6th August 2025

Explanation - First and third options are incorrect. Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) programme was launched in January, 2003. The programme sought to promote the use of alternative and environment friendly fuels and to reduce import dependency for energy requirements. The programme has been extended to whole of India except Union Territories of Andaman Nicobar and Lakshadweep islands with effect from 01st April, 2019 wherein OMCs sell petrol blended with ethanol up to 10%. The Government has 10% blending target for mixing ethanol with petrol by 2022 & 20% blending target by 2030 (now revised to 2025). 

Explanation - Ayurveda Aahara refers to food products developed in line with the holistic dietary principles of Ayurveda, one of the world's oldest systems of health and wellness. These preparations emphasise balance, seasonal suitability, and using natural ingredients and herbs known for their therapeutic benefits. This significant step brings India's time-honoured food wisdom into the mainstream, following the introduction of the Food Safety and Standards (Ayurveda Aahara) Regulations in 2022. These regulations recognise foods based on recipes, ingredients, and processes from authoritative Ayurvedic texts, and the new list brings unprecedented clarity and confidence to consumers and businesses alike. The list, issued under Note (1) of Schedule B of the regulations, draws directly from classical Ayurvedic texts listed in Schedule A, ensuring the authenticity and traditional basis of these food formulations. This initiative aims to assist Food Business Operators (FBOs) by providing a clear and credible reference for the manufacture of Ayurveda Aahara products. This initiative marks a pivotal moment in enhancing regulatory clarity for industry stakeholders while promoting the widespread adoption of Ayurveda-based nutrition for better public health outcomes. 

Explanation - The WFP, which was established in 1961 at the behest of the US president Dwight Eisenhower, is the world's largest humanitarian organisation (certified as the largest by the Guinness World Records in 2002) committed towards its global goal of ending hunger by the year 2030. Eisenhower proposed to the UN General Assembly on September 1, 1960, that a, "workable scheme should be devised for providing food aid through the UN system." WFP provides food assistance in two ways, either by way of providing food or by meeting people's food-needs by providing cash-based transfers. The cash-based transfers were launched for the first time in 2005 in response to the tsunami in Sri Lanka. In 2019, WFP provided assistance to close to 100 million people spread across 88 countries by supplying them with over 4.2 million metric tonnes of food and $1.2 billion in cash and vouchers. The organisation estimates hunger by the prevalence of undernourishment. The UN defines undernourished or food-deprived people as those individuals whose food intake falls below the minimum level of dietary energy requirements. The headquarters of WFP is located at Rome, Italy. 

Explanation - India Electric Mobility Index is a first-of-its-kind tool developed to comprehensively track and benchmark the progress of States and Union Territories (UTs) in achieving their Electric Mobility goals. The India Electric Mobility Index (IEMI) tracks, evaluates and scores all Indian States and UTs out of 100 across 16 indicators under three-core themes — Transport Electrification Progress to capture demand-side adoption, Charging Infrastructure Readiness to track allied charging infrastructure development and EV Research and Innovation Status: Covers supply-side ecosystem R&D efforts. It enables evaluation across States and Union Territories, identifying key drivers of success as well as areas requiring targeted interventions. The Index aims to inform decision-making, foster healthy competition among states, and promote sharing of best practices. The Index underscores the importance of state-level coordination, integrated planning, and cross-sectoral collaboration in achieving India's electric mobility vision. By identifying strengths and gaps, the Index aims to support states in aligning with national goals while addressing local needs. It provides a transparent, comparative framework to assess progress across key themes such as electrification, infrastructure, and innovation. It enables states to benchmark their efforts, identify gaps, and learn from each other's successes. 

Explanation - It is a shrub which produces an orange-yellow coloured edible berry. In India, it is found above the tree line in the Himalayan region, generally in dry areas such as the cold deserts of Ladakh and Spiti. In Himachal Pradesh, it is locally called chharma and grows in the wild in Lahaul and Spiti and parts of Kinnaur. According to the Seabuckthorn Association of India, around 15,000 hectares in Himachal, Ladakh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh are covered by this plant. As a folk medicine, seabuckthorn has been widely used for treating stomach, heart and skin problems. In the last few decades, scientific research worldwide has backed many of its traditional uses. Its fruit and leaves are rich in vitamins, carotenoids and omega fatty acids, among other substances, and it can help troops in acclimatising to high-altitude. Besides being an important source of fuelwood and fodder, seabuckthorn is a soil-binding plant which prevents soil-erosion, checks siltation in rivers and helps preserve floral biodiversity. In the Lahaul valley, where willow trees are dying in large numbers due to pest attack, this hardy shrub is a good alternative for protecting the local ecology. Seabuckthorn also has commercial value, as it is used in making juices, jams, nutritional capsules etc.