UPSC 2012 Prelims Questions with Answers

Explanation

Statement 1 is incorrect: The National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM) does not focus on setting up new manufacturing industries or agribusiness centers directly. Its primary focus is on promoting self-employment and organization of the rural poor through self-help groups (SHGs).

Statement 2 is correct: NRLM aims to strengthen self-help groups (SHGs) and provide skill development to enhance the livelihood options of the rural poor.

Statement 3 is incorrect: NRLM does not involve the free distribution of agricultural inputs like seeds, fertilizers, or irrigation equipment. These activities are covered under different agricultural schemes.

Explanation

Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs) are community health workers under the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM), trained to promote maternal and child health, facilitate access to healthcare services, and provide basic health education on nutrition, immunisation, and hygiene.

Statement 1 is correct: ASHAs assist women in accessing healthcare facilities for antenatal check-ups, delivery, and post-natal care.

Statement 2 is correct: ASHAs are trained to use pregnancy test kits for early detection and guiding women accordingly.

Statement 3 is correct: One of the core responsibilities of ASHAs is to educate the community about nutrition, immunisation, family planning, and hygiene.

Statement 4 is incorrect: ASHAs are not trained to conduct deliveries. They are responsible for facilitating access to skilled birth attendants and institutional deliveries but do not perform the deliveries themselves.

Explanation

Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY) is a safe motherhood intervention under the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM).

Statement 1 is correct: The primary goal of Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY) is to reduce maternal and infant mortality by encouraging pregnant women to opt for institutional deliveries in healthcare facilities, ensuring safe childbirth under professional supervision.

Statement 2 is correct: JSY is a centrally sponsored scheme, which integrates cash assistance with delivery and post-de-livery care to help cover expenses related to childbirth, making institutional deliveries more accessible.

Statement 3 is incorrect: JSY does not compensate for wage loss during pregnancy or confinement. Its focus is on promoting safe deliveries through financial support for delivery costs, not income replacement.

Explanation

The Employees’ State Insurance (ESI) Scheme is a social security and health insurance program for Indian workers, managed by the Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) under the Ministry of Labour and Employment. Launched in 1952 under the ESI Act, 1948, it provides financial protection to employees against sickness, maternity, disability, and work-related injuries. This Act applies, in the first instance, to non-seasonal factories employing 10 or more persons. Statements 1, 2, 3 and 4 are correct: The ESI Scheme initially covered factories but has expanded to include hotels and restaurants, motor transport undertakings, newspaper establishments, private medical institutions, shops, cinemas, educational institutions, and more. It applies to establishments with 10 or more employees (20 in some states) and covers employees earning up to 21,000/month (25,000 for persons with disabilities).

Explanation

National Water Mission is one of the eight missions launched under the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) for combating the threats of global warming. The main objective of NWM is "conservation of water, minimising wastage and ensuring its more equitable distribution both across and within States through integrated water resources devel-opment and management". Statements 1 and 2 are correct: It seeks to ensure that a considerable share of the water needs of urban areas are met through recycling of waste water and ensuring that the water requirements of coastal cities with inadequate alternative sources of water are met through adoption of new and appropriate technologies such as low temperature desalination technologies that allow for the use of ocean water.

Statement 3 is incorrect: All the rivers of Himalayan origin will be linked to the rivers of peninsular India is part of the Interlinking of Rivers Project, not the National Water Mission.

Statement 4 is incorrect: The NWM focuses on water conservation and efficiency but does not provide reimbursements for bore-wells or pump-sets.

Explanation

Statement 1 is incorrect: DRDAs does not act as Panchayati Raj Institutions. They are autonomous bodies that coordinate rural development programs, while Panchayati Raj Institutions are separate local self-governance bodies.

Statement 2 is incorrect: No such provisions are there for DRDAs to undertake an area-specific scientific study of the causes of poverty and malnutrition and prepare detailed remedial measures.

Statement 3 is correct: One of the key roles of DRDAs is to coordinate efforts across sectors and departments to ensure the effective implementation of various rural development schemes.

Statement 4 is correct: DRDAs are responsible for monitoring and ensuring the proper utilization of funds allocated to anti-poverty and rural development programs.

Explanation

Statement 1 is correct: Consumers have the right to take food samples for testing if they suspect adulteration, under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.

Statement 2 is incorrect: Filing a complaint in a consumer forum requires payment of a court fee, which varies depending on the value of the claim. For instance, no fee is charged for claims up to 5 lakh, but fees are applicable for higher claims as per the prescribed structure.

Statement 3 is correct: Legal heirs can file or continue consumer complaints on behalf of a deceased consumer under the Consumer Protection Act, ensuring that grievances do not lapse upon the complainant’s death.

Explanation

The Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI), developed by the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI) in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), is designed to measure acute poverty by evaluating multiple deprivations that individuals face across three key dimensions: health, education, and living standards.

Statement 1 is correct: The index assesses deprivations in education (such as years of schooling and school attendance), health (including child mortality and nutrition), and living standards (evaluated through indicators like access to electricity, sanitation, drinking water, housing, cooking fuel, and asset ownership).

Statement 2 is incorrect: Purchasing power parity (PPP) is an economic metric used to compare the relative value of currencies and the cost of goods across countries. The MPI focuses on non-monetary deprivations at the household level and does not incorporate national-level economic indicators like PPP.

Statement 3 is incorrect: Budget deficits and GDP growth rates are macroeconomic indicators that reflect a country’s fiscal health and economic performance. The MPI does not include these national-level metrics, as it is centered on individual and household deprivations in specific areas such as health, education, and living standards.