3rd September 2025

Explanation – The correct pairings are: Hand-in-Hand with China, Dustlik with Uzbekistan, Ekuverin with Maldives, Yudh Abhyas with U.S., and Bold Kurukshetra with Singapore. Therefore, only statements 3 (Ekuverin - Maldives) and 5 (Yudh Abhyas - United States) are correctly matched. 

Explanation – NCG was established in 2012 as a government of India initiative through the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) and its grant-in-aid institution, the Tata Memorial Centre. It aims to create a network of cancer centres, research institutes, patient groups and charitable institutions across India with the objective of developing uniform standards of patient care for prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer; providing specialised training and education in oncology; and facilitating collaborative basic, translational and clinical research in cancer. NCG today has over 270 hospitals in its network across India. 

Explanation – SCO is a permanent intergovernmental international organisation. It is a Eurasian political, economic and military organisation aiming to maintain peace, security and stability in the region. It was created in 2001. The headquarters is located in Beijing, China. Following the accession of Uzbekistan to the organisation in 2001, the Shanghai Five was renamed the SCO. India and Pakistan became members in 2017. 

Explanation – G-Secs are debt instruments issued by the government to borrow money. The two key categories are treasury bills (short-term instruments) and dated securities (long-term instruments). Retail investors are allowed to place non-competitive bids in auctions of government bonds through their demat accounts. Stock exchanges act as aggregators and facilitators of retail bids. Like bank fixed deposits, g-secs are not tax-free. They are generally considered the safest form of investment because they are backed by the government. 

Explanation – Bond prices and yields move in opposite directions. When bond yields go up, prices go down, and when bond yields go down, prices go up. This happens largely because the bond market is driven by supply and demand for investment money. If investors are unwilling to spend money buying bonds, the price goes down and this makes interest rates rise. When rates rise, that can attract bond buyers back to the market, driving prices back up and rates back down.