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 Rs 10 Lakh.

• Cashless insurance of up to Rs 10 lakh for all families has been proposed under the Chief Minister Chiranjeevi Health Insurance Scheme.

Key Points

• Rajasthan government began cashless insurance of up to Rs 10 lakh under a universal health scheme for all families of Rajasthan.
  • It started on 1 May 2021 under the Chief Minister Chiranjeevi Health Insurance Scheme.
  • This scheme was announced during State Budget 2021-22. 
  • Salient features
    • Free insurance to all families under BPL, NFSA, and SECC categories.
    • Those families covered under Ayushman Bharat Mahatma Gandhi Rajasthan Swasthya Bima Yojana, along with contractual workers and small and marginal farmers, can also avail of this scheme for free.
    • Families not included in these categories will also be eligible for the benefits, although they have to pay 50 percent of the premium, which will come to around Rs 850 annually.

Confusion Points

• In 2021, a health cover of up to 5 lakh was proposed under this scheme.
• In Feb 2022, Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot has announced an increase in health cover from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 10 lakh per family in a year under the state government’s ambitious Chiranjeevi Health Insurance Scheme launched in 2021.

Additional Information

• Besides major diseases, the scheme will also include Covid-19 care and hemodialysis for the poor.
• The scheme is budgeted around Rs 3,500 crore.
• Once implemented, Rajasthan will become the first State in India to provide Universal Health Coverage for its citizens.

The correct answer is Residential hostel.

• Under the Rajasthan Ambedkar DBT Voucher Yojana, Students will be provided facility of residential hostels.

Key Points

• Ambedkar DBT Voucher Scheme
  • Under this scheme, the state government will provide vouchers for residential facilities to the students studying in various reserved categories of colleges of Rajasthan to stay away from their homes in urban areas. 
  • Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has approved the proposal to implement Ambedkar DBT Voucher Scheme for SC, ST, OBC, MBC, and EWS students.
  • Under the scheme, the beneficiary students will be given Rs. 7 thousand per month for the residential facility at the divisional headquarters and Rs. 5 thousand per month for other district headquarters.
  • Under this scheme, 5000 students will be provided vouchers on a merit basis for 10 months.
  • Only those students will be able to take advantage of Rajasthan Ambedkar DBT Voucher Yojana, who live in urban areas away from their homes to get an education.

The correct answer is 2011-12.

Key Points

• The Index of Industrial Production (IIP)
  • It is a short-term macroeconomic indicator widely used in measuring the industrial growth of the State.
  • The index indicates the relative change over time in the volume of production in the industrial sector and it is an effective tool to measure the trend of current industrial production.
  • Presently IIP is constructed based on the base year 2011-12. Hence, Option 3 is correct.
  • The Directorate of Economics and Statistics, Department of Planning, Rajasthan has been compiling/releasing an index of industrial production for the Rajasthan State since 1971 as per the guidelines of the Central Statistical Office (CSO), Govt. of India.
  • New base year IIP series based on 156 items/product groups for the manufacturing sector.
  • Shifting of the base year 2011-12 are in process to get monthly Production data from April 2011 onwards for a selected item for selected units in the prescribed format given by C.S.O.
  • Three major sectors in IIP 
    • Manufacturing:- For Manufacturing Sector the Production data is collecting for selected items from selected industrial units through district statistical officer’s and Now IIP web Portal has been developed for the collection of regular data from districts through an online system.
    • Mining:- Mining sector production data is supplied by the Indian Bureau of Mines, (IBM) Nagpur.
    • Electricity:- Electricity sector generation figures furnished by the Central Electricity Authority New Delhi.

The correct answer is Cooperative farming.

Key Points

• Efficiency and effectiveness are two wings of Productivity.
• These two are essential for a productive industry.
• Low productivity occurs due to lack of adequate machinery, lack of finances for farmers, lack of good quality seeds and fertilizers and ownership of land.
• Other factors include:
  • Inadequate inputs availability
  • Sub-division and fragmentation of land holdings
  • Poor finance and marketing facilities
• The co-operatives and other institutional agencies have not been able to eliminate the village money-lenders.
• Storage facilities for farmers are not still available to preserve their agricultural products for a better price.