Which one of the following continents accounts for the maximum share in exports from India?

The correct answer is A, 57 to 79. In the SDG India Index 2023-24, the fourth edition brought out by NITI Aayog in July 2024, the states' composite scores ran from 57 at the bottom to 79 at the top, with Uttarakhand and Kerala sharing the highest score of 79 and Bihar the lowest at 57. The index scores every state and union territory out of 100 on the seventeen Sustainable Development Goals, and a score of 100 would mean the 2030 targets are fully met. India's own composite score in that edition rose to 71 from 66 two years earlier. Options B, C and D are wrong because each moves one or both ends of the band: 85 and 90 are above the best state's score, and 52 is below the lowest, so no state falls there. Exam tip: SDG India Index 2023-24 — India 71, states 57 to 79, toppers Uttarakhand and Kerala, published by NITI Aayog.

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.