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

Q1. 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?

  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.
  • A. 1 and 3 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1 and 2 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

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?

  • A. A statutory regulator of petroleum and natural gas markets set up under the PNGRB Act, 2006
  • B. A special purpose vehicle under the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas that builds and manages emergency crude oil storage
  • C. An inter-ministerial body that auctions hydrocarbon blocks under the HELP framework
  • D. A joint venture of public sector oil-marketing companies for upstream exploration abroad

Q3. 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)?

  1. Visakhapatnam
  2. Padur
  3. Bikaner
  4. Jaisalmer
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 1, 2 and 3 only
  • C. 2, 3 and 4 only
  • D. 1, 2, 3 and 4

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?

  • A. Saudi Arabia
  • B. Iraq
  • C. Russia
  • D. United Arab Emirates

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?

  • A. Two
  • B. Three
  • C. Four
  • D. Six
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