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RAS question

According to the Commerce Ministry data released on 15 April 2026 for India's FY 2025-26 trade, consider the following statements about merchandise exports:\n1. Merchandise exports stood at US$ 441.78 billion in FY 2025-26.\n2. March 2026 was the month with the highest monthly merchandise export figure in the financial year.\nWhich of the statements given above is/are correct?

Correct answer: (D) Both 1 and 2.

India's merchandise exports stood at US$ 441.78 billion in FY 2025-26, and March 2026 recorded the highest monthly merchandise export figure of that financial year at US$ 38.92 billion.

  1. (A)

    1 only

  2. (B)

    2 only

  3. (C)

    Neither 1 nor 2

  4. (D)

    Both 1 and 2

Explanation

Both statements are correct. The Commerce Ministry release of 15 April 2026, published by the Press Information Bureau, gives the cumulative value of merchandise exports during FY 2025-26 at US$ 441.78 billion. It also places March 2026 merchandise exports at US$ 38.92 billion, the highest monthly merchandise export figure of the year. The March number matters because it is not just an isolated monthly figure: the release links the merchandise export growth drivers for March 2026 to petroleum products and engineering goods, along with other categories. So statement 1 matches the annual merchandise export total, and statement 2 matches the March 2026 monthly peak.

Why the other options are wrong

  • (A) Option A is incomplete because statement 2 is also correct: March 2026 is identified as the year's highest monthly merchandise export figure at US$ 38.92 billion.
  • (B) Option B wrongly rejects statement 1, even though the PIB release records FY 2025-26 merchandise exports at US$ 441.78 billion.
  • (C) Option C is wrong because both the annual merchandise export figure and the March 2026 monthly figure match the Commerce Ministry data.

Concept

This tests external-sector data in the Indian Economy syllabus, especially the distinction between annual merchandise export totals and monthly trade releases. Such questions recur in RAS because recent Commerce Ministry data is a direct current-affairs input for balance of trade and export-performance topics.

Source

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