UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — India has signed MoU / agreements with 23 countries for cooperation on Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI)

Q1. Among India's India Stack / Digital Public Infrastructure layers exported abroad, which one is the flagship component now live in the largest number of foreign jurisdictions (over eight countries)?

  • A. Aadhaar
  • B. DigiLocker
  • C. Unified Payments Interface (UPI)
  • D. Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC)

Q2. India's MoUs/agreements with 23 countries for cooperation on India Stack / Digital Public Infrastructure are anchored and executed primarily by which nodal ministry?

  • A. Ministry of External Affairs
  • B. Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY)
  • C. Ministry of Finance
  • D. Ministry of Commerce and Industry

Q3. The Unified Payments Interface (UPI), the payments layer of India Stack, was launched by the National Payments Corporation of India in which year?

  • A. 2009
  • B. 2015
  • C. 2016
  • D. 2021

Q4. In the context of India Stack, an 'Account Aggregator' is best defined as which of the following?

  • A. An RBI-regulated entity that enables consent-based sharing of a customer's financial information between financial institutions, without itself viewing or storing that data
  • B. A government wallet that stores citizens' verified digital documents for paperless access
  • C. A payment switch that routes and settles all real-time retail UPI transactions
  • D. A credit bureau that compiles and sells consolidated credit scores of borrowers

Q5. Within India, all Unified Payments Interface (UPI) transactions — now extended to eight-plus foreign jurisdictions — are operated and settled solely through which organisation?

  • A. Reserve Bank of India (RBI)
  • B. National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI)
  • C. Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI)
  • D. NPCI International Payments Limited (NIPL)

Q6. In the context of UPI's cross-border linkages, the term 'PayNow' refers exclusively to which of the following?

  • A. Singapore's real-time fast payment system that has been linked with UPI for instant cross-border transfers
  • B. The QR-code brand used for UPI payments at the Eiffel Tower in France
  • C. A domestic card scheme launched jointly by India and the UAE
  • D. Sri Lanka's mobile wallet that accepts BHIM UPI QR codes

Q7. During India's G20 Presidency, the three DPI deliverables — a framework for building DPI, financing for DPI in Low- and Middle-Income Countries, and the Global DPI Repository — were endorsed under which G20 workstream?

  • A. Finance Track (Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors)
  • B. Digital Economy Working Group / Ministers' Meeting
  • C. Employment Working Group
  • D. Sherpa Track Anti-Corruption Working Group

Q8. The 'Global DPI Repository (GDPIR)' announced during India's G20 Presidency is best described as which of the following?

  • A. A virtual global knowledge repository where countries and organisations voluntarily share DPIs for exchange of information and best practices
  • B. A dedicated fund created to finance DPI adoption in the Global South
  • C. A binding treaty obliging G20 members to adopt India Stack platforms
  • D. A centralised database that stores the biometric identity records of partner countries

Q9. With reference to the India–Colombia Memorandum of Understanding on Digital Public Infrastructure, consider the following statements: 1. The MoU is aimed at sharing India's open-sourced DPIs and promoting digital transformation through the India Stack model. 2. On India's side, it was signed by the Secretary, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY). 3. Under the MoU, India commits to transferring ownership of Aadhaar's central biometric database to Colombia. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. The MoU is aimed at sharing India's open-sourced DPIs and promoting digital transformation through the India Stack model.
  2. On India's side, it was signed by the Secretary, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).
  3. Under the MoU, India commits to transferring ownership of Aadhaar's central biometric database to Colombia.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q10. With reference to NPCI International Payments Limited (NIPL), consider the following statements: 1. It is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the National Payments Corporation of India, incorporated in 2020. 2. Its mandate is to deploy India's UPI real-time payment system and RuPay card scheme outside India. 3. It operates the domestic UPI switch that settles retail UPI transactions within India. 4. It is a statutory regulator constituted by the Reserve Bank of India under the Payment and Settlement Systems Act. Which of the statements given above are correct?

  1. It is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the National Payments Corporation of India, incorporated in 2020.
  2. Its mandate is to deploy India's UPI real-time payment system and RuPay card scheme outside India.
  3. It operates the domestic UPI switch that settles retail UPI transactions within India.
  4. It is a statutory regulator constituted by the Reserve Bank of India under the Payment and Settlement Systems Act.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1, 2 and 4 only
  • D. 1, 3 and 4

Q11. The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), which forms the identity base layer of India Stack, is best described as which of the following?

  • A. A statutory authority established under the Aadhaar Act, 2016, functioning under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology
  • B. A constitutional body established by an amendment to the Constitution of India
  • C. A permanent attached office of NITI Aayog with no statutory backing
  • D. A regulatory body constituted by the Reserve Bank of India to issue digital identities