UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Under India’s Chairship, 16th BRICS Agriculture Ministers’ Meeting Concludes in Indore, Madhya Pradesh

Q1. With reference to the 16th BRICS Agriculture Ministers' Meeting that adopted the 'Indore Declaration' in June 2026, which one of the following Union Ministries was the nodal/host ministry for convening this meeting in India?

  • A. Ministry of External Affairs
  • B. Ministry of Commerce and Industry
  • C. Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare
  • D. Ministry of Food Processing Industries

Q2. In the context of the Indore Declaration adopted at the 16th BRICS Agriculture Ministers' Meeting (June 2026), the initiative referred to as 'BRICS AgriN' stands for which one of the following?

  • A. Agro Inputs, Genetic Resources and Information Network
  • B. Agricultural Insurance and Risk Indemnity Network
  • C. Agroecology, Green Innovation and Resilience Initiative
  • D. Agricultural Goods, Regional Imports and Negotiations forum

Q3. The term 'BRIC', from which the present-day BRICS grouping derives its name, was originally coined in which one of the following contexts?

  • A. A 2001 Goldman Sachs investment research paper on major emerging economies
  • B. A 2006 joint communiqué of the Foreign Ministers of Brazil, Russia, India and China
  • C. A 2009 declaration adopted at the first BRIC Summit in Yekaterinburg
  • D. A 2003 UNCTAD report classifying high-growth developing economies

Q4. Which one of the following countries was the first to be admitted to the original BRIC grouping, thereby transforming it into BRICS?

  • A. South Africa
  • B. Egypt
  • C. Iran
  • D. Indonesia

Q5. India holds the BRICS Chairship in 2026. This is the which one of the following times that India is chairing BRICS?

  • A. Second
  • B. Third
  • C. Fourth
  • D. Fifth

Q6. Under India's BRICS Chairship 2026, which one of the following is the nodal Union Ministry for the BRICS Agriculture Working Group (BAWG) and the 16th BRICS Agriculture Ministers' Meeting held at Indore?

  • A. Ministry of External Affairs
  • B. Ministry of Commerce and Industry
  • C. Ministry of Food Processing Industries
  • D. Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare

Q7. With reference to BRICS agriculture-track cooperation under India's BRICS Chairship 2026, consider the following statements: 1. The 15th BRICS Agriculture Ministers' Meeting was held in Brasília under Brazil's BRICS Presidency in 2025. 2. The 16th BRICS Agriculture Ministers' Meeting at Indore (June 2026) endorsed the launch of BRICS AgriN (Agro Input, Genetic Resources and Information Network), with India as its coordinating country. 3. The Indore Ministerial was preceded by a BRICS Agriculture Working Group (BAWG) meeting held in Indore from 9–11 June 2026. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. The 15th BRICS Agriculture Ministers' Meeting was held in Brasília under Brazil's BRICS Presidency in 2025.
  2. The 16th BRICS Agriculture Ministers' Meeting at Indore (June 2026) endorsed the launch of BRICS AgriN (Agro Input, Genetic Resources and Information Network), with India as its coordinating country.
  3. The Indore Ministerial was preceded by a BRICS Agriculture Working Group (BAWG) meeting held in Indore from 9–11 June 2026.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q8. The BRICS Agricultural Research Platform (BARP), whose enhancement was reaffirmed at the 16th BRICS Agriculture Ministers' Meeting (Indore, 2026), is institutionally hosted by which one of the following BRICS founding member countries?

  • A. Brazil
  • B. Russia
  • C. India
  • D. China

Q9. With reference to the 16th BRICS Agriculture Ministers' Meeting held at Indore (June 2026), consider the following as officially declared thematic priority areas under India's Chairship: 1. Food Security, Nutrition and Livelihoods 2. Agriculture Trade and Cooperation 3. Regenerative Farming, Climate-Resilient and Sustainable Agriculture 4. Phasing out of Agricultural Input Subsidies through a BRICS Common Framework Which of the above is/are NOT correctly identified as an official priority area?

  1. Food Security, Nutrition and Livelihoods
  2. Agriculture Trade and Cooperation
  3. Regenerative Farming, Climate-Resilient and Sustainable Agriculture
  4. Phasing out of Agricultural Input Subsidies through a BRICS Common Framework
  • A. 4 only
  • B. 1 and 2
  • C. 3 only
  • D. 2 and 4

Q10. Under the WTO Agreement on Agriculture — repeatedly invoked by India and reaffirmed by the BRICS Agriculture Ministers at Indore (June 2026) — which one of the following categories of domestic support is the principal one subject to reduction commitments and the de minimis ceiling?

  • A. Green Box
  • B. Blue Box
  • C. Amber Box
  • D. Development Box

Q11. Under the WTO Agreement on Agriculture, what is the de minimis ceiling on product-specific and non-product-specific trade-distorting domestic support for developing countries, expressed as a percentage of the value of agricultural production — a threshold central to India's demand at BRICS Indore (2026) for a permanent solution on public stockholding?

  • A. 5%
  • B. 8%
  • C. 10%
  • D. 15%

Q12. At which BRICS Summit was the Agreement establishing the New Development Bank (NDB) signed?

  • A. 4th BRICS Summit, New Delhi (2012)
  • B. 5th BRICS Summit, Durban (2013)
  • C. 6th BRICS Summit, Fortaleza (2014)
  • D. 7th BRICS Summit, Ufa (2015)

Q13. With reference to BRICS institutions, the Contingent Reserve Arrangement (CRA) is best described as a mechanism to:

  • A. finance long-term infrastructure and sustainable development projects in member and other emerging economies
  • B. provide short-term liquidity support to member countries facing balance-of-payments pressures through currency swaps
  • C. settle cross-border retail payments among BRICS members using a common digital payment platform
  • D. pool foreign exchange reserves to jointly intervene in global commodity markets and stabilise commodity prices