Which state holds the leading position in India's total silk production, according to Union Minister of State Shobha Karandlaje?

The correct answer is 42,000 metric tonnes. Speaking at the Central Silk Board's 77th Foundation Day in Bengaluru on 20 September 2026, the minister said India's silk production had grown from 26,000 metric tonnes in 2014 to 42,000 metric tonnes today. He linked that growth to the government's commitment to expanding sericulture and raising silk farmers' incomes.

Option D, 60,000 metric tonnes, is the trap: it is not today's output but the target the government has set for 2030-31. Options A and B, 32,000 and 38,000 metric tonnes, do not appear in the release at all. Questions like this often place the current figure next to the target, so memorise the series in order: 26,000 tonnes in 2014, 42,000 tonnes now, 60,000 tonnes by 2030-31, and the world No. 1 position by 2028-29.

The correct answer is 2028-29. Textiles Minister Giriraj Singh said a resolve has been made to take India to the No. 1 rank in global silk production by 2028-29. He said the effort rests on raising mulberry leaf yields and the number of cocoon-rearing cycles, with the aim of lifting farmers' annual incomes to ₹10 lakh to ₹12 lakh.

Option C, 2030-31, is the year attached to a different goal: producing 60,000 metric tonnes of silk. Options A and D, 2026-27 and 2035-36, are not mentioned in the release. The two targets are easy to mix up because they were announced together, so keep them apart: world No. 1 by 2028-29, and 60,000 metric tonnes by 2030-31. The minister added that demand for Indian silk is rising abroad as China's production declines.

The correct answer is Central Silk Board. Textiles Minister Giriraj Singh and Minister of State Shobha Karandlaje inaugurated the 77th Foundation Day programme of the Central Silk Board, together with an exhibition of silk products and technologies, at the UAS-GKVK auditorium in Bengaluru on 20 September 2026. During the event the Board exchanged MoUs, gave appointment letters to 28 scientists and released its publications.

The Coir Board, the Tea Board and the Khadi and Village Industries Commission are other bodies connected with traditional industries and crops, but the release concerns none of them, so options A, C and D are wrong. When a foundation day is in the news, the questions usually ask for the body, the anniversary number and the city, so remember all three here: Central Silk Board, 77th, Bengaluru.

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 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.