UPSC Quiz – 2026 : IASbaba’s Daily Current Affairs Quiz 13th July 2026

Solution (a)

Explanation

• Statements 1, 2 and 3 are correct. Phu Quoc is Vietnam’s largest island, located in the Gulf of Thailand off the country’s southwestern coast, close to Cambodia. Nearly 70% of the island is protected under Phu Quoc National Park, established in 2001, preserving tropical forests and rich biodiversity. The adjoining Phu Quoc Marine Protected Area conserves coral reefs, mangroves, seagrass beds, dugongs and diverse marine fauna.
• Statement 4 is incorrect because the island lies in the Gulf of Thailand, not the South China Sea, although both water bodies are part of the broader Southeast Asian maritime region. UPSC frequently tests map-based distinctions between adjacent seas and gulfs.

Why this question?
Tests map-based elimination between the Gulf of Thailand and South China Sea.

Why important for UPSC?
Southeast Asian geography and marine protected areas are recurring Prelims themes.

PYQ Pattern Link
Similar to UPSC questions on Borneo, Luzon, Spratly Islands and Gulf locations.

Solution (d)

Explanation

• Statements 1, 2 and 4 are correct. SASCI is a Central Sector Scheme administered by the Ministry of Finance to encourage States and Union Territories to undertake capital expenditure and structural reforms. Assistance is extended through 50-year interest-free loans, which are provided over and above the normal borrowing limits of States. The scheme supports investment in infrastructure such as roads, health, education, water supply and digital infrastructure, while also rewarding reforms in urban planning, mining, land records, governance and fiscal discipline.
• Statement 3 is incorrect because SASCI finances capital expenditure, not routine revenue expenditure like salaries or pensions.

Why this question?
Differentiates capital expenditure from revenue expenditure.

Why important for UPSC?
Fiscal federalism and Centre–State financial relations are core Economy topics.

PYQ Pattern Link
Similar to UPSC questions on Finance Commission grants and capital expenditure.

Solution (c)

Explanation

• Option (c) is correct. NDS-OM is an electronic, anonymous, order-driven trading platform owned by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) for the secondary market trading of Government securities (G-Secs).
• It is operated by the Clearing Corporation of India Limited (CCIL) on behalf of RBI and facilitates trading in Central Government Securities, State Development Loans, Treasury Bills and Cash Management Bills. It uses price-time priority and Straight Through Processing (STP) for settlement.
• It is not a platform for issuing new securities or trading corporate bonds. UPSC often distinguishes primary and secondary markets, making this a classic conceptual trap.

Why this question?
Tests distinction between primary and secondary G-Sec markets.

Why important for UPSC?
Financial market infrastructure is increasingly asked in Economy.

PYQ Pattern Link
Comparable to UPSC questions on RBI Retail Direct, CCIL and G-Secs.

Solution (a)

Explanation

• Statements 1, 2 and 3 are correct. The Khawthlangtuipui, known internationally as the Karnaphuli River, originates in the Lushai Hills of Mizoram, flows through southern Mizoram into Bangladesh’s Chittagong Hill Tracts, and finally empties into the Bay of Bengal near Chattogram. The Kaptai Dam constructed across the river created Kaptai Lake, Bangladesh’s largest artificial lake and the site of the country’s only major hydroelectric project.
• Statement 4 is incorrect because the Karnaphuli flows directly into the Bay of Bengal and does not join the Meghna River.

This is a common UPSC map-based elimination trap.

Why this question?
Tests origin, course and drainage of a transboundary river.

Why important for UPSC?
India–Bangladesh rivers are repeatedly asked in Prelims.

PYQ Pattern Link
Similar to UPSC questions on Feni, Teesta and Kushiyara rivers.

Solution (d)

Explanation

• Statements 1, 3 and 4 are correct. In India, about 99% of Lymphatic Filariasis cases are caused by Wuchereria bancrofti, while a small proportion is caused by Brugia malayi.
• The disease is transmitted by different mosquito genera, including Culex (predominantly in India), Anopheles, Aedes, and Mansonia, making Statement 2 incorrect.
• The World Health Organization (WHO) launched the Global Programme to Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis (GPELF) in 2000, focusing on interrupting transmission through Mass Drug Administration (MDA) and reducing suffering through Morbidity Management and Disability Prevention (MMDP).

UPSC frequently frames questions by confusing vectors with pathogens or by restricting transmission to a single mosquito genus.

Why this question?

Tests vector diversity, elimination strategy and WHO programme through elimination-based statements.

Why important for UPSC?

Neglected Tropical Diseases and disease elimination programmes remain recurring Prelims themes.

PYQ Pattern Link

Similar to UPSC questions on Kala-azar, Malaria, Japanese Encephalitis and Dengue, where vectors, pathogens and national control strategies are deliberately interchanged to create conceptual traps.