Previous Year UPSC Questions

Explanation

Statement 1 is correct: Article 112 of the Indian Constitution deals with placing annual financial statements in Parliament. It outlines the estimated revenue and expenditure of the government for the upcoming financial year. It is a key tool for Parliament to examine, debate, and approve the government’s financial plans:

Statement 2 is correct: Article 114 mandates that the government can withdraw money from the Consolidated Fund of India only after receiving approval from Parliament after passage of the Appropriation Bill.

Statement 3 is correct: If the government needs extra funds, it requests supplementary grants via a Supplementary Appropriation Bill. A Vote-on-Account provides interim funds until the full budget is approved. It is passed (or granted) after the general discussion on budget is over. It is generally granted for two months for an amount equivalent to one-sixth of the total estimation.

Statement 4 is incorrect: There is no such Parliamentary budget office to review programs of Government. The Estimate Committee of parliament reviews policies and continuously examines estimates of programs from time to time throughout the year.

Statement 5 is correct: The Finance Bill is a key legislative instrument that Parliament must pass to give effect to the government’s tax proposals, which are an essential part of the Budget.

Explanation

Project Tiger was initiated in 1973 under the Wild-life Protection Act, 1972, with the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) overseeing the implementation. The project was launched with the primary goal to protect the Bengal tiger, enhance their population, and safeguard their habitats through the establishment of Tiger Reserves. The project has been highly successful, expanding to include a range of conservation efforts. A Tiger Reserve is a protected area legally designated for the conservation of striped big cats. It can also be classified as a national park or wildlife sanctuary. For example, Sariska Tiger Reserve is also a national park because it was initially established as a na-tional park before being dedicated to tiger conservation.

Explanation

According to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, a national park is defined as an area, whether within a sanctuary or not, that can be designated by the state government due to its ecological, faunal, floral, geomorphologi-cal, or zoological significance. The purpose of this designation is to protect, propagate, or develop the wildlife and its environment. In National Parks, local people are generally not allowed to collect and use the biomass or any resources for subsistence purposes. The primary objective of National Parks is the protection of biodiversity and preservation of ecosystems. These parks are strictly protected under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, and human activities, including the collection of resources like firewood, grazing, and hunting, are prohibited unless specifically allowed for research or management purposes.

Explanation

The Lead Bank Scheme (LBS) was introduced by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in 1969 following the recommendations of the Gadgil Study Group (1969). The primary objective of the scheme is to promote banking penetration, credit flow, and financial inclusion in rural areas by assigning a specific bank to act as the lead bank for a district. This lead bank is responsible for coordinating banking activities and ensuring that credit reaches priority sectors like agriculture, MSMEs, and weaker sections. Key Features of Lead Bank Scheme (LBS):

1. Each district is assigned a Lead Bank (mostly a public sector or large private bank).

2. Lead Bank is responsible for coordinating financial institutions, monitoring credit flow, and improving banking services in its district.

3. Priority Sector Lending (PSL) is a major focus, ensuring credit to agriculture, MSMEs, and weaker sections.

4. District Credit Plans (DCPs) are formulated to set targets for bank credit expansion in the region.

5. SLBC (State Level Bankers’ Committee) and DLCC (District Level Coordination Committees) ensure implementation of the scheme.

Explanation

A teaser loan is a loan with an initially low-interest rate for a fixed period, after which the rate increases gradually. They are commonly used in home loans, credit cards, and other financing schemes to attract borrowers. State Bank of India (SBI) introduced teaser loans in 2009 for home loans in India. Subprime lending is the practice of lending to borrowers with a low credit rating that may be exposed to the risk of default in future.

Statement 1 is correct: Teaser loans are often linked with subprime lending practices, where loans are extended to borrowers with lower creditworthiness. The low initial rates can lure borrowers who may struggle to repay when the rates increase, leading to a higher risk of defaults in the future. After the initial low-rate period ends, borrowers may face significantly higher payments. If they are unable to meet these higher payments, defaults can occur. This puts financial institutions at risk and can contribute to broader economic instability.

Statement 2 is incorrect: Teaser loans in India are not primarily given to inexperienced entrepreneurs for setting up manufacturing or export units. They are mostly offered in the housing loan segment to attract homebuyers with lower initial EMIs.

Explanation

Biomass gasification is a process that converts biomass (organic materials like wood, crop residues, and animal waste) into syngas (synthetic gas) by heating it in a controlled environment with limited oxygen or steam.

Statement 1 is correct: Rice husk, groundnut shells, and coconut shells can all be utilised in the biomass gasification process.

Statement 2 is incorrect: Biomass gasification involves burning of biomass in a limited supply of air to provide a combustible gas consisting of carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, hydrogen, methane, water, nitrogen, along with contaminants like small char particles, ash and tars.

Statement 3 is incorrect: Combustible syngas is frequently used as a fuel for internal combustion engines or as a step in the synthesis of other compounds. Consequently, the flammable gases produced by biomass gasification can be used for direct heat generation as well as in internal combustion engines.

Explanation

Graphene is a single layer of carbon atoms arranged in a hexagonal honeycomb lattice, making it the thinnest, strongest, and most conductive material known. It has remarkable applications in electronics, energy storage, and nanotechnology due to its high strength, flexibility, and conductivity.

Statement 1 is correct: Graphene, a two-dimensional, atomic-scale, honeycomb lattice is an allotrope of carbon in which one atom forms each vertex. It is the basic structural unit of other allotropes, including graphite, charcoal, carbon nanotubes and fullerenes. Graphene has remarkably good electrical conductivity.

Statement 2 is correct: It is often cited as about 100 times stronger than the strongest steel with a hypothetical thickness of 3.35°(approx.) which is equal to the thickness of a graphene sheet. Carbon atoms are linked together in a single layer to form the hexagonal structure that makes up graphene. Graphene is so much thinner than paper (a million times thinner), that it is actually regarded as two dimensional.

Statement 3 is incorrect: Graphene is a single layer (monolayer) of carbon atoms, not silicon, tightly bound in a hexagonal honeycomb lattice. It is an allotrope of carbon in the form of a plane of sp2-bonded atoms with a molecular bond length of 0.142 nanometres.

Statement 4 is correct: Graphene is often produced as a powder and as a dispersion in a polymer matrix. This dispersion is supposedly suitable for advanced composites, paints and coatings, lubricants, oils and functional fluids, capacitors and batteries, thermal management applications, display materials, etc. Graphene is often cited as a promising material for use as conducting electrodes in devices like touch screens, LCDs, and organic LEDs due to its excellent electrical conductivity and high transparency

Explanation

Lead poisoning is a toxic condition caused by the accumulation of lead in the body, typically through exposure to contaminated air, water, soil, or consumer products. It affects multiple organ systems, particularly the nervous system, and can lead to severe health issues such as cognitive impairment, developmental delays, and organ damage.

Option 1 and 3 are correct: Even after the stricter regulations, major sources of lead pollution include mining, smelting, manufacturing, and recycling, with the production of lead-acid batteries for automobiles accounting for over three-quarters of global lead usage. Other common sources of lead poisoning include lead-based paint, contaminated soil, children’s toys and jewelry, drinking water from lead pipes, workplace and hobby hazards (such as mining and smelting), lead-glazed ceramics, pottery, leaded crystal, imported candy, and mini blinds.

Option 2 and 4 are incorrect:

Pens and pencils are incorrect as modern pencils mostly contain graphite, not lead, and pens use regulated ink formulations. Hair oils and cosmetics are incorrect because most cosmetic products are strictly regulated to prevent lead contamination, with only rare exceptions in some traditional items.

Explanation

Cowpea, green gram, and pigeon pea are all versatile crops used in various agricultural practices. Cowpea is a leguminous plant that serves as a pulse, fodder, and green manure. Its seeds are harvested for food, while the plant’s leaves and stems are used as fodder for livestock. Additionally, cowpea is effective as green manure due to its ability to fix nitrogen in the soil, enhancing soil fertility. Green gram, primarily grown for its seeds, is mainly used as a pulse and also as fodder for animals. Although it can contribute to soil health, it is less frequently used as green manure compared to other legumes. Pigeon pea is similarly multifunctional, used as a pulse for consumption, fodder for livestock, and green manure to enrich soil. It plays a crucial role in improving soil fertility by fixing nitrogen. Overall, all three crops serve important roles in sustainable agriculture, with cowpea and pigeon pea being more widely used as green manure than green gram. Note: However, UPSC didn’t consider Pigeon Pea as suitable fit and marked option (a) as correct

Explanation

Statements 1 and 3 are correct: GoI Act 1919 introduced the dual scheme of governance known as ‘dyarchy’ in the executive government of the provinces. By demarcating and separating the central and provincial subjects, it relaxed the central control over the provinces. It introduced bicameralism and direct elections in the country. The devolution of legislative authority by the center to the provinces was done in the Government of India Act, 1919.

Statement 2 is incorrect: The Indian Council Act, 1909 or the Morley-Minto Reforms introduced separate communal electorates for Muslims. It was put into place to appease the moderates (in Congress) and introduces separate electorates based on religion. Lord Minto came to be known as "Father of the Communal Electorate in India".