Question Discussion & Solution

The correct answer is 1, 2 and 3.

Key Points

• Planning in India:
  • History of Economic Planning In India
    • Economic planning in India dates back to the pre-Independence period when leaders of the freedom movement and prominent industrialists and academics got together to discuss the future of India after Independence which was soon to come.
    • Noted civil engineer and administrator M. Visvesvaraya is regarded as a pioneer of economic planning in India. Hence statement 1 is correct.
    • His book “Planned Economy for India” published in 1934 suggested a ten-year plan, with an outlay of Rs. 1000 crore and a planned increase of 600% in industrial output per annum based on the economic conditions of the time. 
    • The Constitution came into force on 26 January 1950. 
    • Subsequently, Planning Commis­sion was set up on 15 March 1950 and the plan era started from 1April 1951 with the launch­ing of the First Five Year Plan (1951-56).​

• Long term objectives of Five Year Plans in India are:
  • High Growth rate to improve the living standard of the residents of India.
  • Economic stability for prosperity.
  • Self-reliant economy.
  • Social justice and reducing the inequalities.
  • Modernization of the economy.
  • The idea of economic planning for five years was taken from the Soviet Union under the socialist influence of first Prime Minister Pt. Jawahar Lal Nehru. Hence statement 2 is correct.
  • The first eight five-year plans in India emphasized growing the public sector with huge investments in heavy and basic industries, but since the launch of the Ninth five-year plan in 1997, attention has shifted towards making the government a growth facilitator. Hence statement 3 is correct.

The correct answer is Anupriti yojana.

• Under Anupriti yojana schemes, Rajasthan Government provides financial incentives to SC / ST candidates passing the all India Civil Services examination and State Civil Services examination.

​Key Points

• Rajasthan Anuprati Yojana
  • The Rajasthan Government has launched the Rajasthan Anuprati Yojana for the meritorious students of minority families.
  • It covers the residents of Rajasthan State who belong to SC / ST / Special Backward Class and general category BPL families.
  • The approval scheme was launched by the state government in January 2005.
  • In the year 2012, according to the changed scheme, the major changes made in this scheme are as follows: -
  • The objective of the scheme: 
    • It covers BPL of Scheduled Castes / Scheduled Tribes / Special Backward Classes / Other Backward Classes and General Classes of Rajasthan State. 
    • The talented candidates of the families are given various incentives for competitive exams like Indian Civil Service, Sasthajan Civil Service, IIT, IIM, CPMT, NIT. 
    • It also encourages financial aid for the preparation of selection in state engineering and medical etc.

Additional Information

• Rajasthan Anuprati Yojana Eligibility: 
  • Native of Rajasthan
  • Those candidates belonging to Scheduled Castes / Scheduled Tribes / Special Backward Classes whose parents/guardians do not have an annual income of more than 2.00 lakhs (Rupees two lakhs).
  • Other backward classes and general category BPL (Including state BPL) member of the family.
  • The candidate must have passed the prescribed stage of the competitive examination or passed the entrance examination and got admission to the listed educational institutions.
  • Should not have been working in the State Service in the State and Subordinate Services (Joint Competitive) examination conducted by Rajasthan Public Service Commission.
  • For admission in state engineering / medical colleges of the state, 60 percent marks in class 10 + 2 should be awarded.
• Incentives: 
  • The details of the incentive amount to be given at various levels under this scheme are as follows: - 

The correct answer is 1, 2 and 3.

Key Points

• Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research (CGIAR)
  • The international agricultural research system, mainly the Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) has been a useful ally of the
    national system. Hence statement 1 is correct.
  • However, it has undergone significant change, in terms of funding, organization and research thrusts. 
• Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)
  • It was established on 16 July 1929 as a registered society under the Societies Registration Act, 1860.
  • It is an autonomous organization under the Department of Agricultural Research and Education (DARE), Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Government of India. Hence statement 2 is correct.
  • It is headquartered in New Delhi. With 102 ICAR institutes and 71 agricultural universities spread across the country, this is one of the largest national agricultural systems in the world.
  • It is the apex body for coordinating, guiding and managing research and education in agriculture including horticulture, fisheries and animal sciences in the entire country.
• Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK)
  • KVK is an integral part of the National Agricultural Research System (NARS). The first KVK was established in 1974 at Puducherry. Hence statement 3 is not correct.
  • The mandate of KVK is technology assessment and demonstration for its application and capacity development.
  • It aims at assessment of location-specific technology modules in agriculture and allied enterprises, through technology assessment, refinement and demonstrations.
  • KVKs also produce quality technological products (seed, planting material, bio-agents, livestock) and make them available to farmers.

The correct answer is Sales tax.

Key Points

• The principal source of State's own tax revenues is a sales tax which accounts for about 60 percent of the total.
• The taxation system in India is such that the taxes are levied by the Central Government and the State Governments. Some minor taxes are also levied by the local authorities such as the Municipality and the Local Governments.
• To run the government and manage the affairs of a state, money is required. So the government imposes taxes in many forms on the incomes of individuals and companies.
• Broadly taxes are divided into two categories:
  • Direct Taxes
  • Indirect Taxes
• Indirect Taxes:
  • The term indirect tax has more than one meaning. In the colloquial sense, an indirect tax such as sales tax, a specific tax, value-added tax (VAT), or goods and services tax (GST) is a tax collected by an intermediary (such as a retail store) from the person who bears the ultimate economic burden of the tax (such as the consumer).
  • The intermediary later files a tax return and forwards the tax proceeds to the government with the return. In this sense, the term indirect tax is contrasted with a direct tax which is collected directly by the government from the persons (legal or natural) on which it is imposed.
  • Excise duty, value-added tax, and sales tax are included under the GST.

The correct answer is 9%.

Key Points

• 12th Five Year Plan (2012 - 2017)
  • 12th Five Year Plan 2012-17 as per the draft document released by the Planning Commission aims at a growth rate of 9%.
  • 12th Five Year Plan of the Government of India (2012–17) was India's last Five Year Plan.
  • With the deteriorating global situation, the Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission Mr. Montek Singh Ahluwalia has said that achieving an average growth rate of 8 percent in the next five years is not possible.
  • The final growth target has been set at 8% by the endorsement of the plan at the National Development Council (NDC) meeting held in New Delhi.
  • The government intends to reduce poverty by 10 percent during the 12th Five-Year Plan.

Additional Information

• NITI Aayog (National Institution for Transforming India)
  • Planning Commission was replaced by a new institution – NITI AAYYOG on January 1, 2015, with emphasis on the ‘Bottom –Up’ approach to envisage the vision of Maximum Governance, Minimum Government, echoing the spirit of ‘Cooperative Federalism.
  • Chairperson: Prime Minister
  • Vice-Chairperson: To be appointed by Prime-Minister
  • Governing Council: Chief Ministers of all states and Lt. Governors of Union Territories.
  • Regional Council: To address specific regional issues, Comprising Chief Ministers and Lt. Governors Chaired by Prime Minister or his nominee.
  • Adhoc Membership: 2 members in ex-officio capacity from leading Research institutions on a rotational basis.
  • Ex-Officio membership: Maximum four from Union council of ministers to be nominated by Prime minister.
  • Chief Executive Officer: Appointed by Prime-minister for a fixed tenure, in the rank of Secretary to Government of India.
  • Special Invitees: Experts, Specialists with domain knowledge nominated by Prime-minister.