19th September 2026

Consider the following statements regarding deep-sea mining and the international maritime framework:

1. The International Seabed Authority (ISA) was established under the framework of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
2. India holds exploration contracts granted by the ISA for polymetallic nodules in the Central Indian Ocean Basin.
3. Polymetallic nodules found on the abyssal ocean floor are predominantly composed of precious metals such as platinum and gold.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Regarding electric vehicle platforms and powertrain technologies, consider the following statements:

1. Conventional Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEVs) cannot be recharged from an external electrical grid outlet and rely on their internal combustion engine and regenerative braking.
2. Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEVs) operate exclusively on electric motors and completely lack an internal combustion engine.
3. Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles (FCEVs) emit primarily water vapour from their tailpipes, using hydrogen gas to generate electricity on board.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

With reference to the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) in the National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas, consider the following statements:

1. CAQM is an executive body set up through a resolution of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
2. CAQM's orders, directions and rules supersede any conflicting orders passed by the concerned State Governments or State Pollution Control Boards.
3. The Commission has the authority to impose and collect environmental compensation from farmers resorting to crop residue burning.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Consider the following statements regarding the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution of India:

1. Contesting an election on the ticket of another political party while remaining an elected member of a different legislative party amounts to voluntarily giving up party membership under Paragraph 2(1)(a).
2. The Anti-Defection Law prescribes a mandatory statutory time limit of ninety days within which the Speaker must decide a disqualification petition.
3. The Supreme Court of India in Kihoto Hollohan v. Zachillhu held that the decision of the presiding officer on disqualification is immune from judicial review.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

With reference to the State Public Service Commissions (SPSC) in India, consider the following statements:

1. Under Article 316 of the Constitution, as nearly as may be, one-half of the members of every Public Service Commission must be persons who have held government office for at least ten years.
2. The Chairman and members of a State Public Service Commission can be suspended from office by the Governor pending an inquiry by the Supreme Court.
3. The power to determine the number of members of a State Public Service Commission and their conditions of service is vested in the Parliament of India.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?