Free daily practice · Prelims and Mains
Daily Current Affairs Quiz 8 November 2026
Daily Current Affairs Quiz · Free
How it works
- 20 questions from 8 November’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-315 marks250 words
Q1. Ten years after demonetisation, currency with the public as a share of Gross Domestic Product is back above its 2016 level even as digital payments have grown sharply. Critically examine the outcomes of demonetisation against its stated objectives.
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Introduction: On 8 November 2016, ₹500 and ₹1,000 notes, about 86% of the currency by value, ceased to be legal tender. The stated aims were to curb black money, counterfeit currency and terror funding, and to push a less-cash economy.
Outcomes against objectives: (1) Cash: currency with the public was 11.9% of Gross Domestic Product in 2015-16 and is 12.1% in 2025-26, so the economy has not become less cash-dependent. (2) Digital payments: Unified Payments Interface transactions grew from almost nothing to nearly 91% of Gross Domestic Product in value by 2025-26, a lasting change helped by cheap data and the India Stack. (3) Counterfeits: fake notes detected per crore notes fell from 70.1 to 13.4, but detection of fake ₹500 notes, and earlier of ₹2,000 notes, rose. (4) Black money: almost all demonetised notes returned to the banking system, suggesting black money was held mostly in other assets. (5) Costs: short-term disruption to the informal sector, small businesses and farm trade.
Lessons: a one-time cash withdrawal cannot fix structural problems; tax compliance, data-driven enforcement, property and political funding reforms, and steady digital adoption work better.
Conclusion: Demonetisation accelerated digital payments and formalisation, but its core aims of reducing cash and black money were not met; durable reforms rather than shocks deliver these goals.
Battle IAS model answer
GS-215 marks250 words
Q2. The Karnataka High Court has held that the Enforcement Directorate's power is 'derivative and not original' and that it is not a 'super cop'. Discuss the need to balance the powers of investigative agencies with personal liberty and the separation of powers.
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Introduction: The Enforcement Directorate probes money laundering under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002, which depends on a scheduled (predicate) offence. When it found signs of a job scam in a milk union and the police did not act, it filed its own private complaint; the High Court quashed it, holding that under Section 66(2) the agency must only share information with the proper agency.
Why limits matter: (1) Separation of powers and checks and balances: each agency acts within the field the law gives it. (2) Personal liberty under Article 21: the Act's strict bail conditions and wide powers of search and arrest make overreach costly for citizens. (3) Federal balance: policing and public order are State subjects; an agency starting probes on its own can bypass State police. (4) Low conviction rates compared with the number of cases raise concerns of misuse.
Why strong agencies are still needed: money laundering is complex and cross-border; the Financial Action Task Force expects effective enforcement; the Supreme Court upheld most provisions of the Act in Vijay Madanlal Choudhary (2022).
Way forward: clear statutory limits; time-bound probes; independent oversight; better coordination with State police through information sharing rather than parallel cases; safeguards on arrest and bail; transparency on case outcomes.
Conclusion: The ruling keeps a powerful agency within its legal field; strong but accountable agencies serve both justice and liberty.
Battle IAS model answer