Banking GK Questions 2026

The correct answer is Sustainable Urban River Management (SURM) Framework. At the inauguration on 22 September 2026, the Vice-President launched the SURM Framework along with an AI/ML-driven Integrated Reservoir Sediment Management system, described as steps towards technology-enabled and climate-resilient water management. Urban river management matters because most Indian cities have turned their rivers into drains, and sediment management decides how long reservoirs keep their storage capacity.

The other options are made to sound official. There was no National Water Policy launched at the event; Atal Bhujal is an existing groundwater scheme, not a framework launched here; and Namami Gange is the Ganga programme, with no "3.0" announced. Read launch questions carefully: the name of the document and the launching dignitary are usually what is tested.

The correct answer is Climate Resilient Water Management. The 9th India International Water Week, organised by the Ministry of Jal Shakti at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, from 22 to 26 September 2026, is centred on this theme. Vice-President C. P. Radhakrishnan inaugurated it on 22 September and said climate change, rapid urbanisation and population growth are making water management more complex, calling for river-basin management, groundwater recharge, rainwater harvesting and efficient irrigation.

The distractors are plausible slogans. "Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari" is real but different: it is the Prime Minister's call for a mass movement on water conservation, which the Vice-President quoted in his speech. The other two are generic phrases in the style of international water-day themes. Themes change with every edition, so tie this one to the 9th edition and 2026.

The correct answer is C-DAC. The Centre for Development of Advanced Computing showcased its AUM HPC-AI processor and the RUDRA-AUM compute node, reflecting India's push to build indigenous capability in high-performance computing and AI at the system level, not just the chip level. C-DAC also displayed its indigenous 64-bit RISC-V processor, built on the open RISC-V architecture, which powers products such as Aheesa Technology's 1 Gbps connectivity device.

ISRO builds satellites and launch vehicles, DRDO develops defence systems and BEL is a defence electronics manufacturer; none of them made these processors. C-DAC, under the Ministry of Electronics and IT, is India's supercomputing agency, known for the PARAM series, which is why it leads the processor work. Other Indian names at the show included InCore Semiconductors for RISC-V processor IP and Netrasemi for AI surveillance chips.

The correct answer is ₹1,27,500 crore. Semicon 2.0 was approved by the Union Cabinet in July 2026 with this outlay. It builds on Semicon 1.0 and rests on six pillars: design; machines and materials; more fabs; advanced packaging; research and development; and talent development. The broader approach, covering the whole value chain rather than fabrication alone, was the point of the "Silicon to Systems" theme.

₹1.64 lakh crore is the trap: that is the investment commitment already made under the Semicon India Programme, across 12 approved projects in six States, three of which are in commercial production. ₹76,000 crore was the outlay of the original programme, and ₹1 lakh crore is a round-number distractor. Keep the two 2026 figures apart: ₹1,27,500 crore is the new government outlay, ₹1.64 lakh crore is investment committed by companies.

The correct answer is Yashobhoomi, New Delhi. The fifth edition of SEMICON India ran there for three days, from 17 to 19 September 2026, on the theme "Silicon to Systems: Building the Ecosystem", with more than 600 exhibiting companies, a Start-up Pavilion, a Workforce Development Pavilion, country and State pavilions and a hackathon.

Bharat Mandapam is the tempting wrong answer because it is Delhi's other big convention centre and hosted several 2026 events, including the India International Water Week that opened on 22 September. Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar hosts Vibrant Gujarat, and BIEC in Bengaluru hosts Aero India. Yashobhoomi, in Dwarka, is the India International Convention and Expo Centre in the capital's west. Keep the venue and theme together for this one.

The correct answer is All senior citizens aged 70 and above. On 11 September 2024 the Government extended AB PM-JAY to everyone aged 70 and above, regardless of income, covering about 6 crore senior citizens. They receive the Ayushman Vay Vandana card, and more than 1.36 crore such cards had been issued by 21 September 2026.

ASHA workers are the distractor: about 37 lakh families of ASHAs, anganwadi workers and helpers were indeed added, but earlier, in March 2024, and through a separate decision. Construction workers join through the Building and Other Construction Workers boards, and students are not a category at all. The name is easy to place: "Vay" refers to age, so the Vay Vandana card is the one for the elderly.

The correct answer is Socio-Economic Caste Census (SECC) 2011. Rural families qualify under six deprivation criteria of the SECC 2011, such as households with only one kucha room, no adult member between 16 and 59, female-headed households without an adult male, households with a disabled member, SC/ST households and landless households dependent on casual manual labour. Urban families qualify under 11 occupational categories, from rag pickers and domestic workers to construction workers and drivers.

Census 2011 is the tempting wrong answer: the SECC was a separate exercise from the population census. The National Family Health Survey is a health survey, not an eligibility list, and Aadhaar is an identity number, not a poverty database. Families once covered under the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana are included too.

The correct answer is ₹5 lakh. AB PM-JAY provides cashless hospitalisation cover of up to ₹5 lakh per family per year, covering 1,961 procedures across 27 medical specialties at public and private empanelled hospitals. The cover is per family, not per person, and there is no cap on family size or age.

The other amounts are distractors. The scale of use is worth remembering: by its eighth anniversary the scheme had funded about 13.25 crore hospital admissions worth ₹2.03 lakh crore, and over 48.51 crore people, about 33% of the population, held Ayushman cards. The Union Budget for 2026-27 provides ₹9,500 crore for it. A typical example in the backgrounder is a 65-year-old woman from Haryana whose hip surgery costing ₹44,140 was done free under the scheme.

The correct answer is 23 September 2018. AB PM-JAY was launched on that date to move India towards universal health coverage, and the PIB backgrounder of 22 September 2026 marks its eighth anniversary. It gives eligible families cashless hospital cover of up to ₹5 lakh a year for secondary and tertiary care through more than 38,000 empanelled hospitals.

The other dates are distractors around well-known days: 15 August is Independence Day, 2 October is Gandhi Jayanti and 1 April is the start of the financial year. Two later dates matter for this scheme and are worth keeping separate: March 2024, when about 37 lakh families of ASHAs and anganwadi workers were added, and 11 September 2024, when all senior citizens aged 70 and above were brought in through the Ayushman Vay Vandana card.

The correct answer is Jamnagar. The WHO Global Traditional Medicine Centre is in Jamnagar, Gujarat, and the PIB backgrounder describes it as a primary research and policy hub for traditional medicine. The Union Budget 2026-27 announced its upgrade to promote evidence-based research and global outreach.

The other cities are distractors, though each has some link with Ayush. Pune has well-known Ayurveda and naturopathy institutions, Jaipur hosts the National Institute of Ayurveda, and Varanasi is known for its Ayurveda faculty at Banaras Hindu University. The only WHO centre of this kind in the world is at Jamnagar. India's other global steps include hosting the Second WHO Global Summit on Traditional Medicine at Bharat Mandapam in December 2025, which adopted the Delhi Declaration, and the Ayush visa, M-3 for patients and M-4 for attendants.

The correct answer is ₹4,408 crore. According to the PIB backgrounder on the 11th Ayurveda Day, the Union Budget 2026-27 allocated ₹4,408 crore to the Ministry of Ayush to strengthen Ayush healthcare, promote evidence-based research and innovation, and build infrastructure and global outreach.

The other figures are distractors. The Budget also announced three specific steps worth remembering: the setting up of three new All India Institutes of Ayurveda to strengthen education, clinical services and research; the upgrading of Ayush pharmacies and drug-testing laboratories for quality and standardisation; and the upgrading of the WHO Global Traditional Medicine Centre at Jamnagar in Gujarat. Separately, the National Ayush Mission released over ₹6,406.99 crore to States and UTs between FY 2014-15 and FY 2025-26.

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.