Q100. Which ministry has primary responsibility for formulating and implementing India’s central economic policies?
[WBCS Mains Paper III (exam 2023, held 2024) 2023]
(A) Ministry of Finance
(B) Ministry of Commerce and Industry
(C) NITI Aayog
(D) Former Planning Commission
Answer: (A) Ministry of Finance
Explanation: The Union Ministry of Finance directs major fiscal and economic policy through the Budget, taxation, expenditure management and related departments. NITI Aayog supplies advisory input rather than implementing the full range of central fiscal policies.
Q99. Which body replaced the Planning Commission in 2015?
[SSC CGL Tier-I, 2 Dec Shift 4 2022]
(A) Monetary Policy Committee
(B) Competition Commission of India
(C) NaBFID
(D) NITI Aayog
Answer: (D) NITI Aayog
Explanation: The Planning Commission was succeeded by NITI Aayog from 1 January 2015. The new body provides strategic development-policy inputs and supports cooperative federalism. The monetary-policy, competition and development-finance institutions have separate mandates.
Q98. Which plan covered 1974–79 and prioritised employment, poverty reduction and self-reliance?
[RRB NTPC CBT-II Level 3, 17 Jun Shift 2 2022]
(A) First Five-Year Plan
(B) Third Five-Year Plan
(C) Fifth Five-Year Plan
(D) Second Five-Year Plan
Answer: (C) Fifth Five-Year Plan
Explanation: The Fifth Five-Year Plan was designed for 1974–79 with poverty eradication and self-reliance among its leading objectives. It was later terminated early by the Janata government. This period is distinct from the agriculturally oriented First and industry-oriented Second Plans.
Q97. Who are the intended beneficiaries of the PM SVANidhi programme?
[UPPSC PCS Prelims 2022]
(A) Landless agricultural labourers
(B) Marginal farmers
(C) Street vendors
(D) Dairy farmers
Answer: (C) Street vendors
Explanation: PM SVANidhi supports urban street vendors with collateral-free working-capital credit and incentives encouraging timely repayments and digital transactions. The programme responded to disruptions in street-vending livelihoods and is not a scheme aimed specifically at farmers, agricultural labourers or dairy producers.
Q96. Which of these statements about Make in India are correct:
(1) it was launched in 2014;
(2) it was designed to promote manufacturing and investment in India?
[UPPSC PCS Prelims 2022]
(A) Neither 1 nor 2
(B) Both 1 and 2
(C) 2 only
(D) 1 only
Answer: (B) Both 1 and 2
Explanation: Make in India was launched in September 2014 to promote industrial development, investment, innovation and manufacturing capacity. The initiative seeks to improve conditions for making goods in India and attract domestic and foreign investment, confirming both statements.
Q95. Which Five-Year Plan concluded in March 2017?
[RRB NTPC CBT-I, 22 Feb Shift 1 2021]
(A) Twelfth
(B) Eleventh
(C) Thirteenth
(D) Tenth
Answer: (A) Twelfth
Explanation: The Twelfth Five-Year Plan ran from April 2012 to March 2017 and was India’s final Five-Year Plan. NITI Aayog succeeded the Planning Commission in 2015, shifting the framework from central plan allocation toward strategic policy guidance.
Q94. In which year was India’s First Five-Year Plan presented?
[RRB NTPC CBT-I, 27 Mar Shift 1 2021]
(A) 1954
(B) 1956
(C) 1952
(D) 1951
Answer: (D) 1951
Explanation: India’s First Five-Year Plan began in 1951 and prioritised agriculture, irrigation and food production. It marked the first formal five-year national economic planning cycle following the creation of the Planning Commission in 1950.
Q93. Which body gave final approval to India’s historical Five-Year Plans?
[RRB NTPC CBT-I, 8 Apr Shift 2 2021]
(A) Planning Commission
(B) Reserve Bank of India
(C) Ministry of Finance
(D) National Development Council
Answer: (D) National Development Council
Explanation: The National Development Council gave final approval to Five-Year Plans prepared through the Planning Commission process. It brought Centre and state leadership into consideration of national development priorities. RBI had no such plan-approval function.
Q92. Who served as NITI Aayog vice-chairperson in December 2020?
[RRB NTPC CBT-I, 27 Mar Shift 2 2021]
(A) Amitabh Kant
(B) Narendra Modi
(C) Rajiv Kumar
(D) Arvind Subramanian
Answer: (C) Rajiv Kumar
Explanation: Rajiv Kumar was vice-chairperson of NITI Aayog at the end of 2020, succeeding its first vice-chairperson Arvind Panagariya. Amitabh Kant served as CEO, while the Prime Minister is the institution’s chairperson; these are distinct positions.
Q91. Consider four statements about Indian planning:
(1) the Congress Working Committee discussed national reconstruction at Wardha in 1937;
(2) Bose advocated comprehensive planning at Haripura;
(3) the Planning Commission was replaced by NITI Aayog;
(4) Bose announced the 1938 National Planning Committee with Nehru as chair.
Which are correct?
[Jharkhand PCS Prelims 2021]
(A) 2 and 3 only
(B) 3 only
(C) All four
(D) 1 and 3 only
Answer: (C) All four
Explanation: The Congress explored reconstruction and planning in the late 1930s, while Bose promoted an organised national planning framework and Nehru chaired the resulting National Planning Committee. The Planning Commission was later replaced by NITI Aayog in 2015. All four assertions stand.
