Answer: B

Explanation:

Statement 1 is correct: The wild water buffalo (Bubalus arnee) is a large bovine native to South and Southeast Asia. It is officially classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List.

Statement 2 is incorrect: In India, the wild water buffalo is listed under Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, which grants it the highest level of legal protection against hunting and trade.

Statement 3 is correct: The global population of the wild water buffalo is small, with the vast majority of the remaining individuals living in India, primarily concentrated in Assam (such as in Kaziranga National Park).

Answer: D

Explanation:

Statement 1 is correct: Kanha Tiger Reserve (also known as Kanha–Kisli National Park) is the largest national park in Madhya Pradesh and Central India. Geographically, it is nestled in the Maikal hill range of the Satpura system.

Statement 2 is correct: The protected area is administratively divided into two core sanctuaries—Hallon (in Mandla district) and Banjar (in Mandla/Balaghat districts). The main drainage of the park is supported by rivers like the Banjar and Halon, which are part of the Narmada basin.

Statement 3 is correct: Kanha made history as the first tiger reserve in India to introduce an official mascot, "Bhoorsingh the Barasingha," to raise awareness for the protection of the hard-ground barasingha (swamp deer), whose primary global home is in Kanha.

Answer: D

Explanation:

Statement 1 is correct: The GII is released yearly by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), a specialized agency of the United Nations based in Geneva. It acts as a global benchmark for science, technology, and innovation (STI) policies.

Statement 2 is correct: In the 2026 edition (covering 139 economies), India maintained its 38th rank globally. It continues to rank 1st among the 36 lower middle-income economies and the 11 economies in Central and Southern Asia.

Statement 3 is correct: Switzerland retained the number one spot globally for the 16th consecutive year, followed by Sweden and the United States.

Answer: D

Explanation:

Statement 1 is correct: The GII evaluates economies using an Input Sub-Index (5 pillars) and an Output Sub-Index (2 pillars). In GII 2026, India ranks 49th in Innovation Inputs but performs much stronger at 25th in Innovation Outputs (and 15th specifically in Knowledge and Technology outputs). This highlights that India effectively turns limited investments into strong innovation results.

Statement 2 is correct: India leads the world in ICT services exports relative to total trade, and ranks high in venture capital deals and intangible asset intensity.

Statement 3 is correct: The GII 2026 maps the world's top innovation clusters. In this year's rankings, Bengaluru stands at 25th and Delhi stands at 27th globally.