Practice 15 UPSC Prelims-level current affairs MCQs for 18 September 2026 with answers and explanations. The quiz covers important developments from 17 September with current-to-static linkages for UPSC, BPSC and UPPCS.
Today Current Affairs Quiz – 18 September 2026
15 UPSC Prelims-Level MCQs | Current Affairs + Static Linkage | UPSC • BPSC • UPPCS
Q1. With reference to Semicon 2.0, consider the following statements:
1. It was approved by the Union Cabinet in July 2026.
2. It has an outlay of ₹1,27,500 crore.
3. Its strategic pillars include chip design, research and development, semiconductor fabrication, talent development and strengthening ATMP/OSAT capabilities.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
- 1 and 2 only
- 2 and 3 only
- 1 and 3 only
- 1, 2 and 3
Show Answer
Semicon 2.0 was approved on 15 July 2026 with an outlay of ₹1,27,500 crore. It expands India's semiconductor strategy across R&D, design, machines and materials, fabrication, talent and ATMP/OSAT.
Source: PIB / Times of India
Q2. In the context of the semiconductor value chain, consider the following statements:
1. Electronic Design Automation tools are used in designing semiconductor chips.
2. ATMP and OSAT are associated with assembly, testing and packaging of semiconductor devices.
3. Semiconductor packaging necessarily takes place before the chip-design stage.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
- 1 and 2 only
- 2 and 3 only
- 1 and 3 only
- 1, 2 and 3
Show Answer
Chip design precedes physical manufacturing and packaging. EDA tools support complex chip design, while ATMP/OSAT facilities handle downstream processes such as assembly, testing and packaging.
Source: PIB
Q3. With reference to the India Electric Mobility Index (IEMI) 2025, consider the following statements:
1. Delhi secured the highest overall score in the index.
2. The index examines transport electrification progress, charging infrastructure readiness, and EV research and innovation.
3. The index covers only the 17 large States and excludes Union Territories.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
- 1 and 2 only
- 2 and 3 only
- 1 and 3 only
- 1, 2 and 3
Show Answer
The index assesses all 36 States and Union Territories. Delhi topped the index with a score of 84. The three major themes relate to electrification progress, charging readiness and innovation.
Source: NITI Aayog / The Indian Express
Q4. With reference to the recently introduced ‘OneTag’ facility for FASTag users, consider the following statements:
1. It enables a user to change the FASTag issuer bank without replacing the physical FASTag.
2. The existing FASTag identification remains unchanged during porting.
3. A FASTag can be ported repeatedly between banks without any minimum waiting period.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
- 1 and 2 only
- 2 and 3 only
- 1 and 3 only
- 1, 2 and 3
Show Answer
OneTag introduces bank portability for FASTag without requiring a new physical tag. The FASTag ID remains unchanged. A six-month waiting period applies before another porting request.
Source: The Indian Express
Q5. With reference to an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), consider the following statements:
1. An EEZ may extend up to 200 nautical miles from the relevant baselines.
2. The coastal State enjoys sovereign rights for exploration and exploitation of natural resources in its EEZ.
3. Ships and aircraft of other States have no freedom of navigation or overflight in another country's EEZ.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
- 1 and 2 only
- 2 and 3 only
- 1 and 3 only
- 1, 2 and 3
Show Answer
A coastal State has sovereign resource-related rights in its EEZ, but other States continue to enjoy freedoms such as navigation, overflight and laying submarine cables and pipelines under UNCLOS.
Source: UNCLOS / The Indian Express
Q6. Regarding the continental shelf under UNCLOS, consider the following statements:
1. The continental shelf comprises the seabed and subsoil and does not by itself include the overlying water column.
2. Under specified geological conditions, a coastal State's continental shelf may extend beyond 200 nautical miles.
3. A coastal State's rights over its continental shelf depend upon effective occupation or an express proclamation.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
- 1 and 2 only
- 2 and 3 only
- 1 and 3 only
- 1, 2 and 3
Show Answer
Continental-shelf rights relate primarily to the seabed and subsoil. UNCLOS states that these rights do not depend on occupation or an express proclamation.
Source: UNCLOS
Q7. With reference to devolution in the United Kingdom, consider the following statements:
1. Devolution involves the statutory transfer of certain powers from the UK Parliament and Government to institutions in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
2. The present devolved institutions emerged following referendums and legislation in the late 1990s.
3. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland necessarily possess identical sets of devolved powers.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
- 1 and 2 only
- 2 and 3 only
- 1 and 3 only
- 1, 2 and 3
Show Answer
Devolution in the UK is asymmetric. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have different constitutional histories and do not necessarily exercise identical powers.
Source: UK Government / The Indian Express
Q8. With reference to the Shaksgam Valley and the Pakistan–China boundary issue, consider the following statements:
1. The Government of India does not recognise the 1963 China–Pakistan boundary agreement.
2. According to the Government of India, Pakistan illegally ceded about 5,180 sq km of Indian territory in the Shaksgam Valley to China under that agreement.
3. India has accepted the recently formed Pakistan–China Boundary Joint Commission as having legal authority over this territory.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
- 1 and 2 only
- 2 and 3 only
- 1 and 3 only
- 1, 2 and 3
Show Answer
India has consistently stated that it does not recognise the 1963 agreement and has rejected the new boundary commission's legal basis in relation to territory India claims as its own.
Source: Ministry of External Affairs / The Indian Express
Q9. A recent study examined the catastrophic flash floods in Nepal's Himalayan region. Consider the following statements:
1. The study linked the disaster to the collapse of a large mass of rock and ice from a mountain face.
2. Every flash flood originating in a glaciated mountain region must necessarily be classified as a Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF).
3. World Weather Attribution is an international scientific collaboration that studies the possible influence of climate change on extreme events.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
- 1 and 2 only
- 1 and 3 only
- 2 and 3 only
- 1, 2 and 3
Show Answer
The Nepal event involved a massive rock-and-ice avalanche. Mountain floods can arise from several processes; therefore, not every glacier-related or high-altitude flash flood is technically a GLOF.
Source: The Indian Express
Q10. With reference to India's first soil-carbon payments to farmers, consider the following statements:
1. Farmers in Punjab and Haryana are among the beneficiaries.
2. The programme links regenerative agricultural practices with measurable soil-carbon outcomes.
3. Carbon credits under the programme are issued without measurement or independent verification of outcomes.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
- 1 and 2 only
- 2 and 3 only
- 1 and 3 only
- 1, 2 and 3
Show Answer
Payments were initiated for 2,550 farmers in Punjab and Haryana. The programme uses measurement and independent verification before carbon credits are issued.
Source: PIB
Q11. With reference to the Union Health Ministry's advisory on stem-cell therapy, consider the following statements:
1. Stem-cell therapy as routine standard care is permitted only for disease conditions or indications included in the approved list.
2. Therapeutic use of stem cells for Autism Spectrum Disorder is restricted to duly approved clinical trials.
3. The National Guidelines for Stem Cell Research, 2017 were issued jointly by the ICMR and Department of Biotechnology.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
- 1 and 2 only
- 2 and 3 only
- 1 and 3 only
- 1, 2 and 3
Show Answer
The advisory reiterates that unproven stem-cell interventions cannot be marketed as routine treatment. For ASD, therapeutic stem-cell use remains restricted to approved clinical trials.
Source: PIB / Times of India
Q12. With reference to the proposed amendments concerning Schedule H, H1 and X drugs, consider the following statements:
1. The proposed changes relate to the Drugs Rules, 1945.
2. Mandatory CCTV surveillance at medical stores has been proposed as an additional regulatory safeguard.
3. The proposal has already become final law and no public objections or suggestions have been invited.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
- 1 and 2 only
- 2 and 3 only
- 1 and 3 only
- 1, 2 and 3
Show Answer
The Health Ministry issued a draft proposal and invited objections and suggestions. The measure seeks tighter oversight of prescription-controlled Schedule H, H1 and X drugs.
Source: PIB
Q13. With reference to Swachhata Hi Seva (SHS) 2026, consider the following statements:
1. The nationwide campaign is being observed from 17 September to 2 October 2026.
2. Its theme is “Swachhata Mein Sahbhag, Swachh Bharat, Viksit Bharat”.
3. SafaiMitra Suraksha Evam Samman Shivirs include measures such as health check-ups, PPE support and welfare services for sanitation workers.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
- 1 and 2 only
- 2 and 3 only
- 1 and 3 only
- 1, 2 and 3
Show Answer
SHS 2026 combines cleanliness drives with public participation and welfare measures for SafaiMitras. The campaign concludes on Gandhi Jayanti.
Source: PIB
Q14. With reference to the revised EPFO wage ceiling that became effective on 17 September 2026, consider the following statements:
1. The wage ceiling for mandatory EPFO coverage was increased from ₹15,000 to ₹25,000 per month.
2. More than 51 lakh additional employees are expected to come within mandatory EPFO coverage.
3. Expanded coverage can provide access to provident-fund savings, pension protection under EPS and insurance protection under EDLI.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
- 1 and 2 only
- 2 and 3 only
- 1 and 3 only
- 1, 2 and 3
Show Answer
The higher wage ceiling expands statutory social-security coverage. EPF provides savings, EPS provides pension protection and EDLI provides insurance protection.
Source: PIB
Q15. With reference to the National Pharmacovigilance Week 2026, consider the following statements:
1. It is being observed from 17 to 23 September 2026.
2. The Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission serves as the National Coordination Centre for the Pharmacovigilance Programme of India.
3. Pharmacovigilance primarily deals with identifying and monitoring adverse effects and other medicine-related safety problems.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
- 1 and 2 only
- 2 and 3 only
- 1 and 3 only
- 1, 2 and 3
Show Answer
The sixth National Pharmacovigilance Week focuses on rational use of medicines and greater reporting of adverse drug reactions. IPC coordinates the Pharmacovigilance Programme of India.
Source: PIB
