Consider the following statements: Statement I. At the 28th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28), India refrained from signing the 'Declaration on Climate and Health'. Statement II. The COP28 Declaration on Climate and Health is a binding declaration; and if signed, it becomes mandatory to decarbonize health sector. Statement III. If India's health sector is decarbonized, the resilience of its health-care system may be compromised. Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

(a) Both Statement II and Statement III are correct and both of them explain Statement I

(b) Both Statement II and Statement III are correct but only one of them explains Statement I

(d) Neither Statement II nor Statement III is correct

International relations & current affairs

Prelims · International relations & current affairs · 27 questions

India & the world: places, pacts & relations

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UPSC syllabus: “Current events of national and international importance.” See the full syllabus →

Prelims 2025 · Q6

Medium

Consider the following statements:

I.India has joined the Minerals Security Partnership as a member.
II.India is a resource-rich country in all the 30 critical minerals that it has identified.
III.The Parliament in 2023 has amended the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957 empowering the Central Government to exclusively auction mining lease and composite license for certain critical minerals.

Which of the statements given above are correct?

Answer & explanation

Answer: (c) I and III only

India became the 14th member of the US-led Mineral Security Partnership in June 2023, and the MMDR Amendment Act, 2023 let the Centre alone auction mining leases and composite licences for listed critical minerals. But India is far from self-sufficient: it depends mostly on imports for minerals such as lithium, cobalt and nickel.

✓ I The Ministry of Mines told Parliament that India joined the Mineral Security Partnership as its 14th member in June 2023.
✗ II India identified 30 critical minerals in June 2023 precisely because supply is a risk; for several of them, including lithium, cobalt and nickel, it relies mostly on imports.
✓ III The 2023 amendment empowered the Central Government to exclusively auction mining leases and composite licences for critical minerals in Part D of the First Schedule; the States still grant the lease and keep the revenue.

Remember · Critical minerals: 30 identified (June 2023); MSP member since June 2023; MMDR Amendment 2023 lets the Centre auction them while States keep the revenue.

Sources

PIB (Ministry of Mines), Strengthening of Mineral Supply Chains, 7 August 2023 ↗ “India has become 14th member of the Mineral Security Partnership (MSP) in June 2023.”
PIB (Ministry of Mines), Union Minister Pralhad Joshi unveils List of Critical Minerals for India ↗ “Disclosing that 30 critical minerals have been identified in the report released today, the Minister stated”
PIB (Ministry of Mines), Measures Initiated to Attain Self-reliance in Critical Minerals ↗ “Critical and deep-seated minerals such as Cobalt, Lithium, Nickel, Gold, Silver, and Copper are difficult to explore and mine as compared to surfacial or bulk minerals. The country is mostly dependent on imports of these minerals.”
PIB (Ministry of Mines), Parliament Passes Mines and Minerals (Development & Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2023 ↗ “Another major amendment passed by the Parliament is to empower the Central Government to exclusively auction mining lease and composite licence for certain critical minerals”

Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2025, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). Permalink ·

Prelims 2025 · Q32

Hard

Consider the following statements:

Statement I: At the 28th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28), India refrained from signing the 'Declaration on Climate and Health'.
Statement II: The COP28 Declaration on Climate and Health is a binding declaration; and if signed, it becomes mandatory to decarbonize health sector.
Statement III: If India's health sector is decarbonized, the resilience of its health-care system may be compromised.

Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

Answer & explanation

Answer: (c) Only one of the Statements II and III is correct and that explains Statement I

India is not among the signatories of the COP28 UAE Declaration on Climate and Health (Dubai, December 2023); the list on the COP28 site goes from Iceland straight to Indonesia. The declaration is a political declaration whose commitments are made 'according to our national circumstances', so Statement II is wrong.

✓ Statement I India did not sign: the list of signatories on the COP28 site names 151 signatories, including the European Union, and India is not among them. The declaration was launched on COP28's inaugural Health Day, 3 December 2023.
✗ Statement II The declaration is not a mandate: its signatories commit to better integrating health into climate policy and to promoting steps such as assessing health-system emissions and developing action plans and decarbonisation targets, all 'according to our national circumstances'. Signing does not make decarbonising the health sector mandatory.
✓ Statement III UPSC's official key treats this as correct; we could not confirm India's stated reason from an official source, so we do not explain it here.

Remember · COP28 (Dubai, 2023) Declaration on Climate and Health: first Health Day at a COP, 151 signatories; India is not on the list. Commitments are 'according to our national circumstances', not mandatory.

Sources

COP28 UAE Presidency: COP28 UAE Declaration on Climate and Health ↗ · reference work “To achieve these aims - according to our national circumstances - we commit to pursuing the better integration of health considerations into our climate policy processes, … Promoting steps to curb emissions and reduce waste in the health sector, such as by assessing the greenhouse gas emissions of health systems, and developing action plans, nationally determined decarbonization targets, … 54. Hungary 55. Iceland 56. Indonesia 57. Iran 58. Iraq 59. Ireland 60. Israel 61. Italy”
WHO: COP28 UAE Declaration on climate and health ↗ “In a historic milestone marking the inaugural Health Day at the 28th UN Climate Change Conference (COP28), global leaders united in endorsing the health and climate change declaration,”

Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2025, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 1 Oct 2026 (how we verify). Permalink ·

Prelims 2025 · Q62

Easy

India is one of the founding members of the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC), a multimodal transportation corridor, which will connect

Answer & explanation

Answer: (a) India to Central Asia to Europe via Iran

The INSTC is a multi-modal route from the Indian Ocean and Persian Gulf through Iran to the Caspian Sea and on to Russia and northern Europe, and it is also meant to link India with Central Asia. So 'India to Central Asia to Europe via Iran' fits, while none of the other options runs through Iran.

✓ (a) Iran is the core of the corridor. The government describes it as a route via Iran to the Caspian Sea and onward to Russia and northern Europe, and as a way to connect India to Russia and Central Asian countries.
✗ (b) The corridor goes through Iran, not China.
✗ (c) The corridor runs west from India through Iran; a route to South-East Asia through Bangladesh and Myanmar is a different, eastern link.
✗ (d) Leaving out Iran misses the corridor's essential link, and this option also leaves out Central Asia.

Remember · INSTC: multi-modal India–Iran–Caspian–Russia–Europe corridor that also links India to Central Asia; Chabahar port in Iran is its Indian gateway.

Sources

PIB, Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (19 Jan 2023): Workshop on 'Linking Chabahar Port with INSTC' ↗ “The International North–South Transport Corridor (INSTC) is a multi-modal transportation route linking the Indian Ocean and the Persian Gulf to the Caspian Sea via Iran and onward to northern Europe via St. Petersburg in Russia. … Successful activation of the corridor will help connect India to Russia and Central Asian countries.”

Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2025, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). Permalink ·

Prelims 2025 · Q69

Medium

Consider the following countries:

I.United Arab Emirates
II.France
III.Germany
IV.Singapore
V.Bangladesh

How many countries amongst the above are there other than India where international merchant payments are accepted under UPI?

Answer & explanation

Answer: (b) Only three

Of the five, UPI payments work in the United Arab Emirates, France and Singapore, so three is the count. Germany and Bangladesh are not among the countries where the Government lists UPI as live.

✓ I The UAE is among the countries where UPI is live.
✓ II France is among the countries where UPI is live.
✗ III Germany is not among the countries the Government names as having UPI live.
✓ IV Singapore is among the countries where UPI is live.
✗ V Bangladesh is not among the countries the Government names as having UPI live.
• Since then The list has grown since the exam. The Ministry of Electronics and IT told the Rajya Sabha on 6 February 2026 that UPI is live in over eight countries, including the UAE, Singapore, Bhutan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, France, Mauritius and Qatar; Germany and Bangladesh are still not named (PIB, 6 Feb 2026).

Remember · UPI abroad, exam-year answer: UAE, France and Singapore yes; Germany and Bangladesh no. Other live countries include Bhutan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Mauritius and Qatar.

Sources

PIB, Ministry of Electronics & IT (6 Feb 2026): India has signed MoU / agreements with 23 countries for cooperation on Digital Public Infrastructure; UPI is now live in over eight countries ↗ “UPI is now live in over eight countries, including the UAE, Singapore, Bhutan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, France, Mauritius and Qatar, positioning India as a global leader in digital payments.”

Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2025, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). Permalink ·

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Prelims 2025 · Q32

Prelims 2025 · Q62

Prelims 2025 · Q69

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