Free daily practice · Prelims and Mains
Daily Current Affairs Quiz 25 October 2026
Daily Current Affairs Quiz · Free
How it works
- 20 questions from 25 October’s current affairs, 20 minutes.
- Test timer counts down and submits at zero; a clock on each question shows your time.
- +2 for right, −0.67 for wrong; blanks carry no penalty.
- Answers, explanations and your time per question appear after you submit.
- Your first attempt today is ranked (ties go to less time); later attempts are practice.
- Free, no login. Mains practice with model answers is below.
Mains practice
2 questions · write first, then compareGS-215 marks250 words
Q1. Inter-State river water disputes flare up in every year of a weak monsoon. In the light of the recent directions on Cauvery water, examine the institutional mechanism for resolving such disputes and suggest reforms.
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Introduction: The Cauvery Water Regulation Committee has directed Karnataka to ensure 3,000 cusecs a day at Biligundlu for 15 days (about 3.88 tmcft), endorsed by the Cauvery Water Management Authority. Tamil Nadu had sought 18.402 tmcft, including a claimed backlog, while Karnataka cited a 55.35% shortfall in inflows and drought in 226 of its 240 taluks.
The mechanism: Article 262 lets Parliament provide for adjudication of inter-State river disputes and bar courts. The Inter-State River Water Disputes Act, 1956 sets up tribunals; the Cauvery tribunal gave its award in 2007, modified by the Supreme Court in 2018, which also led to the Cauvery Water Management Authority and its Regulation Committee for day-to-day releases.
Weaknesses: tribunals take decades; awards are framed for normal years and leave distress sharing contested; States dispute each other's data; awards are often challenged, and compliance depends on political will.
Reforms: (1) a permanent tribunal with fixed timelines, as proposed in the Inter-State River Water Disputes (Amendment) Bill; (2) a clear distress-sharing formula; (3) shared real-time telemetry of inflows, storage and releases; (4) basin-level planning with water-efficient crops and groundwater management; (5) regular dialogue between the States' water departments.
Conclusion: Strong institutions exist on paper; trusted data, quicker decisions and lower demand on the river can turn every dry year from a political fight into a technical exercise.
205 words · Battle IAS model answer
GS-315 marks250 words
Q2. Reports of vehicle and licence data from government portals being sold online for a few rupees expose gaps in India's data governance. Discuss the challenges in protecting citizens' data held by public portals and suggest measures, with reference to the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023.
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Introduction: The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has asked the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team for a forensic audit of the VAHAN, SARATHI, e-Challan and pollution-certificate portals after an investigation found owners' names, addresses, phone numbers and licence details being sold for as little as ₹5. A Right to Information reply showed 25,314 credentials with private entities ran 1.708 crore searches in 33 months. Records of over 500 film titles were also exposed from the film certification portal.
Challenges: (1) wide data-sharing through the National Transport Repository and thousands of private log-ins; (2) weak logging and audit, so leaks are hard to trace; (3) resale through apps and messaging channels; (4) low awareness among citizens; (5) slow enforcement.
The legal frame: the Puttaswamy judgment (2017) made privacy a fundamental right. The Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 requires data fiduciaries, including government bodies, to use data for lawful purposes and take reasonable security safeguards, with penalties up to ₹250 crore and a Data Protection Board. Section 70B of the Information Technology Act, 2000 makes the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team the incident-response agency.
Measures: (1) fewer credentials and purpose-based access; (2) a record of every query and regular security audits; (3) quick takedown of apps reselling data; (4) breach notice to affected people; (5) penalties for both leakers and buyers; (6) privacy-by-design in public portals.
Conclusion: Digital public infrastructure earns trust only when the State guards citizens' data as strictly as it collects it.
225 words · Battle IAS model answer