Previous Year UPSC Questions

Explanation

In 1996, the Government of India launched the Pulse Polio Immunization (PPI) campaign as part of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative. The program aimed to immunize all children under five years against polio through mass vaccination drives. It involved:

National Immunization Days (NIDs) to administer oral polio vaccine (OPV). Large-scale awareness campaigns and door-to-door vaccination efforts. Collaboration between the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF, and Rotary International.

Explanation

Statement (1) is correct: According to article 84 of the Constitution of India, the President is not a member of either the Lok Sabha or the Rajya Sabha, but he should be qualified for election as a member of the Lok Sabha.

Statement (2) is correct: As per article 79 of the Constitution, the Parliament of India consists of three components: the President, the Lok Sabha (House of the People), and the Rajya Sabha (Council of States).

Explanation

Bishop Carlos Felipe Ximenes Belo and Jos Remos Horta were awarded the 1996 Nobel Peace Prize for their efforts in bringing peace and advocating self-determination for East Timor. They played a crucial role in the non-violent struggle against Indonesian occupation, raising international awareness about human rights violations in East Timor and advocating for its independence, which was eventually achieved in 2002.

Explanation

The total stock of money in circulation among the public at a particular point of time is called money supply.

Option (b) is correct: Broad money (M3) represents the total money supply in the economy that is readily available for spending. It includes currency with the public and various bank deposits (demand and time deposits), but not the deposits that commercial banks hold with the RBI. Broad money (M3) in India includes:

Currency with the public: This refers to all currency notes and coins in circulation outside of banks. Demand deposits with banks: These are checking accounts or current accounts that allow depositors to withdraw funds on demand. Time deposits with banks: These are savings accounts or fixed deposits where funds are held for a specific period and cannot be withdrawn before maturity without penalty. "Other deposits with RBI" are a component of Reserve Money (M0), also known as high-powered money. These deposits are held by commercial banks with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and are part of the monetary base. While they are important for monetary policy, they are not included in the definition of broad money (M3).

Explanation

In Germany, the constructive vote of no confidence ("Konstruktives Misstrauensvotum") is a unique parliamentary mechanism under Article 67 of the German Basic Law (Grundgesetz). It allows the Bundestag (the federal parliament) to pass a no-confidence motion against the Chancellor only if a successor with majority support is elected simultaneously. This system ensures government stability by preventing leadership vacuums and political deadlocks.

Explanation

In proportional representation (PR), a candidate needs 50% + 1 vote to win. In a two-party system, this majority is often secured automatically. PR ensures that the number of seats a party or group wins aligns with its share of votes.

Explanation

India is the largest producer of fuelwood in the world due to its extensive use in rural areas for cooking and heating. In rural India, traditional biomass sources like firewood account for a significant share of energy consumption. Fuelwoodis sourced from forests, plantations, and farm trees, especially in states with dense forests and agroforestry practices.

Option (a), (b) and (d) are incorrect:

Indonesia: A major producer of timber, but its fuelwood production is significantly lower than India’s due to its smaller rural population relying on fuelwood. Russia: Focuses on commercial timber and industrial wood rather than fuelwood. China: While biomass energy is significant, China’s reliance on coal and other energy sources reduces its dependence on fuelwood compared to India.

Explanation

In Russia, the electoral system for the State Duma (Lower House of Parliament) in the 1990s followed a mixed electoral system. This mixed electoral system was in place from 1993 to 2003. 75% of the seats were filled using the first-past-the-post (FPTP) system, where candidates with the most votes in single-member constituencies won. 25% of the seats were filled using proportional representation (PR), where parties received seats based on their percentage of the national vote.

Explanation

Belgium and Luxembourg had a monetary agreement allowing their equal-valued francs (BEF & LUF) to circulate freely. This prefigured the 1999 Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) and the Euro ().

Explanation

The Minimum Alternative Tax (MAT) was introduced in the Union Budget for 1996-97 to ensure that companies with substantial book profits pay a minimum amount of tax, even if their taxable income is reduced due to exemptions and deductions. MAT was introduced under Section 115JB of the Income Tax Act to prevent large corporations from exploiting tax loopholes and paying little to no taxes. This initiative was crucial for ensuring tax equity and broadening the corporate tax base. The MAT rate was initially set at 7.5% of book profits and has undergone periodic revisions over the years.