Which meeting of the Drugs Technical Advisory Board recommended a provision on advertisements by drug sale and distribution licence holders?
- A.The 88th meeting, held in June 2025
- B.The 90th meeting, held in October 2025
- C.The 93rd meeting, held on 16 February 2026
- D.The 95th meeting, held on 4 August 2026
Correct answer
C. The 93rd meeting, held on 16 February 2026
Explanation
The correct answer is the 93rd meeting, held on 16 February 2026. That sitting of the Drugs Technical Advisory Board took up the question of whether the rules needed an express provision covering advertisements issued by firms holding licences to sell and distribute medicines, and the draft amendment follows its recommendation. The board was also consulted before the draft was notified in the Gazette. Options A, B and D name meeting numbers and dates that do not appear in the announcement, and all three would place the recommendation either too early or after the notification itself, which was issued on 28 September 2026. Candidates should remember the chain of events in order, namely the board's recommendation in February, the Gazette notification in September and the public comment window of thirty days that follows.
Read the full article: Health Ministry Proposes Curbs on Prescription Drug Advertising
Practice Questions
The Health Ministry's draft amendment on advertising of prescription medicines seeks to amend which rules?
- A.The Drugs Rules, 1945
- B.The Drugs and Magic Remedies Rules, 1955
- C.The Food Safety and Standards Rules, 2011
- D.The Clinical Establishments Rules, 2012
Show answer
Explanation
The correct answer is the Drugs Rules, 1945. The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has proposed an amendment to these rules so that the requirement of prior Central Government sanction for advertising drugs listed in Schedule H, Schedule H1 and Schedule X extends to entities licensed to sell and distribute medicines, and not only to manufacturers. The vehicle is a new sub-rule inserted under Rule 65. Option B names a different legal instrument concerned with objectionable advertisements of remedies, which is not what the ministry has moved to change here. Option C deals with food and not with medicines, and is administered by a separate regulator. Option D concerns the registration and standards of clinical establishments, again outside the subject of drug advertisements. The point to carry is that schedules H, H1 and X sit inside the Drugs Rules of 1945.
Through which Gazette notification was the draft amendment on prescription drug advertising notified?
- A.G.S.R. 612(E) dated 12 August 2026
- B.G.S.R. 861(E) dated 28 September 2026
- C.S.O. 904(E) dated 1 October 2026
- D.G.S.R. 455(E) dated 30 June 2026
Show answer
Explanation
The correct answer is G.S.R. 861(E) dated 28 September 2026. The ministry notified the draft amendment through that notification after consulting the Drugs Technical Advisory Board, and it has invited objections and suggestions from stakeholders and from the public within thirty days of the date on which copies of the Gazette carrying the draft rules are made available. Options A, C and D carry invented numbers and dates that appear nowhere in the announcement, and option C also uses the wrong series, since subordinate legislation of this kind is issued as a General Statutory Rule rather than a Statutory Order. For the examination, pair three details together: the notification number, the date of 28 September 2026 and the consultation with the Drugs Technical Advisory Board that preceded it.
What is the title of the ninth anniversary issue of the CTIL Magazine released at the event?
- A.Trade in a Fragmented World
- B.The Emerging Sustainability Landscape: Responding to Shifting Winds
- C.Investment Law Compass: Nine Years On
- D.Digital Trade and the Developing World
Show answer
Explanation
The correct answer is The Emerging Sustainability Landscape: Responding to Shifting Winds. That issue of the CTIL Magazine examines the opportunities and the challenges developing countries may face as they take part in the evolving intersection of trade and sustainability. Option C is the distractor to watch, because Investment Law Compass is a real publication of the centre, its monthly newsletter on developments in investment law and policy, and a special anniversary edition of it was launched at the same event, but that is the newsletter and not the magazine. Options A and D are invented titles, though both touch themes the speakers raised, since the Commerce Secretary spoke of digital trade and sustainability-linked trade measures reshaping the global agenda. The ceremony ended with Distinguished Long Service Awards for CTIL faculty and staff.
How many legal opinions has CTIL provided, according to its Head at the ninth anniversary celebration?
- A.More than 1,500
- B.More than 2,500
- C.More than 4,000
- D.More than 6,500
Show answer
Explanation
The correct answer is more than 4,000. Prof. James J. Nedumpara, Head of the Centre for Trade and Investment Law and WTO India Chair, said the centre had provided that many legal opinions, had participated in negotiations concerning nearly ten free trade agreements, and had contributed to negotiations, submissions, notifications and dispute settlement at the World Trade Organization. Options A, B and D are invented totals and appear nowhere in the account of the event. Candidates should pair the figure with the other number from the same sentence, namely the count of free trade agreements, and with the areas the Joint Secretary listed as the centre's newer research interests, which were critical minerals, semiconductors, artificial intelligence, supply chains, climate and sustainability.
CTIL, which marked its ninth anniversary in New Delhi, is housed at which institution?
- A.Indian Institute of Foreign Trade
- B.Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations
- C.National Law University, Delhi
- D.Indian Institute of Public Administration
Show answer
Explanation
The correct answer is the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade. The Centre for Trade and Investment Law is housed there, and its Head, Prof. James J. Nedumpara, also holds the WTO India Chair. He said the centre was established to strengthen India's trade capacity as a broader element of economic statecraft, and noted that it has given more than four thousand legal opinions. The Vice Chancellor of the institute, Dr. K. Rangarajan, spoke at the anniversary about how specialised trade-policy institutions had grown there. Options B, C and D name respected bodies in economics, law and public administration, but none of them hosts the centre. The anniversary was held at the Prime Minister's Museum and Library in New Delhi, which was the venue and not the parent institution, a distinction worth keeping clear.