Prelim 2027 The Hindu, IE &PIB
Microtheme: Environment: "Flagship Species X Characteristics" Repeated 7 times in the UPSC Prelims

With reference to elephant corridors and elephant conservation in India, which one of the following statements is correct?
(a) An identified elephant corridor is automatically notified as a protected area under wildlife law, so its land cannot be converted without prior clearance.
(b) The Asian elephant is placed in the schedule of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 that carries the highest degree of protection, and it is also India's declared National Heritage Animal.
(c) Elephant Reserves declared under Project Elephant enjoy the same statutory status as national parks and wildlife sanctuaries.
(d) Elephant herds are patrilineal, led by a dominant adult bull, which is why a blocked corridor fragments breeding groups.

Source link of the above question: https://www.civilsdaily.com/news/states-cant-block-elephant-corridors-fearing-crop-damage-sc/

Prelim 2027 The Hindu, IE &PIB
Microtheme: Geography: "Critical Minerals, Rare Earth, Other Minerals" Repeated 6 times in the UPSC Prelims

With reference to Khanij Bidesh India Limited (KABIL), consider the following statements:
1. KABIL was established in 2019 to acquire and develop critical mineral assets overseas.
2. It is a joint venture of NALCO, Hindustan Copper Limited and Mineral Exploration and Consultancy Limited.
3. KABIL has acquired five lithium brine blocks in Catamarca, Argentina.
4. Spodumene concentrate can be directly used in lithium-ion batteries without further processing.

Source link of the above question: https://www.civilsdaily.com/news/why-india-is-finding-it-difficult-to-buy-critical-mineral-assets-abroad/

Prelim 2027 The Hindu, IE &PIB
Microtheme: Environment: "International Org, Treaties X Environment" Repeated 10 times in the UPSC Prelims

With reference to the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) of the European Union, which one of the following statements is correct?
(a) It is a levy on carbon intensive goods imported into the European Union, applied to sectors such as iron and steel, aluminium, cement, fertilizers, hydrogen and electricity.
(b) It is a subsidy paid to European Union manufacturers who switch from fossil fuel to renewable energy in their production processes.
(c) It is a carbon credit trading platform open to all parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement.
(d) It is an export duty levied by the European Union on outbound shipments of high emission goods to developing countries.

Source link for the above question: https://www.civilsdaily.com/news/brics-environment-ministers-call-eu-carbon-border-tax-punitive-and-unilateral/

Prelim 2027 The Hindu, IE &PIB
Microtheme: Science and Technology / Governance: "Defence (Hardware, Indigenisation & Strategic Autonomy)" Repeated 25 times in the UPSC Prelims

With reference to the Positive Indigenisation List notified by the Ministry of Defence, which one of the following statements is correct?
(a) It lists defence items that may not be imported after a stated timeline, so that procurement of those items is made exclusively from domestic industry thereafter.
(b) It lists defence platforms that India has cleared for export to friendly foreign countries under the defence export promotion policy.
(c) It lists foreign defence firms permitted to hold a majority equity stake in Indian defence manufacturing joint ventures.
(d) It lists items for which the armed forces are exempted from the competitive bidding process on grounds of operational urgency.

Source link for the above question: https://www.civilsdaily.com/news/sixth-positive-indigenisation-list-notifies-405-defence-items-worth-rs-3070-crore/

Mentor Comment
The Japanese Defence Minister’s visit to India this week comes as Tokyo abandons its self imposed military restraint and adopts an active regional military diplomacy. The visit exposes a gap between an India Japan defence relationship that carries the full institutional architecture of a Special Strategic and Global Partnership and a level of operational and industrial cooperation that has stayed slow and incremental.
https://www.civilsdaily.com/news/a-changing-asia-demands-more-from-delhi-and-tokyo-together/

Mentor Comment
The United States President has threatened, for the second time, to bomb Oman, a long standing American ally that hosted talks between Washington and Tehran before the war was launched on 28 February. The threat against an ally exposes a conflict between an American security architecture built on bases across the Persian Gulf and a war in which those bases have become the principal liability of the states that host them.

https://www.civilsdaily.com/news/beyond-america-gulf-states-must-build-a-regional-order-past-the-us-security-umbrella/

Prelim 2027 The Hindu, IE &PIB
Microtheme: Economics: "RBI x Functions / Liquidity Management" Repeated 20 times in the UPSC Prelims

With reference to the monetary policy framework of the Reserve Bank of India and the measurement of inflation in India, which one of the following statements is correct?
(a) The inflation target under the framework is specified in terms of the Wholesale Price Index.
(b) The Marginal Standing Facility rate forms the floor of the policy corridor and the Standing Deposit Facility rate forms its ceiling.
(c) Core inflation is the Consumer Price Index inflation rate computed after excluding food and fuel.
(d) The decisions of the Monetary Policy Committee are advisory, and the Governor may set a repo rate different from the one the Committee votes for.

Source link for the above question: https://www.civilsdaily.com/news/rbis-mpc-minutes-signal-a-turn-from-easing-to-tightening/