UPSC Prelims 2008 · General Studies
Question 14: Economy and Social Development
Consider the following statements with reference to Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme (IGNOAPS):
- 1.All persons of 60 years or above belonging to the households below poverty line in rural areas are eligible.
- 2.The Central Assistance under this Scheme is at the rate of Rs 300 per month per beneficiary. Under the Scheme, States have been urged to give matching amounts.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
AnswerThe answer is (d).
Both statements fail. The Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme, part of the National Social Assistance Programme, began in 2007 for below-poverty-line persons aged 65 and above, not 60 (the age was lowered to 60 only in 2011), and it covers rural and urban households alike, so limiting it to rural areas is wrong. Central assistance was Rs 200 a month, not Rs 300, with States urged to add to it.
- 1. The scheme was for BPL persons aged 65 and above (60 only from 2011), in rural and urban areas.
- 2. Central assistance was Rs 200 a month, not Rs 300.
How you could have got this
- If you were sure statement 1 is not correct, (a) and (c) go: each of them includes 1.
What you needed to know: The scheme was for BPL persons aged 65 and above (60 only from 2011), in rural and urban areas.
The red flag in statement 1 is “all”. In UPSC’s papers, statements with “all” were true 41% of the time (76 statements). A hint, not a rule.
- Then, if you were sure statement 2 is not correct, (b) goes: it includes 2.
What you needed to know: Central assistance was Rs 200 a month, not Rs 300.
Only (d) is left. This one needs every statement.
This follows an unofficial answer: UPSC has not published its key for this year, and if that answer is wrong, so is this path.
Which options go is worked out from UPSC’s key and the options, not by a model.
Why each option is right or wrong
- (a) Statement 1 is wrong: the age was 65 then, and eligibility is not limited to rural areas.
- (b) Statement 2 is wrong: central assistance was Rs 200 a month, not Rs 300.
- (c) Both statements contain an error, so they cannot both be correct.
- (d) Eligibility was 65 and above in rural and urban areas, and assistance was Rs 200, so neither statement is correct.
Explanation: written by UPSC Grade, not by UPSC.
Source: UPSC, Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination 2008, General Studies. UPSC's own paper isn't online; the words are from a published compilation. The paper on upsc.gov.in.