Defence & Internal Security MCQs for UPSC Prelims — May 2026

Q1. The 'SAMADHAN' doctrine, an eight-pronged strategy to fight Left Wing Extremism, was enunciated by the Union Home Minister at a review meeting of LWE-affected States in which one of the following years?

• A. 2014
• B. 2017
• C. 2019
• D. 2021

Q2. In the SAMADHAN doctrine adopted by the Ministry of Home Affairs to combat Left Wing Extremism, the letter 'D' stands for which one of the following?

• A. Dashboard-based Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and Key Result Areas (KRAs)
• B. Decentralised deployment of Central Armed Police Forces in affected theatres
• C. Development of road, telecom and banking infrastructure in cleared districts
• D. Demobilisation and rehabilitation of surrendered Maoist cadres

Q3. With reference to the schemes/programmes targeted at Left Wing Extremism (LWE)-affected districts, consider the following pairings of scheme and nodal Union Ministry/Body: 1. Security Related Expenditure (SRE) Scheme — Ministry of Home Affairs 2. Road Connectivity Project for LWE Affected Areas (RCPLWEA) — Ministry of Rural Development 3. Aspirational Districts Programme — NITI Aayog 4. Special Central Assistance (SCA) for the Most LWE Affected Districts — Ministry of Rural Development Which of the above pairings is/are correctly matched?

1. Security Related Expenditure (SRE) Scheme — Ministry of Home Affairs
2. Road Connectivity Project for LWE Affected Areas (RCPLWEA) — Ministry of Rural Development
3. Aspirational Districts Programme — NITI Aayog
4. Special Central Assistance (SCA) for the Most LWE Affected Districts — Ministry of Rural Development

• A. 1, 2 and 3 only
• B. 2 and 4 only
• C. 1 and 3 only
• D. 3 and 4 only

Q4. The Road Connectivity Project for Left Wing Extremism Affected Areas (RCPLWEA), an infrastructure intervention for the most severely LWE-affected districts, is sponsored and implemented by which one of the following Union Ministries?

• A. Ministry of Home Affairs
• B. Ministry of Rural Development
• C. Ministry of Road Transport and Highways
• D. Ministry of Panchayati Raj

Q5. Within the Government of India, which one of the following is the designated nodal authority for monitoring the Left Wing Extremism situation and for implementing the Centre's counter-LWE schemes in affected States?

• A. Left Wing Extremism Division, Ministry of Home Affairs
• B. Internal Security Wing, Ministry of Defence
• C. Naxal Management Cell, Cabinet Secretariat
• D. National Security Council Secretariat, Prime Minister's Office

Q6. With reference to the origin and early history of the Naxalite movement in India, consider the following statements: 1. The Naxalbari uprising of 1967 broke out in the Darjeeling district of West Bengal. 2. Charu Majumdar, Kanu Sanyal and Jangal Santhal were among the principal leaders of the original Naxalbari uprising. 3. The Communist Party of India (Maoist) was formed in 2004 through the merger of the People's War Group and the Maoist Communist Centre. 4. The Communist Party of India (Maoist) was declared a terrorist organisation and banned under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in the same year in which the Naxalbari uprising occurred. Which of the statements given above are correct?

1. The Naxalbari uprising of 1967 broke out in the Darjeeling district of West Bengal.
2. Charu Majumdar, Kanu Sanyal and Jangal Santhal were among the principal leaders of the original Naxalbari uprising.
3. The Communist Party of India (Maoist) was formed in 2004 through the merger of the People's War Group and the Maoist Communist Centre.
4. The Communist Party of India (Maoist) was declared a terrorist organisation and banned under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in the same year in which the Naxalbari uprising occurred.

• A. 1, 2 and 3 only
• B. 2, 3 and 4 only
• C. 1, 3 and 4 only
• D. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Q7. The statutory framework under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 for declaring an organisation as a 'terrorist organisation' and listing it in the First Schedule was inserted by which one of the following enactments?

• A. The Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Amendment Act, 2004
• B. The Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Amendment Act, 2008
• C. The Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Amendment Act, 2012
• D. The Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Amendment Act, 2019

Q8. With reference to the Communist Party of India (Maoist) and its predecessor outfits, consider the following statements: 1. The CPI (Maoist) was formed in 2004 by the merger of the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) People's War with the Maoist Communist Centre of India. 2. The CPI (Maoist) is the only Left-wing extremist outfit ever to have been proscribed under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, its predecessor outfits never having been banned under that Act. 3. The CPI (Maoist), along with its formations and front organisations, was included in the list of terrorist organisations under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 in 2009. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

1. The CPI (Maoist) was formed in 2004 by the merger of the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) People's War with the Maoist Communist Centre of India.
2. The CPI (Maoist) is the only Left-wing extremist outfit ever to have been proscribed under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, its predecessor outfits never having been banned under that Act.
3. The CPI (Maoist), along with its formations and front organisations, was included in the list of terrorist organisations under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 in 2009.

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

Q9. As per the Ministry of Home Affairs' October 2025 status on Left Wing Extremism, across how many States are the remaining 11 LWE-affected districts distributed?

• A. 3
• B. 4
• C. 5
• D. 7

Q10. 'Operation Black Forest' (2025) at Karreguttalu Hill, the largest anti-Naxal action on the Chhattisgarh-Telangana border, was carried out under the operational lead of which Central Armed Police Force (CAPF)?

• A. Border Security Force (BSF)
• B. Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP)
• C. Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF)
• D. Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB)

Q11. In 2025, security forces successfully concluded 'Operation Black Forest' against Naxalites at Karreguttalu Hill on the Chhattisgarh-Telangana border. For how many days did this operation continue before being declared successful?

• A. 14 days
• B. 18 days
• C. 21 days
• D. 28 days

Q12. How many forces are presently notified as Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) under the Ministry of Home Affairs?

• A. Five
• B. Six
• C. Seven
• D. Nine

Q13. With reference to the SAMADHAN strategy of the Government of India to counter Left Wing Extremism, consider the following components: 1. Smart Leadership 2. Motivation and Training 3. Harnessing Technology 4. Neutralisation of Top Maoist Leadership Which of the above are correctly identified as components of the SAMADHAN doctrine?

1. Smart Leadership
2. Motivation and Training
3. Harnessing Technology
4. Neutralisation of Top Maoist Leadership

• A. 1, 2 and 3 only
• B. 1, 2 and 4 only
• C. 2, 3 and 4 only
• D. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Q14. Which one of the following is the nodal authority that operationalises and monitors the SAMADHAN strategy against Left Wing Extremism in India?

• A. Left Wing Extremism Division of the Ministry of Home Affairs
• B. Internal Security Division of the Ministry of Defence
• C. Counter-Terrorism and Counter-Radicalisation Division of the National Investigation Agency
• D. Police Modernisation Division of the Ministry of Home Affairs

Q15. According to the UNODC, which one of the following is the most widely manufactured and trafficked amphetamine-type stimulant (ATS) in the world?

• A. Amphetamine
• B. Methamphetamine
• C. MDMA (ecstasy)
• D. Methcathinone

Q16. The Narco-Coordination Centre (NCORD) mechanism, as restructured by the Government of India in 2019 for inter-agency coordination on drug law enforcement, comprises how many tiers?

• A. Two tiers — Apex and State
• B. Three tiers — Apex, State and District
• C. Four tiers — Apex, Executive, State and District
• D. Five tiers — Apex, Executive, Zonal, State and District

Q17. Operation RAGEPILL, under which India recorded its first-ever seizure of Captagon, was led by which one of the following agencies?

• A. Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI)
• B. Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB)
• C. Central Bureau of Narcotics (CBN)
• D. National Investigation Agency (NIA)

Q18. Operation RAGEPILL, conducted by the Narcotics Control Bureau in May 2026, marked India's first-ever seizure of which one of the following psychotropic substances?

• A. Mephedrone
• B. Methaqualone
• C. Captagon
• D. MDMA (Ecstasy)

Q19. In the context of Operation RAGEPILL (2026), the active constituents of the seized Captagon — Fenethylline and Amphetamine — are regulated in India as 'psychotropic substances' under which one of the following statutes?

• A. The Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940
• B. The Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985
• C. The Prevention of Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1988
• D. The Dangerous Drugs Act, 1930

Q20. Which one of the following has been designated as the principal online portal of the Department of Defence Production for monitoring the implementation of the Positive Indigenisation Lists notified for DPSUs and the Services?

• A. SRIJAN Portal
• B. iDEX (Innovations for Defence Excellence) Portal
• C. Defence India Startup Challenge (DISC) Portal
• D. Government e-Marketplace (GeM) Defence Window

Q21. With reference to the Naval Systems Manufacturing Facility whose foundation stone was laid in Andhra Pradesh in May 2026 for the production of heavy-weight and light-weight torpedoes and underwater weapon systems, the facility is being set up by which one of the following?

• A. Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL)
• B. Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL)
• C. Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL)
• D. Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE)

Q22. In the 2024 alert by the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) on illegal digital payment gateways being run via mule accounts by transnational organised cybercriminals, how many such illegal payment gateways were specifically named?

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

Q23. In the context of cyber financial frauds, the term 'money mule' as used by the Reserve Bank of India refers to which one of the following?

• A. A person who transfers or moves illegally acquired money on behalf of someone else through his/her own bank account
• B. A bank employee who knowingly bypasses Know Your Customer norms to onboard high-risk customers
• C. A shell company incorporated solely to receive foreign direct investment in contravention of FEMA
• D. A digital wallet whose Know Your Customer verification has lapsed and which is therefore frozen by the issuer

Q24. The Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) scheme functions under which one of the following divisions of the Ministry of Home Affairs?

• A. Internal Security Division
• B. Police-I Division
• C. Cyber and Information Security (CIS) Division
• D. Centre-State Division

Q25. Which one of the following is the nodal central agency under the Ministry of Home Affairs for coordinated action against all types of cybercrime in India?

• A. National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB)
• B. Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C)
• C. Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In)
• D. National Critical Information Infrastructure Protection Centre (NCIIPC)

Q26. On the occasion of its 75th anniversary, official records of the National Defence Academy, Khadakvasla noted that the Academy had produced the first Chief of Defence Staff, 13 Chiefs of the Army Staff and 09 Chiefs of the Air Staff. How many Chiefs of the Naval Staff had the Academy produced by the same milestone?

• A. 7
• B. 9
• C. 11
• D. 13

Q27. Consider the following pairings of military training institution and its location: 1. National Defence Academy — Khadakvasla, Maharashtra 2. Indian Naval Academy — Ezhimala, Kerala 3. Defence Services Staff College — Wellington, Tamil Nadu 4. Joint Services Command and Staff College — Sandhurst, United Kingdom Which of the pairs given above is/are NOT correctly matched?

1. National Defence Academy — Khadakvasla, Maharashtra
2. Indian Naval Academy — Ezhimala, Kerala
3. Defence Services Staff College — Wellington, Tamil Nadu
4. Joint Services Command and Staff College — Sandhurst, United Kingdom

• A. 1 and 3
• B. 2 only
• C. 4 only
• D. 2, 3 and 4

Q28. INS Himgiri, the Project 17A stealth frigate commissioned into the Indian Navy in August 2025 along with INS Udaygiri, was indigenously built by which one of the following shipyards?

• A. Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited, Mumbai
• B. Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers, Kolkata
• C. Cochin Shipyard Limited, Kochi
• D. Goa Shipyard Limited, Vasco da Gama

Q29. Which one of the following is the first and only tri-services theatre command of the Indian Armed Forces?

• A. Strategic Forces Command
• B. Western Naval Command
• C. Andaman and Nicobar Command
• D. Integrated Defence Staff

Q30. With reference to the operational/theatre commands of the Indian Armed Forces, consider the following pairings of command and its headquarters: 1. Western Naval Command — Mumbai 2. Eastern Naval Command — Visakhapatnam 3. Southern Naval Command — Karwar 4. Andaman & Nicobar Command — Port Blair Which of the above is/are correctly matched?

1. Western Naval Command — Mumbai
2. Eastern Naval Command — Visakhapatnam
3. Southern Naval Command — Karwar
4. Andaman & Nicobar Command — Port Blair

• A. 1 and 2 only
• B. 2 and 3 only
• C. 1, 2 and 4 only
• D. 1, 2, 3 and 4