SSC CGL 2025 Tier-I · 17 September 2025, Shift 2 · General Awareness · Question 10 of 99

We transcribed this text from the pictures on a candidate's response sheet for this shift; the answer is the key SSC colour-marked on that sheet. Solution last reviewed 13 September 2026.

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SSC does not publish CGL question papers or a public answer key. From 2025 the candidate response sheet prints every question and option as a picture, so the text here is transcribed from those pictures for this shift and checked against them independently; where the layout carries meaning, the picture is shown as well. Each answer is the key SSC colour-marked on that sheet. SSC released a tentative key for challenge and later its final one, both only to candidates behind a login, and the sheet does not say which of the two it carries. The solutions are written by UnlockIAS.

A key appointment in India's disaster management sector was made in 2024. Which Indian Police Service (IPS) officer took charge as the "Director General of the National Disaster Response Force", leading the nation's primary disaster relief efforts?

(a)Piyush Anand
(b)Atul Karwal
(c)Rajeev Kapoor
(d)Pradeep Kumar

Answer

Why

Correct — A. A Ministry of Home Affairs order of 27 March 2024 conveyed the approval of the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet for Piyush Anand, IPS (UP:91), then Special DG of CISF, as Director General of NDRF.

He replaced Atul Karwal, who retired on 31 March 2024, and NDRF says Anand joined that day → option (a).

Why the others are wrong

(b)
Atul Karwal — Atul Karwal was the outgoing DG. The MHA order appoints Anand in his place, on Karwal's superannuation on 31 March 2024.
(c)
Rajeev Kapoor — Rajeev Kapoor is not the officer named in the MHA order of 27 March 2024. That order appoints Piyush Anand as DG, NDRF.
(d)
Pradeep Kumar — Pradeep Kumar is not named in the MHA order either. The 2024 appointment as DG, NDRF went to Piyush Anand.

Concept

The National Disaster Response Force was provided for by the Disaster Management Act, 2005, as a specialised force for natural and man-made disasters.

NDRF's own history says it was raised in 2006 with 8 battalions and has grown to 16, each of 1,149 personnel. The NDRF Rules were notified on 14 February 2008.

Anand, a 1991-batch IPS officer of the Uttar Pradesh cadre, came to NDRF from CISF. The order fixes his tenure at two years from joining, or until further orders.

Key facts

Piyush Anand, IPS (Uttar Pradesh cadre, 1991 batch), took charge as DG of NDRF in 2024.
The MHA order conveying his appointment is dated 27 March 2024.
He succeeded Atul Karwal, IPS (Gujarat, 1988), who retired on 31 March 2024.
NDRF was raised in 2006 with 8 battalions and now has 16.

Study next

The Disaster Management Act, 2005 and the NDMANDRF missions abroad, such as Operation Dost in Turkiye (2023)Central Armed Police Forces under the Ministry of Home Affairs

Common traps

Choosing Atul Karwal because he led NDRF until 2024. The 2024 appointment was his successor's.

Here a 2024 appointment is tested by name, with the outgoing chief among the options.

Related PYQs

No directly related past PYQ was found.

Topic: Current events — all 232 SSC CGL questions on it, every solved shift.