Answer: C

Explanation:

Statement 1 is incorrect. Great Nicobar is the southernmost island of the Nicobar Islands archipelago, not the northernmost. It contains India's southernmost point, Indira Point.

Statement 2 is correct. The project includes an International Container Transshipment Terminal (ICTT) at Galathea Bay, intended to be a major component of the project.

Statement 3 is correct. The "Holistic Development of Great Nicobar Island" project was conceptualized and piloted by NITI Aayog.

Answer: B

Explanation:

The Shompen tribe is classified as a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG): This is correct. The Shompen, residing in the interior of Great Nicobar Island, are a designated PVTG and one of the most isolated tribes.

The Nicobarese tribe is a nomadic hunter-gatherer community: This is incorrect. While the Shompen are semi-nomadic hunter-gatherers, the Nicobarese are horticulturalists who live in large, permanent villages.

Both tribes are protected under the provisions of the Forest Rights Act, 2006: This is correct. Both tribes, as Scheduled Tribes (STs) residing in the forest, are covered under the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006.

Answer: B

Explanation:

Statement 1 is correct: The Plastic Waste Management (Amendment) Rules, 2026, mandate the use of recycled plastic content in packaging for the first time. These rules set phased, mandatory targets for producers, importers, and brand owners to include minimum percentages of recycled material in different categories of plastic packaging, such as rigid (Category I), flexible (Category II), and multi-layered (Category III).

Statement 2 is incorrect: The rules do not completely ban flexible plastic packaging. Instead, flexible plastic is classified under Category II, and the rules set specific recycling and recycled content targets for it (e.g., 10% in 2025-26, increasing to 20% by 2028-29). While certain single-use plastic items are banned under earlier 2021 amendments, the 2026 rules focus on regulating and recycling various packaging categories rather than banning flexible packaging entirely.

Statement 3 is correct: The primary goal of these amendments is to promote a circular economy. By mandating recycled content and strengthening Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), the rules aim to reduce reliance on virgin plastics and ensure that plastic waste is recovered and reused within the economic cycle.

Answer: C

Explanation:

INS Taragiri is part of the Nilgiri-class stealth frigates under Project 17A.

It is an improved successor to the Shivalik-class.

Answer: B

Explanation:

It has more than 75% indigenous content. This statement is correct. INS Taragiri, a Project 17A stealth frigate, was built by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) with over 75% indigenous content, involving more than 200 MSMEs.

It is powered by a nuclear propulsion system. This statement is incorrect. INS Taragiri is powered by a Combined Diesel or Gas (CODOG) propulsion system. The search results indicate that another vessel, the submarine INS Aridhaman, is nuclear-powered, but not INS Taragiri.

It is capable of multi-domain operations (surface, air, subsurface). This statement is correct. As a Project 17A frigate, it is designed for multi-dimensional operations, equipped with BrahMos supersonic surface-to-surface missiles (surface), Barak-8 surface-to-air missiles (air), and anti-submarine warfare (ASW) suites.

Answer: A

Explanation:

Based on the analysis of the statements regarding INS Aridhaman (S4), India's third Arihant-class nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine (SSBN) commissioned in April 2026:

It has 8 Vertical Launch Tubes (VLS): Correct. INS Aridhaman is an upgraded variant with 8 VLS tubes, double the capacity of its predecessors (INS Arihant and INS Arighaat), allowing it to carry more missiles.

It can carry K-4 ballistic missiles: Correct. It is designed to carry K-4 intermediate-range SLBMs (range of 3,500 km) or K-15 Sagarika missiles.

It is powered by a gas turbine engine: Incorrect. INS Aridhaman is a nuclear-powered submarine (SSBN) powered by an 83 MW Compact Light Water Reactor (CLWR).