Answer: C

Explanation:

Statement 1 is incorrect: INS Nipun is the second indigenously designed and constructed Diving Support Vessel of the Nistar-class. The first vessel of this class was INS Nistar, which was commissioned in July 2025. INS Nipun is set to be commissioned on 31 August 2026.

Statement 2 is correct: Both INS Nistar and INS Nipun have been indigenously designed and built by Hindustan Shipyard Limited (HSL), Visakhapatnam.

Statement 3 is correct: The Nistar-class DSVs are purpose-built platforms designed for deep-sea diving and submarine rescue. Equipped with a Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicle (DSRV), they serve as a mother ship to safely rescue and evacuate personnel from distressed submarines at sea.

Answer: C

Explanation:

Statement 1 is incorrect: Diving Support Vessels are not surface combatants meant for surface warfare or routine anti-piracy patrols. Instead, they are specialised naval platforms designed to support complex underwater operations, salvage, deep-sea diving, and underwater inspection.

Statement 2 is correct: INS Nipun and other modern DSVs are equipped with state-of-the-art diving systems, side diving stages, and Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) that facilitate underwater surveillance, diver monitoring, and heavy salvage operations.

Statement 3 is correct: INS Nipun contains around 75% indigenous content and involves extensive collaboration with over 120 Indian MSME vendors, reinforcing domestic technological capabilities and advancing the vision of Aatmanirbhar Bharat (self-reliant India) in naval shipbuilding.

Answer: C

Explanation:

Statement 1 is incorrect: The Essential Religious Practices (ERP) doctrine is not explicitly mentioned or defined anywhere in the text of the Constitution or Article 25. It is a judicially developed principle evolved by courts to draw a line between essential and non-essential religious practices.

Statement 2 is correct: The origin of the ERP doctrine is generally traced to the landmark Commissioner, Hindu Religious Endowments, Madras v. Lakshmindra Thirtha Swaminaraya Sirur Mutt Case (1954), where the Supreme Court held that the protection of Article 25(1) covers not only religious doctrines but also practices regarded by the community as integral and essential to its religion.

Statement 3 is correct: Courts apply this doctrine to decide whether a particular practice claims protection under Article 25 (freedom of conscience and free profession, practice, and propagation of religion) or Article 26 (freedom to manage religious affairs).

Answer: B

Explanation:

Statement 1 is incorrect: Delimitation means drafting a treaty or reaching a mutual agreement on the general alignment of a boundary on a map. On the other hand, demarcation involves the physical process of plotting and marking the boundary on the ground (using boundary markers, pillars, etc.).

Statement 2 is incorrect: The Line of Actual Control (LAC) is not a mutually agreed, legally demarcated international boundary. It is a de facto line representing the areas where troops respective to each side actually exercised control at a given time, leading to differing perceptions of its alignment.

Statement 3 is correct: The 2005 Agreement on Political Parameters and Guiding Principles for the Settlement of the India-China Boundary Question serves as an important guiding framework. It states that both sides will seek a fair, reasonable, and mutually acceptable package-based solution to the boundary question.

Answer: B

Explanation:

Statement 1 is incorrect: Carbosulfan is a carbamate-group insecticide, not an organophosphate. It is used to control pests in crops like paddy, cotton, and horticulture.

Statement 2 is correct: The Registration Committee (RC) noted that Carbosulfan rapidly breaks down (metabolizes) into carbofuran. Carbofuran causes severe toxicity and harms human health, birds, and aquatic life.

Statement 3 is incorrect: Medical experts state that no specific antidote exists to reverse Carbosulfan poisoning. This lack of an antidote is a major reason behind the proposed complete ban.