With reference to the firecracker factory explosion at Kattanarpatti on April 19, 2026, consider the following statements:\n1. The blast occurred at the Vanaja firecracker factory in Virudhunagar district of Tamil Nadu.\n2. The National Human Rights Commission, India took suo motu cognizance and issued a notice to the Government of Tamil Nadu.\n3. The Tamil Nadu government refused to announce any ex-gratia compensation for the families of the deceased workers.\nWhich of the statements given above are correct?

Explanation

The incident was the Kattanarpatti firecracker-unit blast in Virudhunagar district, Tamil Nadu, at the Vanaja fireworks unit. NHRC, India later took suo motu cognizance of the reported deaths and injuries and issued notices to the Chief Secretary of Tamil Nadu and the Superintendent of Police, Virudhunagar, seeking a detailed report. That confirms the core of statement 2. Statement 3 fails because Chief Minister M. K. Stalin announced ex-gratia compensation and ordered an inspection of licensed fireworks units in the Sivakasi belt. Therefore only statements 1 and 2 stand, making option C the correct answer.

Why the other options are wrong

• (A) A includes statement 3, but the Tamil Nadu government did not refuse compensation; ex-gratia compensation was announced.
• (B) B omits statement 1 even though the blast did occur at the Vanaja firecracker factory in Virudhunagar district, Tamil Nadu.
• (D) D includes statement 3 and leaves out statement 2, although NHRC took suo motu cognizance and issued notice to Tamil Nadu authorities.

Concept

This tests governance through statutory human-rights oversight, especially how NHRC can respond to industrial disasters by taking suo motu cognizance and seeking reports from state authorities. It recurs in RAS because workplace-safety incidents often link current affairs with accountability institutions.

Source

• National Human Rights Commission, India
• https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/tamil-nadu/2026/Apr/19/23-feared-dead-11-sustain-injuries-after-blast-at-firecracker-manufacturing-unit-in-tamil-nadu

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