Both statements 1 and 2 are correct. The 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act of 1992 added Part IX and the Eleventh Schedule containing 29 functional subjects under Article 243G. Article 243D(3) explicitly mandates reservation of not less than one-third of all seats in Panchayats for women, including those reserved for SC and ST women.

Statements 1, 2 and 3 are correct. Norman Myers introduced the concept of biodiversity hotspots in 1988, requiring a region to support at least 1,500 endemic vascular plant species and have lost at least 70% of its primary native habitat. Under Conservation International's global classification, India is home to parts of four designated hotspots: the Himalayas, Indo-Burma (North-East India), the Western Ghats (and Sri Lanka), and Sundaland (Nicobar Islands).

Statements 1 and 3 are correct. The Directive Principles of State Policy are embodied in Part IV (Articles 36 to 51) of the Indian Constitution, inspired by the 1937 Irish Constitution (which borrowed them from Spain). Statement 2 is incorrect because Article 37 explicitly states that these provisions are non-justiciable and cannot be enforced by any court, though they remain fundamental in the governance of the country.

Statements 1, 2, and 3 are correct. Article 324 establishes the Election Commission as an autonomous constitutional authority responsible for conducting elections to Parliament, State Legislatures, and the offices of President and Vice-President. Under the second proviso to Article 324(5), the Chief Election Commissioner enjoys security of tenure and can only be removed like a Supreme Court judge (on grounds of proved misbehaviour or incapacity via parliamentary address), and other Commissioners can be removed only on the recommendation of the CEC.

Statements 1 and 2 are correct. Alluvial soil is the most extensive soil group in India covering over 40 percent of total land area, while black regur soil possesses high clay content and moisture retentiveness ideal for cotton. Statement 3 is incorrect because laterite soils undergo intense leaching under high temperatures and heavy rainfall, rendering them poor in organic matter and humus.

Statement 2 is correct because the Panama Canal cuts across the Isthmus of Panama to link the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Statement 1 is incorrect because the Suez Canal connects the Mediterranean Sea with the Red Sea, not the Black Sea.

Statements 1, 2 and 3 are correct. The Himalayas are young fold mountains formed by the collision of the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates. The Aravallis represent an ancient relict fold mountain system dating to the Proterozoic era, and the Western Ghats have an average elevation of 900–1,600 metres compared to around 600 metres for the Eastern Ghats.

Option C is correct. The Inclusive Education for Disabled at Secondary Stage (IEDSS) scheme was launched in 2009-10 to enable students with disabilities completing elementary education to pursue secondary schooling (Classes IX to XII), and was subsequently subsumed under the Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA). Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan covers elementary education (Classes I to VIII), while Saakshar Bharat focuses on adult literacy.

Statements 1 and 2 are correct. The 42nd Constitutional Amendment Act, 1976 added three new terms—'Socialist', 'Secular', and 'Integrity'—to the Preamble. This 1976 amendment remains the only instance in which the Preamble has been amended.

Statements 1 and 3 are correct under Article 54 and Article 55 of the Constitution, which establish that the President is elected by elected members of Parliament and State Legislative Assemblies via proportional representation with single transferable vote. Statement 2 is incorrect because nominated members of both Parliament and State Assemblies are barred from voting in presidential elections.

Statements 1, 2 and 3 are correct. The Supreme Court was officially inaugurated on 28 January 1950, two days after the Constitution took effect. Article 32 guarantees the Right to Constitutional Remedies, empowering the court to issue writs (habeas corpus, mandamus, etc.), which Dr. Ambedkar termed the very heart and soul of the Constitution.

Statement 1 is correct under Article 148, which states that the CAG is appointed by the President by warrant under his hand and seal. Statements 2 and 3 are incorrect because under Article 149 and the CAG Act of 1971, the CAG audits the accounts of both the Union and State governments, and holds office for a term of six years or up to 65 years of age.

Statements 1, 2 and 3 are correct. The Green Revolution was launched in the mid-1960s using High-Yielding Varieties (HYVs) of wheat and rice bred with Norman Borlaug's semidwarf lines. Spearheaded by M. S. Swaminathan in India, the strategy was first rolled out in well-irrigated regions of Punjab, Haryana, and western Uttar Pradesh.

Statements 1 and 2 are correct. The Government of India nationalised 14 major commercial banks having deposits exceeding 50 crore rupees on 19 July 1969. Subsequently, on 15 April 1980, six more commercial banks with deposits exceeding 200 crore rupees were nationalised.

Statements 1 and 2 are correct. Census 2011 was the 15th national census since 1872 and the 7th since independence, reporting an overall literacy rate of 74.04 percent. Statement 3 is incorrect because the overall sex ratio improved from 933 females per 1,000 males in 2001 to 943 in 2011, although the child sex ratio (0-6 years) declined.

Statement 2 is correct because the UPA government introduced the Constitution (115th Amendment) Bill in the Lok Sabha in March 2011 to confer concurrent taxing powers for GST. Statement 1 is incorrect because GST is a destination-based consumption tax levied at the point of consumption rather than an origin-based production tax.

Statements 1 and 2 are correct. The Copenhagen Accord was drafted at COP 15 in Denmark in December 2009, establishing the 2°C global warming goal. The subsequent COP 16 negotiations took place in Cancun, Mexico in late 2010, which formalised the Green Climate Fund and Cancun Agreements.

Analysis of the Guidelines for Elimination of Corporal Punishment (GECP):

• Statement 1 is correct: The School Education Department of the Government of Tamil Nadu issued comprehensive 'Guidelines for Elimination of Corporal Punishment' on April 26, 2024, pursuant to directives from the Madras High Court and Section 17 of the Right to Education (RTE) Act, 2009.
• Statement 2 is correct: The GECP explicitly focuses on eradicating all forms of physical and psychological abuse, mental harassment, and discrimination in educational institutions, mandating the formation of School Monitoring Committees to safeguard the overall physical and mental well-being of school children.

Therefore, both statement 1 and statement 2 are correct.

Statements 1 and 2 are correct. Parliament enacted the National Green Tribunal Act in 2010 under India's constitutional commitment to a healthy environment under Article 21. The NGT was formally notified and became fully functional in 2011, establishing its Principal Bench in New Delhi alongside zonal benches.

Statement 1 is correct because hardness in water is caused by soluble hydrogen carbonates, chlorides, and sulfates of calcium and magnesium. Statement 2 is incorrect because simple boiling removes only temporary hardness (caused by bicarbonates), whereas permanent hardness (caused by chlorides and sulfates) requires chemical treatments such as soda ash or ion-exchange resins.

Statements 1 and 2 are correct. The Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccine provides immunity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis, and polio is caused by the poliovirus, an enterovirus. Statement 3 is incorrect because malaria is caused by Plasmodium, a protozoan parasite transmitted by female Anopheles mosquitoes, not a bacterium.

Statement 2 is correct because the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant utilizes VVER-1000 water-water reactors constructed in technical partnership with Russia's Rosatom. Statement 1 is incorrect because the plant is located in the Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu, not Kerala.

Statements 1 and 2 are correct. In April 2011, social activist Anna Hazare launched an indefinite hunger strike at Jantar Mantar that galvanized the India Against Corruption movement. A key demand of their Jan Lokpal Bill was the inclusion of the Prime Minister and the higher judiciary under the investigative purview of an independent ombudsman.

Statements 1 and 2 are correct. India clinched its second Cricket World Cup title on 2 April 2011, 28 years after Kapil Dev's team won in 1983. In the final held at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, India defeated Sri Lanka by six wickets.

Statements 1, 2 and 3 are correct. The Arab Spring was ignited in December 2010 in Tunisia following Mohamed Bouazizi's self-immolation. Protests swiftly spread across the region, forcing Egypt's Hosni Mubarak to resign in February 2011 and culminating in armed rebellion in Libya that toppled Muammar Gaddafi's regime.

Statements 1, 2 and 3 are correct. The 1907 Surat session presided over by Rash Behari Ghosh resulted in the ideological split between Moderates and Extremists. The 1916 Lucknow session presided over by A. C. Majumdar brought unity between the two wings and forged an agreement with the Muslim League, while the historic 1929 Lahore session adopted the Purna Swaraj resolution.

Statements 1 and 2 are correct. Sepoy Mangal Pandey belonged to the 34th Bengal Native Infantry at Barrackpore, and the open revolt erupted at Meerut on 10 May 1857. Statement 3 is incorrect because Nana Saheb was never captured or executed; he escaped to Nepal in early 1859, whereas Tatya Tope was captured and executed in April 1859.

Statement 1 is correct because the Bijak is the best-known compilation of the verses and ethical compositions of the mystic poet Kabir. Statements 2 and 3 are incorrect because Guru Nanak (1469–1539) lived during the Lodi and early Babur/Humayun eras before Akbar ascended the throne in 1556, and Adi Shankaracharya propounded Advaita Vedanta, whereas Vishishtadvaita was established by Ramanujacharya.

Statements 1 and 3 are correct. British antiquarian James Prinsep deciphered Ashoka's Brahmi edicts in 1837, and the Lion Capital from Ashoka's pillar at Sarnath was adopted as India's National Emblem on 26 January 1950. Statement 2 is incorrect because the Greek ambassador Megasthenes visited the court of Chandragupta Maurya, whereas Deimachus of Plataea was sent to Bindusara's court.

Statements 1, 2 and 3 are correct. Gandhi began active satyagraha in India at Champaran in 1917 to end the exploitative tinkathia indigo contract. He then organized the Ahmedabad Mill Strike in March 1918, where he employed his first hunger strike for plague bonuses, followed by the Kheda Satyagraha demanding revenue remission under the revenue code.

Pairs 1, 2 and 4 are correctly matched. Robert Clive defeated Siraj-ud-Daulah at Plassey on 23 June 1757, Hector Munro won the decisive Battle of Buxar in October 1764, and Eyre Coote defeated the French at Wandiwash in January 1760. Pair 3 is incorrectly matched because the Third Battle of Panipat was fought between the Marathas and Ahmad Shah Durrani in 1761, not 1756.

Statement 1 is correct because the Great Bath, a masterwork of hydraulic engineering lined with bitumen, was excavated at Mohenjo-daro. Statements 2 and 3 are incorrect because the celebrated bronze Dancing Girl was also discovered at Mohenjo-daro, not Kalibangan, and the horse was not characteristic of Harappan culture, with contentious skeletal fragments reported only from Surkotada.

Statements 1 and 3 are correct. Raja Rammohan Roy established the Brahmo Sabha (later Brahmo Samaj) in Calcutta in August 1828, and Swami Vivekananda founded the Ramakrishna Mission at Belur Math in May 1897. Statement 2 is incorrect because the Theosophical Society was founded in New York in 1875 by Madame Blavatsky and Colonel Olcott, with Annie Besant joining and leading it later in India.

Statements 1 and 2 are correct. Akbar introduced the Mansabdari administrative framework in 1571 with dual zat and sawar ranks, while Raja Todar Mal reformed the land revenue system through the Zabt (Dahsala) assessment. Statement 3 is incorrect because Din-i-Ilahi was promulgated by Akbar in 1582, not by Jahangir.

Statements 1, 2 and 3 are correct. Stafford Cripps offered post-war Dominion status and an elected body to frame a new Constitution in March 1942. Following its rejection, the All India Congress Committee launched the Quit India Movement in August 1942, and the high-profile Red Fort court-martial of INA officers (Prem Sahgal, Gurbaksh Dhillon, and Shah Nawaz Khan) occurred in late 1945.

Statement 1 is correct because Sangam literature represents the earliest classical poetry compiled in Old Tamil under royal Pandya patronage at Madurai. Statements 2 and 3 are incorrect because Milindapanho is a renowned Buddhist text recording the philosophical dialogue between the Indo-Greek King Menander I and Buddhist sage Nagasena, and the political drama Mudrarakshasa was authored by Vishakhadatta, not Kalidasa.

Statements 1 and 3 are correct. On 8 April 1929, Bhagat Singh and Batukeshwar Dutt detonated non-lethal bombs in the Central Legislative Assembly to protest the Public Safety and Trade Disputes Bills, and Chandra Shekhar Azad served as Commander-in-Chief of the HSRA formed at Feroz Shah Kotla in 1928. Statement 2 is incorrect because the Kakori train action occurred on 9 August 1925, not 1923.

Statements 1 and 3 are correct. The Narmada flows west through a fault-bounded rift valley between the Vindhyas and the Satpuras, and the Kaveri originates at Talakaveri in the Brahmagiri range of the Western Ghats in Kodagu, Karnataka. Statement 2 is incorrect because the Tapi is also a west-flowing peninsular river that discharges into the Gulf of Khambhat (Arabian Sea), not the Bay of Bengal.

Statement 1 is correct because the southwest monsoon brings roughly 75 percent of India's annual precipitation between June and September. Statements 2 and 3 are incorrect because the Coromandel coast receives the bulk of its precipitation from the northeast (retreating) monsoon during October–December, and monsoon dynamics involve multiple mechanisms beyond thermal contrast, including the ITCZ migration, Tibetan plateau heating, subtropical jet streams, ENSO, and the Indian Ocean Dipole.

Statements 1, 2 and 3 are correct. The Nile flows approximately 6,650 km, making it the longest river in Africa and the world. Lake Victoria spans over 68,800 square kilometres, making it Africa's largest lake by surface area, and the Sahara Desert spans over 9 million square kilometres across North Africa as the world's largest hot desert.

Correct Option: Option (B) — 1 and 2 only is the correct answer.

• Statement(s) 1, 2 are correct:
• 1. The SI unit of force is the newton.
• 2. Sound travels faster in water than in air.
• Statement(s) 3 is/are incorrect:
• 3. A light-year is a unit of time.

Statement 1 is correct because the Karakoram range constitutes part of the Trans-Himalayan complex situated northwest of the Great Himalayas. Statements 2 and 3 are incorrect because the Siwalik range forms the outermost and lowest foothills of the Himalayas, whereas Pir Panjal belongs to the Middle (Lesser) Himalayas and the Great Himalayas (Himadri) is the highest range.

Statements 1 and 3 are correct. The Gulf Stream is an intense warm western boundary current in the North Atlantic, and El Nino refers to the periodic abnormal warming of surface sea waters in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific. Statement 2 is incorrect because the Labrador Current is a cold subpolar current flowing south from the Arctic, whereas the climate of Western Europe is moderated by the warm North Atlantic Drift.

Pairs 1, 2 and 4 are correctly matched. The Strait of Malacca connects the Andaman Sea and South China Sea between Malaya and Sumatra, the Strait of Hormuz controls the passage from the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman, and the Palk Strait lies between Tamil Nadu and Jaffna. Pair 3 is incorrectly matched because the Bering Strait separates Asia (Russia) from North America (Alaska), not Africa.

Statements 1, 2 and 3 are correct. Following the sustained gains of Operation Flood, India stood as the world's leading milk producer, contributing roughly 16 percent of global output. At the domestic level, Uttar Pradesh ranked first in sugarcane cultivation and production, while West Bengal held the top spot in total rice production.

Statements 1 and 3 are correct. Jharkhand holds the largest prime coking and non-coking coal reserves in India (primarily in the Damodar valley), and the historic Kolar Gold Fields are situated in the Kolar district of Karnataka. Statement 2 is incorrect because the Bailadila mines in Dantewada, Chhattisgarh are renowned for world-class high-grade hematite iron ore deposits, not bauxite.

Statement 1 is correct because the troposphere extends from the Earth's surface up to an average height of 13 km, containing nearly all atmospheric water vapor and weather phenomena. Statements 2 and 3 are incorrect because the ozone layer resides in the stratosphere (15–35 km above sea level), and within the troposphere, temperature decreases with height at the normal lapse rate of roughly 6.5°C per kilometre.

Statements 1, 2 and 3 are correct. The Tropic of Cancer (23°30'N) intersects Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Tripura, and Mizoram. The Indian Standard Time meridian at 82°30'E passes through Mirzapur near Prayagraj, and India ranks seventh globally in land area after Russia, Canada, the USA, China, Brazil, and Australia.

Statements 1 and 2 are correct. Tropical evergreen forests thrive in warm, humid regions with over 200 cm rainfall such as the Western Ghats and Northeast, and moist deciduous forests (100–200 cm rainfall) are dominated by commercially valuable timber species like teak, sal, and shisham. Statement 3 is incorrect because mangrove (tidal) forests grow along coastal intertidal mudflats and deltas like the Sundarbans, not along Himalayan foothills.

Statements 1 and 2 are correct. The Preamble is based on the historic Objectives Resolution drafted and moved by Jawaharlal Nehru on 13 December 1946, and the 42nd Constitutional Amendment Act, 1976 introduced the terms 'Socialist', 'Secular', and 'Integrity'. Statement 3 is incorrect because the Preamble has been amended only once in the history of the Indian Constitution.

Statements 1 and 3 are correct. Article 21 guarantees protection of life and personal liberty, while Article 19(1)(a) secures freedom of speech and expression for all Indian citizens. Statement 2 is incorrect because Article 21A was inserted by the 86th Constitutional Amendment Act, 2002 (not 2009, although the enabling RTE Act was enacted in 2009).

Statement 1 is correct under Article 54, which defines the presidential electoral college as elected members of Parliament and elected members of State Legislative Assemblies. Statements 2 and 3 are incorrect because the Rajya Sabha is a permanent continuing body not subject to dissolution under Article 83(1), and under Article 58, a candidate must be qualified for election as a member of the Lok Sabha, not already a member of either House.

Statements 1, 2 and 3 are correct. The 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendment Acts of 1992 constitutionalised local self-governance by adding Parts IX (Panchayats) and IXA (Municipalities) respectively. Both amendments mandatorily provide for seat reservations for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in proportion to population, along with not less than one-third reservation for women.

Option A is correct. The National Dairy Research Institute (NDRI), India's premier institute for dairy research and a deemed university under the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), is located at Karnal in Haryana. Originally founded in Bangalore in 1923 as the Imperial Institute of Animal Husbandry and Dairying, its headquarters moved permanently to Karnal in 1955.

Statements 1 and 2 are correct. Under Article 109, a Money Bill can be introduced only in the Lok Sabha on the recommendation of the President, and Article 110(3) stipulates that the decision of the Speaker on certifying a Money Bill is final. Statement 3 is incorrect because the Rajya Sabha cannot amend or reject a Money Bill; it can only return it with recommendations within 14 days.

Statements 1, 2 and 3 are correct. Article 324 vests superintendence, direction, and control of elections in the Election Commission, Article 280 mandates the President to constitute a Finance Commission at the expiration of every fifth year, and Article 315 provides for Public Service Commissions for the Union and the States.

Statement 1 is correct because Article 37 explicitly declares that the provisions of Part IV shall not be enforceable by any court. Statements 2 and 3 are incorrect because the Directive Principles are contained in Part IV (Articles 36 to 51) of the Constitution (Part III contains Fundamental Rights), and the concept was borrowed from the Irish Constitution of 1937, not from the USA.

Statements 1 and 2 are correct. The concept of an Indian ombudsman was first introduced as a bill in the 4th Lok Sabha in 1968 based on the First Administrative Reforms Commission, and the nationwide anti-corruption crusade of 2011 was led by Anna Hazare. Statement 3 is incorrect because the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Bill was passed by Parliament in December 2013 and received presidential assent in January 2014, not in 2011.

Statements 1 and 3 are correct. Part XX, Article 368 outlines the procedure for constitutional amendment, including federal provisions that require special majority of Parliament plus ratification by at least half the State legislatures. Statement 2 is incorrect because the basic structure doctrine was propounded in the landmark Kesavananda Bharati case (1973), not in Golaknath (1967).

Statement 1 is correct under Article 155, which specifies that the Governor of a State shall be appointed by the President by warrant under his hand and seal. Statements 2 and 3 are incorrect because the Constitution contains no requirement of local state residence (in fact, convention dictates appointing an outsider), and the Governor can dissolve only the State Legislative Assembly under Article 174, not the Lok Sabha.

Statements 1, 2 and 3 are correct. Habeas corpus applies against unlawful detention by both public authorities and private persons. Under Article 361, mandamus does not lie against the President or Governors for the performance of their official duties, and writ powers are exercised by both the Supreme Court (Article 32) and High Courts (Article 226).

Statement 1 is correct because the Wholesale Price Index tracks the price of goods traded at bulk transaction stages prior to retail distribution. Statements 2 and 3 are incorrect because headline WPI inflation during 2010-11 remained elevated at 9 to 10 percent driven by food and commodity surges, and stagflation describes stagnant economic growth and high unemployment combined with high inflation.

Option B is correct. Excavations conducted by the Archaeological Department of Allahabad University at the Mesolithic site of Damdama in Pratapgarh district, Uttar Pradesh uncovered 41 human burials, including one triple grave containing three human skeletons interred together.

Statements 1 and 2 are correct. The Reserve Bank of India was nationalized on 1 January 1949 under the RBI (Transfer to Public Ownership) Act, 1948, and fourteen major commercial banks were nationalized in July 1969. Statement 3 is incorrect because the Narasimham Committee on the Financial System (1991) recommended financial deregulation, greater autonomy, reduction of SLR and CRR, and the entry of new private sector banks.

Statements 1 and 3 are correct. The Suresh Tendulkar Committee submitted its report in 2009, moving away from purely calorie-anchored norms to a broader Mixed Reference Period basket accounting for private spending on food, clothing, education, and health. Statement 2 is incorrect because the D. T. Lakdawala Committee (1993) retained the poverty line and instituted state-specific poverty lines using CPI-AL and CPI-IW.

Valour of Jaita and Kumpa at the Battle of Sammel (1544):

• Jaita (Jaitaji Rathore) and Kumpa (Kumpaji Rathore) were the legendary Rajput military commanders and chieftains of Rao Maldeo Rathore, the ruler of Marwar (Jodhpur).
• In January 1544, Sultan Sher Shah Suri invaded Marwar with an enormous imperial Afghan army of 80,000 men. The historic confrontation took place at the Battle of Sammel (Giri-Sumel) near Jaitaran (Pali district, Rajasthan).
• When Sher Shah sowed distrust using forged letters causing Maldeo to withdraw, Jaita and Kumpa refused to retreat to clear their honor. With a force of only about 10,000 to 12,000 Rajput warriors, they launched a ferocious, desperate charge that decimated the Afghan vanguard and brought Sher Shah to the brink of catastrophic defeat.
• Relieved only after reinforcements arrived under Jalal Khan Jilwani, Sher Shah famously remarked in utter astonishment and relief: 'I had nearly lost the empire of Hindustan for a handful of bajra (millet)'.

Therefore, Jaita and Kumpa were associated with Marwar (Option C).

Statement 1 is correct because state-level VAT replaced the traditional sales tax regime in most Indian states on 1 April 2005 following the recommendations of the Empowered Committee of State Finance Ministers. Statements 2 and 3 are incorrect because GST was enacted through the 101st Constitutional Amendment Act and rolled out on 1 July 2017, and the Direct Taxes Code Bill was never enacted into law.

Statements 1 and 3 are correct. India unified its dual exchange rate and transitioned to a unified market-determined exchange rate in March 1993, subsequently adopting Article VIII of the IMF Articles of Agreement in August 1994 to establish full convertibility of the rupee on the current account. Statement 2 is incorrect because the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) was enacted in 1999 and took effect on 1 June 2000, not in 1991.

Statements 1 and 2 are correct. MGNREGA legally guarantees at least 100 days of wage employment per financial year to rural households, initially launched in 200 selected backward districts in February 2006 and universalized across all rural districts by 1 April 2008. Statement 3 is incorrect because the statutory mandate applies strictly to rural households.

Statement 1 is correct because the landmark Industrial Policy Resolution of 1956 structured manufacturing into Schedule A (state monopoly), Schedule B (state-led progressive), and Schedule C (private sector). Statements 2 and 3 are incorrect because the 1991 policy retained compulsory licensing for 18 strategic, safety, and environmental industries (now reduced to 4), and substantially dismantled the pre-entry asset threshold controls of the MRTP Act, later replaced by the Competition Act, 2002.

Statements 1, 2 and 3 are correct. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs fixes MSPs on the expert recommendations of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP). State APMC legislation governs primary wholesale farm transactions at designated mandis, and the National Food Security Mission was launched during the Eleventh Plan in 2007-08 to step up rice, wheat, and pulse output.

Statements 1 and 2 are correct. Parliament enacted the FRBM Act in 2003 to enforce fiscal prudence, and the Thirteenth Finance Commission covering the period 2010–15 was headed by Dr. Vijay Kelkar. Statement 3 is incorrect because the original statutory target under FRBM rules was the elimination of the revenue deficit by 31 March 2009 (which was paused after the 2008 global financial crisis), not 2011-12.

Statements 1 and 3 are correct. The Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission was inaugurated in January 2010 with a target of 20,000 MW grid-connected solar power by 2022 (later revised upwards to 100 GW in 2015), and the NHDP initiated under Atal Bihari Vajpayee spearheaded the Golden Quadrilateral and North-South/East-West corridors. Statement 2 is incorrect because Ultra Mega Power Projects (UMPPs) are supercritical coal-fired thermal power plants of roughly 4,000 MW capacity each, not hydroelectric projects.

Statements 1, 2 and 3 are correct. Conservation International recognizes India among the seventeen megadiverse countries hosting 7–8 percent of global recorded species. To implement the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, Parliament enacted the Biological Diversity Act, 2002, which established the National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) in 2003 with statutory headquarters in Chennai, Tamil Nadu.

Statement 1 is correct because the Kyoto Protocol was adopted at COP 3 in Kyoto, Japan on 11 December 1997. Statements 2 and 3 are incorrect because developing countries like India (classified as Non-Annex I parties) had no mandatory quantitative emission reduction targets under the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities, and the Green Climate Fund was formally founded by the Cancun Agreements at COP 16 in 2010.

Option D is correct. Excavations at the Lekhahia rock shelter in Mirzapur district of Uttar Pradesh in the Vindhyan region yielded remnants of 27 human skeletons dating to the Mesolithic period, which represents the largest assemblage of human burials discovered from a single rock shelter in the Vindhyas.

Statements 1 and 2 are correct. Chilika Lake was designated as India's first Ramsar site alongside Keoladeo National Park in 1981, and the Ramsar Convention signed in Iran in 1971 establishes intergovernmental cooperation for wetland preservation. Statement 3 is incorrect because the Montreux Record registers Ramsar sites where changes in ecological character have occurred, are occurring, or are likely to occur as a result of technological developments or human interference, rather than sites removed from the Ramsar list.

Statements 1, 2 and 3 are correct. The Water Act was enacted in 1974 to prevent and control water pollution, the Air Act followed in 1981 to implement decisions taken at the 1972 UN Stockholm Conference, and the comprehensive umbrella Environment (Protection) Act was enacted in May 1986 under Article 253 of the Constitution following the December 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy.

Statement 1 is correct because the dense stilt root architecture of mangroves dissipates wave energy and cushions coastlines from tidal surges and storm damage. Statements 2 and 3 are incorrect because reef-building corals flourish predominantly in shallow, warm (20°C–30°C), sunlit tropical waters (though some cold-water corals exist, corals are not found 'only' in cold deep waters), and estuaries are among the most biologically productive ecosystems on Earth due to continuous riverine nutrient inflows.

Statements 1 and 3 are correct. The Chipko movement began in 1973 in Chamoli district in the Garhwal Himalayas of Uttarakhand, and the Save Silent Valley campaign prevented the submergence of pristine evergreen rainforest by a hydroelectric project across the Kunthipuzha river in Palakkad, Kerala. Statement 2 is incorrect because the Appiko movement was launched in September 1983 in the Uttara Kannada district of Karnataka, not Rajasthan (the Bishnoi movement occurred in Rajasthan).

Statements 1 and 2 are correct. The UNFCCC was opened for signature at the UN Conference on Environment and Development (Earth Summit) in Rio de Janeiro in June 1992, and COP 16 convened in Cancun, Mexico in November–December 2010. Statement 3 is incorrect because COP 17 in late 2011 was hosted at Durban, South Africa (which launched the Durban Platform for Enhanced Action), whereas Copenhagen hosted COP 15 in December 2009.

Statements 1, 2 and 3 are correct. CNG emits drastically lower particulate matter and sulfur compounds than diesel, the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission forms one of the eight core missions launched under the 2008 National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC), and blending bioethanol with motor gasoline improves fuel oxygenation, thereby cutting carbon monoxide and unburnt hydrocarbon emissions.

Statements 1 and 2 are correct. Nuclear power reactors harness thermal energy released from sustained controlled fission of uranium or plutonium nuclei, and heavy water (deuterium oxide) serves as moderator and coolant in Pressurized Heavy Water Reactors (PHWRs). Statement 3 is incorrect because the Fukushima catastrophe was triggered primarily by a massive 15-metre tsunami that inundated the plant, drowned the emergency backup diesel generators, and disabled the core cooling systems, leading to station blackout and core meltdowns rather than building collapse from ground tremors alone.

Statements 1, 2 and 3 are correct. The endocrine islets of Langerhans in the pancreas secrete insulin (from beta cells) to lower blood glucose and glucagon (from alpha cells) to raise it, maintaining glucose homeostasis. In growing children, vitamin D deficiency impairs calcium and phosphate absorption, causing defective bone mineralization known as rickets.

Statement 1 is correct because data from the Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M3) aboard Chandrayaan-1 detected hydroxyl and water molecules across the lunar polar regions. Statements 2 and 3 are incorrect because Chandrayaan-1 was launched on 22 October 2008 using the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C11), not GSLV, and the Mars Orbiter Mission (Mangalyaan) was launched in November 2013, not 2011.

Statements 1 and 3 are correct. Bt cotton incorporates the Cry1Ac gene from Bacillus thuringiensis to resist bollworms, making it India's first commercially approved GM crop in 2002, and the GEAC functioning under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change acts as the statutory regulator for GMOs under the 1989 Rules of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. Statement 2 is incorrect because in February 2010, the Government placed an indefinite moratorium on the commercial release of Bt brinjal pending comprehensive biosafety assessments.

Statements 1, 2 and 3 are correct. Under the International System of Units, force is measured in newtons (1 N = 1 kg·m/s²). Sound is a mechanical longitudinal wave requiring a material elastic medium for particle propagation and cannot transmit across a vacuum, whereas light is an electromagnetic wave that propagates through vacuum at approximately 300,000 kilometres per second.

Statements 1 and 2 are correct. At 25°C (298 K), pure water has equal hydronium and hydroxide concentrations giving a neutral pH of 7, and acidic solutions (pH < 7) donate protons that turn blue litmus paper red. Statement 3 is incorrect because the atomic number of carbon is 6 (representing its 6 protons); 12 is the standard mass number of its most abundant stable isotope, carbon-12.

Statement 1 is correct because malaria is a life-threatening infection caused by single-celled protozoan parasites of the genus Plasmodium transmitted by infective female Anopheles mosquitoes. Statements 2 and 3 are incorrect because dengue is caused by the dengue virus (DENV, family Flaviviridae) transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes, and poliomyelitis is caused by the poliovirus (an enterovirus), not a protozoan.

Statements 1 and 3 are correct. The commercial auction for 3G spectrum was concluded in May 2010 raising over 67,000 crore rupees, and the UIDAI project issued India's first 12-digit Aadhaar number to Ranjana Sonawane in Tembhli village, Maharashtra on 29 September 2010. Statement 2 is incorrect because the controversial 2008 2G spectrum allocation used an arbitrary first-come-first-served policy pegged to obsolete 2001 entry prices rather than a competitive auction.

Statements 1, 2 and 3 are correct. Oxygen is evolved as a byproduct during the light-dependent stage of photosynthesis through the photolysis of water. Plant chlorophyll pigments absorb light wavelengths most effectively in the blue and red bands while reflecting green light, and mitochondria function as the cellular powerhouses that produce ATP through the Krebs cycle and oxidative phosphorylation.

Statements 1 and 3 are correct. The 2011 decennial enumeration marked the 15th National Census since 1872 and the 7th after Independence, reporting an overall sex ratio of 943 females per 1,000 males (up from 933 in 2001). Statement 2 is incorrect because the effective literacy rate for individuals aged seven and above was recorded at 74.04 percent, not 65 percent.

Option D is correct. Following a bilateral dialogue between National Security Advisers Ajit Doval and Nasir Khan Janjua in Bangkok in December 2015, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj travelled to Islamabad, Pakistan to lead the Indian delegation at the Fifth 'Heart of Asia - Istanbul Process' Ministerial Conference.

Option B is correct. In 2012, the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation appointed Bollywood actress Vidya Balan as the national brand ambassador for the Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan (the restructured sanitation campaign that preceded Swachh Bharat Abhiyan), fronting memorable public awareness campaigns with the slogan 'Jahan Soch Wahan Shauchalay'.

Statement 1 is correct because South Sudan gained independence on 9 July 2011 following a January 2011 referendum held under the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement. Statements 2 and 3 are incorrect because Juba is the capital of South Sudan (Khartoum is the capital of Sudan), and South Sudan was admitted as the 54th member of the African Union on 27 July 2011, after achieving formal sovereignty.

Statements 1, 2 and 3 are correct. Anna Hazare initiated his fast unto death at Jantar Mantar on 5 April 2011, which prompted the Government to notify a 10-member Joint Drafting Committee comprising five Union Cabinet ministers and five civil society representatives. When the official bill did not meet movement demands, Hazare conducted a historic 12-day fast at Ramlila Maidan in August 2011.

Statements 1 and 3 are correct. Osama bin Laden founded the militant Islamist network al-Qaeda in the late 1980s, which orchestrated the September 11 attacks, and he was killed on 2 May 2011 in a raid by US Navy SEALs (Operation Neptune Spear) at a compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan. Statement 2 is incorrect because he was not killed in Kabul or anywhere in Afghanistan.

Statements 1 and 2 are correct. In May 2010, eurozone member states and the IMF approved a 110-billion-euro bailout loan for Greece, and the crisis triggered contagion fears regarding bond yields and fiscal deficits across the PIIGS periphery (Portugal, Ireland, Italy, Greece, and Spain). Statement 3 is incorrect because Greece did not exit the eurozone ('Grexit' never occurred) and continues to use the euro.

Statements 1 and 2 are correct. The Pradhan Mantri Urja Ganga project is the 2,540 km Jagdishpur-Haldia-Bokaro-Dhamra natural gas pipeline (JHBDPL) executed by GAIL, inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Varanasi in October 2016. Statement 3 is incorrect because it is an entirely domestic pipeline connecting eastern states (Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, and Odisha), having no connection to Iran.

Statements 1, 2 and 3 are correct. The level 7 nuclear meltdown at Fukushima Daiichi was triggered by the magnitude 9.0 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami on 11 March 2011. The Third BRICS Summit in Sanya in April 2011 formally welcomed South Africa as the fifth member (expanding BRIC into BRICS), and India's provisional Census 2011 results released in March 2011 recorded the national population at 1.21 billion.