Skip to content
GK24
EconomyHard

Which of the following is NOT a stated function of the Statistical Business Register?

  1. A.Identifying the target population for economic surveys
  2. B.Supporting the selection of survey samples
  3. C.Sanctioning credit guarantees to small enterprises
  4. D.Enabling the production of business demography statistics

Correct answer

C. Sanctioning credit guarantees to small enterprises

Explanation

The correct answer is sanctioning credit guarantees to small enterprises, which is a financing function and has nothing to do with a statistical register. The register is a central and regularly updated database of registered statistical units engaged in economic activity within a defined geographical territory, capturing businesses, enterprises and establishments, their key characteristics and the relationships between units. Options A, B and D are wrong choices for this question because each is in fact a stated function: the register identifies the target population for economic surveys, supports survey sample selection and enables the production of business demography statistics. It also provides a common framework for business demography information and facilitates integration and consistency across different data sources, which is why it is called foundational infrastructure for the economic statistics system.

Read the full article: MSME Ministry and MoSPI Sign MoU on Statistical Business Register

Q1.EconomyEasy

The MoU signed between the Ministry of MSME and MoSPI is meant to develop and strengthen which of the following?

  1. A.Statistical Business Register
  2. B.Annual Survey of Industries
  3. C.Index of Industrial Production
  4. D.Consumer Price Index
Show answer

Correct answer: A. Statistical Business Register

Explanation

The correct answer is the Statistical Business Register. The memorandum institutionalises a mechanism for sharing relevant data so that this register can be developed and strengthened, with unit-wise Udyam Registration data flowing to the statistics ministry through a two-way application programming interface to feed the National Statistical Business Register. Option B is wrong because the Annual Survey of Industries is a survey of factories and was not the subject of this agreement, although a better register would help identify the population for such surveys. Option C is wrong because the Index of Industrial Production measures output in mining, manufacturing and electricity and is not what the MoU addresses. Option D is wrong because the Consumer Price Index measures retail prices paid by households, an entirely separate statistical product. The register itself is described as foundational infrastructure for the economic statistics system.

Q2.EconomyMedium

Which registration system's unit-wise data will be shared with MoSPI under the MoU?

  1. A.GST registration
  2. B.Udyam Registration
  3. C.Shram Suvidha registration
  4. D.Company registration with the Registrar of Companies
Show answer

Correct answer: B. Udyam Registration

Explanation

The correct answer is Udyam Registration, the system under the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises on which enterprises record themselves as micro, small or medium units. Under the MoU its unit-wise data will be shared with the statistics ministry through application programming interfaces, and the two-way API will supply data for preparing the National Statistical Business Register. Option A is wrong because goods and services tax registration is administered by the tax authorities and is not the system named in this agreement. Option C is wrong because the labour ministry's compliance portal was not mentioned. Option D is wrong because company incorporation records sit with the corporate affairs machinery rather than the MSME ministry. The stated gain from the sharing is improved coverage, consistency and reliability of business information used for statistical purposes.

Q3.EconomyMedium

According to the preliminary scrutiny of documents, how much smuggled gold had the syndicate already moved through courier channels in nine months?

  1. A.About 318 kg worth about Rs 475 crore
  2. B.About 118 kg worth about Rs 160 crore
  3. C.About 640 kg worth about Rs 900 crore
  4. D.About 45 kg worth about Rs 70 crore
Show answer

Correct answer: A. About 318 kg worth about Rs 475 crore

Explanation

The correct answer is about 318 kg worth about Rs 475 crore. Documents examined after the arrests showed that this quantity of smuggled gold had already been carried and delivered through the same courier-based network during nine months of the current calendar year, which is what revealed the true size of the operation. The remaining options carry invented quantities and values and do not correspond to the case. Candidates should keep the two sets of numbers apart: the quantity physically seized during the raids was much smaller, while the figure in this question describes the cumulative movement of gold that the paperwork exposed. The syndicate deliberately split consignments into small parcels so that each one looked unremarkable in the courier stream.

Q4.EconomyMedium

How much foreign-origin gold was seized in the operation, and what was its approximate value?

  1. A.3.25 kg worth about Rs 5.10 crore
  2. B.6.61 kg worth about Rs 10.36 crore
  3. C.12.40 kg worth about Rs 18.75 crore
  4. D.18.20 kg worth about Rs 29.50 crore
Show answer

Correct answer: B. 6.61 kg worth about Rs 10.36 crore

Explanation

The correct answer is 6.61 kg worth about Rs 10.36 crore. That quantity of foreign-origin gold, all of it in bar form, was recovered from the courier consignments that were intercepted during the coordinated operation, and it was seized under the relevant provisions of the customs law. The other three combinations are invented figures placed there as distractors and do not match what was recovered. A useful way to remember the answer is that the seizure of roughly six and a half kilograms was only the visible part of the racket; the documents examined afterwards showed a far larger flow of gold through the very same courier chain over the preceding months. Eleven people were arrested in connection with the case, one of them described as a mastermind.

Q5.EconomyEasy

Which agency busted the pan-India gold smuggling syndicate that used courier consignments to move foreign-origin gold?

  1. A.Enforcement Directorate
  2. B.Directorate of Revenue Intelligence
  3. C.Central Bureau of Investigation
  4. D.National Investigation Agency
Show answer

Correct answer: B. Directorate of Revenue Intelligence

Explanation

The correct answer is the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, commonly called DRI, which works under the Ministry of Finance and is the country's specialised agency for customs intelligence and anti-smuggling work. It was DRI that acted on intelligence about gold crossing the India-Bangladesh border, intercepted the courier parcels in several cities and seized the metal under the customs law. Option A, the Enforcement Directorate, is wrong because that body deals mainly with foreign exchange and money laundering offences and had no role in this seizure. Option C, the Central Bureau of Investigation, is wrong because it is the general investigating agency for corruption and serious crime, not for customs and smuggling. Option D, the National Investigation Agency, is wrong because its mandate covers terrorism and related offences. Candidates should link smuggling and customs cases to DRI.