Under Panch Gaurav, which species is Jaipur district's 'One District-One Plant Species'?
Explanation
Under the Panch Gaurav programme, Lisoda is Jaipur district's One District-One Plant Species. The district's other four are Amla as the crop, gems and jewellery as the product, kabaddi as the sport and Amer Fort as the tourism site. The Forest Department is the nodal agency for the plant species, with Agriculture, Industries, Tourism and Sports departments handling the other four. A state-level committee under the Chief Secretary and district committees under Collectors oversee the programme.
Q2
In which city is Rajasthan's Brahmagupta Centre of Frontier Technologies operational?
Explanation
The Brahmagupta Centre of Frontier Technologies is operational in Jaipur and runs three Centres of Excellence covering data analytics, cyber security and blockchain. It was announced in the Rajasthan Budget 2025-26 with Rs 300 crore for frontier technology research, and works under the Department of Information Technology and Communication. It is named after Brahmagupta, the seventh-century mathematician of Bhinmal, Jalore. The same budget gave Jodhpur a Disaster Recovery Data Centre.
Q3
Which ministry approved the Incentive Scheme for Promotion of Domestic PNG Connections in August 2026, effective 1 September 2026?
Explanation
The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas approved the Incentive Scheme for Promotion of Domestic PNG Connections on 18 August 2026, effective 1 September 2026. India has 1.74 crore domestic PNG connections. Eligible City Gas Distribution (CGD) entities get 200 SCM of extra cheaper APM gas for every incremental billed connection above the threshold for their Geographical Area. Run in two tranches over six months, it displaces costlier LNG and cuts capex payback from about 10 years to nearly 3.
Q4
The four railway multitracking projects worth Rs 9,450 crore approved by the CCEA on 19 August 2026 cover which four states?
Explanation
The CCEA, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved four Ministry of Railways multitracking projects on 19 August 2026 costing Rs 9,450 crore. They span 8 districts in Odisha, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, adding roughly 410 km to the network: Kharagpur-Bhadrak 173 km, Bhadrak-Haridaspur 75 km, Gummidipundi-Gudur 90 km and Cuttack-Paradeep 72 km. Completion is targeted by 2030-31, with an extra 76 MTPA of freight, under the PM-Gati Shakti National Master Plan.
Q5
As per DoT's August 2026 directive, how many mobile connections can a subscriber in J&K, Assam and the North-East hold?
Explanation
The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) issued a circular on 19 August 2026 directing telecom operators to block connections beyond the permitted cap. A person may hold six mobile connections in Jammu and Kashmir, Assam and the North-East, and nine in the rest of India. The cap dates to DoT instructions of 9 August 2012; the new circular only adds enforcement. Checks use photographs on the Digital Intelligence Platform, with real-time integration due by 30 November 2026.
Q6
Which capital did Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh visit in August 2026 to sign an MoU on defence R&D, innovation and shared production?
Explanation
Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh made a two-day visit to Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, on 16-17 August 2026. On 17 August he called on Armenian Minister of High Tech Industry Davit Tadevosyan and signed an MoU on cooperation in research, development, innovation and shared production in the defence industry. He also met Defence Minister Suren Papikyan and Chief of General Staff Lt Gen Edvard Asryan. India's Ambassador to Armenia, Nilakshi Saha Sinha, took part in the meetings.
Q7
Which two institutions jointly developed RK-251, the drug candidate that selectively targets triple-negative breast cancer cells?
Explanation
RK-251 was developed jointly by the Institute of Advanced Study in Science and Technology (IASST), Guwahati and the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati. The team was led by Dr Asis Bala of IASST and Dr Krishna P. Bhabak of the Department of Chemistry, IIT Guwahati. IASST, founded in 1979, is an autonomous institute under the Department of Science and Technology (DST). The candidate is switched on by the high ROS levels found in triple-negative breast cancer cells.