The TKDL was set up by CSIR in collaboration with which Union ministry?

The correct answer is 2001. The Government of India created the Traditional Knowledge Digital Library in that year, bringing CSIR and the Ministry of AYUSH together for the purpose, and it was the first database of its kind anywhere in the world. Its aim is to stop patent offices from wrongly granting patents on Indian traditional knowledge, and to deter anyone from appropriating the heritage of the country. The library today holds information on over 5.2 lakh formulations and practices taken from the traditional texts of Ayurveda, Unani, Siddha and Sowa Rigpa, as well as Yoga, each entry matched to modern scientific terms so that an examiner can follow it. A, C and D are wrong because none of them is the founding year; the library was already functioning before any of those later dates, and it had no existence as early as the first option. Exam tip: tie TKDL to 2001, to CSIR with AYUSH, and to the phrase first of its kind in the world.

The correct answer is Rajgir, Bihar. Nalanda University has been established at Rajgir in Nalanda district of Bihar as an international university of national importance, and it functions under the aegis of the Ministry of External Affairs. Its objectives rest on the heritage of the ancient seat of learning of the same name and on strong international cooperation, and it pursues intellectual, philosophical, historical and spiritual studies. The revival of the university is meant to improve regional understanding and the appreciation of one another's heritage and history, building a community where students, scholars and researchers work side by side. A, B and D are wrong because, although each names a well known place in Bihar, none of them is the seat of the university; the campus stands at Rajgir, the town nearest the ruins of the ancient university in Nalanda district. Exam tip: Nalanda University, Rajgir, Nalanda district, Bihar, Ministry of External Affairs.

The correct answer is 18. The Traditional Knowledge Digital Library is at present open to that many international patent offices, and each of them gets access through a non-disclosure agreement, so the knowledge is used for examining patent claims without being published. The database is presented in five international languages, namely English, German, French, Japanese and Spanish, which removes the barriers of language and format that would otherwise keep an examiner abroad from reading Indian traditional texts. The arrangement has produced results: prior art evidence drawn from the library has caused more than 375 patent applications across the world to be revoked, rejected, amended, withdrawn or abandoned. A, B and D are wrong because each understates or overstates the number of offices that hold access today. Exam tip: remember the set of figures together, 18 patent offices, five languages and over 375 patent applications defeated.

The correct answer is the Universal Service Obligation Fund. The fund was created under the Indian Telegraph (Amendment) Act, 2003, and the Telecommunications Act, 2023 renamed it Digital Bharat Nidhi. It is an attached office of the Department of Telecommunications and its mandate is to support telecom access in underserved rural, remote and urban areas. Options A, C and D are plausible sounding names but none of them is the earlier name of this fund. Remember what the fund pays for besides BharatNet: the 4G Saturation Project and mobile services in uncovered parts of aspirational districts, Left Wing Extremism affected areas, Himalayan and border areas, islands and the North Eastern states. The Maharashtra agreement for the Amended BharatNet Programme was signed by this very fund, so B is the answer.

The correct answer is MahaNet Digital Infrastructure Limited, usually written as MDIL. The project in Maharashtra will be implemented through MDIL, which is why it is one of the five parties to the agreement. Option B is wrong: Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited signed the agreement and its Director for Enterprise Business attended, but the execution rests with MDIL. Option C is wrong for the same reason, as MahaIT is a signatory whose Managing Director was present, not the implementing agency. Option D is wrong because that company is not among the five signatories at all; the others are Digital Bharat Nidhi of the Department of Telecommunications and the Government of Maharashtra. Reading the list of signatories and the line naming the implementing agency separately is how you avoid the trap, so A is right.