✅ Answer: B) NPCI (National Payments Corporation of India)RuPay is India’s domestic card payment network, developed by NPCI (National Payments Corporation of India). It was launched in 2012 as an alternative to Visa and Mastercard. RuPay is accepted at ATMs, POS terminals, and e-commerce sites in India. It is cheaper for banks than international networks. RuPay cards are issued under Jan Dhan Yojana. NPCI also manages UPI, IMPS, NACH, and other payment systems.

✅ Answer: B) All gram panchayats in IndiaBharatNet aims to provide optical fibre broadband connectivity to all 2.5 lakh gram panchayats in India. It is implemented by BBNL (Bharat Broadband Network Limited). Phase I connected 1 lakh gram panchayats; Phase II aims to cover all remaining panchayats. It provides 100 Mbps broadband to rural areas. It is part of the Digital India initiative. BharatNet is one of the world’s largest rural broadband projects.

✅ Answer: A) Fraudulent attempts to obtain sensitive information by disguising as trustworthy entitiesPhishing is a cybercrime where attackers send fraudulent emails, messages, or create fake websites that appear to be from legitimate organisations (banks, government agencies) to trick victims into revealing passwords, credit card numbers, or other sensitive information. Spear phishing targets specific individuals. Whaling targets senior executives. Vishing uses voice calls. Smishing uses SMS. India has seen a significant increase in phishing attacks, especially targeting banking customers.

✅ Answer: B) Multiple government services on a single platformUMANG (Unified Mobile Application for New-age Governance) provides access to 1,200+ government services from central and state governments on a single mobile app. It was launched in 2017 under Digital India. Services include PF balance check, Aadhaar services, DigiLocker, CBSE results, passport services, and more. It is available in 13 languages. UMANG is developed by NIC (National Informatics Centre) and MeitY.

✅ Answer: B) Network of physical devices connected to the internet that collect and share dataIoT (Internet of Things) refers to the network of physical devices (smart home appliances, wearables, industrial sensors, vehicles) connected to the internet that collect and share data. Examples: smart thermostats, fitness trackers, smart meters, connected cars. 5G enables massive IoT deployment. India’s smart cities use IoT for traffic management, waste management, and energy efficiency. IoT security is a major concern as these devices often have weak security.

✅ Answer: B) A distributed, decentralised ledger that records transactions securelyBlockchain is a distributed, decentralised ledger that records transactions in blocks linked together in a chain. Each block contains a cryptographic hash of the previous block, making it tamper-proof. Bitcoin uses blockchain. Applications: cryptocurrency, supply chain management, land records, voting systems, healthcare records. India’s government is exploring blockchain for land records (Andhra Pradesh, Telangana) and supply chain management. Blockchain is transparent, immutable, and doesn’t require a central authority.

✅ Answer: B) COVID-19 vaccine registration and certificate managementCoWIN (COVID Vaccine Intelligence Network) was developed by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare for COVID-19 vaccine registration, appointment booking, and certificate management. It was launched in January 2021. Over 2 billion vaccine doses were administered through CoWIN. India offered CoWIN as a digital public good to other countries. Aarogya Setu was India’s contact tracing app. CoWIN is now being repurposed for other vaccination programmes.

✅ Answer: B) Encrypted online content not indexed by standard search engines, often used for illegal activitiesThe Dark Web is a part of the internet that is not indexed by standard search engines and requires special software (like Tor browser) to access. It is used for both legitimate purposes (privacy, journalism in authoritarian countries) and illegal activities (drug trafficking, weapons, stolen data, cybercrime services). The Dark Web is part of the Deep Web (all unindexed content). Law enforcement agencies monitor the Dark Web for criminal activities.

✅ Answer: A) A set of open APIs enabling digital infrastructure (Aadhaar, UPI, DigiLocker)India Stack is a set of open APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) that enable the government, businesses, and developers to build digital services on top of India’s digital infrastructure. Key layers: Aadhaar (identity), eKYC (paperless), eSign (digital signatures), DigiLocker (documents), UPI (payments). India Stack has been praised globally as a model for digital public infrastructure. Several countries are adopting India Stack-inspired systems. It has enabled financial inclusion for millions of unbanked Indians.

✅ Answer: A) Internet service providers must treat all internet traffic equally without discriminationNet Neutrality means that Internet Service Providers (ISPs) must treat all internet traffic equally — they cannot block, throttle, or charge differently for different websites or services. India’s TRAI (Telecom Regulatory Authority of India) upheld net neutrality in 2017, prohibiting discriminatory treatment of internet traffic. This was a major victory for net neutrality advocates. Without net neutrality, ISPs could charge more for accessing certain websites or slow down competitors’ services.