Test: Monthly Yojana and Kurukshetra Magazine March 2025 - UPSC MCQ

- Statement 1 is correct. The Union Budget 2025-26 does introduce a new tonnage tax scheme aimed at enhancing inland water transport and promoting the Indian shipping sector. This initiative is part of the broader tax reforms to boost economic growth and investment in the industry.

- Statement 2 is incorrect. The PM SuryaGhar Muft Bijli Yojana actually received a 66% increase in funding, not 50%, as stated. The actual allocation promotes household solar energy installations as part of the government's push towards renewable energy.

- Statement 3 is correct. The Gender Budget for FY 2025-26 indeed represents 4.9% of the total Union Budget, reflecting the government's commitment to gender equality and empowerment through increased funding for women-centric schemes.

Hence, the correct statements are 1 and 3, making Option B the correct answer.

- Statement 1 is correct. The Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) schemes have indeed been designed to support and enhance domestic manufacturing in key sectors such as telecom, air conditioning, and semiconductors. These schemes are aimed at increasing production capacity and competitiveness in these industries.

- Statement 2 is correct. The Logistics Performance Index (LPI) ranking of India has shown improvement over time, moving from 54th position in 2014 to 38th position in 2024. This improvement is indicative of better logistical efficiency and infrastructure advancements.

- Statement 3 is incorrect. The government does not aim to phase out fossil fuels immediately. Instead, the strategy involves a gradual transition to ensure economic stability while promoting renewable energy sources. Immediate phasing out of fossil fuels could lead to economic instability, as highlighted in the roadmap for a developed India by 2047.

Therefore, the correct answer is Option B: 1 and 2 Only.

1. PM Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana - This initiative aims to promote holistic agricultural development across 100 districts, focusing on diversifying crops, implementing sustainable farming practices, enhancing irrigation, developing post-harvest infrastructure, and improving farmers' access to credit. It does not specifically focus on promoting organic farming across India. This pair is incorrectly matched.

2. PM Krishi Sinchai Yojana (PMKSY) - This scheme is correctly described as aiming to improve irrigation and water conservation efforts. An allocation of Rs. 8,260 crore is designated for this purpose. This pair is correctly matched.

3. MGNREGA - The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act focuses on providing rural employment through various public works, not specifically on skills training for women entrepreneurs. This pair is incorrectly matched.

4. DAY-NRLM - The Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana - National Rural Livelihoods Mission is indeed focused on supporting women’s entrepreneurship and skill development initiatives, with a funding increase to support these objectives. This pair is correctly matched.

Thus, pairs 2 and 4 are correctly matched, making the correct answer Option B: Only two pairs.

Statement-I is correct as the Union Budget 2025-26 indeed aligns with the Economic Survey 2024-25, emphasizing consistent growth amidst global manufacturing difficulties and supply chain disruptions. Statement-II is also correct as the Economic Survey 2024-25 did highlight India's steady economic growth despite challenges in global manufacturing, particularly in Europe and Asia. Statement-II explains why the alignment of the Union Budget with the Economic Survey is significant, showing how India's economic growth trajectory has been resilient despite external challenges.

1. PM SuryaGhar Muft Bijli Yojana: Correctly matched. The initiative aims to provide solar power to one crore households by 2027, with a significant budget allocation for promotion of solar energy installations.

2. Green Hydrogen Mission: Correctly matched. The budget for this mission was indeed doubled to Rs 600 crore to support the decarbonization of heavy industries, aligning with India's push towards green hydrogen.

3. Tonnage Tax Scheme: Correctly matched. This scheme is introduced to enhance inland water transport, promoting the Indian shipping sector.

4. Gender Budget Part A: Incorrectly matched. Part A of India's Gender Budget consists of schemes with 100% funding designated for women, not 30%. The 30% threshold applies to Part B of the Gender Budget.

Thus, pairs 1, 2, and 3 are correctly matched, while pair 4 is incorrectly matched.

The PM Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana in India aims to promote organic farming practices, crop diversification, enhanced irrigation methods, post-harvest infrastructure development, and improved access to credit for farmers. Organic farming promotes sustainability, soil health, and environmental conservation by reducing reliance on chemical inputs, making it a crucial initiative for agricultural development and long-term food security.

1. Statement 1: This statement is correct. The Union Budget 2025-26 allocated Rs. 3.83 lakh crore for various subsidies and programs aimed at rural development, employment, and skill enhancement, as stated in the provided content.

2. Statement 2: This statement is also correct. The Kisan Credit Card (KCC) loan limit was indeed increased from Rs. 3 lakh to Rs. 5 lakh to benefit 7.75 crore farmers. This initiative is aimed at providing easier access to credit for farmers.

3. Statement 3: This statement is incorrect. The budget for MGNREGA was maintained at Rs. 86,000 crore rather than being increased by 10%. There was an emphasis on improving implementation and asset creation rather than increasing the budget.

Thus, only statements 1 and 2 are correct, making Option B the correct answer.

Gender Budgeting in India aims to ensure fair resource distribution by incorporating gender viewpoints into financial policies. It does not establish a separate budget exclusively for women but examines financial allocations through a gender perspective to advance gender equality and address gender imbalances in broader economic planning frameworks.

Statement-I correctly highlights the emphasis on sanitation and water access initiatives like Swachh Bharat Mission and Jal Jeevan Mission in the Union Budget 2025-26. Statement-II accurately portrays the focus on increasing funding for medical education, cancer care, digital health projects, and medical tourism in the same budget. While both statements are factually correct, they represent different aspects of the budget without one explaining the other. Therefore, option (b) is the correct answer as both statements are correct but not interrelated in terms of explanation.

Statement-I is accurate because the atmosphere indeed absorbs more incoming solar radiation compared to terrestrial radiation. This absorption leads to the heating of the Earth's atmosphere.
Statement-II is also correct. Greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide are proficient at absorbing long-wave radiation (infrared radiation) emitted by the Earth's surface. This absorption traps heat in the atmosphere, contributing to the greenhouse effect. Therefore, Statement-II provides an explanation for why the atmosphere is heated more by incoming solar radiation.