UPSC Current Affairs Quiz, 12 November 2026: 25 Questions

The Hindu reported that Karnataka has filed a Special Leave Petition against the High Court order of 12 October 2026, which called the increase constitutionally impermissible. The Act raised the Scheduled Caste quota from 15 percent to 17 percent and the Scheduled Tribe quota from 3 percent to 7 percent, taking total reservation to 56 percent, above the 50 percent cap laid down in 1992.

All three statements match The Hindu's account of the earlier matrix, of the High Court striking down Sections 3 and 4, and of the Nagamohan Das Commission's recommendation. A Government Order of 27 October 2026 approved the Special Leave Petition after the Cabinet decided on 15 October to file it.

The Hindu reported that the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen and the Azad Samaj Party (Kanshiram) announced the alliance at a joint press conference in Lucknow on 12 November 2026. Owaisi said Chandrashekhar Azad would be the coalition's Chief Ministerial face.

The Hindu reported a Ministry statement of 11 November 2026 that the Tourist Visa has been renamed the Visitor Visa, covering a wider range of purposes than conventional tourism. The same statement said main visa categories were cut from 13 to nine and that application forms would be leaner by up to 70 percent.

Statements 1 and 2 follow the Ministry account reported by The Hindu, including the 30-day multiple-entry V-1 visa for short visits. Statement 3 is wrong because the same report says the e-visa facility is presently available to nationals of 172 countries.

The Indian Express reported that Revanth Reddy announced the change at an education review on 11 November 2026, so intermediate education comes under the school system. The government said about 40 percent of students, mostly girls and those from Dalit, tribal and minority groups, leave after Class 10 instead of moving to intermediate colleges.

The Hindu's explainer of 12 November 2026 says the Reserve Bank has reportedly proposed a Rs 50 lakh sub-limit on select overseas remittances, to curb dollar outflows. Under the present scheme, introduced in 2004 under the Foreign Exchange Management Act, a resident can remit up to 250,000 dollars, or over Rs 2 crore, in a financial year.

The Indian Express reported that a NITI Aayog and IIM Ahmedabad assessment put disbursements at 18.51 percent of the Rs 1,91 lakh crore outlay, with the investment, production and employment figures in statement 2. Statement 3 is wrong because nine schemes, including bulk drugs, automobiles and textiles, were under 10 percent, while drones, large-scale electronics and food products ranged from 25 percent to 77 percent.

The Hindu reported that the ceiling for electric vehicles is Rs 20 lakh, double the Rs 10 lakh limit for petrol, diesel and hybrid vehicles, and that electric vehicles are to be the default when an existing staff car is condemned or replaced. The 2022 instructions had fixed the ceiling at Rs 6 lakh, and buying an internal combustion vehicle now needs a case-by-case relaxation from the Department of Expenditure.

The Indian Express quoted the Ministry as saying Modi will visit Manila from 16 to 17 November 2026 at the invitation of President Ferdinand Marcos. He is to attend the 23rd ASEAN-India Summit and the 21st East Asia Summit on 17 November, with the Philippines as ASEAN Chair for 2026.

The Indian Express reported the maritime-cooperation year and recalled the September 2024 Wilmington summit hosted by Joe Biden. Statement 2 is wrong because Rudrendra Tandon declined to confirm a Quad summit, saying the meetings were still being worked out.

The Hindu reported that the Guards said the two tankers, carrying over four million barrels of oil, were immobilised after a violent explosion on the southern route. Since the war in West Asia began in late February, Tehran has limited traffic to approved routes, and the United States has imposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports.

The Indian Express reported those Indian Agricultural Research Institute figures, including 874 fires on 11 November alone, and the rise in Punjab. Statement 3 is wrong because Haryana fell 50.8 percent, from 435 events to 214, and the regional total was down about 19.5 percent from 13,002 in the same period of 2025.

The Press Information Bureau said red sanders (Pterocarpus santalinus) is listed in Appendix II of CITES and Schedule IV of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, and that its export is prohibited. Officers seized 12.87 metric tonnes, valued at about Rs 7.72 crore, from a container declared as paper laminate rolls and bound for Malaysia, and arrested three people.

The Press Information Bureau said the applications were developed by the Indian Air Force's artificial intelligence centre of excellence at UDAAN. They are to automate tasks in operations, administration and aerospace safety, and they run on the Air Force's secure network.

The Indian Express reported on 12 November 2026 that the Indian Institute of Astrophysics built the COSMOS-Mysuru Planetarium on the University of Mysore campus, at the foothills of Chamundi Hills. Its 15-metre tilted dome has around 6,150 panels with 4.2 crore individual LED panels, and images are shown on the panels themselves rather than by a projector.

The Press Information Bureau said the National Education Society for Tribal Students organised the interaction at Rashtrapati Bhavan to commemorate the 151st birth anniversary of Bhagwan Birsa Munda. A total of 146 meritorious students and alumni, including Class 10 and Class 12 toppers, took part.

The factsheet says One Nation One Ration Card, launched in 2019, has recorded over 233 crore inter-State and intra-State portability transactions and distributed more than 614 LMT of foodgrains. It operates in all 36 States and Union Territories and facilitates about 3.27 crore portability transactions a month.

The Press Information Bureau said the three-year project was launched at the Central University of Odisha, Koraput, and covers 16 selected tribal hotspots in 13 States and Union Territories. Its work includes documenting about 200 to 300 medicinal plant species and propagating 30 to 40 rare, endangered and threatened species.

The Hindu's morning report of 12 November 2026 said three CRPF personnel were injured in the attack in south Kashmir's Kulgam on 11 November. The attack came on a day Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha was scheduled to attend an event in the district.

The Press Information Bureau reported both the call for doctrines in the electronic, cyber and space domains and the statement that the Second Tour of Duty followed feedback from the services. Statement 3 is wrong because the theme is "The Year of Empowerment: Maximising Efficiency Through Decentralisation".

The Press Information Bureau said Raksha Rajya Mantri Sanjay Seth launched the revamped portal in New Delhi on 12 November 2026. Veer Gatha grew from about 8 lakh students and 4,788 schools in the first edition to over 1.92 crore students and 1.9 lakh schools in the fifth, including 28,005 students from 91 CBSE-affiliated schools in 18 countries.

Sportstar reported that Durga Rao Tompaki will lead the squad, which was given a send-off in New Delhi on 12 November 2026, and that the BCCI is sponsoring return air tickets from New Delhi to Dhaka. India open against Sri Lanka on 15 November, play Pakistan on 17 November and Bangladesh on 19 November, with the final on 20 November.

The Hindu reported that Riddhipratim Basu of the International Centre for Theoretical Sciences at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research in Bengaluru won for work in probability theory and statistical physics. Each Infosys Prize carries a gold medal, a citation and 100,000 dollars, and from 2024 the prize has focused on researchers under the age of 40.

The Indian Express reported that the 22-coach train, built by the Chennai-based Integral Coach Factory, left New Delhi for Patna at midnight on 11 November 2026 as a Chhath Puja special. It uses push-pull technology and includes six Third AC coaches, two Second AC coaches, one First AC coach, six sleeper coaches, four general coaches, a pantry, a power car and a Divyangjan-cum-Guard Brake Van.