NITI Aayog & Planning — Set 11
Economy Advanced · नीति आयोग और नियोजन · Questions 101–110 of 120
The 'NITI Aayog Movement' established to engage with states on agriculture reforms is:
Correct Answer: A. Doubling Farmers Income
The 'Doubling Farmers Income' (DFI) initiative is a key NITI Aayog effort engaging with states on agriculture reforms. The government announced the goal of doubling farmers' income by 2022, with NITI Aayog constituting a committee to recommend measures. The committee recommended 7 sources for income growth including productivity, area expansion, cropping intensity, diversification, and better price realization. The initiative has driven agricultural policy reform discussions.
Which of the following was a major criticism of India's Five Year Plans?
Correct Answer: C. Capital-intensive approach neglecting employment
A major criticism of India's Five Year Plans was their capital-intensive, heavy industry focus that neglected employment generation. The Mahalanobis model emphasized capital goods at the expense of labour-intensive industries. This contributed to the 'jobless growth' problem. Other criticisms included insufficient agriculture investment after the Second Plan, excessive controls creating inefficiency, and inadequate focus on human development in early plans.
NITI Aayog's 'New India @75' document was released in which year?
Correct Answer: B. 2018
NITI Aayog released the 'Strategy for New India @75' document in November 2018. This 7-year strategy covers 41 areas across growth, employment, education, healthcare, technology, and governance. The document provided a comprehensive medium-term roadmap for India's development. It targets specific outcomes to be achieved by 2022-23 (India's 75th anniversary of independence) and lays the groundwork for the longer Viksit Bharat 2047 vision.
The 'Plan Outlay' and 'Non-Plan Expenditure' distinction in India's budget was abolished in which year?
Correct Answer: C. 2017
The distinction between 'Plan' and 'Non-Plan' expenditure in India's budget was abolished from 2017-18 onwards, following the dissolution of the Planning Commission. This classification had existed for decades as a legacy of the planning era. The new classification uses 'Capital' and 'Revenue' expenditure instead. The merger was recommended by the NITI Aayog and the Budget is now presented on February 1 (moved from February 28 in 2017) without the Plan/Non-Plan distinction.
The 'NITI Aayog's State Energy & Climate Index' (SECI) ranks states on:
Correct Answer: B. Energy access, efficiency and sustainability
NITI Aayog's State Energy & Climate Index (SECI) ranks states and UTs on their energy access, efficiency, sustainability, and climate action. It covers indicators like per capita energy consumption, clean energy adoption, energy efficiency, and environmental outcomes. The index was first released in March 2022. Gujarat, Kerala, and Punjab have ranked among the top performers. It encourages competitive federalism in energy sector reforms.
The 'Rolling Plans' advocated by the Janata government were primarily based on recommendations by:
Correct Answer: A. Ashok Mehta Committee
The Rolling Plans advocated by the Janata Party government (1977-79) were primarily based on recommendations by the Ashok Mehta Committee. Under rolling plans, a five-year plan with a list of projects was prepared but could be annually revised. Three annual plans replaced the Fifth Plan (which was ended prematurely). When Congress returned to power in 1980, it abandoned rolling plans and launched the Sixth Five Year Plan (1980-85).
NITI Aayog's 'Aspirational Blocks Programme' is an extension of the Aspirational Districts Programme, targeting:
Correct Answer: A. 500 blocks
NITI Aayog launched the Aspirational Blocks Programme (ABP) in January 2023 to extend the success of the Aspirational Districts Programme to sub-district levels. It targets 500 blocks spread across 329 districts in 27 states. These blocks were selected based on development indicators similar to those used for aspirational districts. The programme covers health, nutrition, education, agriculture, and financial inclusion.
The 'Planning Commission' under Jawaharlal Nehru was influenced by which country's planning model?
Correct Answer: C. Soviet Union
India's Planning Commission and its approach of Five Year Plans was significantly influenced by the Soviet Union's centralized planning model with its Five Year Plans (Pyatiletka). Nehru admired the Soviet model of rapid industrialization through state-directed investment. However, India's planning operated within a democratic and mixed economy framework. The Mahalanobis model drew inspiration from the Soviet planning approach of prioritizing capital goods.
Which NITI Aayog initiative specifically focuses on blockchain and other frontier technologies for governance?
Correct Answer: C. NITI Aayog's Frontier Technologies Division
NITI Aayog established a Frontier Technologies Division to focus on emerging technologies like blockchain, artificial intelligence, and quantum computing for governance applications. NITI Aayog has published discussion papers on AI, blockchain (for land records), and other frontier technologies. It also established the National Data and Analytics Platform (NDAP) for open government data. These initiatives position NITI Aayog as a technology policy leader.
The 'Sixth Five Year Plan' is often called the plan that focused on 'Direct Attack on Poverty'. Which PM was associated with this plan?
Correct Answer: A. Indira Gandhi
The Sixth Five Year Plan (1980-85) was associated with Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and focused on a direct attack on poverty through schemes like Integrated Rural Development Programme (IRDP), National Rural Employment Programme (NREP), and Rural Landless Employment Guarantee Programme (RLEGP). The plan's theme was 'alleviation of poverty and attainment of self-reliance'. It achieved 5.4% growth against a target of 5.2%.