Ans: C

Exp:

• A combination of factors, including rising interest rates, regulatory action and funding scarcity, could moderate growth in the non-banking finance company (NBFC) sector from 18% in 2024 to 13-15% in the coming year, according to rating agency ICRA.
• A Non-Banking Financial Company (NBFC) is a company registered under the Companies Act, 1956 engaged in the business of loans and advances, acquisition of shares/stocks/bonds/debentures/securities issued by Government or local authority.
• Statement 1 is correct: NBFC cannot accept demand deposits.
• Statement 2 is correct: They do not form part of the payment and settlement system and cannot issue cheques drawn on itself.

Statement 3 is correct: Deposit insurance facility of Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation is not available to depositors of NBFCs, unlike in case of banks.

Ans: A

Exp:

• The European Space Agency’s (ESA) Proba-3 mission has reached a crucial milestone as its twin spacecraft have been successfully stacked in launch configuration at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SHAR) in India.
• Pair 1 is correct: Proba-3 mission is launched by  European Space Agency’
  • It is world’s first precision formation flying mission
  • Launch vehicle: PSLV-XL rocket
  • Aim:  To demonstrate precise formation flying techniques while conducting unprecedented observations of the Sun’s corona.
• Pair 2 is not correct: VIPER (Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover), it is designed to explore the relatively nearby but extreme environment of the Moon in search of ice and other potential resources.

Pair 3 is not correct:  The Hera mission is a European Space Agency (ESA) planetary defence mission to study the Didymos binary asteroid system and its moon Dimorphos.

Ans: B

Exp:

India and Guyana signed 10 Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the country, covering areas such as agriculture, pharmaceuticals, and the deployment of UPI in the Caribbean nation.

•  Statement 3 is correct: Guyana is located on the northern edge of South America. Guyana borders three other nations and is the 3rd smallest nation in South America.
• Statement 1 is correct: Guyana shares its maritime borders with Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago.

Statement 2 is correct: It is geographically positioned in the Northern and Western hemispheres of the Earth.

Ans: B

Exp:

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu outlined that the arrest warrant issued against him by the International Criminal Court over his conduct during the Gaza war would not stop the country from defending itself.

• The Rome Statute of International Criminal Court is the treaty that established the International Criminal Court (ICC). 
• The ICC is an intergovernmental organisation with headquarters at Hague, Netherland
• It is a permanent court of last resort to prosecute individuals responsible for the world’s most heinous atrocities — war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide and the crime of aggression. 
• It intervenes only when national authorities cannot or will not prosecute.
• Statement 1 is correct:The ICC is independent of the United Nations (UN), but is endorsed by the UN General Assembly. 
• Statement 2 is not correct:It also maintains a cooperation agreement with the UN. 

Unlike the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which is an organ of the UN, the ICC does not prosecute states.

Ans: D

Exp:

November 24 is commemorated as the Shaheedi Divas of Guru Tegh Bahadur, the ninth guru of the Sikhs, who was executed on the orders of Aurangzeb in 1675.

• • Tegh Bahadur was born in Amritsar on April 21, 1621 to Mata Nanki and Guru Hargobind, the sixth Sikh guru, who raised an army against the Mughals and introduced the concept of warrior saints.

• Statement 2 is not correct: Guru Ram Das founded Amritsar in 1577 on the land granted by Akbar. 

• Statement 3 is correct: Guru Amar Das introduced the ceremony of the Anand Karaj Marriage.
• Statement 1 is correct: Guru Tegh Bahadur was often venerated as the ‘Srisht-di-Chadar’ by the Sikhs.
  • He had built a ‘bhora’ (basement) in his house at Bakala where he spent most of his time in meditation.

 He was called Tyag Mal because of his ascetic nature during his formative years.