UPSC CDS-1

Which of the following is/are the objective/objectives of the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY)?

• 1. Correcting regional imbalances in the availability of tertiary health care services
• 2. Providing universal access to public health services and universal immunization
• 3. Augmenting facilities for quality medical education in the country

Select the correct answer using the code given below.

[amp_mcq option1=”1 and 3 only” option2=”2 and 3 only” option3=”1 only” option4=”1, 2 and 3″ correct=”option1″]

The objectives of the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY) are correcting regional imbalances in the availability of tertiary healthcare services and augmenting facilities for quality medical education.

PMSSY aims to strengthen the tertiary healthcare infrastructure and improve medical education in the country, primarily through setting up AIIMS-like institutions and upgrading existing government medical colleges.

Objective 2 (Providing universal access to public health services and universal immunization) is a broader goal of public health initiatives and schemes like the National Health Mission (NHM) and the Universal Immunization Programme (UIP), not the specific mandate of PMSSY.

The unemployment that occurs due to changes in the technology or in the demand for particular products is called

[amp_mcq option1=”frictional unemployment” option2=”structural unemployment” option3=”cyclical unemployment” option4=”disguised unemployment” correct=”option2″]

Unemployment that arises due to changes in the structure of the economy, such as technological advancements or shifts in industry demand, is called structural unemployment.

Structural unemployment occurs when there is a mismatch between the skills workers possess and the skills required by the jobs available in the market.

Frictional unemployment is short-term unemployment that occurs when people are transitioning between jobs. Cyclical unemployment is tied to economic downturns (recessions). Disguised unemployment is a situation where more people are employed than are necessary to perform the job efficiently.

Which one of the following indicators is included in the National Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI)?

[amp_mcq option1=”Years of schooling” option2=”Literacy rate” option3=”Life expectancy” option4=”Per capita income” correct=”option1″]

Years of schooling is one of the indicators included in the National Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI).

The MPI measures poverty based on deprivations across three dimensions: Health, Education, and Living Standards. Years of schooling falls under the Education dimension.

The other indicators in the education dimension of MPI are school attendance. Other dimensions and indicators include Health (Nutrition, Child Mortality) and Living Standards (Cooking fuel, Sanitation, Drinking water, Electricity, Housing, Assets). Literacy rate and Life expectancy are indicators used in other indices like the Human Development Index (HDI).

Which one of the following is a measure that can be used by the Government for combating inflation?

[amp_mcq option1=”Increasing the non-planned expenditure on defence, police, etc.” option2=”Providing more subsidies on exports” option3=”Increasing the rate of interest on savings and fixed deposits” option4=”Reduction in the cash reserve ratio (CRR)” correct=”option3″]

Increasing the rate of interest on savings and fixed deposits (implying a general increase in interest rates) is a monetary policy measure used to combat inflation.

Raising interest rates makes borrowing more expensive and encourages saving, thereby reducing aggregate demand and curbing inflation.

Measures to combat inflation include contractionary monetary policy (like increasing repo rate, reverse repo rate, CRR, SLR) and contractionary fiscal policy (like reducing government expenditure or increasing taxes). Options A, B, and D would generally tend to increase aggregate demand or reduce supply, potentially worsening inflation.

Which one of the following States/UTs is not among the top five in the Performance Grading Index (PGI), published by the Ministry of Education for the year 2020-2021?

[amp_mcq option1=”Kerala” option2=”Punjab” option3=”NCT of Delhi” option4=”Chandigarh” correct=”option3″]

For the Performance Grading Index (PGI) 2020-2021 published by the Ministry of Education, NCT of Delhi was not among the states/UTs that achieved the highest performance grade (‘Utkarsh’).

– The PGI 2020-21 assessed the performance of the school education system at the State/UT level.
– States/UTs are graded based on their scores across various indicators. The highest grade is ‘Daksh’ (901-1000 points), followed by ‘Utkarsh’ (811-900 points), ‘Ati Uttam’ (751-810 points), etc.
– For PGI 2020-21, no state/UT achieved the ‘Daksh’ grade. Seven states/UTs were in the ‘Utkarsh’ grade: Kerala, Punjab, Chandigarh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, and Rajasthan.
– NCT of Delhi was placed in the ‘Ati Uttam’ grade with a score of 759.
– Since there were seven entities in the top grade ‘Utkarsh’, these collectively represent the top performers. Delhi, being in the next grade, is not among this top group.

The Performance Grading Index evaluates states and UTs on 73 indicators grouped under 6 domains: Outcomes, Effective Classroom Transaction, Infrastructure, School Safety & Child Protection, Digital Learning, and Governance Processes. The index aims to help states/UTs identify areas for improvement and implement policy interventions.