UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — India-Trinidad pact to help diaspora trace ancestral roots: Jaishankar
Q1. The National Archives of India, which signed the May 2026 archival cooperation MoU with Trinidad and Tobago, derives its statutory mandate for the management and preservation of public records of the Central Government primarily from which one of the following?
- A. The Right to Information Act, 2005
- B. The Public Records Act, 1993
- C. The Indian Treasure Trove Act, 1878
- D. The Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958
Q2. With reference to the Girmitya (indentured labour) legacy that anchored the May 2026 India–Trinidad and Tobago archival MoU, consider the following overseas territories:
1. Fiji
2. Trinidad and Tobago
3. Mauritius
4. Philippines
Which of the above are correctly identified as destinations to which Indian indentured labourers were transported under the British-era indenture system?
- Fiji
- Trinidad and Tobago
- Mauritius
- Philippines
- A. 1 and 3 only
- B. 2 and 4 only
- C. 1, 2 and 3 only
- D. 1, 2, 3 and 4
Q3. The National Archives of India, which is the Indian party to the May 2026 archival cooperation MoU with Trinidad and Tobago, functions as an Attached Office under which one of the following Union Ministries?
- A. Ministry of External Affairs
- B. Ministry of Education
- C. Ministry of Information and Broadcasting
- D. Ministry of Culture
Q4. In the context of the May 2026 India–Trinidad and Tobago archival MoU, the term 'Girmitya' refers to:
- A. Indian labourers transported under the British indenture system, the word being derived from a local pronunciation of the English word 'agreement'
- B. A class of free Indian merchants who voluntarily settled in the Caribbean after 1917 under the Colonial Emigration Act
- C. Plantation slaves of African origin who were absorbed into the Indian diaspora in Trinidad after the abolition of slavery in 1833
- D. Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs) holding registration under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2003 specifically in Caribbean states
Q5. With reference to the May 2026 archival cooperation MoU signed between the National Archives of India and Trinidad and Tobago vis-à-vis India's earlier diaspora outreach instruments, consider the following statements:
1. While the Know India Programme of the Ministry of External Affairs targets short-term immersion visits for diaspora youth, the May 2026 MoU is institutionally focused on digitisation and exchange of archival records of Indian indentured labourers.
2. Unlike the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention — which is primarily a commemorative and engagement platform — the May 2026 MoU produces a concrete bilateral archival deliverable tied to the proposed Girmitya Studies Centre.
3. The May 2026 archival MoU is the first-ever bilateral instrument of any kind signed between India and Trinidad and Tobago.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- While the Know India Programme of the Ministry of External Affairs targets short-term immersion visits for diaspora youth, the May 2026 MoU is institutionally focused on digitisation and exchange of archival records of Indian indentured labourers.
- Unlike the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention — which is primarily a commemorative and engagement platform — the May 2026 MoU produces a concrete bilateral archival deliverable tied to the proposed Girmitya Studies Centre.
- The May 2026 archival MoU is the first-ever bilateral instrument of any kind signed between India and Trinidad and Tobago.
- A. 1 only
- B. 1 and 2 only
- C. 2 and 3 only
- D. 1, 2 and 3