13th November 2026

Solution/Explanation -

• Statement 1 is correct: Section 19 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 (post-2018 amendment) requires prior sanction for prosecuting both serving and retired public servants for acts done in the discharge of official duties.
• Statement 2 is correct: The 2018 amendment inserted a statutory timeline requiring the sanctioning authority to decide within three months, extendable by one additional month with recorded reasons.
• Statement 3 is incorrect: For All India Services officers (like IAS officers) serving in connection with the affairs of a State, prosecution sanction under Section 19(1)(a) of the PC Act is required from the Central Government (DoPT/PMO), in addition to the State Government if applicable, which is why the PMO granted sanction in the Tamil Nadu case.

Solution/Explanation -

• Statement 1 is incorrect: Eco-Sensitive Zones (ESZs) are notified by the MoEF&CC under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, not the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
• Statement 2 is correct: Per Supreme Court directions, in areas where an ESZ has not been formally notified around a National Park or Wildlife Sanctuary, a 10-km radius is treated as a deemed ESZ.
• Statement 3 is incorrect: The National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) is chaired by the Prime Minister of India, with the Union Environment Minister serving as Vice-Chairperson.

Solution/Explanation -

• Statement 1 is incorrect: Under Section 45ZA of the RBI Act, 1934, the inflation target is determined by the Central Government in consultation with the RBI once every five years, not by the RBI unilaterally.
• Statement 2 is correct: Under Section 45ZN of the RBI Act, 1934, the RBI fails to meet the inflation target if the average inflation is more than the upper tolerance level (6%) or less than the lower tolerance level (2%) for three consecutive quarters.
• Statement 3 is incorrect: Repo rate hikes tighten monetary liquidity and curb aggregate demand; they cannot directly increase agricultural output or immediately resolve supply-side food shocks.

Solution/Explanation -

• Statement 1 is correct: Adjournment sine die suspends a sitting indefinitely without ending the session; until the President prorogues the House, the Presiding Officer can reconvene the sitting at short notice.
• Statement 2 is incorrect: Under Article 368, there is no provision for a joint sitting of both Houses of Parliament to resolve a deadlock over a Constitutional Amendment Bill.
• Statement 3 is correct: Article 82 mandates that upon the completion of each Census, the allocation of seats in the Lok Sabha to the States and the division of each State into territorial constituencies shall be readjusted by such authority and in such manner as Parliament may by law determine.

Solution/Explanation -

• Statement 1 is correct: The Census of India officially recognizes and tabulates only those mother tongues returned by 10,000 or more speakers at the national level (identifying 121 languages—22 Scheduled and 99 Non-Scheduled), grouping smaller languages like Kurumba under "others".
• Statement 2 is incorrect: SPPEL was launched in 2013 by the Ministry of Education (not the Ministry of Culture) specifically to document and revitalize endangered languages spoken by fewer than 10,000 people.
• Statement 3 is incorrect: Bhojpuri is not among the 22 languages listed in the Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution (Maithili is included).