1. With reference to the geography, ecology, and recent governance issues concerning the Aravalli Range, consider the following statements:

1. Guru Shikhar and Ser, the two highest peaks of the Aravalli Range, are located in two different districts of Rajasthan.

2. The Aravalli Range acts as a major hydrological divide separating the Indus River basin to the west from the Ganga River basin to the east.

3. Rivers such as the Luni, Sabarmati, and Banas originate in the Aravalli Range.

4. The Supreme Court-appointed High-Powered Committee on the Aravallis was constituted exclusively to demarcate boundary lines for state-wise commercial mining concessions.

Which of the statements given above are correct?

(a) 1 and 4 only

(b) 2 and 3 only

(c) 2, 3 and 4 only

(d) 1, 2, 3, and 4

2. With reference to the geopolitical implications and strategic context of the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement (2026), consider the following statements:

1. The agreement establishes a collective deterrence mechanism among Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan, stipulating that an external armed attack on any member state shall be treated as an attack on all.

2. The agreement formally created a binding military coalition that explicitly mandates nuclear-sharing arrangements between Pakistan and the Arabian Peninsula states.

3. The pact reflects a strategic shift among regional powers toward multi-aligned, non-Western security frameworks to mitigate security uncertainties and hedge against fluctuating U.S. security guarantees in West Asia.

4. Membership in the Mecca Defence Agreement is strictly restricted to foundational charter members, prohibiting any other regional or partner states from joining future security initiatives.

Which of the statements given above are correct?

(a) 1 and 3 only

(b) 1, 2, and 4 only

(c) 2 and 3 only

(d) 1, 3, and 4 only

3. With reference to the development of Inland Water Transport (IWT) and National Waterways in India, consider the following statements:

1. Under the Constitution of India, the power to declare any stretch of an inland waterway as a 'National Waterway' lies exclusively with the Union Parliament by law.

2. The Jalvahak Scheme provides financial incentives to cargo operators to encourage a modal shift of freight from road and rail to inland waterways.

3. Upon declaring a river stretch as a National Waterway, the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) automatically acquires sole statutory ownership over the river's water resources, overriding state irrigation rights.

4. Under the National Waterways Act, 2016, all 111 notified National Waterways are 100% centrally funded projects.

Which of the statements given above are correct?

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 1, 2, and 4 only

(c) 2 and 3 only

(d) 1, 3, and 4 only

4. With reference to key rural schemes implemented through Women Self-Help Groups (SHGs) in India, consider the following statements:

1. Under the Namo Drone Didi scheme, Central Financial Assistance covering up to 80% of the drone package cost (subject to a maximum ceiling) is provided to selected Women SHGs for offering agricultural drone rental services to farmers.

2. The Lakhpati Didi initiative operates as a independent, standalone Centrally Sponsored Scheme with a dedicated annual budgetary allocation separate from DAY-NRLM.

3. The Start-up Village Entrepreneurship Programme (SVEP), a sub-scheme under DAY-NRLM, supports rural SHG members in establishing non-farm micro-enterprises by building a cadre of local Community Resource Persons for Enterprise Promotion (CRP-EP).

4. Under the Aajeevika Gramin Express Yojana (AGEY), SHGs or their federations operate alternative transport services in backward rural areas using interest-free loans provided from the Community Investment Fund (CIF).

Which of the statements given above are correct?

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 1, 3, and 4 only

(c) 2 and 4 only

(d) 1, 2, 3, and 4

5. With reference to the official classification and meteorological mechanisms of "Cloudburst" incidents in India, consider the following statements:

1. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), a rainfall event is officially classified as a cloudburst only when a region receives precipitation of 100 mm or more within one hour over a geographical area of approximately 20 to 30 square kilometers.

2. The core meteorological mechanism driving a cloudburst involves strong vertical updrafts within Cumulonimbus clouds that temporarily suspend heavy volumes of water droplets, preventing them from falling to the ground.

3. Because cloudbursts are strictly triggered by orographic lifting, they can’t occur in the plains and are confined to the Himalayan and Western Ghats regions.

4. Using the network of Doppler Weather Radars (DWR), the IMD can currently predict the exact location and intensity of a cloudburst at least 24 to 48 hours in advance.

Which of the statements given above are correct?

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 1, 2, and 3 only

(c) 3 and 4 only

(d) 1, 2, and 4 only