Economic and Social Development

Statement I: Private investments in research have severely lagged public investments in India.
Statement II: Universities play a relatively small role in the research activities of the country.

[amp_mcq option1=”Both the statements are individually true and Statement II is the correct explanation of Statement I” option2=”Both the statements are individually true but Statement II is not the correct explanation of Statement I” option3=”Statement I is true but Statement II is false” option4=”Statement I is false but Statement II is true” correct=”option2″]

Both the statements are individually true but Statement II is not the correct explanation of Statement I.

– Statement I is true: Historically and generally, private sector investment in Research and Development (R&D) in India has lagged behind public investment, with government-funded institutions and PSUs accounting for a larger share of national R&D expenditure. While the private sector’s contribution is increasing, public investment traditionally dominated.
– Statement II is true: Compared to many developed countries where universities are major hubs of research and innovation, Indian universities have traditionally played a relatively smaller role in contributing to the overall R&D output and expenditure, with much research concentrated in government labs.

– While both statements accurately describe aspects of the Indian R&D ecosystem, the small role of universities doesn’t directly explain why *private* investment lags *public* investment. Public investment primarily occurs through government research institutions. The lag in private investment is influenced by factors like market size, regulatory environment, availability of skilled personnel, and access to finance for R&D.

Which one of the following is not a feature of the Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana (SAGY)?

[amp_mcq option1=”It focuses on community participation.” option2=”It is to be guided by a Member of the Parliament.” option3=”It aims at creating infrastructure for the village.” option4=”A Village Development Plan would be prepared for every identified Gram Panchayat.” correct=”option3″]

While infrastructure creation is a component, the statement “It aims at creating infrastructure for the village” is not the defining or sole feature of the Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana (SAGY). SAGY’s aim is holistic development.

Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana (SAGY) is a village development project launched by the Government of India. It aims for the holistic development of selected villages, covering various aspects including social development, human development, economic development, environmental sanitation, village cleanliness, infrastructure, livelihood, and governance.

Key features of SAGY include: (A) Focus on community participation as a core principle; (B) The scheme is guided and mentored by a Member of Parliament (MP) who adopts a Gram Panchayat; (D) A Village Development Plan (VDP) is prepared for each identified Gram Panchayat, outlining activities for integrated development. Option C is part of the development but not the comprehensive aim.

UBI, as an alternative for subsidies in poverty alleviation, stands for

[amp_mcq option1=”Union Basic Income” option2=”Undefined Basic Income” option3=”Unconditional Basic Income” option4=”Universal Basic Income” correct=”option4″]

UBI stands for Universal Basic Income.

Universal Basic Income (UBI) is a socio-economic policy proposal aimed at poverty alleviation and reducing inequality, where all citizens of a country receive a regular, unconditional sum of money from the government.

The concept of UBI has been discussed as a potential alternative or complement to existing welfare schemes and subsidies. It is ‘universal’ because it is given to everyone regardless of their income, employment status, or other criteria; it is ‘basic’ as it aims to cover fundamental living costs; and it is ‘unconditional’ as there are no strings attached regarding how the money is spent or whether the recipient works.

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which were adopted by the UNO in place of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), 2015, aim to achieve the 17 goals by the year

[amp_mcq option1=”2020″ option2=”2030″ option3=”2040″ option4=”2050″ correct=”option2″]

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), adopted by the United Nations in 2015, set a target year of 2030 for their achievement.

The SDGs consist of 17 global goals aimed at addressing various social, economic, and environmental challenges, building upon the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

The SDGs were agreed upon by all 193 UN member states in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. They cover a wide range of issues including poverty, hunger, health, education, climate change, clean water, and peace and justice.

Which of the following statements with regard to the Report of Tendulkar Committee (2009) on poverty estimates is/are correct?

• The Committee had used an all-India urban poverty line basket as a reference to derive both rural and urban poverty levels.
• The Committee had anchored the poverty line to the official food calorie norms.

Select the correct answer using the code given below.

[amp_mcq option1=”1 only” option2=”2 only” option3=”Both 1 and 2″ option4=”Neither 1 nor 2″ correct=”option1″]

A) 1 only

– Statement 1 is correct. The Tendulkar Committee (2009) recommended a new method for poverty estimation. It moved away from separate poverty lines for rural and urban areas based on calorie norms. Instead, it used the urban poverty line basket (based on 2004-05 prices and consumption data) as a reference and adjusted it for rural areas using an appropriate price index (Mixed Recall Period based implicit price index). This resulted in a common poverty line basket consumption pattern for both rural and urban areas, though the monetary value of the poverty line differed due to price differences.
– Statement 2 is incorrect. A key recommendation of the Tendulkar Committee was to shift away from anchoring the poverty line solely to the official food calorie norms. While food consumption was still considered, the committee included expenditure on education and health in addition to food, implicitly incorporating non-caloric dimensions of poverty. It specifically rejected the calorie-based anchoring used by previous committees.

– The Tendulkar Committee’s recommendations led to higher poverty estimates compared to the previous Lakdawala Committee method, mainly because it accounted for a wider range of expenses beyond basic food needs anchored to calorie intake.

Which one of the following statements is not correct?

[amp_mcq option1=”The market mechanism over-produces a good that generates positive externality.” option2=”A cap and trade of pollution permits can be used by the government to achieve the social optimum.” option3=”The optimal amount of subsidy in the case of an activity that produces a positive externality is the difference between the social benefit and the private benefit at the optimum.” option4=”Tragedy of Commons is an example of negative externality.” correct=”option1″]

A) The market mechanism over-produces a good that generates positive externality.

– Statement A is incorrect. A positive externality occurs when an activity provides benefits to third parties not directly involved in the market transaction (e.g., vaccinations benefiting the whole community). In such cases, the social benefit (private benefit + external benefit) is greater than the private benefit considered by market actors. The market mechanism, only considering private benefits and costs, leads to an equilibrium quantity where private marginal benefit equals marginal cost, which is *less* than the socially optimal quantity where social marginal benefit equals marginal cost. Thus, the market *under-produces* goods with positive externalities.
– Statement B is correct. Cap and trade systems are used to control pollution (a negative externality) by setting a cap on total emissions and allowing firms to trade emission permits, leading to pollution reduction being achieved at the lowest cost, closer to the social optimum.
– Statement C is correct. The optimal subsidy for a positive externality is equal to the external benefit at the socially efficient level of output. This external benefit is the difference between the social benefit (including the externality) and the private benefit enjoyed by the consumer/producer.
– Statement D is correct. The Tragedy of the Commons is a classic example of a negative externality, where individuals’ rational self-interest leads to the depletion of a shared resource because the cost of resource degradation is borne by everyone (an external cost).

– Externalities represent market failures where the market price does not reflect the true social costs or benefits of an activity. Governments use various interventions (taxes, subsidies, regulations, market-based mechanisms like cap-and-trade) to address externalities and move towards a socially efficient outcome.

Which of the following statements are not correct?

• 1. In world politics, ‘hard power’ can be exercised by both States and other actors involving use of threat or coercion.
• 2. Globalisation is necessarily economic, not cultural.
• 3. The term ‘Washington Consensus’ refers to a policy that seeks intervention in the market.
• 4. ‘Autarky’ is generally understood as economic ‘self-sufficiency’.

Select the correct answer using the code given below.

[amp_mcq option1=”1 and 4 only” option2=”2 and 3 only” option3=”2, 3 and 4 only” option4=”1, 2, 3 and 4″ correct=”option2″]

The correct answer is B. Statements 2 and 3 are not correct.

Statement 1: ‘Hard power’ (military, economic coercion) can be exercised by both states and powerful non-state actors. This is generally correct.
Statement 2: Globalisation is multi-dimensional, encompassing economic, cultural, political, technological, etc., aspects. It is not necessarily only economic and not cultural; cultural globalisation is a significant dimension. Thus, statement 2 is incorrect.
Statement 3: The ‘Washington Consensus’ refers to a set of free-market policy recommendations that advocate for *less* state intervention in the market (e.g., privatization, deregulation, fiscal discipline). Thus, statement 3 is incorrect.
Statement 4: ‘Autarky’ means economic self-sufficiency, typically achieved through protectionism or isolation. This statement is correct.

The incorrect statements are 2 and 3. Hard power exercised by non-state actors includes economic leverage by multinational corporations or coercive actions by non-state armed groups. The Washington Consensus policies were promoted in the 1980s and 1990s, primarily towards developing countries experiencing economic crises.

Consider the following statements regarding the Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan :

• This programme is initiated by the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.
• It aims to develop an inclusive society for persons with disabilities.
• It has provisions of pension for persons with disabilities.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

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

Statements 1 and 2 are correct, while statement 3 is incorrect. The Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan (Accessible India Campaign) is indeed initiated by the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, and its primary aim is to create an inclusive society for persons with disabilities by making public spaces, transport, and information accessible.

The Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan focuses on three main pillars:
1. Accessibility of the Built Environment.
2. Accessibility of the Transportation System.
3. Accessibility of the Information & Communication Ecosystem.

Statement 3 is incorrect because the Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan is an accessibility campaign, not a scheme for providing pensions. Pension schemes for persons with disabilities are separate initiatives, often implemented by state governments or other central government welfare programmes.

Which of the following sets of States is at the bottom of the Composite SDG India Index, 2020-2021 as per the NITI Aayog?

[amp_mcq option1=”Assam, Jharkhand, Bihar” option2=”Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Bihar” option3=”Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Assam” option4=”Odisha, Bihar, Jharkhand” correct=”option1″]

According to the NITI Aayog’s SDG India Index and Dashboard 2020-2021 (released in June 2021), the states at the bottom (lowest performers) in terms of their composite score across all Sustainable Development Goals were Bihar, Jharkhand, and Assam.

– The SDG India Index tracks the progress of States and Union Territories on a set of national indicators aligned with the SDGs.
– The index is published annually by NITI Aayog.
– States are ranked based on their composite score.

In the SDG India Index 2020-2021, Kerala, Himachal Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu were the top-performing states. The performance varies across individual goals, but the composite score provides an overall ranking.

Consider the following statements concerning the National Education Policy, 2020 :

• At least 50 percent of the learners through school and higher education system to get exposure to vocational education by 2025.
• Secondary schools should collaborate with ITIs, Polytechnics and local industries.
• Vocational education to be provided exclusively by NGOs.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

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

Statement 1 is correct. The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 aims to integrate vocational education into mainstream education. A key target mentioned in the policy is to ensure that “at least 50% of learners through the school and higher education system shall have exposure to vocational education by 2025”.
Statement 2 is correct. The NEP 2020 proposes that secondary schools should collaborate with ITIs, Polytechnics, local industries, and other suitable organizations to design and offer vocational education courses. This collaboration is crucial for providing relevant skills and exposure to students.
Statement 3 is incorrect. The NEP 2020 does not state that vocational education is to be provided *exclusively* by NGOs. It promotes integrating vocational education into schools and higher education institutions, and envisions collaboration with various stakeholders including industries, ITIs, Polytechnics, and potentially community organizations or NGOs, but not their exclusive role.

– NEP 2020 emphasizes integrating vocational education into all levels of education.
– Collaboration with industry and technical institutions is a key strategy.
– The policy does not restrict the provision of vocational education exclusively to NGOs.

Chapter 16 of the NEP 2020 specifically deals with vocational education. The policy aims to overcome the traditional stigma associated with vocational education and make it aspirational, enabling students to gain useful skills for various occupations.