14th November 2026

With reference to the critical minerals and battery recycling ecosystem in India, consider the following statements:

1. "Black mass" is an intermediate powder produced by shredding spent lithium-ion batteries and contains valuable metals such as lithium, cobalt, nickel, and manganese.
2. The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) recently moved lithium-ion battery black mass from the "free" to the "prohibited" list of exports to retain feedstock for domestic refiners.
3. Under the existing E-Waste Management Rules, rare-earth magnets extracted from discarded hard drives and smartphones have a separate, weight-independent Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) category.

Which of the statements given above are correct?

Consider the following statements regarding the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012:

1. The Act is gender-neutral with respect to child victims, extending equal statutory protection to both boys and girls below the age of 18 years.
2. Under the Act, offences committed by female perpetrators against male children are excluded from the purview of aggravated sexual assault.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Consider the following statements regarding India’s deep-ocean exploration programme:

1. Matsya-6000 is an unmanned remotely operated vehicle developed exclusively by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) for polymetallic nodule mining.
2. The first phase of shallow-water trials for Matsya-6000 at a depth of 500 metres is planned in the Bay of Bengal under the Samudrayaan Project.
3. The National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) is the nodal autonomous institute under the Ministry of Earth Sciences responsible for developing the submersible.

Which of the statements given above are correct?

With reference to the Assisted Reproductive Technology (Regulation) Act, 2021, consider the following statements:

1. An oocyte (egg) donor must be between 23 and 35 years of age and is legally permitted to donate oocytes only once in her lifetime.
2. Registered assisted reproductive technology clinics are permitted to use accredited third-party brokers to recruit egg donors provided written informed consent is obtained.
3. Courts can take cognizance of offences under the Act only upon a complaint made by the National Board, the State Board, or an officer authorized by them.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Consider the following statements regarding the electoral roll management system in India:

1. Under the Election Commission’s ERONET workflow, the approval of a Form 8 application for shifting residence to a new constituency automatically triggers the generation of a Form 7 in the voter's previous constituency.
2. Making a false declaration in connection with the preparation or revision of an electoral roll is a punishable offence under Section 31 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950.
3. The Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) of the original constituency has a dedicated digital option on ERONET to reject an auto-generated Form 7 so that a citizen can remain registered in two constituencies simultaneously during the transition period.

Which of the statements given above are correct?