✅ Answer: A) IIT Kharagpur (1951)IIT Kharagpur was the first IIT in India, established in 1951. It was set up on the recommendation of the Sarkar Committee (1946). It was established at the site of the Hijli Detention Camp (where freedom fighters were imprisoned). India now has 23 IITs. IITs are declared Institutes of National Importance under the Institutes of Technology Act. They are among the world’s most competitive engineering institutions.

✅ Answer: A) Jamsetji Tata and the Maharaja of MysoreThe Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bengaluru was founded in 1909 with the support of Jamsetji Tata (industrialist) and the Maharaja of Mysore (Krishnaraja Wadiyar IV). Swami Vivekananda also played a role in inspiring Jamsetji Tata to establish it. IISc is India’s top research university and consistently ranks among the world’s best. It offers undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral programmes in science and engineering.

✅ Answer: C) 37CSIR (Council of Scientific and Industrial Research) has 37 national laboratories across India. It was established in 1942. CSIR is the largest publicly funded R&D organisation in India. Key labs: CSIR-IICT (Hyderabad, chemicals), CSIR-NCL (Pune, chemicals), CSIR-CDRI (Lucknow, drugs), CSIR-CCMB (Hyderabad, molecular biology), CSIR-NIO (Goa, oceanography). CSIR developed the Swaraj tractor, Aarogya Setu app, and contributed to COVID-19 drug development.

✅ Answer: A) New DelhiICAR (Indian Council of Agricultural Research) is headquartered in New Delhi. It was established in 1929. ICAR is the apex body for coordinating, guiding, and managing research in agriculture, horticulture, fisheries, and animal sciences. Key institutes: IARI (Indian Agricultural Research Institute, “Pusa Institute”) in New Delhi — developed HYV wheat varieties (Kalyan Sona, Sonalika) for the Green Revolution. ICAR has 100+ research institutes and 71 agricultural universities.

✅ Answer: A) Dr. Homi J. BhabhaTIFR (Tata Institute of Fundamental Research) was founded by Dr. Homi J. Bhabha in 1945 in Mumbai. It is India’s premier institution for basic science research in physics, chemistry, biology, mathematics, and computer science. It is funded by the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE). TIFR has produced several Nobel Prize-worthy research. It also has campuses in Hyderabad, Bengaluru, and Pune. Dr. Bhabha was also the founder of India’s nuclear programme.

✅ Answer: A) Attracting talented students to science and research careersINSPIRE (Innovation in Science Pursuit for Inspired Research) is a scheme by DST (Department of Science and Technology) to attract talented students to science and research careers. It has three components: Scheme for Early Attraction of Talents (SEATS) for school students, Scholarship for Higher Education (SHE) for undergraduate students, and Assured Opportunity for Research Careers (AORC) for doctoral and post-doctoral researchers. It aims to build India’s scientific talent pool.

✅ Answer: C) HyderabadCDFD (Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics) is located in Hyderabad, Telangana. It is India’s premier centre for DNA fingerprinting, forensics, and genetic diagnostics. It is funded by the Department of Biotechnology (DBT). CDFD provides DNA fingerprinting services for forensic cases, paternity testing, and wildlife crime. It also conducts research in genomics, molecular biology, and bioinformatics. Hyderabad is also home to CSIR-CCMB, CSIR-IICT, and ICRISAT.

✅ Answer: C) ICMR (1911)ICMR (Indian Council of Medical Research) is the oldest scientific institution in India, established in 1911 as the Indian Research Fund Association (IRFA). It was renamed ICMR in 1949. It is the apex body for biomedical and health research in India. During COVID-19, ICMR collaborated with Bharat Biotech to develop Covaxin and established India’s COVID-19 testing protocol. ICMR has 26 national institutes and 6 regional medical research centres.

✅ Answer: A) Pusa InstituteIARI (Indian Agricultural Research Institute) is also known as “Pusa Institute” because it was originally located at Pusa, Bihar (1905) before being shifted to New Delhi after an earthquake in 1934. It is India’s premier agricultural research institution. IARI developed HYV wheat varieties (Kalyan Sona, Sonalika) that were central to India’s Green Revolution. It is under ICAR. IARI also developed Pusa Basmati rice varieties and other improved crop varieties.

✅ Answer: C) GoaThe National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) is located in Dona Paula, Goa. It is a constituent laboratory of CSIR. NIO conducts research in physical, chemical, biological, and geological oceanography. It operates research vessels for deep sea exploration. NIO has contributed to India’s deep sea mining programme and the discovery of polymetallic nodules in the Indian Ocean. India has been allocated an exclusive area in the Central Indian Ocean Basin for deep sea mining by the International Seabed Authority (ISA).