UPSC Prelims 2016 · GS Paper I
Question 76: Economy and Social Development
Regarding ‘Atal Pension Yojana’, which of the following statements is/are correct?
- 1.It is a minimum guaranteed pension scheme mainly targeted at unorganized sector workers.
- 2.Only one member of a family can join the scheme.
- 3.Same amount of pension is guaranteed for the spouse for life after subscriber’s death.
Select the correct answer using the code given below.
AnswerUPSC’s answer is (c).
Atal Pension Yojana, launched in 2015 mainly for workers outside the organised sector, guarantees a minimum monthly pension of Rs 1,000 to Rs 5,000 from age 60, depending on the contribution made. It is open to any eligible individual with a bank account, so a family can have more than one subscriber, for example both spouses. After the subscriber's death the spouse gets the same pension, and later the nominee receives the accumulated corpus.
- 1. It is a minimum guaranteed pension scheme aimed at unorganised sector workers.
- 2. Any eligible individual with a bank account can join; it is not limited to one per family.
- 3. The spouse receives the same pension for life after the subscriber's death.
How you could have got this
- If you were sure statement 2 is not correct, (b) and (d) go: each of them includes 2.
What you needed to know: Any eligible individual with a bank account can join; it is not limited to one per family.
The red flag in statement 2 is “only”. In UPSC’s papers, statements with “only” were true 27% of the time (82 statements). A hint, not a rule.
- Then, if you were sure statement 3 is correct, (a) goes: it leaves 3 out.
What you needed to know: The spouse receives the same pension for life after the subscriber's death.
Only (c) is left. You didn’t need statement 1.
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 3, the spouse's pension, is also correct.
- (b) Statement 2 is wrong: more than one family member can join.
- (c) Right: statements 1 and 3 are correct, statement 2 is not.
- (d) Statement 2 is wrong, so 'all three' fails.
Answer: UPSC’s key. Explanation: written by UPSC Grade, not by UPSC.
Source: UPSC, Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination 2016, General Studies Paper I, Series A. The paper on upsc.gov.in.