is correct: Maintaining satisfactory level of operational and buffer
stocks of foodgrains to ensure national food security.

● FCI's foremost priority is to ensure food security for the nation by effectively managing the
procurement, storage, and distribution of essential commodities, thereby providing a
reliable and sufficient food supply to meet the needs of the population.

4. Which of the following statements about the Sangeet Natak Akademi is incorrect?

Answer: D
Explanation
● Sangeet Natak Akademi is the apex body in the field of performing arts in India. It is an
autonomous body of the Ministry of Culture.
● The Akademi was set up in 1953 for the preservation and promotion of the vast
intangible heritage of India’s diverse culture expressed in forms of music, dance and
drama.
● The management of the Akademi vests in its General Council.
● The Chairman of the Akademi is appointed by the President of India for a term of five
years.
● Its headquarters is located in New Delhi.

Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowships and Awards
● The Sangeet Natak Akademi Awards are the highest national recognition conferred on
practising artists.
● Akademi Awards may be conferred on eminent practitioners, gurus and scholars of
music, dance and theatre for sustained individual achievement of high professional order.
○ The Akademi Awards have been conferred since 1952.
● The Akademi also confers Fellowships (Akademi Ratna) on eminent artists and scholars
of music, dance and drama. It is considered as the highest honour given to an eminent
artist in the field of performing arts for his/her exceptional contribution to his/her
performing art form.
○ The Fellowship of the Akademi is a most prestigious and rare honour, which is
restricted to 40 at any given time.
○ The first Fellow of the Akademi was elected in 1954.
● The award of Akademi Fellow carries a prize money of Rs 3 lakh, while the Akademi award
carries a prize money of Rs 1 lakh, besides a 'tamrapatra' (inscriptions on copper plates)
and 'angavastram' (a traditional shoulder cloth).

5. The purpose of the National Financial Reporting Authority (NFRA) is to

Answer: B
Explanation
● The National Financial Reporting Authority (NFRA) was constituted in 2018 under the
Companies Act, 2013 to continuously improve the quality of all corporate financial
reporting in India.
● Functions and Duties:
○ Recommend accounting and auditing policies and standards to be adopted by
companies for approval by the Central Government;
○ Monitor and enforce compliance with accounting standards and auditing
standards;
○ Oversee the quality of service of the professions associated with ensuring
compliance with such standards and suggest measures for improvement in the
quality of service;
○ Perform such other functions and duties as may be necessary or incidental to the
aforesaid functions and duties.

● The Authority consists of a chairperson and three full time members appointed by the
Central Government.

1. The main objective of the Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan (PMSMA) is to

Answer: C
Explanation
● The Ministry of Health & Family Welfare launched “Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva
Abhiyan” (PMSMA) with an aim to provide fixed-day, free of cost, assured,
comprehensive and quality antenatal care universally to all pregnant women in their
2nd / 3rd trimesters of pregnancy at designated government health facilities.
● Launched in 2016, PMSMA envisages to improve the quality and coverage of Antenatal Care
(ANC) including diagnostics and counseling services as part of the Reproductive Maternal
Neonatal Child and Adolescent Health (RMNCH+A) Strategy.
● One of the key focus areas of PMSMA is to generate demand through Information Education
& Communication (IEC), Interpersonal Communication (IPC) and Behavior Change
Communication (BCC) activities.
● Extensive use of audio-visual and print media in raising mass awareness is an integral part
of the IEC/BCC campaign.
● Auxiliary Nurse Midwife (ANM), Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) and Anganwadi
Worker (AWW) play a pivotal role in mobilization of the community and potential
beneficiaries in both rural and urban areas for availing of services during the PMSMA.

2. Consider the following statements about the Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) UDAN scheme.
1. It aims at providing connectivity to un-served and under-served airports of the country through revival of existing air-strips and airports.
2. The scheme offers viability gap funding to companies in addition to waiver of certain
statutory charges and taxes on jet fuel.
3. The Airports Authority of India is designated as the Implementing Agency under this Scheme.