Banking GK Questions 2026

The correct answer is Ayurveda for a Healthier Tomorrow. The PIB backgrounder released on 22 September 2026 says the Government is running a national strategy to revive traditional healthcare under this theme. It fits the focus of this year's messaging: bringing Ayurveda into mainstream public health through clinics, insurance, telemedicine and research, while keeping it evidence-based.

The other options are distractors written to look like typical themes. Themes of important days are a favourite exam question because they change every year, so note the year and edition together: 11th Ayurveda Day, 2026, "Ayurveda for a Healthier Tomorrow". The day is observed on 23 September, aligned with the autumnal equinox, and the nodal ministry is the Ministry of Ayush, which received ₹4,408 crore in the Union Budget 2026-27.

The correct answer is 23 September. The Government marks Ayurveda Day every year on 23 September, which is close to the autumnal equinox, when day and night are almost equal; the date was chosen to reflect the idea of natural balance at the heart of Ayurveda. The 11th Ayurveda Day falls on 23 September 2026. Earlier the day was observed on Dhanteras, whose date moves every year.

The other dates are well-known health days, which is why they confuse. 21 June is the International Day of Yoga, 7 April is World Health Day, the founding day of the World Health Organization, and 1 July is National Doctors' Day in India. Exams often place these days side by side, so learn them together, with the Ministry of Ayush as the nodal ministry for both Yoga Day and Ayurveda Day.

The correct answer is Material recovered from spent lithium-ion batteries. When used lithium-ion batteries are collected, dismantled and shredded, the result is a dark powder called black mass. It contains valuable metals such as lithium, cobalt, nickel and manganese, along with graphite, which can be extracted by further processing. One of the technical sessions at the seminar dealt with lithium-ion battery metal recovery and the export of black mass.

The other options are distractors taken from other industries. Coal dust and refinery residue have nothing to do with critical minerals recycling, and river silt is unrelated. The issue of black mass matters because if it is simply exported, the valuable metals are recovered abroad; processing it within the country keeps those critical minerals in the domestic supply chain, which is the goal of the circular economy approach.

The correct answer is Materials Recycling Association of India. The day-long National Seminar on "India's Critical Minerals Recycling Ecosystem and Circular Economy" was organised by the Ministry of Mines in collaboration with MRAI, an industry body of recyclers. It brought together policymakers, industry leaders, recyclers, researchers and academia.

FICCI and CII are broad industry chambers that often partner with ministries on events, which is why they are tempting, but neither organised this seminar. The Indian Bureau of Mines is a subordinate office of the Ministry of Mines that deals with mineral conservation and regulation of mining, so it is also a strong distractor. Remember the pair for this story: Ministry of Mines plus MRAI, with Union Minister G. Kishan Reddy, Minister of State Satish Chandra Dubey and Secretary Keshav Chandra speaking at the event.

The correct answer is Concept Paper on Critical Mineral Recycling Ecosystem. At the seminar in New Delhi, the Union Ministers launched this paper, which outlines a strategic framework for strengthening critical mineral recycling in India. It focuses on resource efficiency, recovery of minerals from secondary sources such as e-waste and End-of-Life products, and building a circular and self-reliant ecosystem.

The other options sound plausible but did not happen at this event. No trading exchange was launched. E-waste management rules are framed by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, not by the Mines Ministry. Auctions of critical mineral blocks are a separate process run by the Ministry of Mines and were not part of this seminar. The seminar was inaugurated by G. Kishan Reddy and organised with the Materials Recycling Association of India.

The correct answer is 56%. The Staff Welfare Fund is money that public sector banks set aside for the welfare of working and retired staff, covering health expenses, canteen subsidies, sports and cultural activities and educational help. The Finance Ministry listed its 56% increase in August 2024 among the measures taken for bank employees.

The other percentages are distractors. The same list includes other points worth knowing: PSBs recruited about 4,82,800 employees from FY 2014-15 to FY 2025-26, with recruitment doubling in the last three years; as of 1 July 2026, 95.84% of officer posts and 92% of subordinate/award staff posts were filled; and negotiations on the next Bipartite Settlement began early, aiming to finish before the November 2027 deadline. Bipartite settlements are wage agreements between bank managements and unions.

The correct answer is 2015. In its appeal of 21 September 2026, the Ministry of Finance recalled that the Government, in the interest of bank employees, declared the 2nd and 4th Saturdays of every month as holidays for public sector banks in 2015. The remaining Saturdays are working days and, the Ministry said, an important opportunity for many citizens to use banking services.

The other years are distractors. This fact matters because the unions' pending demand, five-day banking, would turn every Saturday into a holiday. The Government's argument is that customers already lose two Saturdays a month, and that the planned strike from 28 to 30 September, next to a weekend and the half-yearly closing on 30 September, would mean an effective five-day shutdown of banking at a sensitive time of the financial year.

The correct answer is Implementation of five-day banking. The United Forum of Bank Unions and some other unions in public sector banks, supported by Regional Rural Banks, raised two principal demands: a five-day working week for banks and withdrawal of the Performance Linked Incentive scheme. The Finance Ministry says the strikes are now about the single demand of a five-day week, which is still being examined.

Withdrawal of the PLI scheme is the trap. It was one of the two original demands, but the Government met it by keeping the scheme in abeyance, so it is no longer pending. The Old Pension Scheme and the merger of Regional Rural Banks are not part of these strikes. A one-day strike was held on 11 September 2026; a three-day strike is set for 28 to 30 September and an indefinite one from 26 October 2026.

The correct answer is Dairy products. To safeguard farmers, India has excluded sensitive products from tariff concessions: dairy, animal meat except sheep meat, key agricultural commodities, sugar and edible oils. This matters because New Zealand is one of the world's largest dairy exporters, and dairy has long been India's most sensitive issue in trade talks.

The other three options are the opposite case. Wooden logs, coking coal and metal scrap are inputs that Indian manufacturers will now be able to import from New Zealand free of duty, which lowers their costs and helps them compete in global markets. For New Zealand's apples, kiwifruit and Manuka honey, the agreement offers only limited access through tariff rate quotas with a minimum import price and seasonal windows, backed by an Agriculture Productivity Partnership to help Indian growers.

The correct answer is 5,000. The agreement sets aside a dedicated quota of 5,000 Temporary Employment Entry visas for skilled Indian professionals, giving them a clear route to work in New Zealand.

The figure of 1,000 is also in the agreement, but for a different visa: it is the number of Working Holiday visas available each year to young Indians, which makes it the most tempting wrong answer. 3,000 and 10,000 are distractors. The services chapter also opens about 118 sectors, including IT, professional services, audio-visual, construction and tourism, with Most-Favoured Nation treatment in about 139 sub-sectors. For students, there is no cap, and STEM graduates get post-study work rights of up to three years, while doctoral scholars get up to four.

The correct answer is USD 20 billion. The agreement includes New Zealand's commitment to facilitate investment of this amount into India, and the Commerce Ministry says it is expected to benefit Indian agriculture, manufacturing, infrastructure and start-ups.

The other figures are distractors. Do not confuse the investment commitment with the trade target: under the Strategic Partnership "Roadmap to 2030", the two countries aim to double two-way trade in goods and services to NZ$7 billion, about ₹35,000 crore, by 2030. Bilateral merchandise trade was only about USD 1.1 billion in 2025-26, which shows how much room there is to grow. Investment commitments of this kind have become a feature of India's recent trade agreements with developed economies, alongside tariff cuts.

The correct answer is 20 October 2026. On 21 September 2026, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and New Zealand's Trade and Investment Minister Todd McClay announced that the agreement would come into force on that day, which is Dussehra–Vijayadashami. Goyal said the auspicious day had been chosen on purpose.

The other dates are all connected with the agreement, which is why they mislead. 27 April 2026 is the date the FTA was signed at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi. 16 September 2026 is the date New Zealand's Parliament passed the legislation needed to implement it. 1 January 2027 has no link with the agreement at all. Keep the three dates in order: signed in April, approved by New Zealand's Parliament in September, in force from October.

The correct answer is 2017. The PIB backgrounder says Swachhata Hi Seva was launched in 2017 as an annual campaign that brings government institutions, local bodies, organisations and citizens together around a shared responsibility for cleanliness. More than 18.06 crore citizens took part in its 2025 edition.

Option A, 2014, is the year the Swachh Bharat Mission itself began, when rural sanitation coverage stood at 39 percent; SHS came later. Option C, 2019, is the year rural India was declared Open Defecation Free. Option D, 2021, is not linked to the launch of the campaign in the release. Questions on sanitation often line up these years as options, so keep the sequence clear: SBM in 2014, SHS in 2017, rural India ODF in 2019. The 2026 edition of the campaign began on 17 September.

The correct answer is 5.69 lakh. According to the PIB backgrounder, India had attained 5.69 lakh ODF Plus villages as of 17 September 2026. An ODF Plus village sustains its Open Defecation Free status, manages solid and liquid waste and maintains visual cleanliness.

The other figures are close enough to confuse, and two of them come from the same release. Option A, 5.25 lakh, is the number of villages that have reached ODF Plus Model status, a subset of the total. Option B, 5.38 lakh, is the number of villages with solid waste management arrangements. Option D, 6.10 lakh, does not appear in the release. The release also gives 5.65 lakh villages with liquid waste management systems, so read such questions carefully and match each figure to what it measures.

The correct answer is Rising. The backgrounder explains that ODF Plus villages are classified into three progressive stages. Aspiring villages manage either solid or liquid waste. Rising villages manage both solid and liquid waste. Model villages manage both waste streams and, in addition, are visibly clean and display ODF Plus messaging.

Option A is wrong because an Aspiring village manages only one of the two kinds of waste. Option C is wrong because the question describes a village that has not reached the top stage, and Model is that top stage. Option D, Emerging, is not one of the three stages at all. The order to remember is Aspiring, then Rising, then Model. As of 17 September 2026, 5.25 lakh of India's 5.69 lakh ODF Plus villages had reached the Model stage.

The correct answer is Swachhata Mein Sahbhag; Swachh Bharat, Viksit Bharat. The PIB backgrounder of 20 September 2026 gives this as the theme of Swachhata Hi Seva 2026, which began on 17 September. The campaign places students and young people at the centre of lasting behaviour change.

Option D is the trap. 'Ek Din, Ek Ghanta, Ek Saath' is part of the same campaign, but it is the banner for the collective shramdaan that citizens will carry out on 1 October, not the campaign's theme. Options B and C are not given in the release as the 2026 theme, so they are wrong as well. Keep the campaign calendar straight: it began on 17 September, the shramdaan is on 1 October, and special Gram Sabhas are held in villages on 2 October.

The correct answer is about 170 acres. According to the Ministry of Communications, more than 90 acres in SADA and more than 70 acres in the IT Park, approximately 170 acres in all, have been identified for the proposed Telecom Manufacturing Zone. Investor interest is so strong that applications already exceed the land available, so additional land will be identified to expand the first phase.

Options A and B are the two parcels that make up the total, 70 acres in the IT Park and 90 acres in SADA, so each on its own is only part of the answer. Option D, 250 acres, is not mentioned in the release. As with the investment figure, this question tests whether you remember the total or only a piece of it, so learn the breakdown and the sum together.

The correct answer is ₹5,500 crore. The Ministry of Communications said the proposed TMZ will be established with an investment of approximately ₹5,500 crore, and that 24 companies have initiated the application process to set up units there.

Options A and B are the two parts of that total, which is why they are there to mislead. The investor roadshow in Delhi in August 2026 brought commitments of about ₹3,500 crore, with around 14,000 potential jobs, and the roadshow in Mumbai brought about ₹2,000 crore, with around 4,000 jobs. Together they make up the ₹5,500 crore figure. Option D, ₹6,500 crore, is not mentioned in the release. When a question gives several amounts from one story, check whether it asks for a part or for the total.

The correct answer is Gwalior. The Ministry of Communications said Asia's first Telecom Manufacturing Zone will be established in Gwalior, and Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia inspected the identified site at the Shrimant Madhavrao Scindia Counter Magnet City (SADA) on 20 September 2026. The zone is expected to attract about ₹5,500 crore of investment and to create more than 18,000 jobs.

Indore and Bhopal are also cities in Madhya Pradesh, which makes them tempting choices, but the release places the TMZ in Gwalior, so options A and D are wrong. Noida is not mentioned at all, so option C is wrong too. Remember the link with SADA: it was set up as a Counter Magnet City to develop Gwalior as a new industrial centre and a counter-magnet to Delhi, and the TMZ takes that plan forward.

The correct answer is Karnataka. Speaking at the Central Silk Board's 77th Foundation Day in Bengaluru, Shobha Karandlaje said Karnataka occupies the leading position in the country's total silk production. She added that the government is giving special attention to infrastructure and industrial growth to strengthen the sector further, and is encouraging silk of global export quality to cut reliance on imports.

Assam and West Bengal are not named in the release, so options B and C are wrong. Tamil Nadu is mentioned, but only as one of the states whose silk farmers and weavers attended the event, along with Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, not as the leading producer, so option D is also wrong. A question on the leading state is a common static-GK pairing with news on silk, so link Karnataka to it.