1. With reference to the ‘Unified Payments Interface (UPI)’, consider the following statements:
1. It is a real-time payment system devel-oped by the National Payments Corpora-tion of India (NPCI) and regulated by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
2. The National Payments Corporation of In-dia (NPCI) is a statutory body established under the Payment and Settlement Sys-tems Act, 2007.
3. UPI enables a “Single App Interface,” al-lowing users to access multiple bank ac-counts through a single mobile application using a Virtual Payment Address (VPA).
Which of the statements given above are correct?
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
2. With reference to ‘Bodhan AI’, recently seen in the news, consider the following statements:
1. It is a not-for-profit company anchored at the Centre of Excellence in AI for Educa-tion, IIT Madras.
2. The initiative aims to develop indigenous AI tools for education across all levels, from pre-primary to higher education.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) None
3. Consider the following statements regarding the ‘Bharat EduAI Stack’:
1. It is designed as a Digital Public Infrastruc-ture (DPI), following the architectural prin-ciples of UPI and Aadhaar.
2. It serves as a “plug-and-play” layer that allows both private and public EdTech en-tities to build applications.
3. It focuses exclusively on English-language AI models to ensure global competitive-ness for Indian students.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 1 and 2 only
(c) 2 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
4. With reference to the National Mission on Himalayan Studies (NMHS) and the Himalayan Knowledge Network (HKN), consider the following statements:
1. NMHS is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme with funding shared between the Union and Himalayan States in a 90:10 ratio.
2. NMHS supports research-based policy formulation as well as community-driven interventions in the Indian Himalayan Re-gion (IHR).
3. Himalayan Knowledge Network (HKN) serves as a nodal implementation platform for knowledge sharing and research col-laboration under NMHS.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
(a) 2 and 3 only
(b) 1 and 2 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
5. With reference to “Deepfakes” and “Synthetic Media” in the electoral process, consider the following statements:
1. Deepfakes refer to synthetic media where a person in an existing image or video is replaced with someone else’s likeness us-ing artificial neural networks.
2. The detection of sophisticated deepfakes generally requires multi-modal forensic analysis rather than simple human obser-vation.
3. Cryptographic authentication is a sug-gested technical safeguard to verify the origin and integrity of official election-related communications.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
6. With reference to Article 26 of the Constitution, consider the following statements:
1. It grants every religious denomination the right to manage its own affairs in matters of religion.
2. The rights under Article 26 are subject to public order, morality, and health.
3. Article 26 rights are available only to citi-zens of India.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
7. With reference to the Essential Religious Practices (ERP) Doctrine, consider the following statements:
1. The doctrine empowers courts to deter-mine whether a particular practice is es-sential to a religion for constitutional pro-tection.
2. Only those practices considered essential receive protection under Articles 25 and 26.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) None
8. With reference to the National Green Tribunal (NGT), consider the following statements:
1. The NGT was established as a constitu-tional body under Article 21 of the Consti-tution of India, which deals with the Right to Life.
2. The Tribunal is not bound by the proce-dure laid down under the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908, but is guided by the principles of natural justice.
3. The NGT has the power to hear cases re-lating to the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, and the Indian Forest Act, 1927.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 2 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 2 and 3 only
9. Consider the following statements regarding the physical geography of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands:
1. The islands are considered to be an emer-gent part of the submerged Arakan Yoma mountain range.
2. The Ten Degree Channel separates the Lit-tle Andaman from the South Andaman.
3. Saddle Peak, the highest point in the en-tire archipelago, is located in the Great Nicobar Island.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 1 and 2 only
(c) 2 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2, and 3
10. In the context of the Right to Information (Amendment) Act, 2019, which of the following changes were made to the original 2005 Act?
1. The fixed tenure of five years for the Chief Information Commissioner (CIC) was re-moved.
2. The salaries and allowances of the CIC and Information Commissioners (ICs) are now determined by the Central Government in-stead of being equated to Election Com-missioners.
3. The Central Government was empowered to reduce the salary of a Commissioner if they are receiving a pension for previous government service.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2, and 3
ANSWERS for Daily Current Affairs Prelims Practice (17-02-2026):
1. Answer: (c)
2. Answer: (c)
3. Answer: (b)
4. Answer: (a)
5. Answer: (d)
6. Answer: (a)
7. Answer: (c)
8. Answer: (b)
9. Answer: (a)
10. Answer: (d)
La Excellence IAS Academy, the best IAS coaching in Hyderabad, known for delivering quality content and conceptual clarity for UPSC 2026 preparation.
FOLLOW US ON:
â—‰ YouTube : https://www.youtube.com/@CivilsPrepTeam
â—‰ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LaExcellenceIAS
â—‰ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laexcellenceiasacademy/
GET IN TOUCH:
Contact us at info@laex.in, https://laex.in/contact-us/
or Call us @ +91 9052 29 2929, +91 9052 99 2929, +91 9154 24 2140
OUR BRANCHES:
Head Office: H No: 1-10-225A, Beside AEVA Fertility Center, Ashok Nagar Extension, VV Giri Nagar, Ashok Nagar, Hyderabad, 500020
Madhapur: Flat no: 301, survey no 58-60, Guttala begumpet Madhapur metro pillar: 1524, Rangareddy Hyderabad, Telangana 500081
Bangalore: Plot No: 99, 2nd floor, 80 Feet Road, Beside Poorvika Mobiles, Chandra Layout, Attiguppe, Near Vijaya Nagara, Bengaluru, 560040