67th BPSC Prelims Re-exam 2022
Current Affairs Previous Year Questions (PYQs)

Detailed Explanation:

The question asks about the country that launched the Arktika-M satellite to monitor the Arctic climate. This is a current affairs question related to space technology and environmental monitoring.

• China: While China has an active space program and Arctic interests, it did not launch the Arktika-M satellite.
• Russia: In February 2021, Russia launched Arktika-M aboard a Soyuz-2.1b rocket from Baikonur Cosmodrome to monitor the Arctic's climate and environment, using a highly elliptical orbit for continuous observation of northern latitudes.
• India: India's space missions focus on different areas; it has not launched Arctic monitoring satellites.
• Japan: Japan has earth observation satellites but did not launch Arktika-M.
• Therefore, Russia launched the Arktika-M satellite to monitor Arctic climate, making Option 2 the correct answer.

Detailed Explanation:

In 2022, Israel signed a historic Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the United Arab Emirates, marking the first such agreement between Israel and an Arab nation.

• Israel-UAE FTA: Signed in May 2022, this agreement followed the Abraham Accords (2020) and aimed to eliminate tariffs on 96% of goods.
• Australia: Signed an FTA with the UAE in 2024, not during the period referenced by this question.
• Italy and Pakistan: Neither country has signed a recent FTA with the UAE during this timeframe.
• Therefore, Israel signed the landmark FTA with the UAE, making Option 4 the correct answer.

Detailed Explanation:

UN peacekeeping operations follow specific mandates on use of force, withdrawal procedures, and budget contributions by member states.

• Statement 1 is Incorrect: UN peacekeepers can use force for self-defense, defending the mandate, and protecting civilians under threat, not just self-defense.
• Statement 2 is Correct: Only the UN Security Council can authorize and withdraw peacekeeping operations through formal resolutions.
• Statement 3 is Correct: The USA contributes approximately 27.89% of the UN peacekeeping budget, making it the largest contributor.
• Therefore, statements 2 and 3 are correct, making Option 1 the correct answer.

Detailed Explanation:

India hosted the G20 Summit in 2023 during its presidency, with various meetings distributed across multiple states and UTs.

• G20 Meetings in J&K: Jammu and Kashmir hosted key working group meetings in May 2023 to showcase its tourism and cultural heritage.
• Main Summit Venue: The G20 Leaders' Summit (September 9-10, 2023) was held in New Delhi at Bharat Mandapam.
• Therefore, Jammu and Kashmir was chosen to host G20 meetings during India's 2023 presidency, making Option 2 the correct answer.

Detailed Explanation:

The Sakteng Wildlife Sanctuary is a protected area located in eastern Bhutan, near the border with China's Tibet region.

• China's Claim (June 2020): China staked claim over this sanctuary at the Global Environment Facility (GEF) Council, asserting it lies in disputed China-Bhutan territory.
• International Recognition: The sanctuary is internationally recognized as part of Bhutan's sovereign territory, though China maintains the boundary has never been formally delimited.
• Therefore, the Sakteng Wildlife Sanctuary is located in Bhutan, making Option 1 the correct answer.

Detailed Explanation:

Operation Ganga was India's evacuation mission launched in February 2022 to rescue Indian nationals stranded in Ukraine following the Russian invasion.

• Mission Scope: Evacuated over 22,000 Indians, mostly students, through neighboring countries (Romania, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia) as Ukrainian airspace was closed.
• Implementation: Multiple Air India flights and four Union Ministers were deployed on the ground to coordinate the operation.
• Therefore, Operation Ganga was the Ukraine evacuation mission, making Option 3 the correct answer.

Detailed Explanation:

The 11th Emergency Special Session of the UN General Assembly was convened on 28 February 2022 to address Russia's military operations in Ukraine.

• Abdulla Shahid (Maldives) was the 76th President of UNGA (2021–2022) and presided over this emergency session.
• UNSC Procedural Vote: The Security Council voted to convene the session without veto power; India, China, and UAE abstained.
• Therefore, Abdulla Shahid presided over the session, making Option 4 the correct answer.

Detailed Explanation:

The UN General Assembly adopted an India-sponsored resolution on multilingualism that mentioned Hindi for the first time.

• Historic Milestone: This resolution explicitly referenced Hindi as one of the world's most widely spoken languages, marking its formal recognition in UN multilingualism discourse.
• India's Initiative: India's Permanent Representative emphasized multilingualism as a core UN principle, promoting Hindi's use in official communications.
• Therefore, Hindi was mentioned for the first time in this resolution, making Option 3 the correct answer.

Detailed Explanation:

Shinzo Abe, Japan's longest-serving Prime Minister, was assassinated on July 8, 2022, during an election campaign speech in Nara.

• Key Event: Abe was shot with a homemade firearm by Tetsuya Yamagami while campaigning for upper house elections.
• Significance: The assassination shocked the world given Japan's strict gun control laws and low crime rates.
• Therefore, Japan is the correct answer, making Option 1 correct.

Detailed Explanation:

Hrithik Anand from Hajipur, Bihar, won India's first gold medal at the 24th Summer Deaflympics in badminton held in Brazil.

• Historic Achievement: He defeated players from Brazil, China, Turkey, France, and Japan in the final to clinch the gold medal.
• Therefore, Hrithik Anand won the gold medal, making Option 4 the correct answer.

Detailed Explanation:

The International Booker Prize 2022 was awarded to Geetanjali Shree for her novel Tomb of Sand (Ret Samadhi), translated by Daisy Rockwell.

• Historic Achievement: First novel in any Indian language to win the International Booker Prize, originally written in Hindi.
• Prize Details: The £50,000 award is shared equally between the author and translator.
• Therefore, Geetanjali Shree is the correct answer, making Option 4 correct.

Detailed Explanation:

The 15th Presidential Election of India (2022) saw a contest between the NDA candidate Droupadi Murmu and the UPA-backed candidate Yashwant Sinha.

• Key Fact: Yashwant Sinha, former Finance and External Affairs Minister, was the joint opposition candidate supported by UPA and other parties.
• Therefore, Yashwant Sinha was the UPA candidate in the 15th Presidential Election, making Option 4 the correct answer.

Detailed Explanation:

The question tests knowledge of Union Cabinet portfolio allocations following ministerial changes in 2022.

• Key Fact: After Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi's resignation, Smriti Irani received additional charge of the Ministry of Minority Affairs in July 2022.
• Therefore, Smriti Irani was assigned this charge, making Option 4 the correct answer.

Detailed Explanation:

Elavenil Valarivan, Shreya Agarwal, and Ramita are Indian women shooters competing in the 10m air rifle discipline.

• Key Achievement: The trio won gold in the women's 10m air rifle team event at the ISSF World Cup 2022 in Baku, Azerbaijan.
• Therefore, they are associated with shooting, making Option 1 the correct answer.

Detailed Explanation:

The Youth in India Report, 2022 was released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MOSPI), which publishes official demographic and statistical data.

• Key Findings: India's youth population (15–29 years) is projected to peak at 371.4 million (27.2%) by 2021, then decline to 345.5 million (22.7%) by 2036.
• MOSPI's Role: As the nodal ministry for statistical surveys, it publishes periodic reports on youth, education, employment, and demographics.
• Therefore, MOSPI released the Youth in India Report, 2022, making Option 2 the correct answer.

Detailed Explanation:

This question tests knowledge of Indian state Governors as of the period when the question was set.

• Pair 1 (Rajasthan – Kalraj Mishra): Correctly matched; Kalraj Mishra served as Governor of Rajasthan from 2019.
• Pair 2 (Uttar Pradesh – Anandiben Patel): Correctly matched; Anandiben Patel was Governor of Uttar Pradesh from 2019 to 2024.
• Pair 3 (West Bengal – Satya Pal Malik): Incorrectly matched; C.V. Ananda Bose is the current Governor, not Satya Pal Malik.
• Pair 4 (Gujarat – Phagu Chauhan): Incorrectly matched; Acharya Devvrat is the current Governor, not Phagu Chauhan.
• Therefore, only pairs 1 and 2 are correctly matched, making Option 4 the correct answer.

Detailed Explanation:

Uttarakhand became the first state in India to initiate ground-level implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.

• Implementation Launch: Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami launched Bal Vatikas at Anganwadi Kendras statewide, focusing on early childhood education as per NEP guidelines.
• Therefore, Uttarakhand's pioneering role in NEP implementation makes Option 4 the correct answer.

Detailed Explanation:

The Har Ghar Tiranga Abhiyan was launched by the Central Government as part of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav to celebrate India's 75th Independence Day.

• Key Initiative: The campaign encouraged citizens to bring the Tiranga home and hoist it, promoting patriotism and Jan Bhagidari (public participation).
• Implementation: States, UTs, ministries, NGOs, and self-help groups actively supported this central government initiative.
• Therefore, the Central Government initiated this campaign, making Option 3 the correct answer.

Detailed Explanation:

Eknath Shinde was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra on 30th June 2022, following a political realignment in the state.

• Key Fact: Shinde replaced Uddhav Thackeray after leading a rebellion within the Shiv Sena, with Devendra Fadnavis taking oath as Deputy CM.
• Therefore, Eknath Shinde became the new CM after 30th June 2022, making Option 1 the correct answer.

Detailed Explanation:

The Har Ghar Dastak Campaign 2.0 was launched by the Government of India in June 2022 to achieve complete COVID-19 vaccination coverage through a mission-mode, door-to-door approach. The campaign, running from 1st June to 31st July 2022, built upon the earlier Har Ghar Dastak initiative from November 2021, emphasizing house-to-house visits to ensure all eligible beneficiaries received full vaccination. Therefore, Option 4 is the correct answer.