16th March 2026

Explanation - Deepor Beel is a perennial freshwater lake located on the outskirts of Guwahati, in the Kamrup district of Assam. It lies in a former channel of the Brahmaputra. It covers an area of 4.1 sq.km. It is the only major stormwater storage basin for the city of Guwahati. The lake's outflow is the Khandajan rivulet, which joins the Brahmaputra. It was recognised as a Ramsar Site in 2002 and as an Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA) in 2004. It is the only Ramsar site in Assam. This lake is a staging site on migratory flyways, and some of the largest concentrations of aquatic birds in Assam can be seen, especially in winter. Some globally threatened birds are supported, including Spot-billed Pelican, Lesser Greater Adjutant Stork, and Baer's Pochard. About 50 fish species and aquatic resources provide livelihood support to about 1,200 households residing in about 12 villages on the fringes of the wetland. The Rani and Garbhanga hills, which are home to Asiatic elephants, are part of the Deepor Beel ecosystem.

Explanation - Alprazolam is a psychotropic substance under the Narcotics, Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act 1985. This drug falls under the benzodiazepines class of drugs, and is a tranquillising agent used in the treatment of anxiety disorders. Benzodiazepines belong to the group of medicines called central nervous system (CNS) depressants, which are medicines that slow down the nervous system. Alprazolam enhances the activity of a neurotransmitter in the brain called gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). Used for — It is used to treat anxiety disorders, panic disorders, and anxiety caused by depression.

Explanation - The Essential Commodities Act, 1955 empowers the Union government to regulate the production, supply, and distribution of essential goods such as foodstuffs, edible oils, fertilisers, drugs, fuels, and seeds. Under Section 3 of the Act, the government can take measures to ensure adequate supply and fair prices of essential commodities. These include setting price controls and stock limits, regulating storage, transport, and distribution, prioritising production, and preventing hoarding and black marketing. The Act has been used in the past to address shortages of commodities such as wheat, sugar, and pulses, and was also invoked during the COVID-19 lockdown to curb hoarding, black marketing, and profiteering of essential goods.

Explanation – IRNSS is an independent regional navigation satellite system being developed by India. It is designed to provide accurate position information service to users in India as well as the region extending up to 1500 km from its boundary, which is its primary service area. IRNSS will provide two types of services, namely, Standard Positioning Service (SPS) which is provided to all the users and Restricted Service (RS), which is an encrypted service provided only to the authorised users. Some important applications of NavIC (the IRNSS constellation) include — Fisheries (Using the messaging capabilities, fishermen can receive alerts related to bad weather and high waves). Shipping. Transport (NavIC helps monitor the movement of school vans and facilitates better traffic management in cities, towns and highways). Railways. Resource Management (The position information derived from NavIC helps Government agencies to manage resources efficiently using Geo-tagging and Geo-fencing techniques. The position of an object is linked with the virtual maps and alert messages are generated when there is a movement of object beyond permissible limits). Location-based Services. Survey and Alignment. Time-synchronised Services.

Explanation - The Indra Sawhney vs Union of India case (1992) was a landmark judgement that addressed reservations for both Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes (SCs/STs) and Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in government jobs. While upholding the concept of reservations, the court imposed certain conditions — It introduced the concept of a "creamy layer" within OBCs, excluding them from reservation benefits. It capped the total reservation quota at 50% (except in extraordinary circumstances). Reservation in promotions for SCs/STs was not automatically guaranteed and needed justification. The judgement did not abolish reservations but aimed to streamline and regulate them.