➤ Exporting is the oldest and most basic method of entering foreign markets, involving the sale of domestically produced goods to foreign buyers.
★ It requires low investment and low risk compared to other methods.

➤ During the planning era, Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was used as the primary indicator to track the growth of the Indian economy.
★ GDP reflects the total value of goods and services produced.

➤ When the RBI sells bonds, money is taken out of circulation as buyers pay the RBI, which leads to a decrease in money supply.
★ This is a contractionary monetary policy tool.

➤ According to Census 2011, the male workforce participation rate in India was 53.26%, indicating a significantly higher participation than females.
★ It reflects gender disparity in employment.

➤ As per NITI Aayog’s MPI Report 2023, Puducherry had the lowest poverty rate among UTs.
★ MPI considers health, education, and living standards, not just income.

➤ A regressive tax imposes a lower rate as income or wealth increases, affecting the poor more than the rich.
★ Examples include indirect taxes like GST.

➤ In Five-Year Plans, growth meant increasing the production capacity of the economy.
★ It aimed at industrial and agricultural expansion to improve GDP.

➤ Under liberalisation, many sectors like coal and lignite were delicensed to promote private investment.
★ Some sectors like tobacco, explosives still require licenses due to safety/health reasons.

➤ The four key goals of Five-Year Plans were Growth, Equity, Modernization, and Self-reliance.
★ While education is important, it was part of broader social objectives, not a standalone primary goal.

➤ As per Census 2011, the female workforce participation rate in India was 25.51%, reflecting significant gender disparity in labor force participation.
★ This low rate highlights barriers faced by women in employment.

➤ Reserve ratio and money supply have a negative relationship—an increase in the reserve ratio leads to a decrease in money supply and vice versa.
★ This is a tool of monetary policy to control inflation or liquidity.

➤ The RBI Act (amended in 2016) provides for a 6-member Monetary Policy Committee (MPC)—3 members from RBI and 3 nominated by the central government.
★ The MPC decides the policy repo rate to control inflation.

➤ Credit rationing is a selective credit control instrument used by RBI to regulate credit for specific sectors.
★ It differs from quantitative tools like CRR and bank rate, which affect the entire economy.

➤ Stagflation was not a major reason for the 1991 reforms. The crisis was driven by falling forex reserves, high inflation, and fiscal deficit.
★ Stagflation refers to slow growth with high inflation, which was not the case.

➤ The Drought Prone Area Programme (DPAP) was launched in 1970s, much before the Tenth Plan (2002–2007).
★ Other options were introduced or emphasized during the Tenth Plan period.

➤ Green Revolution primarily benefited commercial agriculture, not subsistence farmers.
★ Hence, saying only subsistence farmers were benefitted is incorrect.

➤ The Green Revolution led to intensive rather than extensive cultivation—it increased productivity using the same land.
★ Extensive farming means expanding land area, which was not the focus.

➤ Kerala had the lowest population share in multidimensional poverty, due to its strong indicators in health, education, and living standards.
★ It ranks best in human development among Indian states.

➤ Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) are called Paper Gold because they are not a currency, but a potential claim on freely usable currencies of IMF member countries.
★ They are part of a country’s foreign exchange reserves.

➤ Private goods are rivalrous (consumption by one reduces availability for others) and excludable (others can be prevented from consuming).
★ Hence, only statement I is true.

➤ Taxes like wealth tax and gift tax are often referred to as Paper Taxes because they yield very low revenue and are difficult to enforce.
★ These taxes are more symbolic than economically impactful.

➤ The Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) was established in 1968 to attract and facilitate foreign investment in India.
★ It was later abolished in 2017, shifting powers to concerned ministries.

➤ The Hill Area Development Programme (HADP) was started in the Fifth Five-Year Plan (1974-79) to develop hill regions in a balanced way.
★ It aimed at area-specific planning and infrastructure development.

➤ Statements i and ii are correct. Tenth Plan actual growth = 7.7%, Eleventh Plan target = 9%.
★ The actual growth in the Ninth Plan was 5.5%, so statement iii is incorrect.

➤ As per data from 2011–12, 24.3% of the Indian workforce was employed in the secondary sector (manufacturing, construction, etc.).
★ This shows India’s slow structural shift from agriculture to industry.

➤ SHG–Bank Linkage Programme was launched by NABARD in 1992, connecting SHGs to formal banking to improve financial inclusion.
★ It is one of the world’s largest microfinance programs.

➤ Census 2011 reported 0.7% of India’s population under “Other Religions and Persuasions,” including tribes and lesser-known religions.
★ This category includes Sarna, Satsang, and tribal faiths.