1. It assesses only the General Category States, while North-Eastern and Himalayan States are excluded from ranking.
2. It uses five major sub-indices, including Quality of Expenditure and Debt Sustainability.
3. For North-Eastern and Himalayan States, some additional indicators were introduced to reflect their distinct fiscal structure.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Statement 1 – Incorrect: The second edition of the Fiscal Health Index expanded coverage beyond the 18 major states and separately ranked 10 North-Eastern and Himalayan states; they were not excluded.
Statement 2 – Correct: The report is built on five major sub-indices: Quality of Expenditure, Revenue Mobilisation, Fiscal Prudence, Debt Index and Debt Sustainability.
Statement 3 – Correct: For North-Eastern and Himalayan states, additional indicators such as committed expenditure, dependence on devolution and grants, and interest payments relative to State Own Revenue were added because their fiscal structure differs from that of major states.
Why other options are wrong:
(b) includes Statement 1, which is wrong.
(c) includes Statement 1 and excludes Statement 2, so it is wrong on both counts.
(d) is wrong because Statement 1 is incorrect.
State — Position in the ranking of major states
1. Odisha — 1
2. Goa — 2
3. Gujarat — 3
4. Maharashtra — 5
How many of the above pairs are correctly matched?
Odisha was ranked 1st, Goa 2nd, and Maharashtra 5th among major states in FHI 2026. Gujarat, however, was ranked 4th, not 3rd; Jharkhand was 3rd.
Pair-wise reasoning:
1. Odisha — 1: Correct. Odisha topped the major-state ranking with the highest FHI score.
2. Goa — 2: Correct. Goa was placed second.
3. Gujarat — 3: Incorrect. Gujarat ranked fourth.
4. Maharashtra — 5: Correct. Maharashtra was fifth.
Why other options are wrong:
(a) understates the correct matches.
(b) also understates the correct matches.
(d) is wrong because Gujarat was not 3rd.
1. Concentrated Solar Thermal (CST) systems can store thermal energy in media such as molten salt or thermal oil for later industrial use.
2. Electromagnetic induction heating generates heat by creating eddy currents inside conductive materials using a fluctuating magnetic field.
3. Plasma torches produce plasma by compressing gases to extremely high pressures inside the torch chamber.
4. Induction heating can achieve high efficiency because heat is generated directly inside the target material rather than transferred through intermediate media.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
Statement 1 – Correct: CST systems capture heat from concentrated sunlight and store it in thermal energy storage (TES) media such as molten salt, thermal oil, or phase-change materials for later use.
Statement 2 – Correct: Induction heating uses alternating current in a coil to generate a fluctuating magnetic field, which induces eddy currents in conductive materials. These currents produce heat through electrical resistance (Joule heating).
Statement 3 – Incorrect: Plasma torches generate plasma through ionisation of gas using a high-voltage electric arc, not by compressing gases to high pressure.
Statement 4 – Correct: Because heat is generated within the material itself, induction heating avoids major thermal losses associated with boilers or furnaces, often achieving efficiencies above 90%.
1. Concentrated Solar Thermal (CST) technology produces heat directly without first generating electricity.
2. Plasma torches are suitable for industries requiring extremely high temperatures exceeding 1,000°C.
3. Electromagnetic induction heating can be applied effectively to non-conductive materials such as ceramics without any additional mechanisms.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
Statement 1 – Correct: CST systems directly produce thermal energy by concentrating sunlight using mirrors onto a receiver. Unlike solar PV, they do not first generate electricity.
Statement 2 – Correct: Plasma arc technology can generate ultra-high temperatures ranging from about 5,000°C to over 10,000°C, making it suitable for processes like smelting and advanced ceramics.
Statement 3 – Incorrect: Induction heating relies on eddy currents induced in electrically conductive materials. Non-conductive materials such as ceramics generally cannot be heated directly through induction unless special susceptors or indirect mechanisms are used.
1. It uses semiconductors to convert solar radiation directly into electricity which is later converted into heat for industrial use.
2. It concentrates sunlight using mirrors or reflective surfaces onto a receiver to generate high-temperature heat.
3. The heat captured can be stored in thermal energy storage media such as molten salt or thermal oil.
4. It is mainly suitable for industrial processes requiring temperatures below 200°C.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
Statement 2 – Correct: CST systems use mirrors or reflective surfaces to concentrate sunlight onto a receiver, generating high-temperature thermal energy rather than electricity.
Statement 3 – Correct: The captured heat is stored in Thermal Energy Storage (TES) systems such as molten salt, oil, or phase-change materials, enabling later use for industrial heating.
Statement 1 – Incorrect: This describes solar photovoltaic (PV) technology, which converts sunlight into electricity using semiconductors. CST produces heat directly, not electricity.
Statement 4 – Incorrect: CST can generate temperatures up to about 400°C, which exceeds the range mentioned in the statement.
1. The scheme was introduced to provide farmers with short-term credit for crop production and allied activities.
2. The Modified Interest Subvention Scheme (MISS) supports concessional interest rates on agricultural loans.
3. Interest relief under KCC is available to farmers affected by natural calamities through restructuring of crop loans.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
Statement 1 – Correct: The Kisan Credit Card (KCC) scheme was launched in 1998 to provide short-term institutional credit to farmers for crop cultivation and allied sectors such as animal husbandry and fisheries.
Statement 2 – Correct: The Modified Interest Subvention Scheme (MISS) provides concessional interest rates on agricultural credit. Short-term crop loans up to ₹3 lakh are available at 7% interest, with additional interest subvention for timely repayment.
Statement 3 – Correct: Under KCC, interest relief and restructuring of crop loans are provided during natural calamities. Interest may be waived for up to one year and loan repayment can be extended in severe disaster situations.
1. The Kisan Rin Portal was launched to digitise and streamline agricultural credit delivery.
2. The KCC Saturation Drive was launched under the Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan to expand access to institutional agricultural credit.
3. RuPay-enabled KCC cards are intended to promote digital transactions among farmers.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
Statement 1 – Correct: The Kisan Rin Portal (2023) was introduced to streamline the processing of agricultural credit applications and improve transparency in credit delivery.
Statement 2 – Correct: Under the Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan, the government launched the KCC Saturation Drive to ensure wider coverage of farmers, including those engaged in fisheries and animal husbandry.
Statement 3 – Correct: The introduction of RuPay-enabled KCC cards allows farmers to make digital payments and withdraw funds easily, supporting financial inclusion and digitalisation of agricultural credit.
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