UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Cracks on campus

Q1. Under the aegis of which Union ministry were the University Grants Commission (Promotion of Equity in Higher Education Institutions) Regulations, 2026 notified?

  • A. Ministry of Education
  • B. Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment
  • C. Ministry of Tribal Affairs
  • D. Ministry of Minority Affairs

Q2. With reference to the UGC (Promotion of Equity in Higher Education Institutions) Regulations, 2026, consider the following institutional mechanisms: 1. Equity Committee chaired by the head of the institution 2. Equity Squads tasked with mobile vigilance on the campus 3. Equity Ambassadors in each department, hostel and facility 4. A State-level UGC Equity Tribunal headed by a sitting High Court judge Which of the above are correctly identified as bodies mandated by the 2026 Regulations?

  1. Equity Committee chaired by the head of the institution
  2. Equity Squads tasked with mobile vigilance on the campus
  3. Equity Ambassadors in each department, hostel and facility
  4. A State-level UGC Equity Tribunal headed by a sitting High Court judge
  • A. 1, 2 and 3 only
  • B. 1 and 4 only
  • C. 2, 3 and 4 only
  • D. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Q3. With reference to the UGC (Promotion of Equity in Higher Education Institutions) Regulations, 2026, consider the following statements: 1. They were notified by the UGC, a statutory body established under the UGC Act, 1956. 2. They replace the earlier UGC (Promotion of Equity in Higher Educational Institutions) Regulations, 2012. 3. They define 'caste-based discrimination' in Regulation 3(c) as discrimination on the basis of caste or tribe against members of SC, ST and OBC. 4. They have been upheld by the Supreme Court as consistent with Article 14 of the Constitution. Which of the statements given above is/are NOT correct?

  1. They were notified by the UGC, a statutory body established under the UGC Act, 1956.
  2. They replace the earlier UGC (Promotion of Equity in Higher Educational Institutions) Regulations, 2012.
  3. They define 'caste-based discrimination' in Regulation 3(c) as discrimination on the basis of caste or tribe against members of SC, ST and OBC.
  4. They have been upheld by the Supreme Court as consistent with Article 14 of the Constitution.
  • A. 1 and 2
  • B. 3 only
  • C. 4 only
  • D. 2 and 4

Q4. Under the UGC (Promotion of Equity in Higher Education Institutions) Regulations, 2026, who is designated as the chairperson of the Equity Committee that every higher educational institution must constitute?

  • A. The head of the institution (e.g., Vice-Chancellor / Principal / Director)
  • B. A UGC nominee from outside the institution
  • C. The senior-most SC/ST faculty member in the institution
  • D. The institution's Ombudsperson appointed by the Visitor

Q5. In the UGC (Promotion of Equity in Higher Education Institutions) Regulations, 2026, the term 'caste-based discrimination' as defined in Regulation 3(c) refers to discrimination on the basis of caste or tribe:

  • A. against members of the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes only
  • B. against any individual belonging to a notified caste or tribal community in India
  • C. against members of any social group that is historically disadvantaged in education
  • D. only against persons covered under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989