UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Semiconductor Mission 2.0 unveiled; electronics parts scheme outlay doubled
Q1. What is the tenure (in years) of the Electronics Component Manufacturing Scheme (ECMS) whose outlay was enhanced in the Union Budget 2026-27?
- A. Four years with an optional one-year gestation period
- B. Five years with an optional two-year gestation period
- C. Six years with an optional one-year gestation period
- D. Seven years with no gestation period
Q2. With reference to the India Semiconductor Mission (ISM) 1.0 and ISM 2.0, consider the following statements:
1. ISM 1.0 was launched with a financial outlay of ₹76,000 crore, whereas ISM 2.0 has been given an initial provision of ₹1,000 crore for FY 2026-27.
2. Unlike ISM 1.0, which focused primarily on fab, ATMP and OSAT facility creation, ISM 2.0 explicitly targets manufacturing of semiconductor equipment and materials and creation of full-stack Indian IP.
3. ISM 2.0 replaces the India Semiconductor Mission as the new nodal agency under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- ISM 1.0 was launched with a financial outlay of ₹76,000 crore, whereas ISM 2.0 has been given an initial provision of ₹1,000 crore for FY 2026-27.
- Unlike ISM 1.0, which focused primarily on fab, ATMP and OSAT facility creation, ISM 2.0 explicitly targets manufacturing of semiconductor equipment and materials and creation of full-stack Indian IP.
- ISM 2.0 replaces the India Semiconductor Mission as the new nodal agency under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
- A. 1 and 2 only
- B. 2 and 3 only
- C. 1 and 3 only
- D. 1, 2 and 3
Q3. The India Semiconductor Mission (ISM), the independent nodal agency implementing both ISM 1.0 and ISM 2.0, functions under which of the following Union ministries?
- A. Ministry of Commerce and Industry
- B. Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology
- C. Ministry of Science and Technology
- D. Ministry of Heavy Industries
Q4. In the context of ISM 2.0, the expression 'full-stack Indian IP' for semiconductors most precisely refers to:
- A. The packaging and testing of imported silicon dies inside India by Indian-owned OSAT units
- B. End-to-end chip development — architecture, design, verification and physical layout — where the intellectual property rights vest in entities incorporated in India
- C. The exclusive use of indigenously fabricated wafers in every consumer electronics product sold in India
- D. A government-issued public licence permitting any Indian start-up to freely use foreign-owned chip designs
Q5. As per the technical roadmap associated with ISM 2.0, which of the following is the most advanced semiconductor technology node that India has set as its flagship target for full-scale domestic fabrication by 2035?
- A. 7 nm
- B. 5 nm
- C. 3 nm
- D. 2 nm