UPSC Daily Quiz 30 June 2026

Answer: a

Explanation:

The Union Home and Cooperation Minister recently launched the PM Family Care Tracker (PM-FCT) as a pilot project in Gujarat.

About PM Family Care Tracker (PM-FCT):

• It is a digital platform aimed at strengthening maternal and child health, nutrition, and family welfare.
• The digital platform would ensure that pregnant women, mothers, and children receive all eligible government benefits through continuous monitoring and timely intervention.
• It has been designed to digitally monitor every stage of a child’s development, from pregnancy through 18 years of age, while helping eligible families receive welfare benefits on time.
• The PM-FCT provides end-to-end monitoring of key health milestones, including antenatal and postnatal care, immunisation, nutrition, growth monitoring, school enrolment and attendance, and adolescent health services.
• The platform also features digital Health Passports for individuals and families, dashboards to facilitate delivery of government welfare schemes, and automated alerts for missed vaccinations and other essential health services.
• For Example:
  • Alerts will be generated automatically if a child misses vaccination or drops out of school.
  • Notifications will reach local officials, legislators and Members of Parliament, enabling volunteers and government authorities to intervene promptly and ensure that every child receives essential services.
• It is expected to enable timely interventions, reduce maternal and infant mortality, address malnutrition, and minimise gaps in service delivery.
• PM-FCT is designed as a family-centric digital platform, rather than maintaining separate records for different schemes, allowing authorities to track the health and welfare status of every family member through a single interface.
• The initiative aims to improve convergence across multiple government departments by integrating data from birth and death registration systems, and health, nutrition and education databases.
• The pilot project will initially be implemented in Gandhinagar and, if successful, is proposed to be expanded across Gujarat and later replicated in other states.

Hence, only statement 1 is correct.

News: https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/gujarat/pm-family-care-tracker-launched-in-gujarat-to-digitally-monitor-maternal-and-child-health/article71161695.ece/amp/

Answer: b

Explanation:

The Union Cabinet recently approved an additional Government of India’s investment commitment of Rs. 30,000 crore towards new and upcoming funds of the National Investment and Infrastructure Fund.

About National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF):

• It is a fund created by the Government of India for enhancing infrastructure financing in the country.
• It is India’s first-ever sovereign wealth fund (SWF).
• NIIF got registered with SEBI as Category II Alternative Investment Fund (AIF) on December 28, 2015.
• It is a collaborative investment platform for international and Indian investors with a mandate to invest equity capital in domestic infrastructure.
• NIIF invests across asset classes such as infrastructure, private equity, and other diversified sectors in India, with the objective of generating attractive risk-adjusted returns for its investors.
• It invests in greenfield (new), brownfield (existing), and stalled projects.
• NIIF is 49% owned by the Indian government and has more than $5 billion in assets under management, making it the country’s biggest infrastructure fund.
• NIIF benefits from its association with the Government, yet is independent in its investment decisions.
• It is professionally run and managed by National Investment and Infrastructure Fund Limited (NIIFL).
• Over the years, NIIF has attracted investments from leading global sovereign wealth funds, pension funds, multilateral development institutions, and domestic financial institutions.
• Currently, there are four funds under the NIIF Umbrella.
  • NIIF Master Fund: This fund primarily invests in infrastructure-related projects such as roads, ports, airports, and power. It is the largest infrastructure fund in India.
  • NIIF Private Markets Fund: Invests in funds managed by third-party managers in infrastructure and associated sectors.
  • NIIF Strategic Opportunities Fund: It invests and develops large-scale businesses and greenfield projects that are of strategic importance to the country.
  • India-Japan Fund:
    • NIIF’s first bilateral fund invests in environment preservation in India.
    • It also seeks to enable opportunities for collaboration between Indian and Japanese companies in India.
    • The Fund has a target corpus of US$600 million, with the Government of India contributing 49% and the remaining 51% contributed by the Japan Bank for International Cooperation, a policy-based financial institution wholly owned by the Government of Japan.

Hence, option b is the correct answer.

News:https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2279107&reg=48&lang=1

Answer: a

Explanation:

After the successful collaboration on the K9 Vajra-T self-propelled howitzer, India and South Korea are set to deepen their defence partnership.

About K9 Vajra-T:

• It is a 155 mm, 52-caliber tracked self-propelled artillery system (howitzer).
• It is an Indian adaptation of South Korea’s K9 Thunder 155 mm self-propelled howitzer.
• It is built by Larsen & Toubro with technology transferred from South Korean defence major Hanwha Defense based on its K9 Thunder.
• It is customised to suit the requirements of the Indian Army for operations in varied terrains, including deserts, plains, and high-altitude regions.
• Features:
  • It has all-welded steel armour up to 19 mm thick.
  • It is powered by an MTU MT 881 Ka-500 diesel engine producing 1,000 horsepower.
  • The main weapon is the 155mm /52 calibre gun capable of firing high-explosive, smoke, and guided projectiles.
  • The gun weighs 50 tonnes and can fire 47 kg bombs.
  • It has a burst rate of fire of three rounds per 15 seconds and a maximum rate of fire of six to eight rounds per minute for three minutes.
  • It can strike enemy targets at around 50 kilometres.
  • It can also turn around at zero radius, basically at the same place where it is standing.
  • The K9 uses a digital fire control system by which it can fire multiple rounds that can impact a given area at the same time (this mode of operation is called Multiple Round Simultaneous Impact, or MRSI).

Hence, only statement 1 is correct.

News: https://www.theweek.in/news/defence/2026/06/29/k9-vajra-success-sparks-india-south-korea-push-for-new-missile-gun-systems.amp.html

Answer: d

Explanation:

On the first day of his Seychelles visit, Prime Minister met and fed Jonathan, the Aldabra giant tortoise estimated to be 194 years old and recognised by Guinness World Records as the world’s oldest living land animal. 

About Aldabra Giant Tortoise:

• It is the second-largest species of land tortoise in the world, after the Galapagos giant tortoise (Chelonoidis nigra).
• Scientific Name: Geochelone gigantea
• Habitat and Distribution:
  • It is endemic to the Aldabra Atoll of the Seychelles, an archipelago nation in the western Indian Ocean about 930 miles east of Africa and northeast of Madagascar.
  • These are terrestrial and occur in a wide variety of habitats, including scrub forests, mangrove swamps, and coastal dunes and beaches, each with their respective vegetation.
  • The largest populations of tortoises are found on grasslands called “platins.”
  • Their heavy grazing has formed a special kind of grassland habitat called “tortoise turf.”
• Features:
  • They can measure over 120 cm, reaching weights of over 250 kg.
  • Males are considerably larger than females and have longer, thicker tails.
  • They range in color from dark gray to black.
  • Their carapace (or upper shell) is highly domed and thick, with a small neck plate that is usually visible, a feature absent in other species of giant tortoises.
  • They have very long necks to aid in food gathering.
  • Their legs are short and thick, often covered with bony scales.
  • Their heads are relatively small, pointed, and covered by scales.
  • Lifespan: It is among the longest-living vertebrates, with many individuals living over 100 years and some believed to exceed 150 years.
• Conservation Status:
  • IUCN Red List: Vulnerable

Hence, both statements are not correct.

News: https://www.msn.com/en-in/news/insight/pm-modi-feeds-194-year-old-tortoise-on-seychelles-visit/gm-GMC53DED00?gemSnapshotKey=GMC53DED00-snapshot-1&uxmode=ruby

Answer: c

Explanation:

The Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWSSB) recently opened the floodgates of the Himayatsagar reservoir and began releasing water downstream following increased inflows caused by rainfall in the catchment areas.

About Himayat Sagar Lake:

• It is an artificial lake located 20 km from Hyderabad in Telangana.
• It was built on the Esi River (a tributary of the Musi River) during the rule of the last Nizam of Hyderabad.
• The main objective was to provide drinking water and, at the same time, save the city from floods.
• Capable of storing about 3.0 TMC of water, this lake was built under the supervision of engineer late Khaja Mohinuddin.
• The construction of the lake was completed in 1927 and was named after Himayat Ali Khan, the youngest son of the last Nizam of Hyderabad.
• The lake is spread over an area of about 1,700 acres.
• It lies parallel to Osman Sagar Lake.
• The Himayat Sagar and Osman Sagar reservoirs provide continuous water supply to the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad.

Hence, option c is the correct answer.

News: https://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/hyderabad/2026/Jun/29/hyderabad-water-supply-board-releases-1000-cusecs-from-himayatsagar

Answer: a

Explanation:

Recently, the Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare launched the Samagra Shishu Bal Swasthya Karyakram (SSBSK). 

• It is a unified national programme that provides a seamless continuum of home and community-based care for every child from birth to 36 months of age.
• The programme embodies the vision of Comprehensive care during the first three years.
• It integrates the existing Home-Based Newborn Care (HBNC) and Home-Based Care for Young Child (HBYC) programmes into a single comprehensive framework.
• Feature of Samagra Shishu Bal Swasthya Karyakram
  • Risk-stratified Approach: It introduces a risk-stratified approach, providing intensified follow-up for newborns and children identified as “at-risk”, due to conditions such as low birth weight, prematurity, delayed initiation of breastfeeding etc.
    • Under the programme, ‘At-risk’ newborns will receive up to nine home visits during the first 42 days of life, while ‘At-risk’ children will receive up to eight home visits up to the age of 36 months.
  • Community Platforms: It introduces Well-Baby Sessions at every Village Health, Sanitation and Nutrition Day (VHSND) and a monthly Shishu Shivir at Ayushman Arogya Mandirs.
  • Maternal Mental Health: It incorporates post-partum maternal mental health screening as an integral component of community-based care.
    • ASHAs will undertake early screening and facilitate timely referral for further assessment and support whenever necessary.
  • Early Childhood Development: It also mainstreams Nurturing Care for Early Childhood Development (ECD) by promoting responsive caregiving, early learning opportunities.
  • Technology & Digital Integration: It envisages use of digital technologies to enhance service delivery, monitoring and continuity of care.
    • Decision-Support Systems (DSS), child-wise digital tracking, referral mechanisms and alert systems will strengthen follow-up and case management of ‘At-risk’ newborns and children.
    • These digital systems will be integrated with the JANANI Portal, U-WIN Portal, MPCDSR Portal, RBSK 2.0 Portal and POSHAN Tracker, enabling seamless data exchange through ABHA and Baal-ABHA IDs.
  • Tailored Strategy: It includes tailored strategies to strengthen home-based care in urban areas, particularly for children residing in slums, migrant settlements and other underserved communities.

Hence, only statement 1 is correct.

News: https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2279075&reg=48&lang=1

Answer: c

Explanation:

 Recently, the Department of Pharmaceuticals, Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers, has invited applications from eligible entities under the Scheme for Strengthening of Medical Device Industry (SMDI) to promote domestic manufacturing.

• It is a comprehensive scheme which targets critical areas of the medical device industry.
• It covers manufacturing of key components and accessories, skill development, support for clinical studies, development of common infrastructure and industry promotion.
• It has a total outlay of 500 Crores.
• It consists of five sub-schemes
  • Common Facilities for Medical Devices Clusters: Common facilities for medical devices clusters, the Central Government will provide financial assistance to medical device clusters for creating common infrastructure facilities such as R&D labs, Design and Testing Centre, Animal Labs etc.
  • Marginal Investment Scheme for Reducing Import Dependence: It is designed to deepen the MedTech supply chain in the country, by focusing on manufacturing of key components, raw materials, and accessories within the country.
    • It offers a one-time capital subsidy of 10-20%, with a maximum cap of Rs 10 crore per project.
  • Capacity Building and Skill Development for Medical Devices: It focuses on capacity building and skill development for the medical device sector. Its goal is to develop a skilled technical workforce capable of designing and developing MedTech products.
  • Medical Device Clinical Studies Support Scheme: It is designed to assist both established companies and start-ups in conducting clinical studies.
    • It provides financial support for animal studies, human trials, clinical investigation of investigational devices, clinical performance evaluations
  • Medical Device Promotion Scheme: It aims to support industry associations and exports councils to organize conferences, conducting surveys and studies.

Hence, both statements are correct.

News: https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2278917&reg=3&lang=1

Answer: b

Explanation:

The Odisha government’s proposal to resume tiger re-introduction in Satkosia Tiger Reserve has received in-principal approval of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA).

• It is located in the state of Odisha and spread over four districts, viz. Angul, Cuttack, Boudh, and Nayagarh.
• This reserve encompasses the Satkosia Gorge Sanctuary and Baisipalli Wildlife Sanctuary,
• The river Mahanadi flows through the valleys in the mid of the Reserve.
• The area is also a part of the Mahanadi Elephant Reserve.
• It is the meeting point of two biogeographic regions of India, the Deccan Peninsula and the Eastern Ghats.
• The terrain is hilly with moderate to steep slopes and narrow valleys.
• The forest vegetation comprises North Indian tropical moist deciduous forests and Moist peninsular low-level sal.
• Flora:
  • The main tree species is sal, which grows in gregarious formations.
  • Other associate species are Asan (Terminalia alata), Dhaura (Anogeissus latifolia), Bamboo (Dendrocalamus strictus), and Simal (Bombax ceiba).
• Fauna:
  • The flagship species among the fauna include tiger, leopard, elephant, spotted deer, sambar, chowsingha, barking deer, bison, wild dog, sloth bear, jackal, giant squirrel, and porcupine.
  • It is the natural habitat of two endangered species, viz., the freshwater crocodile and the gharial.

Hence, only statements 1 and 2 are correct.

News: https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/odisha/2026/Jun/30/ntca-nod-to-resume-satkosia-tiger-re-introduction-plan

Answer: a

Explanation:

 Recently, a captive-bred, radio-tagged white-rumped vulture (Gyps bengalensis), that was released in the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve (MTR) earlier this year was electrocuted to death.

• It is a small Old World vulture native to South and Southeast Asia.
• Other Names: It is also known as Indian White-backed Vulture or Oriental White-backed Vulture.
• Habitat: 
  • Found mostly in plains and less frequently in hilly regions. 
  • It can also be seen in villages and cities near to cultivation.
• Distribution: Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar (Burma), Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and southern Vietnam.
• Appearance
  • It has an unfeathered head and neck, very broad wings, and short tail feathers.
  • The sexes are approximately equal in size.
  • Adults are darker than juveniles, with blackish plumage, a white neck-ruff, and a white patch of feathers on the lower back and upper tail.
• Diet: Like other vultures, it feeds mostly on carcasses.
• Conservation Status
  • IUCN: Critically Endangered
  • Wildlife Protection Act, 1972: Schedule I

Hence, only statement 1 is correct.

News: https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/energy-and-environment/radio-tagged-white-rumped-vulture-dies-of-electrocution-in-nilgiris/article71160880.ece

Answer: c

Explanation:

Recently, the Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare launched the Unified Health Interface (UHI). 

• It is an interoperable digital network under the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM).
• UHI aims to solve for information asymmetry, accessibility to health services and wider choice of verified providers across services without being tied to a single application.
• It was launched as the service layer of the ABDM.
• Working of Unified Health Interface:
  • UHI operates through open protocols on a core Gateway of the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission, developed and maintained by the National Health Authority (NHA).
  • When a citizen uses a UHI-enabled app to search for a health service, the request is routed through the Gateway to registered service providers.
  • The entire journey from discovery and booking to fulfillment is facilitated through a common language, irrespective of the platform used to seek or provide the service.
  • The network uses Ayushman Bharat Health Account (ABHA) as the patient identifier, the Healthcare Professionals Registry (HPR) and Health Facility Registry (HFR) for provider verification, and the Health Information Exchange for consent-based data sharing.
• Key Objectives
  • Interoperability: Patients and providers can use any UHI-enabled platform to seek or offer care, removing the dependency on shared platforms that currently limits digital health access.
  • Fair discoverability: Every verified healthcare provider, regardless of size, geography, or platform, has an equal opportunity to be found on the network.
  • Verification: Only verified doctors and facilities credentialed through ABDM registries (HPR and HFR) are permitted to participate, ensuring citizens can trust the network.
  • Open protocols: UHI is built on open specifications accessible to all, enabling developers of any size to build and offer health applications in any language, on any devices.

Hence, both statements are correct.

News: https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2278987&reg=3&lang=1