What was the average daily coal supply to the power sector in October 2026, and how did it compare with the supply plan?

The correct answer is 18.205 MT. The Ministry of Coal placed the stock at domestic coal-based power plants at 18.205 MT on 10 October 2026, which is why the ministry could say that the level has not fallen below 18 MT at any time since 29 September 2026, when the reading was 18.932 MT. Option A is wrong because a figure of 16.418 MT would sit well under the 18 MT mark that the ministry said has been held without a break, and no such dip was reported during the period. Option C is wrong because 19.932 MT is not the figure for 10 October; the 29 September reading was 18.932 MT, and stock drifted down from there rather than up. Option D is wrong because a level of 21.640 MT would mean a large build-up, whereas the first ten days of October saw a modest net fall of about 0.56 MT.

The correct answer is 469 rakes. Loading for the power sector averaged 469 rakes a day over the first ten days of October 2026, and it is this heavier movement that lifted daily coal supply and slowed the drawdown of stock. Option A is wrong because 426 rakes a day was the average for September 2026, the month against which October’s improvement of about 10 per cent is being measured. Options B and D are wrong because 447 and 482 rakes are the lowest and highest daily loading figures recorded during October, that is, the two ends of the range within which the day-to-day numbers moved, and neither is the average for the period. A question of this kind turns on separating an average from the band around it, so the figures for the floor, the ceiling and the previous month all have to be kept apart.

The correct answer is 7.28 MT. Stock at power plants fell by about 7.28 MT over the whole of September 2026, which works out to an average draw of roughly 0.24 MT a day and explains why the easing seen in October was treated as a notable change. Option A is wrong because 0.56 MT is the much smaller total fall recorded across the first ten days of October 2026, an average of about 0.06 MT a day. Option B is wrong because 3.14 MT does not correspond to any reported drawdown for either month. Option D is wrong because 12.90 MT would be a far steeper fall than the one reported, and a decline of that size would have pushed the stock below the 18 MT level that the ministry said has been maintained since 29 September 2026.

The correct answer is ₹5 crore. To build a trust-based tax system while keeping a deterrent against fraud, the Council recommended lifting the prosecution threshold from ₹1 crore to ₹5 crore and withdrawing certain powers of arrest under GST. Option A, ₹1 crore, is wrong because that is the old threshold being raised, not the new one. Options B and D, ₹2 crore and ₹10 crore, are wrong because neither figure is mentioned in the recommendations. Related numbers from the same set are worth learning together: no show cause notice will be issued where the tax involved is below ₹10,000, the maximum general penalty falls from ₹25,000 to ₹10,000, the minimum penalty of ₹10,000 goes in non-fraud cases, and a reduced penalty of 5 per cent applies when tax and interest are paid within the time allowed after the adjudication order.

The correct answer is 10 days. One of the measures meant to speed up refunds is a shorter acknowledgement window: the period comes down from 15 days to 10 days, and where no response is issued within it the claim is treated as acknowledged by deeming. Option C, 15 days, is wrong because that is the older period being replaced, a classic trap that rewards reading the direction of the change. Options A and D, 7 days and 30 days, are wrong because no such period is proposed in the paper. Along with the shorter window, the reforms make refunds of surplus cash ledger balances automatic and expect about 90 per cent of a claim to be sanctioned on the system's own risk assessment, for claims arising from zero-rated supplies and from the inverted duty structure.