Q.1) With reference to the Arbitration Council of India (ACI), consider the following statements:
- It is a constitutional body established under Article 323B of the Constitution of India.
- Its primary mandate involves grading arbitral institutions and accrediting arbitrators.
- The Chairperson of the ACI is appointed by the Central Government in consultation with the Chief Justice of India.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
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Answer: (b) ACI is a statutory body established under the Arbitration and Conciliation (Amendment) Act, 2019 (not a constitutional body). It grades institutions and its Chairperson is appointed by the Centre in consultation with the CJI.
Q.2) Which city has been announced as the “Green Hydrogen Valley of India”?
(a) Kakinada (Andhra Pradesh)
(b) Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh)
(c) Chennai (Tamil Nadu)
(d) Hyderabad (Telangana)
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Answer: (a) Kakinada (Andhra Pradesh)
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu declared Kakinada as the “Green Hydrogen Valley of India” during the launch of a ₹15,600-crore Green Hydrogen and Green Ammonia project by AM Green on January 17, 2026. The project aims to begin producing 0.5 million MT of green ammonia by mid-2027, with major exports planned to Germany, positioning Kakinada on the global clean energy map.
Q.3) Under the Constitution of India (101st Amendment Act), which of the following is/are PERMANENTLY excluded from the purview of the Goods and Services Tax (GST)?
- Crude Oil
- High Speed Diesel
- Alcoholic liquor for human consumption
- Natural Gas
Select the correct answer using the code below:
(a) 1, 2 and 4 only
(b) 3 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) All of the above
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Answer: (b) Only Alcoholic liquor for human consumption is permanently excluded. Petroleum products (1, 2, and 4) are constitutionally part of GST, but the GST Council has not yet notified the date for levying tax on them (Article 279A).
Q.4) In the context of the hydrocarbon industry, the term “Upstream Sector” primarily refers to:
(a) Refining of crude oil into petroleum products.
(b) Marketing and retail distribution of petrol and diesel.
(c) Exploration and production of oil and natural gas.
(d) Transportation of oil through pipelines.
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Answer: (c) The Upstream sector deals with Exploration and Production (E&P). Refining is Downstream, and transportation is often categorized as Midstream (though sometimes grouped with downstream).
Q.5) Which of the following best describes the primary goal and technical approach of Project Suncatcher?
(a) To deploy ground-based AI data centers powered by traditional solar farms and cooled using terrestrial water resources.
(b) To create a distributed AI compute network in Low Earth Orbit using modular satellites with TPUs connected via laser-based communication.
(c) To replace radio-frequency satellite communication with fiber-optic cables in space for global internet coverage
(d) To develop new consumer devices using Tensor Processing Units optimized for mobile applications.
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Answer (b) Project Suncatcher is a moonshot initiative by Google that proposes building AI data centers in Low Earth Orbit (LEO). It relies on constellations of modular satellites equipped with Tensor Processing Units (TPUs) and interconnected using free-space optical (laser) links. By operating in a dawn–dusk sun-synchronous orbit, the satellites gain near-continuous solar power, reducing pressure on Earth’s power grids and water resources. The project includes launching prototype satellites in partnership with Planet Labs by early 2027.