Poverty, Planning, Finance and Economic/Social Development (Part-III)

Among the given options only St 1 and St 4 are associated with it whereas St 2 and St 3 deal with short-term securities.

So answer is (b) only two of them are part of capital market.

The limit of small unit has been increased to Rs. 10 Crore of investment and Rs 50 Crore of turnover. The limit for medium Enterprises has been changed to Rs. 50 Crore of investment and Rs. 250 Crore of turnover.

Hence, statement 1 is not correct. In terms of Master Direction on 'Priority Sector Lending (PSL) - Targets and Classification dated September 4, 2020, all bank loans to MSMEs conforming to the conditions prescribed therein qualify for classification under priority sector lending.

Bank loans to Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (for both manufacturing and service sectors) engaged in providing or rendering of services and defined in terms of investment in equipment under MSMED Act, 2006, irrespective of loan limits, are eligible for classification under priority sector, w.e.f. March 1, 2018.

Hence, statement 2 is correct.

They are designed to be a more efficient and secure way of making payments, and they can be used to make payments without using the US dollar or the SWIFT system.

St 2 is right. CBDCs can also be distributed with a condition programmed into them, such as a time-frame for spending them. This could be used to encourage people to spend the money quickly, which could help to stimulate the economy.

Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) is a digital form of currency notes issued by a central bank. While most central banks across the globe are exploring the issuance of CBDC, the key motivations for its issuance are specific to each country's unique requirements.

The key motivations for exploring the issuance of CBDC in India among others include reduction in operational costs involved in physical cash management, fostering financial inclusion, bringing resilience, efficiency, and innovation in payments system, adding efficiency to the settlement system, boosting innovation in cross-border payments space and providing public with uses that any private virtual currencies can provide, without the associated risks.

Statement 2 is correct: The Banks provide the loan to the Self Help Group as a whole and it is the collective responsibility of the SHG to repay that loan. Hence all members of a group take responsibility for a loan that an individual member takes. Further, the SHG may decide to not provide any share in further loans to the defaulter member.

Statement 3 is correct: The Financial Inclusion Fund scheme to support Scheduled Commercial Banks (SCBs) and Regional Rural Banks (RRBs) for enabling Dual.

Authentication option in the microATMs for SHG transactions is being launched to provide an enabling eco-system for the SHGs to seamlessly operate at Business Correspondent points with the proposed "Dual Authentication" feature.

Thus, it can be said that SCBs and RRBs support the SHGs in availing the credits as per their needs.

The Commission used 2011 population data for its recommendations. States with a lower fertility ratio will be scored higher on this criterion. The 15th Finance Commission suggested 12.5% weightage to the Demographic performance.

Statement 2 is correct Forest and ecology refer to the assessment of environmental factors, including the preservation and conservation of forests, biodiversity, and ecological balance.

This criterion has been determined by calculating the proportion of dense forest within each state relative to the total dense forest across all states. The 15th Finance Commission suggested 10% weightage to the Forest and Ecology.

Statement 3 is incorrect- Governance reforms encompass various measures aimed at improving the efficiency, transparency, and effectiveness of government operations and public service delivery.

This criterion was not considered by the Fifteenth Finance Commission as one of the criteria for horizontal tax devolution.

Statement 4 is incorrect- Stable government refers to the political stability and continuity of government institutions. While stability in government can be a desirable factor, it was not explicitly mentioned as a criterion for horizontal tax devolution by the Fifteenth Finance Commission.

Statement 5 is correct- Tax and fiscal efforts involve the assessment of a state's efforts in tax collection and fiscal management. This criterion has been employed to incentivize states with better efficiency in tax collection.

It is determined by the ratio of the average per capita own tax revenue to the average per capita state GDP over a three-year period from 2016-17 to 2018-19. The 15th Finance Commission suggested 2.5% weightage to the Tax and fiscal efforts.

However, Visakhapatnam Port is not the largest container port in India. That title belongs to Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT). Therefore, only two of the three pairs are correctly matched.

Statement 2 is incorrect: Mass Rapid Transport is not included in the UNOPS S3i initiative.

Statement 3 is correct: UNOPS S3i initiative prioritize Healthcare. Regarding healthcare, the objective is to enhance the quality of healthcare in the specified countries by providing support for healthcare infrastructure projects.

Statement 4 is correct: UNOPS S3i initiative prioritize renewable energy. Within the realm of renewable energy, the primary emphasis lies in investing in infrastructure projects related to renewable energy sources, including but not limited to solar, hydro, wind, biomass, and hydrogen, particularly in eligible emerging markets and developing nations provide significant support for affordable housing initiatives targeting the middle-income and lower-middle-income groups of the population

Statement 2 is incorrect: Mass Rapid Transport is not included in the UNOPS S3i initiative.

Statement 3 is correct: UNOPS S3i initiative prioritize Healthcare. Regarding healthcare, the objective is to enhance the quality of healthcare in the specified countries by providing support for healthcare infrastructure projects.

Statement 4 is correct: UNOPS S3i initiative prioritize renewable energy. Within the realm of renewable energy, the primary emphasis lies in investing in infrastructure projects related to renewable energy sources, including but not limited to solar, hydro, wind, biomass, and hydrogen, particularly in eligible emerging markets and developing nations.

UNOPS provides infrastructure, procurement and project management services for a more sustainable world. UNOPS also provides meaningful technical expertise to countries in the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.

So, statement 1 is not correct. It is being implemented with the objective of reducing maternal and neonatal mortality by promoting institutional delivery among poor pregnant women. So, statements 2 and 3 are correct.

Under the Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakaram scheme (and not under JSY), all pregnant women and infants will get free treatment benefits at public health institutions including zero expenses delivery. So, statement 4 is not correct.

All pregnant women are eligible for JSY, regardless of their age, number of children, or income level.

JSY provides cash assistance to pregnant women to cover the costs of delivery and postpartum care. The amount of cash assistance varies depending on the type of facility where the woman delivers and the state in which she resides.

JSY also provides incentives to healthcare workers, such as ASHAs, for promoting institutional delivery.

JSY has partnerships with private hospitals and clinics to ensure that healthcare services are available to pregnant women even in areas with limited infrastructure.

Therefore, option (b) is the correct answer.