DAILY PRELIMS CA — 8 SEPTEMBER

Context: Central Government appointed a new Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson, and Members to the 10th NCSK tenure up to March 2028.
Nature: Non-statutory body under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.
Evolution: Created as a statutory body under NCSK Act, 1993; lapsed on February 29, 2004.
Tenure: Extended periodically through Central Government executive resolutions; currently till March 31, 2028.
Composition: 1 Chairperson + 1 Vice-Chairperson + 5 Members (includes at least 1 woman).
Rank: Chairperson holds status of Union Minister of State; Members hold Secretary-level status.
Statutory Mandate: Exercises monitoring and advisory powers under Section 31 of MS Act, 2013.
Powers: Recommends policies, investigates grievances and takes suo motu cognizance of rights violations.
Compensation Monitoring: Oversees SC-mandated ₹30 lakh for sewer deaths + ₹10–20 lakh for disability.

Context: Seven core OPEC+ nations decided to keep crude oil production targets unchanged for October.
Formation: Formed in 2016 via the Declaration of Cooperation signed in Vienna, Austria.
OPEC Origins: Founded in 1960 at the Baghdad Conference by five founding members — Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela.
Composition: Consists of core OPEC members plus 10 non-OPEC oil producers, led by Russia.
Global Share: Controls approximately 50% of total global crude oil production.
Monitoring Body: Uses the Joint Ministerial Monitoring Committee (JMMC) for market intelligence and policy coordination.
Price Benchmarks: Output decisions directly affect global oil benchmarks including Brent and West Texas Intermediate (WTI).

Context: NITI Aayog launched PACT and ZET Marketplace at the 5th e-FAST India Summit.
Nodal Agency: Spearheaded by NITI Aayog.
Nature: India’s first national collaborative platform dedicated to freight electrification.
Focus: Accelerating adoption in medium- and heavy-duty vehicles (MHDVs).
Objective: Decarbonize road freight transport to support India’s Net-Zero 2070 target.
PACT: Platform for Aggregating Clean Transport; consolidates demand from cargo shippers and logistics providers.
ZET Marketplace: Interactive B2B ecosystem connecting Zero-Emission Truck OEMs, fleet operators and CPOs.

Context: Luxembourg supported India’s bid for a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council.
Nature: Landlocked grand duchy in northwestern Europe; constitutional monarchy + parliamentary democracy.
Capital: Luxembourg City.
Border Nations: Shares borders with 3 countries — Belgium, France and Germany.
Oesling Highlands: Northern third forming part of the Ardennes mountain plateau; forested hills + schist-sandstone formations.
Bon Pays (Gutland): Southern two-thirds comprising agricultural lowlands; sandstone and limestone cuestas.
River System: Drained primarily by Sûre (Sauer) River; Alzette River forms central axis through the capital.
Moselle Valley: Southeastern border region along the Moselle River; distinct microclimate supporting vineyards.

PRELIMS CA 8 SEPT 2026