UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Raksha Mantri holds bilateral meetings with his Kyrgyz, Kazakh & Belarusian counterparts in Bishkek to further strengthen defence cooperation

Q1. The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Defence Ministers' Meeting is held annually. India has hosted and presided over this meeting only once so far, during its SCO Presidency. Under whose chairship was that edition of the SCO Defence Ministers' Meeting conducted by India in 2023?

  • A. Shri Rajnath Singh
  • B. Dr. S. Jaishankar
  • C. Shri Amit Shah
  • D. Shri Ajit Doval

Q2. With reference to the current full members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation as of 2026, consider the following: 1. Iran 2. Belarus 3. Turkmenistan 4. Pakistan Which of the above are correctly identified as full member states of the SCO?

  1. Iran
  2. Belarus
  3. Turkmenistan
  4. Pakistan
  • A. 1 and 4 only
  • B. 2, 3 and 4 only
  • C. 1, 2 and 4 only
  • D. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Q3. With reference to the Raksha Mantri's engagements on the sidelines of the SCO Defence Ministers' Meeting held at Bishkek in April 2026, consider the following statements: 1. He held bilateral meetings with the Defence Ministers of Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Belarus. 2. He gifted two BHISHM Aarogya Maitri Health Cubes to Kazakhstan for humanitarian assistance and disaster relief. 3. He also had brief interactions with the Defence Ministers of China and Russia. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. He held bilateral meetings with the Defence Ministers of Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Belarus.
  2. He gifted two BHISHM Aarogya Maitri Health Cubes to Kazakhstan for humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.
  3. He also had brief interactions with the Defence Ministers of China and Russia.
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 1 and 3 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q4. The gifting of BHISHM Health Cubes to Kyrgyzstan and the provisioning of computer systems and wargaming software to Kyrgyz military institutions, agreed at Bishkek in April 2026, are implemented by which Ministry of the Government of India?

  • A. Ministry of Defence
  • B. Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
  • C. Ministry of External Affairs
  • D. Ministry of Home Affairs

Q5. A single BHISHM (Aarogya Maitri) Health Cube is designed to provide emergency medical treatment for up to how many casualties?

  • A. 100 casualties
  • B. 150 casualties
  • C. 200 casualties
  • D. 250 casualties

Q6. With reference to the BHISHM Aarogya Maitri Health Cube, consider the following statements: 1. It is an indigenously developed mobile hospital, and India had earlier gifted such cubes to Ukraine before the Kyrgyzstan gift. 2. The cube is air-droppable and has been para-dropped in a high-altitude area using the C-130J Super Hercules aircraft. 3. The 'Aarogya Maitri' initiative under which the cube falls was first announced at the G20 Summit in New Delhi. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. It is an indigenously developed mobile hospital, and India had earlier gifted such cubes to Ukraine before the Kyrgyzstan gift.
  2. The cube is air-droppable and has been para-dropped in a high-altitude area using the C-130J Super Hercules aircraft.
  3. The 'Aarogya Maitri' initiative under which the cube falls was first announced at the G20 Summit in New Delhi.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 1 and 3 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q7. Kyrgyzstan, the host of the April 2026 SCO Defence Ministers' Meeting, shares its land borders with how many countries?

  • A. 3
  • B. 4
  • C. 5
  • D. 6

Q8. Among the full member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, which one is the largest by geographical area?

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