Which among the following Central Public Sector Enterprises is/are NOT "Maharatnas"?
(A) Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited
(B) Airport Authority of India
(C) Indian Oil Corporation Limited
(D) Hindustan Aeronautics Limited
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → (A), (B) and (D) only
Note: The given answer is as per the official NTA Answer Key. However, none of the given options appears to be correct, because Hindustan Aeronautics Limited became a Maharatna in October 2024, before this paper, as explained below.
Central Public Sector Enterprises are graded Maharatna, Navratna and Miniratna. Maharatna is the highest grade: it goes to large, profit-making listed companies with a big turnover and net worth, and it gives the board the most freedom to invest without asking the government.
(A) Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited Not a Maharatna (Correct). BSNL, the state telecom company, has been running at a loss for years and holds no Ratna grade.
(B) Airport Authority of India Not a Maharatna (Correct). The Airports Authority of India is a Miniratna (Category-I) enterprise; it is not a listed company.
(C) Indian Oil Corporation Limited A Maharatna (Incorrect). IOCL was among the first Maharatnas, named in 2010 together with NTPC, ONGC and SAIL.
(D) Hindustan Aeronautics Limited Not a Maharatna as per NTA (Correct as per NTA); however, HAL is now a Maharatna. HAL was a Navratna for many years, and it was upgraded to Maharatna on 12 October 2024, as the 14th Maharatna, some months before this paper. HAL was promoted in October 2024, but NTA’s current affairs had not heard the news by May 2025.