Daily Current Affairs Quiz for UPSC : 18 Nov 2025

Consider the following statements regarding the Forest Conservation Act (FCA), 1980 and its recent amendments:

1. Under the FCA, the term “forest” applies not only to legally notified forests but also to lands that qualify as forests based on dictionary meaning or tree cover, even if not formally recorded.

2. The 2023 amendments to the FCA exempt land within 100 km of international borders from prior Central Government approval for strategic linear projects.

3. The FCA is applicable to all private forests, and no exemption or relaxation exists for lands converted prior to the enactment of the Act.

Which of the above statements is/are correct?

Consider the following statements about Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) in India:

1. A tribe can be classified as a PVTG only if it shows declining or stagnant population, pre-agricultural level of technology, and extremely low literacy—all three criteria must be simultaneously met.

2. All PVTGs are automatically included under the Scheduled Tribes (ST) list, as PVTG is a constitutional sub-category deriving its authority from Article 342.

3. The PVTG list is notified exclusively by the Central Government, and States have no role in proposing additions or deletions.

Which of the above statements is/are correct?

Consider the following statements regarding the Central Bureau of Communication (CBC):

1. Before receiving its current name, the CBC functioned as the Bureau of Outreach & Communication (BOC), which itself was formed by merging three separate publicity-related divisions of the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting.

2. CBC was created by merging DAVP and DFP, but the Song & Drama Division (S&DD) continued to operate independently until 2022.

3. CBC operates directly under the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) because it is the central body responsible for government-wide communication strategies.

Which of the above statements is/are correct?

What  is /are true about the 9th Rate Structure Committee (RSC)?

1. The 9th Rate Structure Committee (RSC) is constituted by the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting.
2. Its primary function is to decide how much the government pays newspapers for publishing advertisements via the Central Bureau of Communication (CBC).
3.The committee also regulates editorial content in newspapers to ensure compliance with government guidelines.