Question 1

What topics are covered in the 20 March 2026 current affairs quiz?

Accepted Answer

The 20 March 2026 quiz covers Economy, Governance, Polity, Social Issues with 25 MCQs sourced from The Hindu and Indian Express.

Question 2

How to use 20 March 2026 daily quiz for UPSC preparation?

Accepted Answer

Attempt the quiz after reading the daily current affairs. Focus on understanding the explanation for each question. Link each topic to your static GK notes for comprehensive preparation.

Question 3

How many MCQs should I practice daily for competitive exams?

Accepted Answer

Experts recommend 10-20 current affairs MCQs daily. This takes only 5-7 minutes but significantly improves retention through active recall, which is more effective than passive reading.

Question 4

Are these quiz questions based on The Hindu and Indian Express?

Accepted Answer

Yes. All questions are derived from important news articles published in The Hindu and Indian Express, filtered and ranked by AI for exam relevance across UPSC, MPSC, SSC, Banking & Teaching exams.

Question 5

Which ministry is responsible for releasing the new GDP series with the 2022-23 base year?

Accepted Answer

Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI), The article explicitly states that the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) released the press note on the new GDP series. MoSPI is the nodal ministry for national statistics in India.

Question 6

The 'RELIEF' scheme for exporters was announced by which Ministry?

Accepted Answer

Ministry of Commerce and Industry, As per the article, the Commerce and Industry Ministry announced the Rs 497-crore RELIEF scheme. This ministry is responsible for formulating and implementing foreign trade policy and promoting exports.

Question 7

Which US government department, headed by Scott Bessent, announced the sanctions waiver on Iranian oil?

Accepted Answer

Department of the Treasury, Scott Bessent is the US Treasury Secretary, as mentioned in the article announcing the sanctions waiver. The Treasury Department handles economic sanctions.

Question 8

Which government department is responsible for implementing the Project Insight initiative discussed in the article?

Accepted Answer

Income Tax Department, The article explicitly states that "India’s Income Tax Department (ITD)’s Project Insight (PI) initiative" is aimed at leveraging AI for tax administration. While CBDT is the apex body for direct taxes, the operational department is the ITD.

Question 9

The Bahishkrit Hitakarini Sabha, which organised the Mahad Satyagraha, was founded by which leader?

Accepted Answer

Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, The article states the Bahishkrit Hitakarini Sabha was founded in 1924 by Ambedkar to promote education and social reform among the Depressed Classes. This is a key static fact about Ambedkar's early organizational work.

Question 10

Which ministry launched the 'TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan' mentioned in the article?

Accepted Answer

Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, The article explicitly states: "The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare launched the TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan on December 7, 2024..." This ministry is responsible for national health programmes including TB control.

Question 11

The Supreme Court judgment quashing the FIR was delivered by a bench comprising which two Justices?

Accepted Answer

Justices Sanjay Kumar and K Vinod Chandran, As per the article, the bench hearing the criminal appeal and delivering the judgment consisted of Justices Sanjay Kumar and K Vinod Chandran. The other options are names of other Supreme Court judges not mentioned in this context.

Question 12

Which legislation in India primarily governs the rules regarding the admissibility and competency of witness testimony, as referenced in the news?

Accepted Answer

The Indian Evidence Act, 1872, The article discusses the admissibility and competency of a deaf and mute witness's testimony, which is governed by the Indian Evidence Act, 1872. Specifically, Section 118 of this Act deals with who may testify. The RPwD Act, 2016, deals with accessibility but the core evidence law is under the Evidence Act.

Question 13

Which statutory tribunal initially awarded compensation in this case?

Accepted Answer

Railway Claims Tribunal, The article states that the family filed a claim petition before the Railway Claims Tribunal, which initially awarded ₹8 lakh for the mother's death. This tribunal is specifically established under the Railway Claims Tribunal Act, 1987, to handle such cases.

Question 14

Which public sector enterprise is mentioned in the article as being involved in acquiring equity oil assets overseas as an insurance against supply shocks?

Accepted Answer

ONGC Videsh Limited (OVL), The article explicitly states that post-1991, India pushed ONGC Videsh Limited to acquire equity oil assets overseas as insurance against supply disruptions. OVL is the overseas investment arm of ONGC.

Question 15

Consider the following statements regarding the new GDP series:

1. The new series uses 2022-23 as the base year, replacing the 2011-12 series.

2. One major refinement is the segregation of activities of multi-activity enterprises using MCA's MGT 7/7A data.

3. For estimating the GVA of the Household Sector, the new series continues to use the base year (2011-12) GVA estimates extrapolated with indicators.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Accepted Answer

Both 1 and 2, Statement 1 is correct as per the article. Statement 2 is correct as it is listed as the first major refinement. Statement 3 is incorrect; the new series uses ASUSE and PLFS data for household sector GVA, moving away from the old method of extrapolating base year estimates.

Question 16

Consider the following statements regarding the recent Supreme Court judgment on maternity leave:

1. It struck down a rule that denied maternity leave to women adopting children older than three months.

2. The judgment was based on the interpretation of the Maternity Benefit Act, 1961, and the Code on Social Security, 2020.

3. The Court held that mothers who adopt a child shall be entitled to maternity benefit for a period of six months from the date the child is handed over.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Accepted Answer

Both 1 and 2, Statement 1 is correct as the SC struck down the three-month age limit. Statement 2 is correct as the judgment references both the Maternity Benefit Act, 1961, and Section 60(4) of the Code on Social Security, 2020. Statement 3 is incorrect; the Court granted a period of twelve weeks, not six months.

Question 17

Consider the following statements regarding the recent US sanctions waiver:

1. The waiver applies to about 140 million barrels of Iranian oil currently at sea.

2. The primary objective is to provide significant financial benefit to the Iranian government.

3. The move comes a week after a similar temporary waiver on 130 million barrels of Russian crude.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Accepted Answer

Both 1 and 3, Statement 1 is correct as per the article. Statement 2 is incorrect; Bessent argued the waiver 'will not provide significant financial benefit' and aims to lower prices. Statement 3 is correct as the article mentions a waiver on Russian oil a week prior.

Question 18

Consider the following statements regarding Project Insight:

1. It was launched in 2017 and became fully operational in 2019.

2. Its analytical engine, the Income Tax Transaction Analysis Centre (INTRAC), processes data only from banking institutions.

3. A key strategy under it is the Non-intrusive Usage of Data to Guide and Enable (NUDGE) to prompt taxpayers.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Accepted Answer

Both 1 and 3, Statement 1 is correct as per the article. Statement 2 is incorrect because INTRAC processes data from multiple sources including banking, property transactions, GST, and high-value purchases, not just banking. Statement 3 is correct as the NUDGE strategy is a core component.

Question 19

Consider the following statements regarding the Mahad Satyagraha:

1. It was centred on asserting the right of Dalits to draw water from the public Chawdar tank.

2. It was based on the legal provision of the 1925 Temple Entry Proclamation.

3. The satyagraha was followed by violent backlash and the ritual 'purification' of the water tank by caste Hindus.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Accepted Answer

Both 1 and 3, Statement 1 is correct as the article clearly states the satyagraha was centred on the right to draw water from the Chawdar tank. Statement 2 is incorrect; the legal basis was the 1923 Bole Resolution of the Bombay Legislative Council, not a 1925 Temple Entry Proclamation. Statement 3 is correct as the article mentions violence and ritual purification followed the event.

Question 20

According to the new GDP series, what was the estimated size of the Indian economy (GDP at current prices) for the financial year 2024-25?

Accepted Answer

₹318.07 lakh crore, The article provides the GDP figures for three years: ₹261.18 lakh crore (2022-23), ₹289.84 lakh crore (2023-24), and ₹318.07 lakh crore (2024-25).

Question 21

According to the World Happiness Report 2026, what is India's current rank and life evaluation score?

Accepted Answer

Rank 116th with a score of 4.536, The article states: 'India improved its ranking... currently standing at 116th with a life evaluation score of 4.536.' The other options are close distractors using nearby ranks and scores.

Question 22

According to the article, what is the current benchmark Brent crude oil price following the war-induced crisis?

Accepted Answer

$103 per barrel, The article states Benchmark Brent crude was trading at around $103 per barrel on Friday afternoon. $73 was the price before the war started.

Question 23

According to the article, what was the additional tax revenue generated from over one crore revised returns filed since 2020-21 under Project Insight's nudges?

Accepted Answer

₹11,000 crore, The article clearly states: "Since 2020-21, over one crore revised returns have been filed, resulting in an additional ₹11,000 crore in taxes." The other figures are plausible but incorrect distractors.

Question 24

According to the article, in which year was the Bole Resolution, which granted Dalits access to public water sources, passed by the Bombay Legislative Council?

Accepted Answer

1923, The article explicitly mentions: "The 1923 Bombay Legislative Council resolution, proposed by SK Bole, granted Dalits access to state-funded public wells, tanks, and institutions." The year 1927 is a close distractor as it is the year of the satyagraha itself.

Question 25

What is a key challenge highlighted in the article regarding the estimation of Gross State Value Added (GSVA) for the manufacturing sector?

Accepted Answer

Inadequacy of the Annual Survey of Industries (ASI) sampling frame., The article details that the ASI frame covers far fewer factories than the total companies in the MCA database for manufacturing. This truncated frame leads to inaccurate proportional allocation of national GVA across states, affecting GSDP estimates.

Question 26

What was the primary constitutional ground used by petitioners to challenge the three-month age limit for maternity leave for adoptive mothers?

Accepted Answer

Violation of Right to Equality under Article 14, The article mentions that 'The petitioners argued that the three-month cap was "artificial and violative of Article 14".' Article 14 guarantees equality before the law and equal protection of laws. The Court agreed that the distinction was arbitrary.

Question 27

What is the stated primary objective of the US granting a temporary sanctions waiver on Iranian oil, according to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent?

Accepted Answer

To compensate for oil shortages and prevent Tehran from profiting from high prices, Bessent explicitly stated the move would 'compensate for the oil shortages and prevent Tehran from profiting from hiked oil prices.' This is a strategic economic measure within the conflict.

Question 28

What is identified in the article as a primary ethical risk associated with AI systems like Project Insight?

Accepted Answer

Algorithmic bias replicating historical socio-economic prejudices, The article highlights 'algorithmic bias' as a major concern, stating that "AI models trained on historical enforcement data can unintentionally duplicate existing socio-economic or geographic biases," citing the Dutch childcare benefits scandal as an example. The other options are not mentioned as primary risks.

Question 29

What was the primary significance of the Mahad Satyagraha in the history of the Dalit movement in India?

Accepted Answer

It represented the first collective and widely noted articulation of Dalit civil rights through direct action., As analyzed in the article, scholars like Anand Teltumbde argue that Mahad represents "the first collective articulation of their civil rights and clear resolve to assert them" beyond local confines, marking a shift to direct action. The other options are unrelated to the event's outcomes as described.

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