With reference to “Blockchain Technology”, consider the following statements: 1. It is a public ledger that everyone can inspect, but which no single user controls. 2. The structure and design of blockchain is such that all the data in it are about cryptocurrency only. 3. Applications that depend on basic features of blockchain can be developed without anybody’s permission. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Answer: D. Statements 1 and 3 are correct; Statement 2 is wrong. BLOCKCHAIN is a distributed ledger technology that records transactions in a sequence of blocks, each block cryptographically linked to its predecessor, and replicated across many independent nodes. Bitcoin was the first major blockchain application, but the technology has many uses beyond cryptocurrency. Statement 1 is CORRECT. A PUBLIC BLOCKCHAIN (such as Bitcoin or Ethereum) is a PUBLIC LEDGER that any participant can inspect (all transactions and balances are transparent), but NO SINGLE USER OR ENTITY CONTROLS IT. Consensus is reached through distributed mechanisms (Proof of Work, Proof of Stake), with no central authority. This decentralisation is one of blockchain's defining features. Statement 2 is WRONG. The structure of blockchain is GENERAL-PURPOSE, NOT restricted to cryptocurrency. While Bitcoin used blockchain for digital currency, the technology can record ANY DIGITAL DATA: smart contracts (Ethereum), supply chain tracking (IBM Food Trust, Maersk Tradelens), digital identity (Aadhaar-like decentralised identity), land records (Andhra Pradesh land registry pilot), education credentials, intellectual property, voting, and so on. The data domain is open. Cryptocurrency is just ONE specific use case among many. Statement 3 is CORRECT. Blockchains are PERMISSIONLESS at the base layer (in the public blockchain model). Anyone can build APPLICATIONS (DApps, smart contracts, decentralised finance protocols, NFT platforms) on top of public blockchains like Ethereum WITHOUT REQUIRING PERMISSION FROM ANY CENTRAL AUTHORITY. The protocol is open-source; developers can deploy code, users can interact, and the network executes the logic. This permissionless innovation has produced thousands of decentralised applications. So 1 and 3 capture the public, decentralised, general-purpose nature; 2 wrongly narrows blockchain to cryptocurrency. Source: NITI Aayog 'Blockchain: The India Strategy' (2020); MeitY Draft National Blockchain Strategy; technical references on distributed ledgers.