Statements 1 and 3 are correct. The introduction of greased cartridges for the Enfield rifle sparked the immediate rebellion at Meerut in May 1857, and the Government of India Act 1858 transferred the administration of India from the East India Company to the British Crown. Statement 2 is incorrect because princely states like Jhansi, and regions in central and eastern India, actively participated in the uprising.

Statement 1 is correct. The Lucknow Pact of December 1916 brought the Indian National Congress and the All India Muslim League onto a joint platform demanding self-government from the British. Statement 2 is incorrect because the Congress conceded to the League's demand and accepted separate electorates for Muslims, rather than abolishing them.

Patronage of Kavindra Acharya Saraswati of Banaras:

• Kavindra Acharya Saraswati was a celebrated Sanskrit poet, Vedic polymath, and Hindi scholar who resided at Kashi (Banaras), Uttar Pradesh during the 17th century.
• He was deeply patronized by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan (and his eldest son, Prince Dara Shikoh, who studied Sanskrit philosophy with him).
• Kavindra Acharya led a delegation of Banaras scholars to the imperial Mughal court in Agra. Through his brilliant oratory and philosophical discourse, he deeply moved Emperor Shah Jahan, successfully persuading him to abolish the pilgrim tax (Jizya / Pilgrimage Tax) levied on Hindu pilgrims visiting Prayagraj (Allahabad) and Kashi (Banaras).
• In commemoration of this historic victory, the scholars and citizens of Banaras assembled and conferred upon him the unique title 'Sarvavidyanidhana' (Ocean of all learning).

Therefore, the Mughal ruler who patronized him was Shah Jahan (Option A).

Statements 1 and 2 are correct. Subhas Chandra Bose arrived in Singapore in July 1943 to lead the INA and proclaimed the Provisional Government of Free India (Arzi Hukumat-e-Azad Hind) on 21 October 1943. Statement 3 is incorrect because the historic INA public trials at the Red Fort began in November 1945, not 1947.

Statement 1 is correct because the peninsular plateau is tilted towards the east, causing rivers like the Godavari, Krishna, and Mahanadi to flow eastward into the Bay of Bengal. Statement 2 is incorrect because the Narmada flows westward through a rift valley between the Vindhya and Satpura ranges and drains into the Arabian Sea.

Statements 1 and 3 are correct. El Nino involves an anomalous warming of the eastern and central equatorial Pacific that weakens the atmospheric Walker circulation, while La Nina is its cold counterpart characterized by unusually cool ocean temperatures. Statement 2 is incorrect because El Nino events generally suppress the Indian summer monsoon, often causing droughts.

All four pairs are correctly matched. Kathmandu is the capital of Nepal, Thimphu of Bhutan, Naypyidaw is the administrative capital of Myanmar (officially established in 2005), and Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte serves as the official administrative capital and legislative seat of Sri Lanka.

All four pairs are correctly matched. Sant Kabir was a 15th-century Nirguna poet-saint who spent most of his life in Varanasi (Kashi); Guru Nanak Dev, the founder of Sikhism, was born at Nankana Sahib in the Punjab region; Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was a 16th-century Gaudiya Vaishnava mystic born in Nabadwip, Bengal; and Sant Tukaram was a prominent Varkari Bhakti poet-saint from Dehu near Pune in Maharashtra.

Statement 1 is correct. Under Article 109 of the Indian Constitution, a Money Bill can only be introduced in the Lok Sabha on the prior recommendation of the President. Statement 2 is incorrect because the Rajya Sabha cannot amend or reject a Money Bill; it can only suggest recommendations within 14 days, which the Lok Sabha may accept or reject.

All three statements are correct. The Supreme Court of India held its inaugural sitting on 28 January 1950, Article 141 explicitly establishes that its rulings bind all lower courts in India, and the collegium system was created judge-made jurisprudence through the Second (1993) and Third (1998) Judges Cases.

Statements 1 and 3 are correct. The Election Commission of India is established under Article 324, and the Union Public Service Commission is created under Article 315 of the Constitution. Statement 2 is incorrect because the Finance Commission is constituted every fifth year (or at such earlier time as the President considers necessary) under Article 280, not every four years.

Statements 1 and 2 are correct. Fundamental Duties were added to Part IVA under Article 51A via the 42nd Constitutional Amendment in 1976 based on the Swaran Singh Committee report. Statement 3 is incorrect because Fundamental Duties are non-justiciable moral obligations and cannot be directly enforced through judicial writs.

Statements 1 and 2 are correct. The Government of India nationalised 14 commercial banks with deposits over Rs. 50 crore in July 1969 and an additional six banks in April 1980. Statement 3 is incorrect because the Narasimham Committee on Financial System (1991) recommended phased reduction (not an increase) in high SLR and CRR levels to free up bank funds for commercial credit.

Statements 1 and 3 are correct. The severe 1991 balance of payments crisis pushed India into structural economic reforms, which began with a two-step devaluation of the rupee on 1 and 3 July 1991. Statement 2 is incorrect because the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) was enacted in 1999 and came into force in 2000, replacing FERA 1973, not in 1991.

Statement 1 is correct. MGNREGA provides a legal guarantee for 100 days of unskilled wage employment per fiscal year to adult members of rural households. Statement 2 is incorrect because it was notified in September 2005 and rolled out in phases, initially covering only 200 districts in February 2006 before expanding across the entire country by April 2008.

All three statements are correct. In standard national accounts, market price GDP incorporates net product taxes (indirect taxes less subsidies). In January 2015, the Central Statistics Office overhauled the national accounts by adopting 2011-12 as the base year and aligning with SNA 2008 by reporting sector-wise Gross Value Added at basic prices.

Statements 1 and 2 are correct. The Kyoto Protocol was adopted in December 1997, entered into force in February 2005, and introduced market-based flexibility mechanisms including the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) under Article 12. Statement 3 is incorrect because the protocol operated on common but differentiated responsibilities, imposing binding emission cuts only on Annex-I developed nations, not on developing countries like India.

All three statements are correct. The Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 empowers state governments to declare protected areas, strictly prohibits the grazing of livestock inside national parks under Section 35(6), and as of 2015 maintained six schedules that categorized species according to penal severity and protection levels.

World's First Fully Solar-Powered Airport:

• Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL) in Nedumbassery, Kochi (Kerala) made international aviation history in August 2015 by becoming the world's first airport fully powered by solar energy.
• Commissioning a 12 MWp solar power plant consisting of 46,150 photovoltaic panels across 45 acres, the airport became completely grid-neutral / power-positive, producing more clean solar electricity than it consumes.
• In 2018, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) recognized CIAL with the highest global environmental honour, the 'Champion of the Earth' Award.

Therefore, the first airport powered by solar energy is Cochin (Option B).

Statements 1 and 3 are correct. Bt cotton, approved in 2002, was the sole transgenic crop cleared for commercial cultivation in India as of 2015, and an indefinite moratorium on commercial cultivation of Bt brinjal was placed by the Ministry in February 2010. Statement 2 is incorrect because the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) functions under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.

Statements 1 and 2 are correct. Agni-V is an intercontinental surface-to-surface ballistic missile with a range exceeding 5,000 km, and INS Arihant is India's first indigenous nuclear-powered submarine completing India's nuclear triad. Statement 3 is incorrect because BrahMos is a joint venture between India's DRDO and Russia's NPO Mashinostroyeniya, named after the Brahmaputra and Moskva rivers.

Composition of Natural Gas:

• Natural Gas is a naturally occurring gaseous fossil fuel mixture formed deep beneath the Earth's crust by the anaerobic decomposition of ancient organic matter.
• Its primary and overwhelming chemical constituent is Methane ($CH_4$), typically accounting for 70% to 95% of the mixture by volume.
• The remainder consists of small percentages of other higher alkane hydrocarbons (ethane, propane, butane) and trace gases (carbon dioxide, nitrogen, hydrogen sulfide).
• Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) are purified commercial forms consisting almost entirely of methane.

Therefore, the main constituent is Methane (Option D).

All three statements are correct. The National Institution for Transforming India (NITI Aayog) was constituted via a Cabinet resolution on 1 January 2015 replacing the 65-year-old Planning Commission, operates under the ex-officio chairmanship of the Prime Minister, and had noted economist Arvind Panagariya appointed as its inaugural Vice-Chairman.

Statements 1 and 3 are correct. The Paris Agreement was formally adopted at COP21 on 12 December 2015, and India launched 'Operation Maitri' immediately after the 7.8 magnitude Gorkha earthquake struck Nepal in April 2015. Statement 2 is incorrect because the Paris Agreement aims to hold global warming well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, with efforts to limit it to 1.5 degrees Celsius, not 1 degree Celsius.

Statements 1 and 2 are correct. The Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana was launched on 28 August 2014 to drive nationwide financial inclusion, and the inaugural International Day of Yoga was celebrated globally on 21 June 2015. Statement 3 is incorrect because the Swachh Bharat Mission was launched on Mahatma Gandhi's birth anniversary, 2 October 2014, not 14 November.

Statements 1 and 3 are correct. The formal proclamation of the Swadeshi Movement was made at the Calcutta Town Hall on 7 August 1905, and national education flourished with the establishment of Bengal National College with Aurobindo Ghosh as principal. Statement 2 is incorrect because the movement spread across India under leaders like Tilak in Bombay and Pune, Ajit Singh and Lala Lajpat Rai in Punjab, and Syed Haider Raza in Delhi.

All three pairs are correctly matched. Surendranath Banerjee co-founded the Indian National Association in 1876, Dadabhai Naoroji authored 'Poverty and Un-British Rule in India' (1901) introducing the economic drain theory, and Gopal Krishna Gokhale founded the Servants of India Society in 1905 in Pune to train national missionaries.

Statement 1 is correct because sepoys at Meerut broke into open rebellion on 10 May 1857 and marched to Delhi. Statement 2 is incorrect because the elderly Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar was proclaimed the symbolic head of the rebellion at Delhi, while Rani Lakshmibai led the uprising in Jhansi. Statement 3 is incorrect because Nana Saheb led the Kanpur rebellion supported by his loyal commander Tatya Tope and local sepoys, not Mughal cavalry from Awadh.

Statements 1 and 2 are correct. The Cabinet Mission Plan of May 1946 proposed a loose three-tier federation (Union, Groups of Provinces A, B, C, and individual Provinces) and explicitly rejected the partition of India into a sovereign Pakistan. Statement 3 is incorrect because members of the Constituent Assembly were elected indirectly by the provincial legislative assemblies, not through direct adult franchise.

Statements 1 and 3 are correct. The Ghadar movement was organized in 1913 by Indian expatriates in North America with headquarters (Yugantar Ashram) at San Francisco, and its weekly organ 'Ghadar' was published in Urdu, Gurmukhi Punjabi, Hindi, and Gujarati. Statement 2 is incorrect because the founding president of the Pacific Coast Hindustan Ghadar Party was Sohan Singh Bhakna, with Lala Har Dayal serving as general secretary, not V.D. Savarkar.

The correct chronological sequence is 1-2-3-4. The Lucknow Pact was concluded in December 1916, Mahatma Gandhi led the Champaran Satyagraha in April 1917, the tragic Jallianwala Bagh massacre took place on 13 April 1919, and the Non-Cooperation Movement was formally launched on 1 August 1920.

Statements 1 and 2 are correct. Lord Cornwallis enacted the Permanent Settlement of Bengal in 1793, fixing the government's revenue assessment with zamindars permanently at 10/11ths of the rent collected. Statement 3 is incorrect because the system covered only about 19 percent of British India (Bengal, Bihar, Odisha, parts of Northern Madras and Varanasi), with Ryotwari and Mahalwari introduced elsewhere.

All three pairs are correctly matched. Raja Rammohan Roy established the Brahmo Samaj in Calcutta in 1828 to propagate monotheism and eradicate social evils, Swami Dayananda Saraswati founded the Arya Samaj in Bombay in 1875 to revive Vedic teachings, and Jyotirao Phule established the Satyashodhak Samaj in Maharashtra in 1873 to emancipate lower castes and women.

All three statements are correct. The Tropic of Cancer (23°30'N) passes through eight Indian states from west to east: Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Tripura, and Mizoram; and the longitude of 82°30'E passing through Mirzapur in Uttar Pradesh is designated as the Indian Standard Meridian (UTC+05:30).

Statement 1 is correct. Major Rock Edict XIII provides a moving personal account of the bloodshed in the Kalinga War and Ashoka's subsequent conversion to Dhamma Vijaya. Statement 2 is incorrect because James Prinsep, an officer of the Calcutta Mint, first deciphered Ashokan Brahmi script in 1837. Statement 3 is incorrect because Ashokan pillars were monolithic structures carved out of Chunar sandstone, and numerous examples survive today.

Statements 1 and 2 are correct. Arikamedu (near Puducherry) was an Indo-Roman coastal emporium confirmed by finds of amphorae and Arretine ware, and Sangam poets frequently mention Mediterranean traders as 'Yavanas'. Statement 3 is incorrect because the ancient capital of the Pandya dynasty was Madurai on the Vaigai river, whereas Kanchipuram was the capital of the Pallavas.

All three statements are correct. Several hundred hymns of mystic poet Kabir were compiled by Guru Arjan Dev into the Guru Granth Sahib (Adi Granth) in 1604, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu pioneered congregational Krishna kirtan in Bengal and Odisha, and 12th-century statesman Basavanna initiated the egalitarian Virashaiva movement through his Vachanas in Karnataka.

Correct Option: Option (C) — Both 1 and 2 is the correct answer.

• All given statements are correct:
• 1. The CAG is appointed by the President and holds office for a term of six years or up to the age of 65 years, whichever is earlier.
• 2. The CAG can be removed from office in the same manner and on the same grounds as a judge of the Supreme Court.

Pairs 1 and 2 are correctly matched. The Palk Strait connects Palk Bay with the Bay of Bengal, dividing Tamil Nadu from Sri Lanka, and the Strait of Malacca lies between the Malay Peninsula and the Indonesian island of Sumatra. Pair 3 is incorrectly matched because Bab-el-Mandeb connects the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden (Arabian Sea); the Mediterranean Sea is linked to the Red Sea via the Suez Canal.

Statements 1 and 3 are correct. Black volcanic soil is highly moisture-retentive and known as black cotton soil, while alluvial soils formed by river depositions cover over 40 percent of India's total land area. Statement 2 is incorrect because laterite soil develops under intense tropical leaching and high temperatures, causing rapid bacterial decomposition that leaves it deficient in humus and organic matter.

Statement 1 is correct because the Indus originates in the Tibetan plateau near Lake Mansarovar from the Bokhar Chu glacier. Statement 2 is incorrect because the Tsangpo (Brahmaputra) enters India in Arunachal Pradesh through the Namcha Barwa gorge as the Siang/Dihang, before descending into Assam. Statement 3 is incorrect because the Ganga is formed at Devprayag by the confluence of the Bhagirathi and the Alaknanda, not at Gangotri.

Passes 2 and 3 connect India with Tibet/China. Shipki La is located in Himachal Pradesh (Kinnaur district) through which the Sutlej river enters India from Tibet, and Nathu La connects Sikkim with the Chumbi Valley in Tibet. In contrast, Zoji La in the Great Himalayas links the Kashmir Valley (Srinagar) with Ladakh (Drass and Kargil), entirely within Indian territory.

Statement 2 is correct because the abnormal warming of the eastern equatorial Pacific disrupts regional convective circulation and is statistically correlated with weak monsoon precipitation and droughts in India. Statement 1 is incorrect because El Nino replaces the nutrient-rich cold Humboldt current with warm surface waters, suppressing coastal upwelling off Peru and devastating local marine fisheries.

Brand Finance Global IT Services Rankings 2022:

• According to the Brand Finance IT Services 25 (2022) report evaluating the world's most valuable information technology services brands:

1. Statement 1 is correct: Accenture retained its position as the world's most valuable and strongest IT services brand, with a brand valuation exceeding $36.2 billion.
2. Statement 2 is correct: India's Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) achieved a historic milestone by securing the No. 2 spot globally for the first time (brand value of $16.8 billion), overtaking IBM (which dropped to 4th after spinning off Kyndryl). Infosys occupied the 3rd spot.

Therefore, both Statement 1 and Statement 2 are correct (Option B).

Statement 1 is correct. The Mediterranean climate (Cs in Köppen classification) experiences mild wet winters under the influence of shifting westerlies and hot, dry summers dominated by subtropical high pressure. Statements 2 and 3 are incorrect because this climate develops along the western (not eastern) margins of continents between 30 and 45 degrees latitude and supports sclerophyllous evergreen scrub, olive, and citrus groves, not dense tropical hardwood rainforests.

Pairs 1 and 2 are correctly matched. Jharia in the Damodar Valley of Jharkhand is India's most famous prime coking coal repository, and Kudremukh in the Western Ghats of Karnataka is renowned for its vast magnetite iron ore deposits. Pair 3 is incorrectly matched because Khetri in the Jhunjhunu district of Rajasthan is famous for copper mines, whereas bauxite is predominantly mined in Odisha, Gujarat, and Jharkhand.

The Tropic of Cancer (23.5 degrees North latitude) passes through states 2 and 3. In India, it traverses exactly eight states from west to east: Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Tripura, and Mizoram. It does not pass through Odisha, which lies completely to the south of the Tropic of Cancer.

Statement 1 is correct because the Earth completes a 360-degree rotation in 24 hours, equaling 15 degrees of longitude per hour (or 1 degree every 4 minutes). Statement 2 is incorrect because Indian Standard Time (IST) is based on 82.5 degrees East longitude, which puts it 5 hours and 30 minutes ahead of GMT (UTC+5:30). Statement 3 is incorrect because the standard meridian passes near Mirzapur/Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh, not Kolkata.

All three statements are correct. A network of 39 serial sites in the Western Ghats was designated a UNESCO World Heritage natural site in 2012, Anamudi (2,695 metres) in Kerala's Anaimalai Hills is the highest peak in peninsular India, and the Western Ghats formed as faulted escarpments during the Cretaceous breakup of Gondwanaland, making them millions of years older than the Tertiary folded Himalayas.

Statements 1 and 3 are correct. The Preamble was amended for the first and only time by the 42nd Constitutional Amendment Act of 1976, which inserted the words 'Socialist', 'Secular', and 'and Integrity'. Statement 2 is incorrect because the Preamble is non-justiciable and cannot be directly enforced by courts or confer substantive justiciable rights.

Statements 1 and 2 are correct. The 42nd Amendment Act of 1976 introduced Part IVA containing Article 51A with ten Fundamental Duties based on the Swaran Singh Committee recommendations (the eleventh duty was added in 2002 by the 86th Amendment). Statement 3 is incorrect because Fundamental Duties are non-justiciable and cannot be directly enforced by courts unlike Fundamental Rights.

All three statements are correct. Under the second proviso to Article 94, the Speaker does not vacate office upon dissolution of the Lok Sabha but holds it until immediately before the first sitting of the new House; her emoluments are charged on the Consolidated Fund under Article 112(3)(b) (not subject to annual vote); and removal requires an effective majority (majority of all then members) under Article 94(c).

Statement 1 is correct. The 73rd Amendment Act inserted the Eleventh Schedule with 29 functional subjects for Panchayats under Article 243G. Statement 2 is incorrect because Article 243D(3) mandates reservation of not less than one-third (33 percent) of seats for women, not one-half. Statement 3 is incorrect because Part IX did not automatically apply to Fifth Schedule areas, requiring the enactment of the PESA Act in 1996.

Statements 1 and 3 are correct. Under Article 54, the presidential electoral college comprises only the elected members of both Houses of Parliament and the elected members of Legislative Assemblies of States (and UTs of Delhi and Puducherry), and Article 55(3) provides for election in accordance with the system of proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote. Statement 2 is incorrect because nominated members have no right to vote in presidential elections.

Statements 1 and 2 are correct. Article 131 grants the Supreme Court exclusive original jurisdiction over intergovernmental disputes between the Union and states, and Article 143 empowers the President to refer questions of law or public importance for advisory opinion. Statement 3 is incorrect because the collegium mechanism is not found anywhere in the constitutional text; it was created through judicial interpretation in the Second (1993) and Third (1998) Judges Cases.

Statements 1 and 3 are correct. Under Article 109, a Money Bill can originate only in the Lok Sabha, and Article 110(4) requires that the Speaker endorse a certificate that it is a Money Bill before transmitting it to the Rajya Sabha and presenting it to the President. Statement 2 is incorrect because under Article 111, the President may give assent or withhold assent, but cannot return a Money Bill to Parliament for reconsideration.

Statement 1 is correct. Under Article 76(1), the President appoints a person qualified to be appointed a judge of the Supreme Court to be Attorney General for India. Statement 2 is incorrect because under Article 88, while the Attorney General possesses the right to speak and participate in the proceedings of either House or any parliamentary committee, he does not have the right to vote.

All three statements are correct. The Election Commission was permanently constituted as a three-member body on 1 October 1993; Article 324(5) shields the Chief Election Commissioner with security of tenure matching a Supreme Court judge (removal via parliamentary impeachment on grounds of proved misbehaviour or incapacity); and the same proviso specifies that other Election Commissioners cannot be removed except on the recommendation of the CEC.

Statements 1 and 2 are correct. The 52nd Constitutional Amendment Act of 1985 introduced the Tenth Schedule, and the Supreme Court in the Kihoto Hollohan case (1992) declared that the presiding officer acts as a tribunal when deciding disqualifications, making decisions amenable to judicial review. Statement 3 is incorrect because the 91st Constitutional Amendment Act, 2003 deleted paragraph 3 of the Tenth Schedule, completely abolishing the one-third split defence.

Statement 1 is correct. The President proclaims a National Emergency under Article 352 on grounds of war, external aggression, or armed rebellion. Statement 2 is incorrect because the 44th Amendment Act, 1978 substituted the term 'armed rebellion' in place of the previously vague 'internal disturbance', not vice versa. Statement 3 is incorrect because Articles 20 and 21 (protection in respect of conviction and protection of life and personal liberty) can never be suspended under any emergency.

All three statements are correct. Under the CAG (Duties, Powers and Conditions of Service) Act, 1971 read with Article 148, the CAG holds office for six years or until 65 years of age; under Article 149 audits all receipts and expenditures of both the Union government and state governments; and under Article 148(1) can be removed only on like grounds and in like manner as a judge of the Supreme Court.

Both Dr. Bharat Vatwani and Sonam Wangchuk were awarded the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Award in 2018. Dr. Bharat Vatwani was recognized for his courageous commitment to rescuing and rehabilitating mentally ill street persons, while Sonam Wangchuk was honoured for community-driven educational and ecological reforms in Ladakh, including his invention of Ice Stupas.

All three statements are correct. The Micro Units Development and Refinance Agency (MUDRA) Bank was registered in March 2015 as a wholly owned subsidiary of SIDBI to refinance non-corporate micro enterprises, extending collateral-free loans up to Rs. 10 lakh categorised into Shishu (up to Rs. 50,000), Kishor (Rs. 50,000 to Rs. 5 lakh), and Tarun (Rs. 5 lakh to Rs. 10 lakh).

Statements 1 and 3 are correct. The Wholesale Price Index is compiled and released by the Office of the Economic Adviser in DPIIT, and the Monetary Policy Framework Agreement signed between the Government and RBI in February 2015 formally adopted headline CPI (combined) as the nominal anchor with a 4 (+/- 2) percent target. Statement 2 is incorrect because the CPI is compiled and published monthly by the National Statistical Office (NSO) under MoSPI, not the RBI.

Statements 1 and 3 are correct. Major Rock Edict XIII provides a moving account of the bloodshed in the Kalinga War and Ashoka's transformation to Dhamma Vijaya, and the Ashokan Sarnath Lion Capital was adopted as the National Emblem of India on 26 January 1950. Statement 2 is incorrect because Ashoka's Brahmi inscriptions were deciphered by James Prinsep in 1837, not Sir William Jones.

Statements 1 and 3 are correct because Project Tiger was launched on 1 April 1973 from Corbett National Park, and the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) was accorded statutory status by amending the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 through the Amendment Act of 2006 following recommendations of the Tiger Task Force. Statement 2 is incorrect because Project Elephant was initiated nearly two decades later in February 1992 by the Ministry of Environment and Forests to provide financial and technical support to major elephant-bearing states.

Statements 1 and 2 are correct. In April 2014, the Reserve Bank of India granted in-principle approval to Bandhan Financial Services and IDFC to establish new full-service universal banks, and the Nachiket Mor committee framework for payments banks permitted them to accept demand deposits up to Rs. 1 lakh per individual. Statement 3 is incorrect because payments banks are strictly prohibited from lending money or issuing credit cards (they can only issue ATM/debit cards).

All three statements are correct. MGNREGA provides a statutory guarantee of 100 days of unskilled wage labor per household per financial year; Schedule II of the Act explicitly mandates that at least one-third of beneficiaries who register and request work shall be women; and Section 7 creates an entitlement to a daily unemployment allowance if employment is not provided within 15 days of submitting a work application.

Statement 1 is correct. The Insurance Laws (Amendment) Act passed in March 2015 raised the aggregate foreign investment limit in Indian insurance companies from 26 percent to 49 percent. Statements 2 and 3 are incorrect because FDI in multi-brand retail is capped at 51 percent under the government approval route (not 100 percent automatic), and atomic energy is in the negative list where all FDI is completely prohibited.

Statements 1 and 3 are correct. India's demographic transition has resulted in a steadily rising proportion of population in the 15-59 age group, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled the National Skill Development Mission on World Youth Skills Day (15 July 2015) with an ambitious target of skilling over 40 crore youth by 2022. Statement 2 is incorrect because the demographic window does not yield dividend automatically; it requires enabling investments in health, education, and productive job creation.

Statements 1 and 2 are correct. The WTO succeeded GATT on 1 January 1995 with permanent headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, and the 'peace clause' agreed at Bali (2013) insulates developing nations like India from legal challenges at the WTO for exceeding agricultural subsidy caps under public food procurement schemes. Statement 3 is incorrect because the Doha Development Round (launched in 2001) was not formally concluded at Nairobi; deep disagreements persisted between developed and developing nations regarding its mandate.

All three statements are correct. The Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana was launched on 28 August 2014 to ensure banking access for every unbanked household; it provides a zero-balance Basic Savings Bank Deposit account with an indigenous RuPay debit card featuring free personal accidental insurance; and grants an overdraft facility of up to Rs. 5,000 (subsequently enhanced to Rs. 10,000) after six months of satisfactory operation.

Statement 1 is correct. GST is a comprehensive destination-based indirect tax levied at the point of final consumption rather than the point of origin. Statements 2 and 3 are incorrect because Basic Customs Duty (BCD) remains outside GST to protect domestic industries, and GST was officially rolled out across India on 1 July 2017 via the 101st Constitutional Amendment Act, 2016, not in 2015.

Statements 1 and 3 are correct. The Paris Agreement was unanimously adopted by 196 parties at COP21 in Le Bourget near Paris on 12 December 2015, setting Article 2's benchmark to limit global average temperature rises well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels while pursuing 1.5 degrees Celsius. Statement 2 is incorrect because the Agreement relies on a bottom-up framework of nationally determined contributions (NDCs) pledged voluntarily by sovereign states, rather than top-down mandatory reduction quotas.

Statements 1 and 2 are correct. The Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (WGEEP) headed by Madhav Gadgil (2011) recommended classifying the entire mountain range into three Ecologically Sensitive Zones, and the High Level Working Group chaired by Dr. K. Kasturirangan was set up in 2012 to assess its implementation. Statement 3 is incorrect because the Kasturirangan report scaled down the proposed protection drastically, recommending that only 37 percent of the Western Ghats be designated as an Ecologically Sensitive Area.

Statements 1 and 3 are correct. Project Tiger was launched on 1 April 1973 at Corbett National Park, and the All-India Tiger Estimation reports confirmed that India's wild tiger numbers rose from 1,706 in 2010 to 2,226 in 2014. Statement 2 is incorrect because the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) is a statutory body constituted under Section 38L of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 (as amended in 2006).

Statements 1, 2 and 3 are correct. The Cabinet Mission (Pethick-Lawrence, Stafford Cripps, A.V. Alexander) presented its plan in May 1946, envisaging a three-tier structure (Union, Sections/Groups, and Provinces) with weak centre, and explicitly turned down Jinnah's demand for a sovereign Pakistan as geographically and demographically non-viable. When disagreements arose over grouping clauses, the Muslim League withdrew its acceptance and boycotted the opening session of the Constituent Assembly on 9 December 1946.

Statement 1 is correct. The National Green Tribunal was established in October 2010 pursuant to the National Green Tribunal Act, 2010 for effective and expeditious disposal of environmental cases. Statements 2 and 3 are incorrect because India was the third country globally (after Australia and New Zealand) and the first developing nation to establish a dedicated green tribunal, and Schedule I of the NGT Act intentionally excludes the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 and the Indian Forest Act, 1927 from its jurisdiction.

Atmospheric Composition of Saturn:

• Saturn is a gas giant planet whose overall bulk atmosphere consists primarily of Molecular Hydrogen ($H_2$, ~96.3%) and Helium ($He$, ~3.25%).
• Among the secondary / trace hydrocarbon atmospheric constituents, Methane ($CH_4$) is present in significant quantity (~0.45% or 4,500 ppm), alongside ammonia and phosphine, producing the characteristic hazy yellowish tint and spectroscopic absorption bands of Saturn's upper cloud layers.
• Furthermore, Saturn's largest moon, Titan, has a dense nitrogen-methane atmosphere where methane forms clouds, rain, and liquid hydrocarbon lakes.
• Among the four specific options provided (Sulphur dioxide, Carbon monoxide, Methane, Nitrogen), Methane is the predominant organic atmospheric gas.

Therefore, Saturn's atmosphere contains Methane (Option C).

Statements 1 and 2 are correct. The Kyoto Protocol's first commitment period ran from 2008 through 31 December 2012, and the Doha Amendment adopted at COP18 in December 2012 established the second commitment period spanning 1 January 2013 to 31 December 2020. Statement 3 is incorrect because the Green Climate Fund (GCF) was established in 2010 at COP16 in Cancun, Mexico (not at Warsaw in 2013).

All three statements are correct. India's National AQI launched in April 2015 monitors eight key air pollutants (PM10, PM2.5, NO2, SO2, CO, O3, NH3, and Pb); PM2.5 consists of microscopic respirable particles measuring 2.5 micrometres or smaller in aerodynamic diameter; and tropospheric ground-level ozone is a toxic photochemical oxidant causing respiratory disease, whereas natural stratospheric ozone absorbs hazardous ultraviolet-B solar radiation.

Statement 1 is correct. The International Solar Alliance (ISA) was jointly launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President François Hollande on 30 November 2015 at COP21 in Paris. Statements 2 and 3 are incorrect because ISA amended its framework agreement to open membership to all United Nations member states (not restricted to the tropics), and its interim and permanent headquarters is established at the National Institute of Solar Energy in Gurugram, Haryana, not New Delhi.

All three statements are correct. Astrosat was launched by ISRO on 28 September 2015 aboard PSLV-C30 into a 650-km low Earth orbit as India's premier space telescope, and its five scientific payloads enable simultaneous multi-wavelength astronomical observations across optical (visible), near and far ultraviolet, and soft and hard X-ray bands.

Statements 1 and 2 are correct. The Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine provides proven protection against tuberculosis in infants, and the Sabin Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV) consists of live attenuated poliovirus strains that stimulate mucosal intestinal immunity. Statement 3 is incorrect because Mission Indradhanush, launched in December 2014, was designed to immunize all children against seven vaccine-preventable diseases (diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus, polio, tuberculosis, measles, and hepatitis B), not polio alone.

Statements 1 and 3 are correct. The backbone of India's commercial nuclear fleet comprises indigenous Pressurized Heavy Water Reactors (PHWRs) fuelled by natural uranium and moderated by heavy water, and the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant in Tamil Nadu features VVER-1000 reactors constructed with technical cooperation from Russia. Statement 2 is incorrect because the second stage employs plutonium-fuelled Fast Breeder Reactors (FBRs), whereas the third stage is designed to utilize India's vast thorium reserves in advanced thorium-based reactors.

Statements 1 and 3 are correct. Antibiotics work by disrupting bacterial cell wall synthesis, protein manufacture, or DNA replication, and overprescribing or inappropriately stopping antibiotic courses accelerates the natural selection of drug-resistant pathogens causing antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Statement 2 is incorrect because viruses lack the cell walls and metabolic machinery that antibiotics target, making antibiotics completely ineffective against viral diseases like influenza and the common cold.

Statement 1 is correct. Insulin is an essential peptide hormone synthesized and secreted into the bloodstream by beta cells within the pancreatic islets of Langerhans to regulate glucose uptake. Statements 2 and 3 are incorrect because vitamin C (ascorbic acid) deficiency causes scurvy (vitamin D deficiency causes rickets or osteomalacia), and haemoglobin is the iron-containing metalloprotein whose primary physiological function is transporting oxygen from the lungs to tissues (as oxyhaemoglobin) alongside returning carbon dioxide (as carbaminohaemoglobin).

Statements 1 and 2 are correct. On 18 December 2014, ISRO successfully conducted the sub-orbital experimental flight of LVM3-X/GSLV Mk III validating the Crew Module Atmospheric Re-entry Experiment (CARE), and standard GSLV operational launch vehicles incorporate a high-energy cryogenic upper stage burning liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen. Statement 3 is incorrect because GSLV is a multi-stage vehicle featuring solid booster motors alongside liquid-fuelled core/strap-on stages (Vikas engines) and cryogenic upper stages.

Landlocked Countries of South America:

• A Landlocked country is a sovereign state that is completely surrounded by land and lacks direct access to the world ocean or open sea coasts.
• Out of the 12 sovereign nations in South America, there are only two landlocked countries:

1. Bolivia (Plurinational State of Bolivia): Bordered by Brazil to the north and east, Paraguay and Argentina to the south, and Chile and Peru to the west. (Bolivia lost its Pacific coastline to Chile in the War of the Pacific, 1879–1884).
2. Paraguay: Bordered by Argentina, Brazil, and Bolivia.

• In contrast, Uruguay, Suriname, and Peru all possess extensive ocean coastlines on the Atlantic or Pacific Oceans.

Therefore, Bolivia is a landlocked country (Option D).

Statements 1 and 2 are correct because Akbar instituted the Mansabdari system to structure civil and military bureaucracy with dual ranks of Zat and Sawar, and his finance minister Raja Todar Mal designed the Zabt/Ain-i-Dahsala land assessment system based on 10-year crop yields and prices. Statement 3 is incorrect because Din-i-Ilahi (Tauhid-i-Ilahi), a syncretic ethical code promoting Sulh-i-Kul, was propounded by Akbar in 1582, not Shah Jahan.

Statement 1 is correct. Rayleigh scattering demonstrates that scattering intensity is inversely proportional to the fourth power of wavelength, causing shorter blue wavelengths of sunlight to scatter far more intensely than longer red wavelengths. Statements 2 and 3 are incorrect because optical fibres transmit signals via Total Internal Reflection (TIR) when light hits the cladding boundary at angles greater than the critical angle, and light travels slower in denser media (approximately 2.25 x 10^8 m/s in water compared to 3.0 x 10^8 m/s in air).

All three statements are correct. Within hours of the catastrophic 25 April 2015 earthquake, India deployed the NDRF and armed forces in 'Operation Maitri' delivering massive humanitarian assistance; the seismic rupture originated at an epicentre near Barpak village in Gorkha district; and international seismological agencies registered the main shock magnitude at 7.8 Mw on the moment magnitude scale.

Statements 1 and 2 are correct. The inaugural International Day of Yoga was celebrated worldwide on 21 June 2015 following UN General Assembly Resolution 69/131, which was adopted in December 2014 with unanimous backing and a record 177 co-sponsors. Statement 3 is incorrect because 21 June is the summer solstice (the longest day of the year in the northern hemisphere), not the winter solstice.

Statements 1 and 3 are correct. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development was formally adopted by 193 UN member states at the UN Sustainable Development Summit in New York on 25 September 2015, succeeding the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) whose timeframe ended in 2015. Statement 2 is incorrect because the SDG framework comprises exactly 17 Sustainable Development Goals and 169 associated targets, not 12 goals and 100 targets.

Statements 1 and 2 are correct. The 100th Constitutional Amendment Act, 2015 amended the First Schedule to ratify the 1974 Land Boundary Agreement and its 2011 Protocol, transferring 111 enclaves to Bangladesh while India received 51 enclaves. Statement 3 is incorrect because the maritime boundary dispute between India and Bangladesh in the Bay of Bengal was adjudicated separately under UNCLOS by the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague in July 2014, not by the Land Boundary Agreement.

Both statements are correct. The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), commonly termed the Iran nuclear deal, was finalized in Vienna on 14 July 2015 between Iran and the P5+1 (the five permanent members of the UN Security Council: China, France, Russia, UK, and USA, plus Germany) together with the European Union, placing curbs on Iran's nuclear activities in return for lifting economic sanctions.

Statement 1 is correct. King John of England granted and sealed the Great Charter (Magna Carta) at Runnymede near Windsor on 15 June 1215 to resolve a revolt by feudal barons, establishing foundational principles of the rule of law. Statements 2 and 3 are incorrect because Magna Carta safeguarded medieval baronage privileges against monarchical tyranny rather than granting universal suffrage, and its 800th anniversary was celebrated in June 2015 (1215 to 2015), not in 2016.

Statements 1 and 2 are correct. The flagship Digital India programme was launched on 1 July 2015 to transform India into a digitally empowered society and knowledge economy, structured around three core vision areas: digital infrastructure as a utility to every citizen, governance and services on demand, and digital empowerment of citizens. Statement 3 is incorrect because the programme is coordinated and executed by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), not the Ministry of Home Affairs.

All three statements are correct. The 57 prospective founding members signed the Articles of Agreement of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) in Beijing on 29 June 2015; the multilateral development bank commenced operations in January 2016 with headquarters in Beijing, China; and India is a founding member and ranks as the second-largest shareholder after China.

Statement 1 is correct. Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Smart Cities Mission and the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) concurrently on 25 June 2015. Statements 2 and 3 are incorrect because the Smart Cities Mission was targeted at developing 100 selected cities through competition, while AMRUT was launched to upgrade basic civic infrastructure (water supply, sewerage, stormwater drainage) across 500 cities and towns with population over one lakh, not just eight metropolitan cities.