Asia Current Affairs Quiz — All time
Daily news by your exam, state and topic — each with a short summary, key facts and MCQs.
Which partner holds the largest equity share in the joint venture for the Namrup-IV ammonia-urea complex approved by the Cabinet on 19 March 2025?
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Correct answer: D — Government of Assam
The Government of Assam holds 40%, followed by NFL and OIL (18% each), HURL (13%) and BVFCL (11%).
What is the estimated total project cost of the Namrup-IV ammonia-urea complex approved by the Union Cabinet in March 2025?
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Correct answer: A — ₹10,601.40 crore
The estimated total project cost is ₹10,601.40 crore, with a 70:30 debt-equity ratio.
Consider the following statements about the Namrup-IV project approved in March 2025: 1. Oil India Limited holds 18% equity in the joint venture. 2. Brahmaputra Valley Fertilizer Corporation Limited contributes its 11% equity in cash. Which of the above is/are correct?
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Correct answer: A — 1 only
OIL holds 18% equity. BVFCL's 11% equity is in lieu of tangible assets, not cash, so statement 2 is wrong.
Which organisation is the implementation partner for C-DOT's 'Samarth' incubation programme launched on 19 March 2025?
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Correct answer: A — Software Technology Parks of India (STPI)
C-DOT selected Software Technology Parks of India (STPI), under MeitY, as the implementation partner for Samarth.
Up to how much grant can each startup selected under C-DOT's 'Samarth' incubation programme (March 2025) receive?
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Correct answer: B — ₹5 lakh
Selected startups can get a grant of up to ₹5 lakh each.
Component B of the revised National Programme for Dairy Development, 'Dairying through Cooperatives', is implemented with the cooperation of which country?
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Correct answer: D — Japan
Component B continues dairy development through cooperation with the Government of Japan and JICA in nine states.
What is the total budget of the revised National Programme for Dairy Development approved by the Cabinet on 19 March 2025?
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Correct answer: A — ₹2,790 crore
The revised NPDD was enhanced by ₹1,000 crore to a total of ₹2,790 crore for 2021-22 to 2025-26.
Major Bob Khathing, honoured at a memorial event addressed by Rajnath Singh on 19 March 2025, is credited with the peaceful integration of which place into India?
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Correct answer: A — Tawang
Rajnath Singh said Major Bob Khathing carried out the integration of Tawang into India without firing a single bullet.
Consider the following statements about the Major Bob Khathing Memorial Event of 19 March 2025: 1. It was jointly organised by the Indian Army, Assam Rifles and the United Service Institution of India. 2. Rajnath Singh credited Major Khathing with a role in the formation of the Sashastra Seema Bal and the Nagaland Armed Police. Which of the above is/are correct?
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Correct answer: C — Both 1 and 2
The fifth edition was jointly organised by the Indian Army, Assam Rifles and USI at Delhi Cantt, and Rajnath Singh highlighted Major Khathing's contribution to forming the SSB and the Nagaland Armed Police.
Which edition of the Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Awards did President Droupadi Murmu present in New Delhi on 19 March 2025?
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Correct answer: C — 19th
The President presented the 19th Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Awards on 19 March 2025.
Institutes of which university organised the symposium 'India 2047: Building a Climate-Resilient Future' with the Environment Ministry, which began in New Delhi on 19 March 2025?
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Correct answer: C — Harvard University
It was organised by the Lakshmi Mittal and Family South Asia Institute and the Salata Institute for Climate and Sustainability at Harvard University, with MoEFCC.
Under which Article of the Constitution did the Election Commission say on 18 March 2025 that the right to vote can only be given to a citizen of India, while deciding on EPIC-Aadhaar linking?
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Correct answer: D — Article 326
The ECI said that as per Article 326 of the Constitution, voting right can only be given to a citizen of India, while Aadhaar only establishes identity.
Under which law's Sections 23(4), 23(5) and 23(6) will the linking of EPIC with Aadhaar be done, as decided by the ECI on 18 March 2025?
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Correct answer: A — Representation of the People Act, 1950
The ECI decided the linking will be done as per Article 326 and Sections 23(4), 23(5) and 23(6) of the Representation of the People Act, 1950.
Where did the Election Commission of India hold its meeting with the Union Home Secretary, MeitY Secretary and UIDAI CEO on EPIC-Aadhaar linking on 18 March 2025?
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Correct answer: C — Nirvachan Sadan, New Delhi
The meeting was held at Nirvachan Sadan, New Delhi, the ECI headquarters.
Consider the following statements about the ECI's decision of 18 March 2025 on EPIC-Aadhaar linking: 1. The Commission held that Aadhaar establishes both identity and citizenship of a person. 2. The linking is to be in line with the Supreme Court judgement in WP (Civil) No. 177/2023. Which of the above is/are correct?
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Correct answer: B — 2 only
The ECI said Aadhaar only establishes identity, while voting rights under Article 326 are only for citizens, so statement 1 is wrong. The linking will follow the Supreme Court judgement in WP (Civil) No. 177/2023.
With which Bengaluru-based indigenous Generative AI company did UIDAI partner in March 2025 to bring AI voice interactions and fraud alerts to Aadhaar services?
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Correct answer: D — Sarvam AI
UIDAI partnered with Bengaluru-based Sarvam AI, an indigenous full-stack GenAI company, with the agreement effective from 18 March 2025.
In how many languages will the AI voice interaction and fraud detection under the UIDAI–Sarvam AI agreement (March 2025) be available at launch?
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Correct answer: B — 10
The deployment allows voice interaction and fraud detection in 10 languages, with more to be added in coming months.
Consider the following statements about the UIDAI–Sarvam AI agreement effective 18 March 2025: 1. The GenAI stack is hosted on-premise within an air-gapped UIDAI infrastructure, so no data leaves UIDAI. 2. Sarvam AI will own the solution, with UIDAI holding a licence to use it. Which of the above is/are correct?
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Correct answer: A — 1 only
The custom GenAI stack is hosted on-premise in an air-gapped UIDAI environment. The ownership of the solution is with UIDAI, not Sarvam AI, so statement 2 is wrong.
The Lok Sabha Secretariat signed an MoU for 'Sansad Bhashini', an AI initiative for multilingual parliamentary operations, with which ministry on 18 March 2025?
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Correct answer: C — Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology
The MoU for Sansad Bhashini was signed between the Lok Sabha Secretariat and MeitY in the presence of Speaker Om Birla and Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw.
Consider the following statements about the Sansad Bhashini initiative (March 2025): 1. Parliament will provide its data for training and fine-tuning the AI tools. 2. It includes an AI chatbot on the Parliament website to help members find procedural rules. Which of the above is/are correct?
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Correct answer: C — Both 1 and 2
Parliamentary data from Sansad will be used to train and fine-tune the tools, and an AI-powered chatbot on the Parliament website is one of the key initiatives. Both statements are correct.
Where did Union Culture Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat inaugurate the Kamba Ramayana Parayanam on 18 March 2025?
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Correct answer: D — Srirangam, Tiruchirappalli
Shekhawat inaugurated the Kamba Ramayana Parayanam at the Singar Kovil Auditorium in Srirangam, Tiruchirappalli.
Which body under the Ministry of Culture organised the 2025 initiative to revive the oral recital tradition of the Kamba Ramayana in Tamil Nadu?
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Correct answer: A — South Zone Cultural Centre, Thanjavur
The initiative is by the South Zone Cultural Centre (SZCC), Thanjavur, under the Ministry of Culture.
Kambar Medu, the venue of the Kamba Ramayana festival from 30 March to 6 April 2025 and the birthplace of the poet Kambar, is at which place in Tamil Nadu?
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Correct answer: B — Therazhundur
The week-long festival was held at Kambar Medu, the birthplace of Kambar in Therazhundur. Madurantakam, Vaduvur and Thiruneermalai were among the temples hosting recitals.
Which company manufactured the indigenous electrolysers flagged off on 18 March 2025 for the green hydrogen plant at Deendayal Port, Kandla?
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Correct answer: C — Larsen & Toubro (L&T)
The electrolysers were manufactured by L&T under Make in India and flagged off from L&T's Hazira facility.
How much hydrogen per hour is the 1 MW green hydrogen plant at Deendayal Port, Kandla, designed to produce, as stated in March 2025?
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Correct answer: B — 18 kg
The plant at DPA Kandla is to produce 18 kg of hydrogen per hour.
Who inaugurated the S N Bose Building of the Global Centre for Nuclear Energy Partnership (GCNEP) on 18 March 2025?
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Correct answer: A — Rafael Mariano Grossi
IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi inaugurated the S N Bose Building; DAE Secretary Ajit Kumar Mohanty also spoke at the event.
What is the duration of the Certificate Course on Nuclear Engineering introduced at GCNEP by the IAEA Director General in March 2025?
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Correct answer: C — Six months
It is a six-month programme, planned for 40 international and 10 national participants per batch.
The IndiaAI Hackathon on Mineral Targeting, launched with the Geological Survey of India in March 2025, covers a pre-defined area in which two states?
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Correct answer: B — Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh
Participants are to identify new exploration areas within a pre-defined 39,000 sq km area in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.
Under which MeitY initiative was the National Innovation Challenge for Drone Application and Research (NIDAR) launched on 18 March 2025?
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Correct answer: D — SwaYaan
NIDAR was launched under 'SwaYaan — Capacity Building for Human Resource Development in Unmanned Aircraft Systems'.
Which two domains are the autonomous drones in the NIDAR challenge (March 2025) meant to address?
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Correct answer: A — Disaster management and precision agriculture
NIDAR teams build collaborative autonomous drones for disaster management (scout and deliver) and precision agriculture (scan and spray).
In his Lok Sabha address on 18 March 2025 on the conclusion of the Maha Kumbh, to whose legendary endeavour did PM Modi compare the effort behind organising it?
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Correct answer: D — Bhagirath's endeavour to bring the Ganga to Earth
PM Modi compared the effort to the legendary Bhagirath's endeavour to bring the Ganga to Earth.
Which city is setting up India's first green waste processing plant on the public-private partnership model under Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban, as announced in March 2025?
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Correct answer: C — Indore
MoHUA said Indore is launching India's first PPP-model green waste processing plant under SBM-Urban, at Bicholi Hapsi.
Rajnath Singh met Ruben Brekelmans, the Defence Minister of which country, in New Delhi on 18 March 2025?
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Correct answer: A — Netherlands
Rajnath Singh met Netherlands Defence Minister Ruben Brekelmans in New Delhi on 18 March 2025.
Which country's Prime Minister, Christopher Luxon, held talks with PM Narendra Modi in New Delhi on 17 March 2025?
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Correct answer: D — New Zealand
Christopher Luxon, Prime Minister of New Zealand, was on an official visit to India from 16 to 20 March 2025 and held talks with PM Modi on 17 March.
The Authorised Economic Operator Mutual Recognition Arrangement (AEO-MRA) signed during the India–New Zealand talks of 17 March 2025 was between New Zealand Customs Service and which Indian body?
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Correct answer: A — Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs
The AEO-MRA was signed between the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) and the New Zealand Customs Service.
According to the India–New Zealand Joint Statement of 17 March 2025, people of Indian origin make up about what share of New Zealand's population?
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Correct answer: B — 6%
The joint statement noted that the Indian diaspora makes up about 6% of New Zealand's population.
Consider the following outcomes of PM Christopher Luxon's visit to India (March 2025): 1. New Zealand joined the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI). 2. New Zealand became a member of the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI). 3. India and New Zealand signed a free trade agreement. Which of the above is/are correct?
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Correct answer: A — 1 and 2 only
New Zealand joined IPOI and became a CDRI member. On trade, the leaders only welcomed the launch of negotiations on a comprehensive FTA — no agreement was signed.
To what level did the two Bills passed by the Telangana Assembly on 17 March 2025 seek to raise reservation for Backward Classes?
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Correct answer: D — 42%
The two Bills seek to raise BC reservation to 42% in education, State government jobs and rural and urban local bodies.
Under the Telangana Bills passed on 17 March 2025, what would be the reservation shares of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes alongside 42% for Backward Classes?
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Correct answer: A — SC 15%, ST 10%
Once approved, BCs would get 42%, SCs 15% and STs 10% reservation in the State.
According to Telangana CM A. Revanth Reddy (17 March 2025), the BC quota in local bodies is to be raised to 42% from what level?
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Correct answer: B — 23%
The CM said the government was committed to the BC Declaration promising to raise the BC quota in local bodies from 23% to 42%.
Consider the following statements about Telangana's BC reservation Bills of March 2025: 1. They were passed only after the Centre gave its prior approval to breach the 50% ceiling. 2. One of the two Bills covers reservation of seats in rural and urban local bodies. Which of the above is/are correct?
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Correct answer: B — 2 only
Statement 1 is wrong: the Bills were passed by the Assembly first and need the Centre's approval afterwards because total reservation (BC 42% + SC 15% + ST 10%) would exceed the 50% cap set in Indra Sawhney. Statement 2 is correct.
Who assumed charge as the CEO of the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF) on 17 March 2025?
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Correct answer: C — Shivkumar Kalyanaraman
Dr Shivkumar Kalyanaraman assumed charge as ANRF CEO, taking over from acting CEO Prof. Abhay Karandikar.
Before becoming CEO of ANRF in March 2025, Dr Shivkumar Kalyanaraman held which position?
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Correct answer: D — Chief Technology Officer, Energy Industry, Asia, Microsoft
The ministry noted that he was earlier Chief Technology Officer, Energy Industry, Asia, at Microsoft.
What gross merchandise value (GMV) milestone for FY 2024-25 did the Government e Marketplace (GeM) cross, as announced on 17 March 2025?
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Correct answer: A — ₹5 lakh crore
GeM crossed ₹5 lakh crore GMV for FY 2024-25 more than 18 days before the financial year ended.
GeM's ₹5 lakh crore GMV milestone (March 2025) came less than 50 days after it crossed ₹4 lakh crore. On which date was the ₹4 lakh crore mark crossed?
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Correct answer: B — 23 January 2025
GeM crossed ₹4 lakh crore GMV on 23 January 2025 and ₹5 lakh crore less than 50 days later.
Debendra Pradhan, who died on 17 March 2025, was a three-time president of the BJP's unit in which state?
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Correct answer: C — Odisha
Debendra Pradhan was a three-time president of the BJP in Odisha and the father of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
Former Union Minister Debendra Pradhan (died 17 March 2025) held which portfolios in the Vajpayee government?
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Correct answer: D — Surface Transport and Agriculture
Odisha CM Mohan Charan Majhi recalled that he served as Union Minister for (Surface) Transport and Agriculture between 1999 and 2001.
What was India's annual WPI-based inflation rate (provisional) for February 2025, released on 17 March 2025?
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Correct answer: B — 2.38%
Annual WPI inflation for February 2025 was 2.38% (provisional) over February 2024.
In India's Wholesale Price Index (base 2011-12), which major group carries the largest weight, as listed in the February 2025 release?
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Correct answer: B — Manufactured Products (64.23%)
Manufactured Products carry the largest weight at 64.23%, followed by Primary Articles (22.62%) and Fuel & Power (13.15%); together these three major groups make up 100%.
What were India's estimated total exports (merchandise and services) during April–February 2024-25, as released on 17 March 2025?
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Correct answer: A — $750.53 billion
Total exports in April–February 2024-25 were estimated at $750.53 billion, up 6.24% from $706.43 billion a year earlier.
By what percentage did India's exports of electronic goods grow in February 2025 over February 2024, as per the Commerce Ministry data of 17 March 2025?
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Correct answer: C — 26.46%
Electronic goods exports increased by 26.46%, from $3 billion in February 2024 to $3.79 billion in February 2025.
Which new department did Haryana CM Nayab Singh Saini propose in the State budget for 2025-26 presented on 17 March 2025?
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Correct answer: C — Department of the Future
Saini proposed a new 'Department of the Future' to anticipate emerging technologies and risks and make Haryana 'future-capable'.
Under the Haryana AI Mission announced in the 2025-26 budget, AI hubs are to be set up in which two cities?
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Correct answer: D — Gurugram and Panchkula
The budget speech said one hub each will be established in Gurugram and Panchkula, to train over 50,000 youth.
Consider the following statements about Haryana's budget for 2025-26: 1. The World Bank has given an initial assurance of ₹474 crore for the Haryana AI Mission. 2. The budget outlay is lower than the revised estimates for 2024-25. Which of the above is/are correct?
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Correct answer: A — 1 only
Statement 1 is correct per the budget speech. Statement 2 is wrong: the outlay of ₹2,05,017.29 crore is 13.7% higher than the revised estimates of 2024-25.
Who was the chief guest and delivered the inaugural keynote address at Raisina Dialogue 2025 in New Delhi on 17 March 2025?
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Correct answer: D — New Zealand PM Christopher Luxon
New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon was the chief guest and delivered the inaugural keynote address at Raisina Dialogue 2025.
Raisina Dialogue 2025, which opened in New Delhi on 17 March 2025, was which edition of the conference?
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Correct answer: C — 10th
Raisina Dialogue 2025 was the 10th edition of India's flagship conference on geopolitics and geoeconomics.
Tulsi Gabbard, who called on PM Narendra Modi in New Delhi on 17 March 2025, holds which US post?
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Correct answer: A — Director of National Intelligence
Tulsi Gabbard is the US Director of National Intelligence.
Consider the following statements about Tulsi Gabbard's India visit of 17 March 2025: 1. The PMO described it as the first high-level visit to India from the US in President Trump's second term. 2. She also met Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in New Delhi. Which of the above is/are correct?
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Correct answer: C — Both 1 and 2
Both are correct: PM Modi noted it was the first high-level visit to India from the US in Trump's second term, and Rajnath Singh met her the same day.
Under which awareness campaign will WhatsApp promote safe digital practices as part of its partnership with the Department of Telecommunications announced on 17 March 2025?
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Correct answer: B — Scam Se Bacho
The DoT–WhatsApp partnership will promote awareness of Sanchar Saathi and safe practices under Meta's 'Scam Se Bacho' campaign.
Where was the next India–Australia 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue to be held, as discussed at the 9th Defence Policy Talks in New Delhi on 17 March 2025?
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Correct answer: C — Australia, 2025
The two sides discussed preparations for the next 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue, to be held in Australia in 2025.
The launch of India–New Zealand FTA negotiations on 16 March 2025 was marked by a meeting between Piyush Goyal and which New Zealand minister?
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Correct answer: B — Todd McClay
The launch was marked by a meeting between Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and New Zealand's Minister for Trade and Investment Todd McClay in New Delhi.
India and New Zealand's earlier trade negotiations, which stalled in 2015 after nine rounds, were for which agreement?
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Correct answer: D — Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA)
India and New Zealand began negotiating a Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) in April 2010; the talks stalled in 2015 after nine rounds.
According to India's Commerce Ministry, the India–New Zealand FTA negotiations launched in March 2025 aim mainly to:
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Correct answer: B — Enhance supply chain integration and improve market access
The ministry said the negotiations aim to achieve balanced outcomes that enhance supply chain integration and improve market access.