18th April 2025

Explanation:
Option (a) is incorrect. While rare earth elements are relatively scarce, their strategic importance stems primarily from their unique electronic and magnetic properties rather than their scarcity alone. These properties make them essential for high-tech applications, and it's these applications (rather than mere scarcity) that give them geopolitical significance.

Option (b) is incorrect. China's dominance in rare earth processing is not a recent development but has been established over decades. The suspension of exports of rare earth magnets in 2025 is a manifestation of this long-standing dominance rather than its cause.

Option (c) is incorrect. Light Rare Earth Elements (LREEs) include elements with atomic numbers 57 to 63 (Lanthanum to Europium). Scandium and Yttrium, despite being lighter in weight, are actually classified with Heavy Rare Earth Elements (HREEs) due to their similar physical and chemical properties, not based on atomic weight.

Option (d) is correct. China does control over 80% of the global rare earth refining capacity, which creates significant strategic vulnerabilities for industries and nations dependent on these elements for advanced technologies, including military applications like missile guidance systems, radar, and other defense technologies.

Statement 1 is correct. The STELLAR Model (State-of-the-art, Totally indigenously developed Resource adequacy model) is indeed the first indigenously developed software tool that integrates generation, transmission, and storage expansion planning with demand response capabilities for the Indian power sector.

Statement 2 is incorrect. The STELLAR Model was not developed as a commercial product to generate revenue. On the contrary, the software will be provided at no cost to all states and discoms, promoting uniformity and ease of use across the country.

Statement 3 is correct. The STELLAR Model aligns with the Ministry of Power's resource adequacy guidelines issued in June 2023 that require states to prepare comprehensive resource adequacy plans. It is specifically designed to help Indian states and discoms comply with these guidelines.

Statement 4 is correct. The development of the STELLAR Model involved collaboration with international organizations. It was developed in partnership with The Lantau Group (TLG) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) under a technical assistance program, though the development was led by the Central Electricity Authority.

Explanation:
Statement 1 is correct. The constitutional validity of sub-classification within Scheduled Castes was indeed established by a seven-judge Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court in August 2024. This landmark judgment overturned previous conflicting views that had prohibited such classification and gave states the authority to make caste-wise assessments within broader SC/ST categories.

Statement 2 is incorrect. Telangana's implementation of SC sub-categorization does not allocate the highest reservation percentage to the most numerous SC sub-castes. In fact, it does the opposite by allocating different percentages based on socio-economic backwardness rather than population size. Group I, which includes the most backward sub-castes, receives 1% reservation despite comprising only 0.5% of the population, while more advanced sub-castes are placed in Groups II and III with 9% and 5% reservation respectively.

Statement 3 is correct. The Telangana Scheduled Castes (Rationalisation of Reservations) Act, 2025 maintains the overall 15% reservation for SCs while redistributing benefits among three groups based on their relative socio-economic advancement. The total reservation quota remains unchanged at 15%, but the internal distribution aims to ensure more equitable access to opportunities among all sub-groups.

Explanation:
Statement 1 is incorrect. The RBI's prohibition on granting advances against primary gold/silver applies to all lenders including both commercial banks and NBFCs. The draft guidelines issued by RBI on April 9, 2025, explicitly bar all lenders from granting advances against primary gold/silver and financial assets backed by them.

Statement 2 is correct. The data shows that while commercial banks hold the majority share of gold loan outstanding (₹9,23,636 crore), the proportional increase in NPAs was higher in NBFCs. NBFCs reported gold loan NPAs of ₹4,784 crore (compared to ₹3,904 crore the previous year), representing a higher percentage increase relative to their portfolio size compared to banks.

Statement 3 is correct. The practice of "evergreening" in gold loans, which was curtailed by RBI in September 2023, did allow borrowers to indefinitely extend loans by just paying the interest component. After RBI's intervention, repledging now requires full repayment of both principal and interest, making the process costlier and limiting loan evergreening.

Statement 4 is correct. Under the new regulatory framework, consumption gold loans with bullet repayment structure (where principal and interest are due at maturity) must have a maximum tenor of 12 months. Income-generating gold loans are subject to different parameters and are not bound by this specific tenor restriction.

Explanation:
Statement 1 is incorrect. The Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT) complements but does not override the dual criminality requirement in the 1901 extradition treaty between India and Belgium. The dual criminality principle remains fundamental to extradition proceedings, requiring that the alleged crime must be punishable in both countries.

Statement 2 is incorrect. The withdrawal of an Interpol Red Corner Notice does not automatically invalidate bilateral extradition requests. While it may complicate the process, extradition requests made through bilateral treaties operate independently of Interpol notices and remain valid legal instruments.

Statement 3 is incorrect. While citizenship in a third country can complicate extradition proceedings, it does not automatically serve as a legal barrier to extradition. The country where the accused is arrested can still process extradition requests based on its treaties with the requesting nation, regardless of the accused's citizenship status in a third country.

Statement 4 is correct. The principle of non-refoulement in international law does prohibit extradition if there is substantial evidence that the accused would face human rights violations, including poor prison conditions, in the requesting country. Courts often consider such humanitarian concerns when deciding on extradition requests.