Which platform did the Prime Minister suggest the UPSC and state commissions use for their own capacity building?

The correct answer is Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi. The hundredth-year celebrations of the Union Public Service Commission were held there, and the Prime Minister took part along with chairpersons of the Public Service Commissions of the states. Option A, Vigyan Bhawan, is a regular conference venue in the capital but was not the place chosen for this event. Option C, Rashtrapati Bhavan, is the official residence of the President and hosts investiture and oath ceremonies, not this celebration. Option D, Yashobhoomi in Dwarka, is another large convention centre in Delhi and was not the venue either. Bharat Mandapam is the correct choice to remember, since the same venue hosts many national events and often appears in questions on where a particular gathering took place. Along with the venue, note that a commemorative stamp, a special coin and a compilation of 100 significant case laws were released on the occasion.

The correct answer is 1926. The Commission began in that year under colonial rule, and the Prime Minister contrasted those origins with the way the body later turned its work towards the aims of an independent country, which is why the celebration in 2026 marks a full hundred years. Option A, 1919, is wrong for this body even though that year is remembered for other constitutional changes of the colonial period. Option C, 1935, is wrong as well; it is a year associated with another colonial statute, not with the setting up of this Commission. Option D, 1950, is the year the Republic came into being and is a tempting but wrong choice, because the Commission already existed and was only reshaped for a free nation afterwards. The Prime Minister credited Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel with providing the steel frame of administration needed to rebuild the country.

The correct answer is Nagrik Devo Bhava, which the Prime Minister explained as meaning that the citizen of the country is no less than a deity and that service of the citizen comes above everything else. He offered it in place of the old mai-baap attitude of officialdom. Option A is a well-known governance slogan about inclusive development, but it is not the mantra used here. Option C refers to the dignity of labour and belongs to a different context altogether. Option D, Atithi Devo Bhava, is the familiar line about treating the guest as divine and is associated with tourism and hospitality; it is the closest distractor because of its similar form, so read the wording carefully. Remember also the two touchstones he named for every selection process, Nation First and Citizen First, and the three principles of the new work culture, Pro-People, Pro-Active and Good Governance.

The correct answer is SAMBAL. The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment launched the National Helpline Against Atrocities in December 2021 and the service was later given this name. It allows members of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes to register a grievance under the Prevention of Atrocities Act and then track what happens to it, and it works on the toll-free number 1800-202-1989 as well as the short code 14566. Options A, C and D are names that resemble those of other government initiatives and are placed to test recall of the exact name of this helpline. Remember the pairing of the helpline with its parent Act, because a question may give the name and ask for the Act, or give the Act and ask for the helpline. Note also that the number of couples receiving the inter-caste marriage incentive rose from 14,225 in 2022-23 to 26,050 in 2024-25.

The correct answer is 217. As reported by the states and Union Territories, 217 Exclusive Special Courts have been set up in 15 States and Union Territories to try offences under the Act of 1989, the purpose being speedy trial and quicker disposal of cases. Options A, B and D are the same three digits rearranged, which is a common way of testing whether a figure has been read closely rather than half remembered. Note the second half of the arrangement as well: where the number of cases in a district is relatively low, the Act allows a Court of Session to be designated a Special Court, with the concurrence of the Chief Justice of the High Court concerned. The need for such courts is clear from the pendency, since 3,92,006 cases were awaiting trial at the end of 2024.