Ans: C

Exp:

• The chairperson of the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi), outlined that real estate investment trusts (Reits), infrastructure investment trusts (InvITs) and municipal bonds could match the fund raising in primary debt issuances in the coming decade.

 Features of Municipal Bonds

• Municipal bonds are debt securities through which investors lend money to government bodies. 
• These bonds are issued by the government to fund public projects for the benefit of the community. 
• Statement 1 is correct: Bangalore Municipal Corporation is the first urban local body to issue municipal bonds in India.
• Upon maturity, the government repays both the initial investment made through these bonds and the accrued interest. 
• The returns from municipal bonds, which finance government projects benefiting the public, are generally exempt from taxation.
• Most municipal bonds offer higher interest rates than savings accounts and money market accounts.
• Statement 2  is correct: Municipal bonds tend to have a lower default rate than corporate bonds.
• Statement 3 is correct: While stocks can be quickly bought and sold on exchange platforms, municipal bonds are less liquid and more challenging to trade.

Ans: B

Exp:

• The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully conducted field evaluation trials of India’s indigenous Anti-Tank Missile – Nag Mark 2 at the Pokhran Field Range in Rajasthan.
•  Nag Mark 2 is the third-generation Anti-Tank Fire-and-Forget Guided Missile. Hence, option (b) is correct.
• Features of  NAG MARK 2:

• Versatile Performance: Capable of neutralising modern armoured vehicles equipped with explosive reactive armour (ERA).
• Platform Compatibility: Successfully integrated with NAMICA, enhancing battlefield mobility and deployment flexibility.

• During the three field trials, the missile systems destroyed precisely all the targets – maximum and minimum range, thus validating its firing range.
• It is designed to neutralise modern armoured threats, including those with explosive reactive armour (ERA).
• The missile testing success also highlighted India’s progress in achieving self-reliance under the ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ (self-reliant India) initiative. 
• By reducing dependence on imported defence systems, the country continues to strengthen its indigenous research and development capabilities.

Ans: D

Exp:

• • The government has re-constituted the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC)
    • It  has National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister Pramod Kumar Mishra, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, Somanathan and Govil as ex-officio members.
  • Statement 1  is incorrect:The Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) of India was established in 1948 under the direct authority of the Prime Minister  of India.
  •  The Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) was first set up in August 1948 within the Department of Scientific Research under the leadership of Dr. Homi J. Bhabha
  • AEC is tasked with formulating policies for the Department of Atomic Energy
  • Mandate:  To plan and implement the various measures required for the expansion of the atomic energy programme and responsible for formulating the policy of the DAE
  • Ex-officio Chairman of the AEC:  Secretary to the Government of India in the Department of Atomic Energy is the Ex-officio Chairman of the AEC.
  • Other Members of the AEC are appointed for each calendar year on the recommendation of Chairman, AEC and after approval by the Prime Minister.

• Under Atomic Energy Commission Five Research centers are included:

• • • Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR), Kalpakkam (Tamil Nadu).
    • Raja Ramanna Centre for Advanced Technology (RRCAT), Indore.
    • Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), Mumbai.
    • Variable Energy Cyclotron Centre (VECC), Kolkata.
    • Atomic Minerals Directorate for Exploration and Research (AMD), Hyderabad

• Statement 2  is correct: The AEC’s primary objective includes promoting the peaceful use of nuclear energy in various fields, such as power generation, agriculture, healthcare (e.g., radioisotopes in medicine), and scientific research. This aligns with India’s commitment to peaceful nuclear applications.

Ans: C

Exp:

• The Konkan region, nestled between the Arabian Sea and the Western Ghats, is renowned for its unique geographical features Sada.
• Statement 1  is correct: These are Lateritic flat tops region on the konkan region of western ghats, formed by centuries of erosion
• Locally called sada,  Meaning a large flat area
• Statement 2  is correct:Sada are barren most of the year but they flourish with endemic flora during monsoons
• During the monsoons,  locals use small patches of sada to grow rice and millets (like nanchani, Eleusine coracana) with traditional practices  that don’t require the use of pesticides and chemical fertilisers. 
• Natural groundwater recharge system → Porous lateritic soil retains rainwater, ensuring year-round freshwater availability. 
• Geoglyphs → Area is also host to works of art called geoglyphs, dated to roughly 10,000 years ago.

Ans: D

Exp:

• A new copper-based catalyst with a “morning star” like Nanostructure has been developed through the controlled growth of copper oxide nanostructures on a sporopollenin template.
• The new catalyst formed is useful in organic reactions and can be used in environmental remediation, nanoscale electronics, and surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS).
• SERS is a highly sensitive technique that enhances the Raman scattering of molecules supported by some nanostructured materials. 
  • It allows for the structural fingerprinting of low-concentration analytes through the plasmon-mediated amplification of electrical fields or chemical enhancement. 
• Statement 1  is correct:  SERS uses nanostructured materials, usually gold or silver  to enhance the Raman scattering of molecules 
• Significance: It provides detailed information about the molecular composition, structure, and environment of the analyzed molecules or analyte.
  • Statement 2  is correct: SERS can also detect molecules at very low concentrations, often down to single molecule levels.
• Application: SERS can be used in a vast array of applications like,
  • Statement 3 is correct: SERS has been used to analyze DNA, RNA, cancer markers, bacteria, and viruses
  • Food science: SERS has been used to analyze bacteria on food and food contamination. 
  • Environmental analysis: SERS has been used to analyze toxins, dyes, and pesticides
  • Forensics: SERS has been used to analyze trace evidence from a crime scene
  • Materials Science: SERS is used for analyzing surface properties and molecular compositions