UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Union Minister Shri G. Kishan Reddy and UK Foreign Secretary Rt Hon Yvette Cooper MP Launch India–UK Critical Minerals Global Supply Chain Observatory

Q1. The India-UK Critical Minerals Global Supply Chain Observatory (GSCO), launched in June 2026, is led on the Indian side exclusively by which one of the following Union Ministries?

  • A. Ministry of External Affairs
  • B. Ministry of Coal and Mines
  • C. Ministry of Commerce and Industry
  • D. Ministry of Science and Technology

Q2. The principal Indian institutional partner anchoring the India-UK Critical Minerals Global Supply Chain Observatory (GSCO) is the technology innovation foundation TEXMiN, which is hosted by which one of the following institutes?

  • A. IIT Bombay
  • B. IIT Kharagpur
  • C. IIT (ISM) Dhanbad
  • D. IIT Roorkee

Q3. With reference to the National Critical Mineral Mission (NCMM), consider the following statements:

  1. It was approved by the Union Cabinet in January 2025 for a period of seven years from 2024-25 to 2030-31.
  2. Its aggregate outlay of about Rs.34,300 crore includes both budgetary expenditure and expected investment by Public Sector Undertakings.
  3. Its scope spans the entire value chain from exploration and mining to processing and recycling of end-of-life products.
  4. It is implemented with the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change as the nodal ministry.
  • A. 1, 2 and 3 only
  • B. 1, 3 and 4 only
  • C. 2 and 4 only
  • D. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Q4. Which one of the following is the nodal Union ministry for implementing the National Critical Mineral Mission (NCMM) approved in 2025?

  • A. Ministry of Mines
  • B. Ministry of Heavy Industries
  • C. Ministry of New and Renewable Energy
  • D. Ministry of Science and Technology

Q5. How many minerals were omitted from the list of 'atomic minerals' (Part B of the First Schedule) by the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Act, 2023?

  • A. Four
  • B. Six
  • C. Twelve
  • D. Twenty-four

Q6. In the context of the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957 as amended in 2023, which one of the following best describes a 'Composite Licence'?

  • A. A two-stage mineral concession comprising a prospecting licence followed by a mining lease over the same area
  • B. A licence that authorises only reconnaissance surveys over multiple contiguous mineral blocks
  • C. A licence granted exclusively to public sector undertakings for the extraction of atomic minerals
  • D. A licence that allows a State Government to auction any notified mineral without prior approval of the Centre

Q7. The Mineral Security Partnership (MSP), of which India is a member, is led by which one of the following?

  • A. United States Department of State
  • B. United States Department of Energy
  • C. United States Geological Survey
  • D. United States Department of Commerce

Q8. Including India, how many members does the Mineral Security Partnership (MSP) currently have?

  • A. 12
  • B. 13
  • C. 14
  • D. 15

Q9. With reference to the 'India-UK Vision 2035' endorsed in 2025, which of the following are correctly identified as its pillars?

  1. Growth and jobs anchored in an ambitious bilateral trade deal
  2. Education and skills partnership, including overseas university campuses
  3. Transformative climate partnership covering clean energy and climate finance
  4. Defence and security cooperation focused on the Trans-Atlantic region
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 1, 2 and 3 only
  • C. 2, 3 and 4 only
  • D. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Q10. Consider the following statements regarding the 'India-UK Vision 2035' as compared with the earlier 'India-UK Roadmap 2030':

  1. Vision 2035 was endorsed during the UK Prime Minister's State Visit to New Delhi, whereas Roadmap 2030 had been launched in London.
  2. Vision 2035 explicitly builds on the Technology Security Initiative to frame cooperation on critical minerals, a mechanism absent from Roadmap 2030.
  3. The signing of the India-UK Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) was a milestone associated with Vision 2035.
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 1 and 2 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q11. The list of 30 'Critical Minerals for India', released in 2023, was prepared on the recommendations of a committee constituted by which one of the following?

  • A. NITI Aayog
  • B. Ministry of Mines
  • C. Geological Survey of India
  • D. Indian Bureau of Mines

Q12. With reference to the list of 30 'Critical Minerals for India' released by the Ministry of Mines in 2023, which of the following are included in the list?

  1. Lithium
  2. Cobalt
  3. Bauxite
  4. Manganese
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 2 and 4
  • C. 1, 2 and 4
  • D. 3 only

Q13. In the context of global critical mineral supply chains, the term 'Lithium Triangle' refers to which one of the following?

  • A. The cluster of three South American countries—Argentina, Bolivia and Chile—that together hold over two-thirds of the world's known lithium reserves
  • B. A trilateral mining cooperation framework signed between India, Australia and Chile under the Mineral Security Partnership
  • C. The triangular cell geometry used in next-generation solid-state lithium-ion battery modules for electric vehicles
  • D. A geological belt in the Andes containing co-located deposits of lithium, cobalt and nickel that supplies most EV cathode metals

Q14. With reference to critical minerals used in electric vehicles, consider the following minerals. Which of them are NOT primarily used as cathode materials in lithium-ion EV batteries, but are instead used mainly in permanent magnets for EV traction motors?

  1. Cobalt
  2. Neodymium
  3. Nickel
  4. Dysprosium
  • A. 1 and 3
  • B. 2 and 4
  • C. 1, 2 and 4
  • D. 3 only

Q15. Khanij Bidesh India Limited (KABIL), set up to secure overseas supply of critical and strategic minerals for India, functions under the administrative control of which one of the following Union Ministries?

  • A. Ministry of Mines
  • B. Ministry of Coal
  • C. Ministry of Commerce and Industry
  • D. Ministry of External Affairs

Q16. Among the Central Public Sector Enterprises that constitute Khanij Bidesh India Limited (KABIL), which one holds the largest equity share and acts as the lead promoter?

  • A. National Aluminium Company Limited (NALCO)
  • B. Hindustan Copper Limited (HCL)
  • C. Mineral Exploration and Consultancy Limited (MECL)
  • D. Coal India Limited (CIL)