Answer: A

Explanation:

Statement 1 is correct: According to Article 97 of the UN Charter, the Secretary-General is appointed by the General Assembly upon the recommendation of the Security Council.

Statement 2 is correct: The Security Council’s recommendation is a substantive matter. It requires 9 votes and is subject to the veto power of the five permanent members (P5). A veto from any P5 member blocks a candidate.

Statement 3 is incorrect: Geographical rotation is an informal practice and a matter of convention, not a mandate explicitly written in the UN Charter. While there is a current expectation to favor regions like Latin America & the Caribbean, it is not a legal requirement.

Answer: B

Explanation:

Statement 1 – Correct
The UN Charter defines the Secretary-General as the “Chief Administrative Officer”.

Statement 2 – Incorrect
The Secretary-General cannot impose sanctions. This power lies with the United Nations Security Council.

Statement 3 – Correct
Under Article 99 of the UN Charter, the Secretary-General can bring threats to international peace and security to the Security Council.

Statement 4 – Correct
The Secretary-General plays a broader diplomatic and moral role:

·        Advocates on climate change, conflicts, inequality

·        Acts as a global diplomat and mediator

Answer: A

Explanation:

Statement 1 is correct: The project at Kandla (Gujarat) uses Prosopis juliflora, commonly known as Gando Baval or Vilayati Keekar, a highly invasive Mexican-origin shrub that is disrupting biodiversity in the Banni grasslands, converting it into methanol.

Statement 2 is correct: The technology used is gasification, which involves heating the biomass without oxygen to produce syngas. This process is described as being between combustion and pyrolysis.

Statement 3 is incorrect: The project is being developed by Thermax Limited and Ankur Scientific Energy Technologies, not Assam Petrochemicals Limited.

Answer: A

Explanation:

Statement 1 is correct: Green methanol is produced from renewable sources—either bio-methanol (from biomass) or e-methanol (from green hydrogen + captured \(CO_{2}\)).

Statement 2 is correct: Green methanol is a cleaner alternative, offering a reduction of up to 95% in \(CO_{2}\) emissions, 80% in \(NO_{x}\) emissions, and nearly eliminating sulphur oxides (\(SO_{x}\)).

Statement 3 is incorrect: While the feedstock (Prosopis juliflora) is dense, the green methanol produced is designed to be a cleaner alternative to fossil fuels, and the process technology is designed to optimize this output, not hinder it with high acid content in the final product

Answer: B

Explanation:

Recently, an exchange of the India–Italy Military Cooperation Plan (MCP) 2026–27 took place between Rajnath Singh and Guido Crosetto, which provides a structured and institutional framework to defence relations between the two countries. This initiative comes at a time when instability in Europe’s security architecture has increased due to the Russia–Ukraine War, and NATO countries are strengthening their strategic presence in the Indo-Pacific region, thereby increasing the importance of multi-dimensional defence partnerships for India.

Under this military cooperation plan, joint military exercises, tri-service (land, sea, air) training, exchange of military personnel, and defence technology cooperation will be promoted. Along with this, possibilities of cooperation are also being developed in emerging technologies such as cyber security, artificial intelligence-based military systems, and advanced defence equipment. This aligns with India’s policy of “strategic autonomy,” under which India adopts a multi-partner model without depending on any single military bloc, while also diversifying its sources of defence supply.

However, despite Italy being a member of NATO, it does not provide any collective security guarantee to India, because NATO’s collective defence arrangement is limited only to its member countries. This makes it clear that India–Italy relations are not a military alliance but a strategic partnership, in which cooperation is flexible and interest-based.

Additionally, this cooperation also promotes defence co-production and technology transfer under the “Atmanirbhar Bharat” initiative. This will boost defence manufacturing in India, reduce foreign dependence, and develop indigenous capabilities.

Broader significance:
• An opportunity to strengthen defence diplomacy for India.
• Expansion of strategic relations with European countries.
• Promotion of balance and multipolarity in the Indo-Pacific region.
• Strengthening of India’s defence capability, technological self-reliance, and global role in the long term.