UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Russian oil imports at new low; West Asia share up

Question 1

With reference to India's crude oil import basket in January 2026 vis-a-vis earlier periods, consider the following statements:
1. Russia's share in India's crude oil imports in January 2026 was the lowest since May 2022.
2. Saudi Arabia's share in India's crude oil imports in January 2026 was higher than Russia's share in the same month.
3. Russia's share in India's crude oil imports had peaked at around one-third in May 2025.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Accepted Answer

1 and 3 only

Answer

2 and 3 only

Answer

1 and 2 only

Answer

1, 2 and 3

Question 2

In the context of India's crude oil supply security, the entity 'Indian Strategic Petroleum Reserves Limited (ISPRL)' is best described as which one of the following?

Accepted Answer

A special purpose vehicle under the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas that builds and manages emergency crude oil storage

Answer

A statutory regulator of petroleum and natural gas markets set up under the PNGRB Act, 2006

Answer

An inter-ministerial body that auctions hydrocarbon blocks under the HELP framework

Answer

A joint venture of public sector oil-marketing companies for upstream exploration abroad

Question 3

With reference to India's Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) programme, consider the following locations:
1. Visakhapatnam
2. Padur
3. Bikaner
4. Jaisalmer
Which of the above is/are correctly identified as notified Strategic Petroleum Reserve storage sites (under Phase-I or Phase-II of the SPR programme)?

Accepted Answer

1, 2 and 3 only

Answer

1 and 2 only

Answer

2, 3 and 4 only

Answer

1, 2, 3 and 4

Question 4

In January 2026, which one of the following countries was India's single largest supplier of crude oil by share of total crude oil imports?

Accepted Answer

Russia

Answer

Saudi Arabia

Answer

Iraq

Answer

United Arab Emirates

Question 5

As of 2026, India's Phase-I Strategic Petroleum Reserves with underground rock-cavern crude oil storages are operational at exactly how many coastal locations?

Accepted Answer

Three

Answer

Two

Answer

Four

Answer

Six

UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Russian oil imports at new low; West Asia share up

Q2. In the context of India's crude oil supply security, the entity 'Indian Strategic Petroleum Reserves Limited (ISPRL)' is best described as which one of the following?

Q4. In January 2026, which one of the following countries was India's single largest supplier of crude oil by share of total crude oil imports?

Q5. As of 2026, India's Phase-I Strategic Petroleum Reserves with underground rock-cavern crude oil storages are operational at exactly how many coastal locations?