According to the SDG India Index 2023-24 released by NITI Aayog, what is the range of composite scores achieved by Indian states?

The correct answer is A, 100. The Smart Cities Mission was launched on 25 June 2015 by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs for 100 cities, chosen through a two-stage City Challenge competition in which states nominated cities and the cities then sent in their own proposals. Each selected city set up a Special Purpose Vehicle to carry out the work, and the funding was shared between the Centre and the state. The same day of June 2015 also saw the launch of AMRUT and of the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban), so the three urban missions are often asked together. Option B is wrong because 50 is not the mission's figure; the first list announced in January 2016 named 20 cities. Option C is wrong because 200 exceeds the sanctioned number. Option D is wrong because 150 belongs to no stage of the mission. Exam tip: Smart Cities Mission — 25 June 2015, 100 cities, first 20 named in January 2016.

The correct answer is C, 100%. India allows 100 per cent foreign direct investment through the automatic route in the construction, operation and maintenance of rail infrastructure projects.

This opening was announced in 2014 and covers suburban corridors taken up through public private partnership, high speed train projects, dedicated freight lines, rolling stock factories, railway electrification, signalling systems, freight terminals and passenger terminals. Automatic route means the investor needs no prior approval from the government or the Reserve Bank of India and only files the required reports after the money comes in. Train operations themselves stay with Indian Railways, so the investment goes into building and maintaining the assets.

Option A is wrong because there is no 49 per cent ceiling on rail infrastructure. Option B is wrong because 74 per cent is a partial cap used in some other sectors, not here. Option D is wrong because 80 per cent is not a limit used anywhere in India's FDI policy.

Exam tip: rail infrastructure takes 100 per cent FDI on the automatic route, while running the trains stays with Indian Railways.

The correct answer is C, 100%. India allows foreign direct investment of up to 100 per cent through the automatic route in railway infrastructure. The sector was opened in 2014, and the list covers suburban corridors taken up as public private partnerships, high speed train projects, dedicated freight lines, the making of rolling stock such as coaches, locomotives and train sets, railway electrification, signalling systems, freight and passenger terminals and mass rapid transport systems. Automatic route means the investor needs no prior approval from the government and only reports the investment to the Reserve Bank. Running the railways themselves remains with Indian Railways; only the infrastructure listed above is open. Option A is wrong because 50 per cent has never been the ceiling for this sector. Option B is wrong because 75 per cent belongs to no railway rule. Option D is wrong because railway infrastructure is not a prohibited sector, unlike lottery, gambling, chit funds, atomic energy and cigarette manufacture. Exam tip: railway infrastructure 100 per cent automatic, defence 74 per cent automatic.

The correct answer is B, the International Monetary Fund. Special drawing rights are an international reserve asset created by the IMF and allotted to member countries in proportion to their quotas; a member can exchange them with other members for usable currencies. Their value is calculated from a basket of major currencies that contains the US dollar, the euro, the Chinese yuan, the Japanese yen and the pound sterling. Option A is wrong because the World Bank lends for development projects and does not issue reserve assets. Option C is wrong because the World Trade Organization frames the rules of international trade and has no monetary role. Option D is wrong because the Bank for International Settlements serves as a bank for central banks and a forum for regulation, but does not create reserve assets. Remember that SDRs and the reserve tranche position are the two IMF related items in India's reserves.

The correct answer is B, capital account convertibility. The committee headed by S. S. Tarapore reported in 1997 and again in 2006 and set out a phased road map for making the rupee convertible on the capital account, together with the preconditions to be met first, such as fiscal discipline, low and stable inflation and a strong banking system. Option A is wrong because agricultural credit has been examined by other committees and is not this one's subject. Option C is wrong because the design of the goods and services tax came from an empowered committee of state finance ministers and later the GST Council, a different process altogether. Option D is wrong because the restructuring of public sector banks belongs to the Narasimham Committee reports of 1991 and 1998. Linking each committee with its one subject is the quickest way to answer this recurring question type.