Answer: (c)
Statements 3 and 4 are NOT correct, 1 and 2 are correct.
• State Bank of India is authorized to issue and encash these bonds. Hence statement 1 is correct.
• Electoral bonds are purchased anonymously by donors and are valid for 15 days from the date of issue. Hence statement 2 is correct.
• As debt instruments, these can be bought by donors from a bank, and the political party can then encash them.
• These can be redeemed only by an eligible party by depositing the same in its designated account maintained with a bank.
• The bonds are issued by SBI in denominations of Rs 1,000, Rs 10,000, Rs 1 lakh, Rs 10 lakh and Rs 1 crore. Hence statement 3 is not correct.
• The bonds are available for purchase by any citizen of India for a period of ten days each in the months of January, April, July and October as may be specified by the Central Government. Hence statement 4 is not correct.
• Note: Only the political parties registered under Section 29A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 and have secured not less than 1% of the votes polled in the last general election to the House of the People or the Legislative Assembly, are eligible to receive electoral bonds.

Answer: (a)
Right to Information is derived from the fundamental right of freedom of speech and expression under Article 19 of the Constitution.
If we do not have information on how our Government and Public Institutions function, we cannot express any informed opinion on it.
The basic object of the Right to Information Act is to empower the citizens, promote transparency and accountability in the working of the Government.

Answer: (c)
The Schengen Area is a zone comprising 26* European countries that have abolished passport and other types of border control at their mutual borders. It originated from the Schengen Agreement, which was signed in 1985 by five of the ten member states of the European Economic Community (EEC). While the Schengen Area and the European Union (EU) overlap significantly, they are not the same thing. Some EU member states are not part of the Schengen Area, and some non-EU countries are part of it.

Answer: (a)
Statement 1 and 2 are not correct, 3 is correct.
Vibrant Villages Programme
• It is a Centrally sponsored scheme, announced in the Union Budget 2022-23 (to 2025-26) for development of villages on the northern border, thus improving the quality of life of people living in identified border villages.
• It will cover the border areas of Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim and Ladakh.
• It will cover 2,963 villages with 663 of them to be covered in the first phase.
• Vibrant Village Action Plans will be created by the district administration with the help of Gram Panchayats.
• There will not be overlap with Border Area Development Programme.

Answer: (b)
Statements 1 and 3 are correct.
Statement 2 is incorrect. The National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) is the apex body in India for all wildlife-related matters. It is primarily responsible for the promotion of wildlife conservation and the development of wildlife and forests. It is a statutory body constituted under Section 5A of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 (WLPA).
It has the power to review all wildlife-related matters and approve projects in and around national parks and sanctuaries.
No alternation of boundaries in national parks and wildlife sanctuaries can be done without the approval of the National Board for Wildlife. Hence, statement 3 is correct.
Statement 1 is correct. The National Board for Wildlife has 47 members with the Prime Minister in the Chair. The Minister in charge of the MoEF in GOI is the Vice-Chairperson.