UPSC Quiz – 2026 : IASbaba’s Daily Current Affairs Quiz 16th October 2026

Solution (a)
Explanation: The National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP) was launched on 15 August 1995 as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme under the Ministry of Rural Development, providing central assistance for social security to eligible vulnerable people in both rural and urban areas. Its constitutional basis is Article 41 of the Directive Principles of State Policy, concerning public assistance in cases including old age, sickness and disability, within the State’s economic capacity. On 14 October 2026, the Union Cabinet approved its continuation for five years (2026–27 to 2030–31) with a total outlay of ₹53,428 crore, renaming it Pradhan Mantri Samajik Sahayata Yojana, with revised eligibility and assistance for persons with disabilities, benefiting around 3.20 crore people. Statement 2 is correct: the benchmark disability threshold was reduced from 80% to 40%. Statement 3 is incorrect on one count: the minimum age for disability pension eligibility has been removed, with eligibility now extending from birth — not raised. The revised disability assistance is correctly stated as ₹375 per month for ages 0–79 years and ₹625 per month for ages 80 years and above. NSAP’s five components are IGNOAPS (renamed Pradhan Mantri Vridhavastha Pension Yojana), IGNWPS (renamed Pradhan Mantri Vidhawa Pension Yojana), IGNDPS (renamed Pradhan Mantri Divyangjan Pension Yojana), NFBS (renamed Pradhan Mantri Parivar Labh Yojana), and the Annapurna Scheme. Old-age and widow pensions continue in their existing form, with revised guidelines to be issued within three months.
Why this question? The “minimum age raised” trap reverses the actual change (removal of minimum age)—a high-value precision discriminator.
Why important for UPSC? Social security schemes, disability welfare and DPSP linkages are recurring governance prelims themes.
PYQ Pattern Link: Similar to questions on Centrally Sponsored Schemes, their components and revised eligibility criteria.

Solution (b)
Explanation: Soybean (Glycine max) belongs to the family Fabaceae (legume family) and is primarily a Kharif crop in India, requiring warm, moist conditions and being sensitive to water stress, particularly during flowering, pod development and seed filling; it prefers well-drained soils with reasonable moisture retention, and waterlogging is harmful. India’s average soybean productivity is currently around 10–11 quintals per hectare. Its uses include edible oil, protein-rich food, livestock feed and industrial products, and as a legume, it forms a symbiotic association with nitrogen-fixing bacteria, contributing to nitrogen cycling in the soil. Major producing states include Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Rajasthan, alongside Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat and other states — so option (d)’s claim of Madhya Pradesh being the “sole producing state” is incorrect. Option (a) misstates the season and family. Option (c) misstates the season, family and producing states. The ICAR–National Soybean Research Institute (NSRI), Indore, assessed the yield potential of improved varieties NRC 268 and NRC 270 during Soybean Harvest Day on 9 October 2026, with preliminary results indicating yields of around 20 quintals per hectare despite adverse weather; ICAR research indicates improved varieties and suitable practices can raise yields to 15–20 quintals/ha, reaching 22–25 quintals/ha under favourable conditions.
Why this question? The season-family-productivity triad is the primary discriminator, with the “sole producing state” trap adding precision.
Why important for UPSC? Cropping patterns, crop families and agricultural productivity are recurring agriculture prelims themes.
PYQ Pattern Link: Similar to one-liner questions identifying crops by their season, family and major producing states.

Solution (d)
Explanation: Researchers at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Thiruvananthapuram, developed a crystalline organometallic compound capable of releasing two fuel gases—hydrogen and methane—from a single solid material, with the research published in Science Advances in October 2026. Its chemical formula is Mg[(CH₃)ZnH₃], composed of magnesium, zinc, hydrogen and carbon, and it is a crystalline, hydride-rich organometallic compound that is solid at room temperature. Under solvent-free, oxygen-free (anaerobic) conditions, it releases hydrogen (H₂) and methane (CH₄) at temperatures as low as 80°C through reductive elimination, leaving elemental magnesium and zinc as products. Its distinctive feature is that a single molecular precursor can release two different fuel gases, potentially simplifying their storage and controlled release. Potential applications include fuel storage (a possible solid-state approach to storing and releasing hydrogen–methane mixtures), energy transport (potentially offering an alternative to transporting these gases as compressed gases), and clean-energy research (hydrogen can be used in fuel cells, while methane is a combustible fuel — though methane combustion releases carbon dioxide). All three statements are accurate.
Why this question? Tests chemical composition, reaction conditions and the dual-gas release mechanism—a precision-oriented S&T question.
Why important for UPSC? Clean energy, hydrogen storage and materials chemistry are emerging S&T prelims themes.
PYQ Pattern Link: Similar to questions on novel materials, their chemical composition and energy applications.

Solution (b)
Explanation: Phayre’s leaf monkey (Trachypithecus phayrei) is commonly known as the spectacle monkey, due to pale markings around its eyes. Its distribution includes Northeast India, Bangladesh and Myanmar, and it is arboreal and diurnal, feeding mainly on young leaves, shoots and flowers. Its conservation status is IUCN — Endangered and CITES — Appendix II, with major threats being habitat loss, forest fragmentation and hunting. Option (a) misstates the IUCN status and distribution. Option (c) misstates its activity pattern (it is diurnal, not nocturnal), diet (it is folivorous, not insectivorous) and CITES listing. Option (d) misstates the IUCN status and its predator relationship. A rare sighting of Phayre’s leaf monkeys was recorded at Trishna Wildlife Sanctuary in South Tripura on 15 October 2026. The sanctuary is located in South Tripura district, was established/notified in 1988, and covers approximately 163 sq. km in its current extent (with the larger originally notified area reported as about 194.7 sq. km). Its habitats include tropical semi-evergreen forests, moist mixed deciduous forests, savannah woodland, grasslands and water bodies. Its flagship fauna is the Indian gaur (bison), and other wildlife includes Hoolock gibbon, capped langur, golden langur, leopard and diverse bird species.
Why this question? The IUCN status and diurnal/arboreal characteristics are the primary discriminators, with the sanctuary’s flagship species adding geographic precision.
Why important for UPSC? Primates, protected areas and species in news are recurring environment prelims themes.
PYQ Pattern Link: Similar to one-liner questions on primate species, their IUCN status and the protected areas where they occur.

Solution (b)
Explanation: The Yenisei River is located in Central Siberia, Russia, and is formed at Kyzyl, Russia, by the confluence of the Great Yenisei (Biy-Khem) and Little Yenisei (Kaa-Khem). It flows predominantly from south to north through Siberia and empties into the Kara Sea, a marginal sea of the Arctic Ocean. Its major tributary is the Angara River, which drains Lake Baikal. The Yenisei–Angara river system is important for Siberia’s hydropower, transport and ecosystems, with its basin including extensive boreal forests known as the Siberian taiga. Option (a) misstates the flow direction and the receiving sea. Option (c) confuses the Yenisei with the Angara (which drains Lake Baikal) and misstates the mouth. Option (d) misidentifies it as a tributary of the Lena and misstates the receiving sea. Key prelims map pointers: Yenisei → Kara Sea → Arctic Ocean; Ob River → Gulf of Ob → Kara Sea; Lena River → Laptev Sea → Arctic Ocean. The river came into the news after deadly brown bear attacks near Podtesovo, a settlement on its banks in Russia’s Krasnoyarsk region, prompting local hunters to hunt bears, with reports linking increased human–bear encounters to food shortages and milder winters — highlighting how changing seasonal conditions, food availability and human waste management can influence wildlife movement and human–wildlife conflict.
Why this question? The source-mouth-flow direction triad is the primary discriminator, with the Arctic-draining river cluster (Yenisei, Ob, Lena) as a high-value elimination framework.
Why important for UPSC? World rivers, Arctic drainage systems and human-wildlife conflict are recurring geography-environment prelims themes.
PYQ Pattern Link: Similar to one-liner questions on major world rivers, their sources, mouths and drainage into specific seas.