Who inaugurated the Emerging Science, Technology and Innovation Conclave (ESTIC) 2026?
- A.The President of India
- B.Prime Minister Narendra Modi
- C.Dr Jitendra Singh
- D.Prof. Ajay K. Sood
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He inaugurated ESTIC 2026 at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi on the conclave's opening day and used his address to ask scientists, researchers and young innovators for outcomes that are concrete, measurable and able to be scaled, within an operating horizon of three years. Option A is wrong because the President did not take part in the inaugural session described. Option C is wrong because Dr Jitendra Singh, the Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology and Earth Sciences, spoke at the conclave and separately opened the startup exhibition and poster track, but did not inaugurate the conclave itself. Option D is wrong because Prof. Ajay K. Sood is the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India; he set out the conclave's 12 thematic priority domains and chaired the evening panel discussion, which is a different role from inaugurating the event.
Read the full article: PM Modi Opens ESTIC 2026 Conclave at Bharat Mandapam
Practice Questions
ESTIC 2026 is organised around how many core thematic priority domains?
- A.Eight
- B.Ten
- C.Twelve
- D.Fifteen
Show answer
Prof. Ajay K. Sood, Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India, described the 12 core thematic priority domains around which the conclave is built, and called for closer alignment of research, industry and policy across them.
Read the full explanation →Which Nobel laureate delivered the ESTIC 2026 plenary talk on cryo-electron microscopy in target discovery and drug design?
- A.Sir Richard J. Roberts
- B.Prof. Joachim Frank
- C.Prof. Ajay K. Sood
- D.Dr Tessy Thomas
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His plenary covered cryo-electron microscopy for target discovery and drug design, including the computational and mathematical frameworks used in high-resolution single-particle work and the three-dimensional visualisation of macromolecular complexes.
Read the full explanation →According to the figures cited at ESTIC 2026, how many startups did India have in 2014?
- A.About 400
- B.About 4,000
- C.About 40,000
- D.About 1 crore
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Dr Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology and Earth Sciences, cited the growth of the startup ecosystem from roughly 400 startups in 2014 to more than 2.3 lakh today, and added that an estimated 50 to 60 per cent of them are based in…
Read the full explanation →Which new centre was launched on the first day of the ARISE Cities Forum 2026?
- A.Centre for Urban Water Security
- B.Centre for Sustainable Urban Mobility and Integrated Transportation
- C.Centre for Coastal Resilience Studies
- D.Centre for Municipal Finance Reform
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It was launched during the inaugural and technical sessions on the first day of the forum.
Read the full explanation →The Delhi Declaration adopted at the ARISE Cities Forum will be presented at which global meeting?
- A.COP31 in Antalya, Turkiye
- B.COP30 in Belem, Brazil
- C.The G20 Summit in Johannesburg
- D.The World Urban Forum in Cairo
Show answer
The Delhi Declaration on Local Action for Global Climate Goals 2026 is the outcome document of the forum, and it will be adopted on 28 October 2026 before being carried to the climate conference at Antalya.
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