Q1. With reference to the India–Oman Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), consider the following statements:
- Oman has offered duty-free access to over 98% of its tariff lines covering more than 99% of India’s exports to Oman.
- India has agreed to eliminate tariffs on all labour-intensive products to promote employment generation.
- The agreement is Oman’s first bilateral trade agreement with any country since 2006.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- 1 and 3 only
- 1 and 2 only
- 2 and 3 only
- 1, 2 and 3
Correct Option: 1. 1 and 3 only
Explanation:
• Statement 1 is correct:
Oman has granted duty-free access on 98.08% of tariff lines, covering 99.38% of India’s exports, giving Indian goods near-total market access.
•
Statement 2 is incorrect:
India has not eliminated tariffs on all labour-intensive products.
Several sensitive labour-intensive sectors such as footwear and sports goods have been kept out of the agreement to protect domestic industries.
•
Statement 3 is correct:
This is Oman’s first bilateral trade agreement since its FTA with the U.S. in 2006.
Q2. DHRUV64-bit, dual-core processor with moderate clock speed is most suitable for which of the following applications?
- High-end gaming laptops requiring advanced graphics acceleration
- Industrial control systems that prioritise reliability and long operational life
- Consumer smartphones focused on peak performance and energy efficiency
- Cryptocurrency mining systems requiring massive parallel computation
Correct Option: 2. Industrial control systems that prioritise reliability and long operational life
Explanation:
• Option A is incorrect because gaming laptops require high-performance CPUs and powerful GPUs, which such processors typically do not include.
•
Option B is correct since processors with moderate performance are well-suited for industrial and embedded environments where stability, predictability, and long-term support matter more than peak speed.
•
Option C is incorrect because consumer smartphones demand highly optimised, high-performance, and energy-efficient processors with specialised accelerators.
•
Option D is incorrect as cryptocurrency mining relies on extreme parallelism and specialised hardware, not general-purpose embedded processors.
👉 Thus, such processors are best aligned with industrial and infrastructure-focused use cases rather than consumer or compute-intensive applications.
Q3. Which of the following best captures the regulatory shift introduced by the proposed Securities Market Code Bill?
- Expanding criminal liability for all securities law violations to strengthen deterrence
- Consolidating multiple securities laws while moving minor violations to a civil penalty framework
- Reducing the powers and size of the securities regulator to avoid regulatory overreach
- Removing time limits on investigations to improve enforcement efficiency
Correct Option: 2. Consolidating multiple securities laws while moving minor violations to a civil penalty framework
Explanation:
• The core reform involves unifying three major securities laws into a single code and shifting less serious contraventions to civil penalties, aiming to improve regulatory clarity and ease of doing business.
Q4. Which of the following best explains the strategic importance of the India–Netherlands Joint Trade and Investment Committee (JTIC)?
- It fosters resilient supply chains, enhances bilateral trade, promotes investment, and encourages sustainable economic growth.
- It centralizes all private-sector negotiations under government control to maximize profits.
- It functions as a diplomatic forum primarily for cultural exchange and tourism promotion.
- It allows both countries to monitor each other’s domestic policies and enforce compliance.
Correct Option: 1. It fosters resilient supply chains, enhances bilateral trade, promotes investment, and encourages sustainable economic growth.
Explanation:
• The committee’s objectives include strengthening economic cooperation, facilitating trade and investment, supporting MSMEs, and building resilient and diversified supply chains, all contributing to sustainable growth.
Q5. How does the Geographical Indication (GI) status of Indi Lime contribute to its success in international markets?
- By allowing unrestricted exports without quality inspections
- By highlighting unique regional qualities and enabling access to premium global markets
- By eliminating competition from other citrus fruits globally
- By fixing international prices for the product
Correct Option: 2. By highlighting unique regional qualities and enabling access to premium global markets
Explanation:
• GI tagging certifies region-specific qualities such as aroma, juice content, and shelf life, helping the product gain recognition and premium pricing abroad.
Q6. The decision to base ICG Ship Amulya at Paradip, Odisha, primarily reflects which strategic consideration?
- Reducing operational costs by stationing vessels closer to shipyards
- Strengthening maritime surveillance and response capabilities along India’s eastern seaboard
- Supporting inland water transport development in eastern India
- Enabling long-range blue-water operations beyond India’s maritime zones
Correct Option: 2. Strengthening maritime surveillance and response capabilities along India’s eastern seaboard
Explanation:
Paradip is a strategically important port on the eastern coast, and basing Amulya there enhances the Indian Coast Guard’s ability to conduct surveillance, interdiction, and rapid-response missions in the eastern maritime region.