Search Previous Year Questions

The correct answer is Karnataka.

Key Points

Foreign Direct Investment (FDI):

• A Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) is an investment made by a firm or individual in one country into business interests located in another country.
• FDI lets an investor purchase a direct business interest in a foreign country.
• Apart from being a critical driver of economic growth, FDI has been a major non-debt financial resource for the economic development of India.
• Components:
• Equity capital: It is the foreign direct investor’s purchase of shares of an enterprise in a country other than its own.
• Reinvested earnings: These comprise the direct investors’ share of earnings not distributed as dividends by affiliates, or earnings not remitted to the direct investor.
• According to the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), India's cumulative FDI inflow stood at US$ 871.01 billion between April 2000-Sept 2022; this was mainly due to the government's efforts to improve the ease of doing business and relax FDI norms.
• The state that received the highest FDI during this period were:
• 1^st - Karnataka at US$ 22.07 billion,
• 2^nd - Maharashtra (US$ 15.43 billion),
• 3^rd -  Delhi (US$ 8.18 billion),
• 4^th - Gujarat (US$ 2.70 billion) and
• 5^th - Haryana (US$ 2.79 billion). Hence, option 2 is correct.

The correct answer is Union Budget, 1992-1993.

Key Points

Liberalized Exchange Rate Management System:

• LERMS (Liberalized Exchange Rate Management System) was a new exchange rate management system.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) purchased 40 per cent of the proceeds of exports and inward remittances at the official exchange rate for official use under this scheme.
• Following the recommendations of the C. Rangarajan Committee, the Liberalized Exchange Rate Management System (LERMS) with the dual exchange rate was implemented.
• In March 1992, the Indian government implemented the Liberalized Exchange Rate Management System (LERMS).
• Dr Manmohan Singh revealed the new approach in his 1992-1993 budget, and the Reserve Bank of India announced it in early March (RBI). Hence, option 3 is correct.
• This was the first step toward making the switch to a market-determined exchange rate system possible.
• It allowed exporters to realize 60% of their revenues or earnings at market rates while surrendering the rest at the government rate.
• To put it another way, India made the transition from a fixed to a dual exchange rate system.
• Essential materials or products, such as petroleum, fertilizers, and life-saving pharmaceuticals, were imported using foreign exchange and surrendered at the official rate.

The correct answer is option 5.

Key Points

Five-Year Plans:

• The idea of a five-year plan is simple- The Government of India prepares a document with all its income and expenditure for five years.
• The budget of the central government and all the state governments is divided into two parts: non-plan budget and plan budget.
• The non-plan budget is spent on routine items yearly. The planned budget is spent on a five-year basis as per the priorities fixed by the plan.
• The model of the Indian Economy was premised on the concept of planning based on five-year plans from 1951-2017.
• The Five Year Plans were formulated, implemented and regulated by a body known as the Planning Commission.

• Hence, statements 1, 2 and 3 are correct and statement 4 is not correct.
• Hence, option 5 is the correct answer.

The correct answer is ​NSSO.

Key Points

Poverty Line

• Poverty lines are defined as a level of income or spending below which it is reasonable to conclude that someone is poorer than the rest of society.
• It is a measure of income or consumption spending that distinguishes the poor from the rest of the population.
• The Tendulkar Committee proposed a poverty level of Rs 29 per person per day in urban areas and Rs 22 per person per day in rural areas.
• There are two reasons for choosing a poverty line.
• To create policies that are tailored to the needs of the poor.
• To determine if government programs have been successful or unsuccessful over time.

National Sample Survey Office (NSSO)

• The National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) was formerly called the National Sample Survey Organisation.
• It conducts periodic socio-economic surveys. It conducts an annual survey of Industries every year. It decides the topics to be covered in a particular survey found. It collects the state-wise survey report about the period of crop production and harvest yield and compiles this data for a large-scale analysis of the country.
• The poverty line is estimated every five years by conducting sample surveys. The organization responsible for the survey is the National Sample Survey Organisation or NSSO.

The correct answer is option 1.

Key Points

Trade balance:

• The balance of trade (BOT) is the difference between a country's imports and exports for a given period and is the most important component of a country's balance of payments (BOP).
• A trade deficit occurs when a country buys more goods and services than it exports in terms of value, whereas a trade surplus occurs when a country exports more goods and services than it imports.
• The phrase "trade" relates to the purchase and sale of things. When it is done on a global basis, however, it is referred to as imports and exports.
• Only visible items are recorded by BOT.

Trade during December 2022:

• The negative sign indicates that there is a trade deficit. Hence, option 1 is the correct answer.

The correct answer is option 5.

Key Points

• During the Salt Satyagraha in Bihar, in addition to making salt, the people chose to oppose the government by opposing the Chowkidari tax.
• Bihar is a landlocked region, hence salt satyagraha was not feasible there. By refusing to pay the Chowkidari tax, the people created this movement.
• The request was made for the resignation of the chowkidar and any panchayat members in charge of choosing these Chowkidars.

Chowkidar Tax

• A type of tax known as the "chowkidar tax" was levied against farmers in 1917.
• Farmers paid a levy that the state secretary of state used to pay the village watchman (kind of police). The poor farmers were impacted as a result.

The correct answer is For the release of political prisoners.

Key Points

• The Judicial Secretary, A.C. Davies asked the DIG to suggest the names of the revolutionary convicts with offenses for which they had been convicted and a brief note showing their connection with the revolutionary movement to transfer them to the Andamans.
• The DIG suggested the names of Yogendra Shukla, Basawon Singh (Sinha), Shyamdeo Narayan alias Ram Singh, Ishwar Dayal Singh, Kedar Mani Shukla, Mohit Chandra Adhikari and Ram Pratap Singh.
• Yogendra Shukla, Kedar Mani Shukla, and Shyamdeo Narayan were transferred to the Andamans in December 1932.
• Yogendra Shukla was transferred to Hazaribagh Central Jail after 46 days of hunger strike in 1937.
• When Sri Krishna Sinha formed the first Congress ministry in 1937, he demanded the release of political prisoners.
• His ministry resigned on 15 February 1938 to put pressure on the Viceroy.
• The Viceroy later conceded the demands and Yogendra Shukla was released in March 1938  along with other political prisoners.

The correct answer is Batak Mian.

Key Points

• Batak Mian saved the life of Gandhiji in Bihar during Champaran Satyagraha.
• Landlords and British officials were both alarmed by the agitations and upsurges as the Champaran Satyagraha grew.
• Gandhi needed to be stopped, thus something had to be done. In popular memory, Erwin, a British plantation manager, made the decision to take action.
• He extended a dinner invitation to Gandhiji, who joyfully accepted. Gandhi had no idea that Erwin's invitation was part of a nefarious scheme to assassinate him.
• The British manager had forced Batak Mian, his cook, to give Gandhi a glass of poisoned milk. Erwin additionally assured Batak Mian of substantial benefits. When the time was right, the poor cook did indeed give Gandhi the milk that had been poisoned, but also revealed the plot, informed Gandhi about the poison, and fell down in tears. Gandhi managed to escape unharmed.

​Champaran Satyagraha

• Mahatma Gandhi started Champaran Satyagraha in 1917 in Bihar against the British against the conditions that they imposed for indigo cultivation.
• Gandhiji made the decision to travel to the area and advocate for the farmers there after being persuaded to do so by Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi, a journalist, academic, and freedom fighter, and Raj Kumar Shukla, an indigo farmer from Champaran. These farmers were compelled to cultivate indigo under egregiously exploitative conditions by local landlords while being protected by the British Raj.
• Mahatma Gandhi used his fighting strategy, known as Satyagraha (standing resolutely to the truth), for the first time in Champaran. He had developed it in South Africa.
• As a result, the British had to accede to the demands of protesting farmers.

The correct answer is Swami Vidyanand.

Key Points

• In Bihar, the pressure for the launching of the Non-Cooperation movement has been building up much before it was officially decided by the Congress party at Nagpur Session in December 1920.
• The Peasant, who had agitated against the zamindars in some are under Swami Vidyanand, got associated with Congress for some time.
• The Peasant leader Swami Vidyanand was a strong supporter of the Non-Cooperation Movement, who had already toured the province preaching the non-cooperation along with peasants.

Additional InformationAbout the Non-Cooperation Movement:

• At the Nagpur session(1920) of the Indian National Congress, the program of Non-cooperation was endorsed.
• Gandhi declared that if the non-cooperation program was implemented completely, swaraj would be ushered in within a year.
• In March 1920, he issued a decree declaring a doctrine of the non-violent non-cooperation movement.
• Gandhi, through this decree, wanted people to:
• Adopt swadeshi principles.
• Work for the eradication of untouchability from society.
• Adopt Charkha.
• Features of Non-Cooperation Movement:
• Indians were asked to surrender their titles and resign from nominated seats in the local bodies as a mark of protest.
• People were asked to resign from their government jobs.
• People were asked to withdraw their children from government-controlled schools and colleges.
• People were urged to boycott the elections to the legislative councils.
• Gandhiji called off the movement in February 1922 in the wake of the Chauri Chaura incident.

The correct answer is Partition of Bengal

Key Points

Partition of Bengal

• The partition of the undivided Bengal Presidency in 1905 was one of Curzon’s most criticized moves, which triggered widespread opposition not only in Bengal but across India, and gave impetus to the freedom movement.
• Bengal was the most populous province of India, with around 8 crore people.
• It comprised the present-day states of West Bengal, Bihar, parts of Chhattisgarh, Odisha, and Assam and present-day Bangladesh.
• In July 1905, Curzon announced the partition of the undivided Bengal Presidency.
• A new province of East Bengal and Assam was announced, with a population of 3.1 crore with a Muslim-Hindu ratio of 3:2.
• The western Bengal province was overwhelmingly Hindu.

Consequences of the Partition

• The partition provoked great resentment and hostility all over India. All sections of the Congress, the Moderates and the Radicals, opposed it.
• The struggle that unfolded in the response, came to be known as the Swadeshi movement, was the strongest in Bengal but with echoes elsewhere too; in deltaic Andhra for instance, it was known as the Vandemataram Movement.
• The protest was to boycott British goods, especially textiles, and promote swadeshi goods.
• There were marches and demonstrations with the protesters singing Vande Mataram to underline their patriotism and challenge the colonialists.
• Rabindranath Tagore led the marches at many places, and composed many patriotic songs, most famously ‘Amar Sonar Bangla’ (My Golden Bengal), which is now the national anthem of Bangladesh.

Important Points Swadeshi Movement

• The movement had its roots in the anti-partition movement which was started to oppose Lord Curzon’s decision of dividing the province of Bengal.
• The Anti-Partition Campaign was launched by Moderates to exert pressure on the government to prevent the unjust partition of Bengal from being implemented.
• The petitions were written to the government, public meetings were held and the ideas were spread through newspapers such as Hitabadi, Sanjibani and Bengalee.
• The partition led to protest meetings in Bengal under which the pledge to boycott foreign goods was first taken.

Impact of Swadeshi Movement

• Establishment of Swadeshi Institutions: Inspired by Rabindranath Tagore’s Shantiniketan, the Bengal National College and a number of national schools and colleges in various parts of the country were set up.
• In August 1906, the National Council of Education was set up to organise the national education system.
• A Bengal Institute of Technology was set up for technical education.
• Growth in Swadeshi Industries: It led to establishments of swadeshi textile mills, soap and match factories, tanneries, banks, insurance companies, shops, etc.
• It also revived the Indian Cottage Industry.
• Indian industries saw regeneration with reawakening of use of indigenous goods.
• Boycott of Buyers and Sellers: The foreign goods including clothing, sugar, salt and various other luxury items were not only boycotted, but they were also burned.
• The Swadeshi movement also led to social boycott of not only buyers but also sellers of foreign goods.