Daily Current Affairs UPSC: News Based MCQs Quiz | 1st July 2025

Answer: (A) 1 only

Detailed Explanation

• The Index of Industrial Production fell to 2. 6 per cent in April 2025. The Index in the previous year i.e., April 2024 was 6. 3%.
• The consumers are not purchasing durable goods. That is why the central government’s capital expenditure was up by 39% year on year at Rs 61,564 crores.

Answer: (C) All three

Detailed Explanation

• Ghana – Ghana is one of West Africa’s fastest-growing economies; its relationship with India is marked by robust and expanding trade and investment. India is the largest destination for Ghanaian exports; gold accounts for more than 70% of India’s imports from Ghana.
• Argentina – India and Argentina have significantly advanced bilateral cooperation in the mineral resources sector, particularly in lithium, a critical input for India’s green energy transition. Argentina is a major supplier of soybean and sunflower oil to India. In 2024, India was Argentina’s fifth-largest trading partner and export destination.
• Brazil – For the State Visit, the PM will travel to Brasilia where he will hold bilateral discussions with President Lula on broadening the Strategic Partnership in areas of mutual interest, including trade, defence, energy, space, technology, agriculture, and health. Brazil is India’s largest trading partner in South America.

Answer: (C) Both 1 and 2

Detailed Explanation

• The DST was a 3% levy on the digital services revenue a firm made from Canadian users above $20 million in a calendar year. This is because the DST was not particularly popular in Canada either since it could have raised the cost of all kinds of digital services – from hailing cab rides to streaming movies.
• Canada is the United States’ second-largest trading partner after Mexico, and the largest buyer of US exports. It bought $349. 4 billion of US goods and exported $412. 7 billion to the US last year, according to US Census Bureau data.
• At the same time, it currently faces the steepest of Trump’s tariffs: apart from the 10% base tariff imposed on most countries, Canada (and Mexico) face an additional 25% on all exports to the US, apparently meant to curb illegal immigration and stop fentanyl smuggling. Trump has also slapped 50% tariffs on steel and aluminium imports from Canada and 25% on auto imports.

Answer: (D) None of the above

Detailed Explanation

• Exchange of conclaves – Berubari Case
• Secularism as Basic doctrine – Kesavananda Bharati Case
• Centre-State Relations – SR Bommai Case
• Socialism as Basic doctrine – Minerva Mills Case

Answer: (B) Only two

Detailed Explanation

• The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) was established with the signing of the SAARC Charter in Dhaka on 8 December 1985. SAARC comprises of eight Member States: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The Secretariat of the Association was set up in Kathmandu on 17 January 1987.
• Ziaur Rahman, the former President of Bangladesh, played a key role in the early conceptualization and groundwork for the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). He initiated efforts to unite South Asian nations under a regional umbrella, sharing a vision of cooperation and mutual security, which ultimately led to the formation of SAARC in 1985, four years after his death.

Answer: (A) B,A,C,D

Detailed Explanation

Answer: (C) Both 1 and 2

Detailed Explanation

• Methyl isocyanate (MIC) is a highly toxic and flammable organic compound with the chemical formula CH₃NCO.
• It’s a colorless liquid with a sharp, pungent odor and is primarily used as a chemical intermediate in the production of carbamate pesticides.
• MIC is notorious for its role in the 1984 Bhopal disaster, where a large leak from a Union Carbide plant resulted in thousands of deaths and injuries.

Answer: (B) 2 only

Detailed Explanation

Answer: (A) 1 only

Detailed Explanation

• SBS 1 was initiated by the Vajpayee government in 2001, and involved the launch of four satellites for surveillance, Cartosat 2A, Cartosat 2B, Eros B and Risat 2. SBS 2 came in 2013 with the launch of six satellites, Cartosat 2C, Cartosat 2D, Cartosat 3A, Cartosat 3B, Microsat 1 and Risat 2A. The newly cleared SBS 3 shows that India will be launching 52 satellites within the next decade.
• Phase 3 of the Space-Based Surveillance (SBS) programme, approved in October 2023 by the Prime Minister-led Cabinet Committee on Security, is set to cost ₹26,968 crore. It involves the construction and launch of 21 satellites by India’s space agency Isro and 31 by three private companies. The first satellite is expected to be launched by April 2026, with the full constellation targeted for completion by the end of 2029. The Defence Space Agency (DSA), under the Integrated Defence Staff (IDS)

Answer: (C) Both 1 and 2

Detailed Explanation

• In 2025, India’s Total Fertility Rate (TFR) has dropped to 1. 9, below the replacement level of 2. 1, according to the UNFPA’s “State of World Population 2025” report. This indicates that each generation is not replacing itself, and India’s population is expected to peak at 170 crore before beginning to decline. While India’s population is currently the highest globally at 1. 46 billion, the falling TFR suggests a potential future decline in population size.
• A Civil Registration System (CRS) is a continuous, permanent, and compulsory recording of vital events like births, deaths, and stillbirths by a government. It’s a fundamental function of national governments, ensuring legal documentation of these events and providing data for vital statistics.
• The Sample Registration System (SRS) is a large-scale demographic survey in India used to estimate vital rates like birth rates and death rates. It operates on a dual record system, involving continuous enumeration and independent surveys to gather data, which is then matched and verified. This system provides reliable data at national and sub-national levels.