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Daily-mcqs 28 Jul 2026

Current Affairs MCQs for UPSC & State PSC Exams 28 Jul 2026

Current Affairs MCQs for UPSC & State PSC Exams

Q1:

Consider the following statements regarding the recent inscription of Sarnath on the UNESCO World Heritage List:

Sarnath is India's 45th UNESCO World Heritage Site and the second such site in the state of Uttar Pradesh.

The first sermon delivered by Lord Buddha at Sarnath to his five disciples is historically termed as Dharmachakrapravartana.

Sarnath is one of the four major Buddhist pilgrimage sites, alongside Lumbini, Bodh Gaya, and Kushinagar.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

A: 1 and 2 only

B: 1 and 3 only

C: 2 and 3 only

D: 1, 2, and 3

Show

Answer: C

Explanation:

Statement 1 is incorrect: With Sarnath's inscription, it became the fourth World Heritage Site in Uttar Pradesh, not the second. The other three in the state are the Taj Mahal, Agra Fort, and Fatehpur Sikri.

Statement 2 is correct: After attaining enlightenment at Bodh Gaya, Gautama Buddha delivered his first sermon to his five disciples at Sarnath. This pivotal event is known as Dharmachakrapravartana ("Turning the Wheel of Dharma").

Statement 3 is correct: Sarnath is indeed counted among the four primary holy Buddhist pilgrimage sites, with the remaining three being Lumbini (Nepal), Bodh Gaya (Bihar), and Kushinagar (Uttar Pradesh).

Q2:

Consider the following statements about UNESCO World Heritage governance and Sarnath:

The final decision to inscribe a property on the World Heritage List is taken by the World Heritage Committee (WHC), which consists of 21 elected Member States.

The Lion Capital of the Ashokan Pillar located at Sarnath has been adopted as the National Emblem of India.

The World Heritage Convention recognizing cultural and natural properties for humanity was adopted in the year 1945 immediately after the formation of UNESCO.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

A: 1 and 2 only

B: 2 only

C: 2 and 3 only

D: 1, 2, and 3

Show

Answer: A

Explanation:

Statement 1 is correct: The World Heritage Committee (WHC) comprises 21 elected member states that evaluate nominations and make the final inscription decisions under the World Heritage framework.

Statement 2 is correct: Sarnath houses prominent monuments including the famous Ashokan Pillar, whose magnificent Lion Capital serves as India’s National Emblem.

Statement 3 is incorrect: The Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage was adopted by the General Conference of UNESCO in 1972 (and came into force in 1975), not 1945.

Q3:

With reference to the legal framework governing intermediary liability and content restriction in India, consider the following statements:

Section 79 of the Information Technology Act, 2000 explicitly empowers the government to issue blocking orders to remove public access to applications.

Intermediaries risk losing their "safe harbour" protection if they fail to act on official content removal notices under Section 79(3)(b) of the IT Act.

In the Anuradha Bhasin v. Union of India (2020) judgment, the Supreme Court ruled that any restriction on digital communication must pass the test of proportionality and necessity.

Which of the statements given above are correct?

A: 1 and 2 only

B: 2 only

C: 2 and 3 only

D: 1, 2, and 3

Show

Answer: C

Explanation:

Statement 1 is incorrect: Section 79 of the Information Technology Act, 2000 does not grant the government the explicit power to block or take down content. Instead, the statutory authority to issue public blocking orders flows from Section 69A of the IT Act combined with the Blocking Rules, 2009. Section 79 fundamentally acts as a liability shield ("safe harbour") for intermediaries rather than a primary tool for content blocking.

Statement 2 is correct: Under Section 79(3)(b) read with the Intermediary Guidelines (IT Rules, 2021), intermediaries (like GitHub) enjoy safe harbour immunity from liability for third-party data. However, this immunity is conditional. If they fail to expeditiously remove or disable access to unlawful material after receiving actual knowledge via an official directive, they lose this legal immunity.

Statement 3 is correct: In the landmark Anuradha Bhasin v. Union of India (2020) case regarding internet shutdowns in Jammu & Kashmir, the Supreme Court observed that freedom of speech and expression via the internet is protected under Article 19(1)(a). The Court held that any government restriction or ban on digital communications must be necessary, proportionate, temporary, and limited in scope.

Q4:

Consider the following statements regarding decentralized mesh messaging applications like "BitChat":

They operate entirely without traditional internet connectivity or centralized servers, relying on peer-to-peer data relay.

Devices within a Bluetooth mesh network function uniquely as either a sender or a receiver, preventing third-party devices from acting as intermediates.

The Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), which flagged the app, is an attached office under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

A: 1 only

B: 1 and 3 only

C: 2 and 3 only

D: 1, 2, and 3

Show

Answer: A

Explanation:

Statement 1 is correct: BitChat and similar Bluetooth mesh applications utilize peer-to-peer networks. They bypass centralized web servers, telecommunication towers, and active internet protocols completely, allowing local nodes to establish an ad-hoc architecture.

Statement 2 is incorrect: In a decentralized mesh network, devices do not function exclusively as endpoints. Each device functions simultaneously as a sender, a receiver, and a relay node. This structural design allows messages to jump or "hop" from one neighbor's device to another over short-range radio signals (like Bluetooth Low Energy) to bridge long distances.

Statement 3 is incorrect: The Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) operates directly under the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), not MeitY. It is India's specialized, central nodal framework designed to combat cybercrime and assist law enforcement agencies with internal security threats.

Q5:

Consider the following statements regarding the PRAXIS (Planetary Rings Autonomous EXploration with In-situ Sampling) mission, recently in the news:

It is a fully approved and funded operational deep-space mission scheduled to land on Saturn by late 2026.

It proposes the world’s first direct in-situ physical sampling of planetary ring particles.

The spacecraft will fly directly through the densest parts of the rings to gather particle data.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

A: 1 and 2 only

B: 2 only

C: 2 and 3 only

D: 1, 2, and 3

Show

Answer: B

Explanation:

Statement 1 is incorrect: PRAXIS is currently an early-stage mission concept selected for Phase I funding under NASA's Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) 2026 program. It has not yet been approved or scheduled for an official launch.

Statement 2 is correct: Unlike previous missions (like Cassini) that used remote sensing, photography, and flybys, PRAXIS proposes the first-ever direct in-situ physical sampling of planetary ring particles.

Statement 3 is incorrect: To minimize collision risks in a dynamic ring environment, the spacecraft will remain at a safe distance rather than flying directly through the dense rings; it will deploy a long flexible boom for a "touch-and-go" sample collection