• Option B is correct.

• India opposed the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) on the grounds that it does not constitute or contribute to the development of customary international law; nor does it set any new standards or norms.TPNW Prohibits participating in any nuclear weapon related activities.

• India also opposes Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) due to its discriminatory nature. CTBT bans all nuclear explosion tests on Earth.

• Chemical Weapons Convention is a multilateral treaty banning chemical weapons and requiring their destruction within the stipulated time. Negotiations for the CWC began in 1980 at the United Nations Conference on Disarmament. The convention was drafted in September 1992 and opened for signature in January 1993. It became effective from April 1997. It makes it mandatory to destroy old and abandoned chemical weapons. Members should also declare the riot-control agents (sometimes referred to as ‘tear gas’) in possession of them. Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons is an international organization established by the CWC in 1997 to implement and enforce the terms of the CWC. India is a signatory to this convention.

• Biological Weapons Convention is a key element in the international community’s efforts to address Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) proliferation and it has established a strong norm against biological weapons. WMD is a weapon with the capacity to inflict death and destruction on such a massive scale and so indiscriminately that its very presence in the hands of a hostile power can be considered a grievous threat. India is a signatory to this convention.

• Option D is correct.

• The first island chain refers to the first chain of major Pacific archipelagos out from the East Asian continental mainland coast. It is principally composed of the Kuril Islands, the Japanese archipelago, the Ryukyu Islands, Taiwan (Formosa), the northern Philippines, and Borneo, hence extending all the way from the Kamchatka Peninsula in the northeast to the Malay Peninsula in the southwest.

• Option C is correct.

• The International Energy Agency (IEA) is a Paris-based autonomous intergovernmental organisation, established in 1974, that provides policy recommendations, analysis and data on the entire global energy sector, with a recent focus on curbing carbon emissions and reaching global climate targets, including the Paris Agreement. The 31 member countries and 11 association countries of the IEA represent 75% of global energy demand.

• The IEA was set up under the framework of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis to respond to physical disruptions in global oil supplies, provide data and statistics about the global oil market and energy sector, promote energy savings and conservation. Hence, statement 1 is incorrect.

• Only OECD member states may join the IEA. Member are required to maintain total oil stock levels equivalent to at least 90 days of the previous year’s net imports.Hence,statement 2 is correct.

• In subsequent decades, the IEA’s role expanded to cover the entire global energy system, encompassing traditional fuels such as gas, and coal as well as cleaner and fast-growing energy sources and technologies including renewable energy sources; solar photovoltaics, wind power, biofuels as well as nuclear power, and hydrogen, and the critical minerals needed for these technologies.Hence,statement 3 is incorrect.

• Option C is correct.

• The Antarctic Treaty came into force in 1961 after ratification by 12 original members: Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Chile, France, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, South Africa, USSR (now Russia) , the UK, and the US. Currently 54 countries have acceded to it. India signed the treaty in 1983 and is one of the 29 Consultative Parties to the treaty. Hence, statement 2 is incorrect. • Objectives of the treaty to Demilitarize Antarctica, making it free of nuclear tests and the disposal of radioactive waste, to establish it as a zone for peaceful research activities and set aside disputes over territorial sovereignty. Hence, statement 1 is correct.

• The Treaty parties have also negotiated three international agreements which govern activities in Antarctica, collectively known as the Antarctic Treaty System.

1.Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Seals, 1972

2.Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR), 1980 (ratified by India in 1985) 3.Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty (Madrid Protocol), 1991 (signed by India in 1998).Hence,statement 3 is correct.

• Option B is correct.

• The composition of the Indian diaspora is diverse, consisting of labourers/workers, traders, political leaders, professionals as well as students and spread across the world with major concentration in U.S, Canada, UK, Australia, Gulf, E.U., South & West Africa and Girmitiya countries.

• Girmitiya countries are the countries where Indians were taken as indentured labourers during British India to work on plantations in British colonies.

• Girmitiya countries includes countries like- Fiji, Mauritius, Jamaica, South Africa, Guyana, Suriname etc.

• India with US $ 87 billions of remittances sent by diaspora is the largest recipient country of the world in 2021 and it is expected to grow by 2.6% in 2022 (World Bank report). India’s engagement with its diaspora is characterized under the rubric of 4Cs – Care, Connect, Celebrate & Contribute.

• Option C is correct.

• Bandwagoning is a situation in which a state is aligned with a stronger adversary. Bandwagoning occurs when the weaker state decides that the cost of opposing the stronger power exceeds the benefits.Hence, the weaker country sides with the stronger countries and follow the leads of stronger nation.

• Option A is correct.

• Brazilification – The hollowing-out of the middle class combined with an increase in the level of inequality. According to Ulrich Beck, ‘Brazilification’ can be attributed to the process of globalisation. Hence,pair 1 is incorrectly matched.

• Brandt line -The demarcation between the developed ‘North’ and the underdeveloped ‘South.’ The line was proposed by the former West German Chancellor Willy Brandt. Hence, pair 2 is incorrectly matched.

• Buck passing – A situation in which a state assumes that another state (or group of states) will deal with an emerging threat. Hence, pair 3 is correctly matched.

• Option B is correct.

• India and Sri Lanka have signed an MoU for the Indian public sector Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL) to set up a state of the art Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre (MRCC) in Colombo. MRCCs are part of an international network under the UN’s International Maritime Organisation.Hence,statement 1 is incorrect.

• They aim to monitor the sea lanes with the objective of swift response to emergencies, such as vessels in distress, rescue and evacuation of people, and prevention of and containing environmental disasters such as oil spills.Hence,statement 2 is correct.

• Each country is responsible for its own Search and Rescue Region (SRR).

• The work of MRCCs is co-ordinated by the Navy or Coast Guard in each country. In India, the Coast Guard is the co-ordinating agency. In Sri Lanka, it is the Navy.Hence,statement 3 is correct.

• The MRCC will be established with a grant of $6 million from India.

• Option B is correct.

• India’s imports from Australia amount to 17 US $ billion while its exports to Australia amount to 10.5 US $ billion.Hence,statement 1 is incorrect.

• However, what we need to realize is that India’s imports from Australia are primarily (96%) raw materials & intermediate goods. They are highly concentrated in Coal (74% of Australia’s exports to India) out of which 71.4% is coking coal. On the other hand, India’s exports to Australia are broad-based and dominated by finished products (consumer goods). India also spends $ 4 bn approx. each year on education of students in Australia.Hence,statement 2 is correct.

• The Agreement will benefit various labor-intensive Indian sectors that are currently subjected to 5% import duty by Australia. The agreement will result in immediate market access at zero duty to 98.3% of tariff lines accounting for 96.4% of India’s exports to Australia in value terms. The remaining 1.7% lines are to be made zero duty lines over 5 years. Overall, Australia is offering duty elimination on 100% of its tariff lines.Hence,statement 3 is incorrect.

• Option D is correct.

• India refused to sign the ‘Global Methane Pledge’, a proposal of the US and the EU to target a 30 per cent reduction in global methane emissions by 2030 over 2020 emission levels. the government gave a detailed explanation to the Parliament why it refused to sign the methane pledge. It said that fundamentally methane emissions are ‘survival’ emissions and not ‘luxury’ emissions, as in the case of the West.

• An ambitious declaration was initiated by the United Kingdom to “halt deforestation” and land degradation by 2030.It is being referred to as the Glasgow Leaders’ Declaration on Forests and Land Use.India did not sign this,as it objected to “trade” being interlinked to climate change and forest issues in the agreement.

• India established the Green Grids Initiative – One Sun One World One Grid (GGI- OSOWOG) project in collaboration with the United Kingdom at the World Leaders‘ Summit in Glasgow to create an integrated global electricity grid. The goal of this project is to connect energy systems across borders in order to accelerate the transition to renewable energy. A joint GGI-OSOWOG Secretariat is being planned to be established at the International Solar Alliance Secretariat to mobilize political support and render technical support for the initiative.