UPSC Daily Quiz for 21ˢᵗ August 2026

1) With reference to the MMDR Amendment Act, 2026, consider the following statements:

1. The amendment expands the Union-controlled framework under the MMDR Act to mineral-bearing lands.
2. A State's power to impose a tax, cess or other levy on mineral rights has been made entirely subject to the conditions and restrictions prescribed by the Central Government.
3. The amendment invalidates only those specified levies which had neither been deposited nor recovered before its commencement.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

2) With reference to RK-251, consider the following:

Statement I: RK-251 is a prodrug designed for selective activation in cancer cells.

Statement II: Elevated ROS levels in cancer cells can trigger its activation.

Which one of the following is correct?

3) With reference to the National Report on Deep-Sea and Distant-Water Fishery Resources of the Indian EEZ, consider the following statements:

1. The mesopelagic zone extends approximately from 200 m to 1,000 m depth.
2. Vertical migration of organisms in this zone can contribute to the biological carbon pump.
3. The report treats all fishery resources beyond 200 m depth as distant-water resources.
4. The assessment combines conventional surveys with newer tools such as eDNA, fisheries acoustics and AI-based approaches.

Which of the statements given above are correct?

4) Consider the following statements regarding Agentic AI:

1. It can move beyond generating information to executing actions through connected systems.
2. Multi-agent orchestration can allow specialised AI agents to perform different parts of a complex workflow.
3. Human oversight is incompatible with an agentic AI architecture because autonomous execution necessarily excludes human intervention.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

5) With reference to the Global Digital Capacity Building Alliance (GDCBA), consider the following statements:

1. It was launched by the Capacity Building Commission as an extension of India's experience with Mission Karmayogi.
2. Its approach to capacity building includes institutional and digital ecosystems, rather than being limited to individual training.
3. It seeks to create a global community of practice for governance.
4. Its principal objective is to provide financial assistance to countries for digitising their public administration.

Which of the statements given above are correct?