RAS question
How many times has India previously hosted the IEC General Meeting before the 2025 edition?
Correct answer: (B) Three times (1960, 1997, 2013).
Before the 2025 edition, India had hosted the IEC General Meeting three times, in 1960, 1997 and 2013.
Explanation
The PIB release says that BIS announced India would host the 89th General Meeting of the International Electrotechnical Commission from 15 to 19 September 2025 at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi. It then gives the decisive count: 2025 was the fourth time India was hosting the IEC General Meeting, after 1960, 1997 and 2013. Therefore, when the question asks how many times India had hosted it before the 2025 edition, the answer is three. The phrase "after 1960, 1997 and 2013" also fixes the exact previous host years, so the option that lists all three and only those three years is the one supported by the official source.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) It adds 1982, but the PIB release lists only 1960, 1997 and 2013 before the 2025 meeting.
- (C) It omits 1960, even though the PIB release includes 1960 among India's previous IEC General Meeting host years.
- (D) It treats 2013 as the only previous instance, but the official list also includes 1960 and 1997.
Concept
This tests current-affairs awareness around international standard-setting institutions and India's role in hosting major science and technology events. RAS often asks such fact-based questions where the count follows from an official chronology, not from a broad description of the event.