Livelihood & Employment — Set 11

Correct Answer: B. Maharashtra

Maharashtra introduced the Maharashtra Employment Guarantee Scheme in 1977, which was a major inspiration for MGNREGA. This state-level programme guaranteed rural employment as a right, decades before the central legislation. The success and learnings from Maharashtra informed the design of the national programme.

Correct Answer: A. Equal to state minimum wage for agricultural labour

MGNREGA wages are linked to the state's notified minimum wage for agricultural labour, indexed to inflation. The central government revises these rates annually. This ensures that MGNREGA wages reflect the prevailing cost of living in each state.

Correct Answer: B. Creates a national database of unorganized workers

The key feature of e-Shram portal is the creation of a first-ever comprehensive national database of unorganized workers. It enables seamless delivery of social security schemes and benefits to these workers. The database is shared with state governments for targeted scheme implementation.

Correct Answer: C. Both conventional bank credit and MFI routes

PM SVANidhi provides working capital through Scheduled Commercial Banks, Regional Rural Banks, Small Finance Banks, Cooperative Banks, and Microfinance Institutions. This multi-channel approach ensures maximum outreach to street vendors. The scheme has a credit guarantee component to reduce lender risk.

Correct Answer: B. 33% reservation

MGNREGA mandates that not less than one-third of beneficiaries shall be women who have registered and requested work. In practice, women's actual participation has often exceeded 50%. This has made MGNREGA one of the largest women's employment programmes in the world.

Correct Answer: C. Any sector with scalable business model

Startup India recognizes startups across all sectors — technology, manufacturing, agriculture, healthcare, education, and more — as long as they demonstrate innovation, improvement, or scalability. There is no restriction on the sector of the startup. This broad eligibility ensures diverse entrepreneurship gets support.

Correct Answer: B. NRLM targets rural areas, NULM targets urban areas

NRLM (National Rural Livelihood Mission) targets rural poor households, while NULM (National Urban Livelihood Mission) addresses the urban poor. Both have been merged under the Deen Dayal Antyodaya Yojana umbrella. Together they provide comprehensive poverty alleviation support across rural and urban areas.

Correct Answer: B. By paying employer EPF/EPS contribution for new hires

PMRPY incentivizes employers to bring informal workers into the formal economy by paying the employer's contribution to EPF and EPS for new hires earning up to Rs 15,000. This reduces the cost of formalization for employers. Workers benefit from social security coverage under EPF and EPS.

Correct Answer: C. Rs 13,000 crore

The PM Vishwakarma scheme has an outlay of Rs 13,000 crore over five years from FY 2023-24 to FY 2027-28. This substantial budget reflects the government's commitment to supporting the traditional crafts and artisan economy. The scheme is fully funded by the central government.

Correct Answer: B. Ensuring transparency and accountability in scheme implementation

Social Audit under MGNREGA is a mechanism for community-based transparency and accountability. It involves public verification of records, muster rolls, and expenditures in an open meeting called the Social Audit Gram Sabha. It empowers citizens to identify and report corruption or misuse of funds.