Question Discussion & Solution

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 2 only.

Key Points

• Indian Agriculture:
  • ​The share of agriculture in the gross domestic product (GDP) has reached almost 20 per cent for the first time in the last 17 years, making it the sole bright spot in GDP performance during 2020-21, according to the Economic Survey 2020-2021.​ Hence statement 1 is not correct.
  • The resilience of the farming community in the face of adversities made agriculture the only sector to have clocked a positive growth of 3.4 per cent at constant prices in 2020-21 when other sectors slid.
  • The share of agriculture in GDP increased to 19.9 per cent in 2020-21 from 17.8 per cent in 2019-20. The last time the contribution of the agriculture sector in GDP was at 20 per cent was in 2003-04.
• Dependence on monsoon:
  • Reliance on seasonal rainfall hampers productivity. Additionally, change in climatic conditions and erratic weather patterns such as cyclones and droughts can impact the yields of agricultural crops.
  • The growth of India’s agriculture sector has been dependent on monsoons, and as a result, it has been volatile. Hence statement 1 is correct.
  • The government is now encouraging micro-irrigation to improve water usage/efficiency.
• Government initiatives:
  • Improve soil fertility on a sustainable basis through the soil health card scheme.
  • Provide improved access to irrigation and enhanced water efficiency through Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana (PMKSY).
  • Support organic farming through Paramparagat Krishi VikasYojana (PKVY).
  • Creation of a unified national agriculture market to boost the income of farmers.
  • To mitigate risk in the agriculture sector, “Pradhan Mantri Fasal BimaYojana (PMFBY) has been launched for implementation from Kharif 2016.

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.

The correct answer is 2017.

Key Points

• Madhya Pradesh Industrial Development Corporation Limited(MPIDC) is the Single Window Secretariat for Investment Promotion and Facilitation of the state.
• MPIDC has launched an Integrated New Venture Establishment Portal (INVEST), which is the Single Window Portal for the state. 
• INVEST Portal is being developed for monitoring of entire life cycle of investment projects, right from receipt of the ‘Intention to Invest’ to grounding and completion.
• INVEST is acting as a one-stop solution for any investor wanting to establish & operate a business in the state.
• Now investors would not be required to visit different state department portals, rather they can avail various services/approvals required for setting up their business through INVEST Portal.
• The portal ensures time-bound delivery of facilities and permissions through continuous review/monitoring.
• The development of INVEST Portal started in April 2017.
• Department of Industrial Policy and Investment Promotion, the Government of Madhya Pradesh is responsible for the all-around industrial development of the State.
• The department facilitates the establishment of industries to achieve employment generation and utilization of local resources.
• The department acts as a catalyst to modernize and strengthen industries of the State to make them globally competitive. 
• INVEST Portal, which is being developed by DIP&IP to works as an Investor lifecycle tool, will also cover MSME units

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.