Consider the following statements about the Public Distribution System : 1. The Public Distribution System is operated under the joint responsibility of Centre and State/Union Territories. 2. Food Corporation of India has assumed the responsibility for procurement, storage and transportation of food grains to the State Governments. 3. Both Centre and State have the joint responsibility to identify eligible beneficiaries. 4. Some States also distribute additional items of mass consumption through the PDS outlets such as pulses, edible oil, etc. Which of the statements given above are correct?
- A.2 and 3 only
- B.1, 2 and 4
- C.1 and 2 only
- D.3 and 4 only
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is B, 1, 2 and 4. The Public Distribution System is run jointly by the Centre and the States and Union Territories, so statement 1 is correct. The Central Government, through the Food Corporation of India, procures food grains, stores them and moves them to the States, so statement 2 is correct. Many States also sell extra items such as pulses, edible oil, salt and spices through ration shops, so statement 4 is correct. Statement 3 is wrong because identifying eligible families, issuing ration cards and supervising fair price shops are the responsibility of the State Governments alone. The States also allocate grain within their territory and run the network of fair price shops. Option A is wrong because it includes statement 3 and leaves out statements 1 and 4. Option C is wrong because it leaves out statement 4. Option D is wrong because it includes statement 3. Exam tip: in the PDS the Centre procures, stores and transports grain; the States identify beneficiaries and run the ration shops.
Practice Questions
View allAmong the agricultural commodities imported by India, which one of the following accounts for the highest imports in terms of value in the last five years?
- A.Spices
- B.Fresh fruits
- C.Pulses
- D.Vegetable oils
Show answer
Edible vegetable oils are India's largest agricultural import by value, and they have stayed at the top since well before this question was set.
Read the full explanation →'Broad-based Trade and Investment Agreement (BTIA)' is sometimes seen in the news in the context of negotiations held between India and
- A.European Union
- B.Gulf Cooperation Council
- C.Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development
- D.Shanghai Cooperation Organization
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The Broad-based Trade and Investment Agreement was the name given to the free trade agreement that India and the European Union began negotiating in 2007.
Read the full explanation →Consider the following statements : 1. Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) exchange rates are calculated by comparing the prices of the same basket of goods and services in different countries. 2. In terms of PPP dollars, India is the sixth largest economy in the world. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- A.1 only
- B.2 only
- C.Both 1 and 2
- D.Neither 1 nor 2
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Statement 1 is the definition of purchasing power parity, while statement 2 understates India's position. A PPP exchange rate is the rate at which the currency of one country would have to be converted into that of another to buy the same basket of goods and services in both.
Read the full explanation →What is/are the most likely advantages of implementing 'Goods and Services Tax (GST)'? 1. It will replace multiple taxes collected by multiple authorities and will thus create a single market in India. 2. It will drastically reduce the 'Current Account Deficit' of India and will enable it to increase its foreign exchange reserves. 3. It will enormously increase the growth and size of economy of India and will enable it to overtake China in the near future. Select the correct answer using the code given below :
- A.1 only
- B.2 and 3 only
- C.1 and 3 only
- D.1, 2 and 3
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The main and certain advantage of GST is that it subsumes many indirect taxes into one and creates a common national market.
Read the full explanation →Which one of the following is not a strategy in the Rainfed Area Development (RAD) scheme of India?
- A.Diversified farming
- B.Soil health management
- C.Adaptation of cluster-based approaches
- D.Optimizing canal irrigation
Show answer
Rainfed Area Development is meant for farms that depend on rain, not on canals, so improving canal irrigation is not one of its strategies.
Read the full explanation →