UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Rajasthan gets its first Semiconductor Plant
Q1. Among the four schemes notified under India's Semicon India Programme, which one is the sole design-side scheme — supporting the development of Integrated Circuits, System-on-Chips and IP Cores rather than any manufacturing facility?
- A. Modified Scheme for setting up of Semiconductor Fabs in India
- B. Modified Scheme for setting up of Display Fabs in India
- C. Modified Scheme for Compound Semiconductors / Silicon Photonics / Sensors Fab and Semiconductor ATMP / OSAT facilities
- D. Design Linked Incentive (DLI) Scheme
Q2. Under the Scheme for Promotion of Manufacturing of Electronic Components and Semiconductors (SPECS), what is the rate of financial incentive provided on eligible capital expenditure on a reimbursement basis?
Q3. In the context of India's electronics and semiconductor manufacturing policy, the acronym 'SPECS' refers to which one of the following?
- A. Special Package for Electronics, Chips and Semiconductors
- B. Strategic Plan for Electronics Component Sourcing
- C. Scheme for Production of Embedded Chips and Sub-assemblies
- D. Scheme for Promotion of Manufacturing of Electronic Components and Semiconductors
Q4. The India Semiconductor Mission (ISM), which is the nodal agency for implementing the Semicon India Programme, has been set up as an Independent Business Division within which one of the following organisations?
- A. Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC)
- B. Software Technology Parks of India (STPI)
- C. Digital India Corporation
- D. National Institute of Electronics and Information Technology (NIELIT)
Q5. In the context of the Semicon India Programme, the acronym 'ATMP', used to describe one of the four component schemes, stands for which one of the following?
- A. Advanced Technology Manufacturing Park
- B. Assembly, Testing, Marking and Packaging
- C. Application-specific Test and Measurement Platform
- D. Automated Throughput and Materials Processing
Q6. As of December 2025, across how many Indian states had projects been approved under the India Semiconductor Mission (ISM)?
- A. Four
- B. Five
- C. Six
- D. Seven
Q7. With reference to the Modified Electronics Manufacturing Clusters (EMC 2.0) Scheme, consider the following statements:
1. Under the Scheme, financial assistance for setting up an Electronics Manufacturing Cluster is restricted to 50% of the project cost, whereas assistance for a Common Facility Centre is restricted to 75% of the project cost.
2. The Scheme is implemented by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
3. Unlike the earlier EMC Scheme of 2012, EMC 2.0 does away with the requirement of forming a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) by the cluster developer.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- Under the Scheme, financial assistance for setting up an Electronics Manufacturing Cluster is restricted to 50% of the project cost, whereas assistance for a Common Facility Centre is restricted to 75% of the project cost.
- The Scheme is implemented by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
- Unlike the earlier EMC Scheme of 2012, EMC 2.0 does away with the requirement of forming a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) by the cluster developer.
- A. 1 only
- B. 1 and 2 only
- C. 2 and 3 only
- D. 1, 2 and 3
Q8. In the context of the recent inauguration of an Electronics Manufacturing Cluster (EMC) at Bhiwadi, Rajasthan, what is 'ELCINA', the entity that developed the cluster?
- A. A statutory regulator constituted under MeitY for licensing of semiconductor assembly and testing units
- B. An industry association of electronic hardware and component manufacturers in India
- C. A public sector undertaking under the Department of Heavy Industries that builds industrial parks
- D. An autonomous research institute under the Department of Science and Technology focused on chip design
Q9. Under the Semicon India Programme administered by the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology, consider the following:
1. Modified Scheme for setting up of Semiconductor Fabs in India
2. Modified Scheme for setting up of Display Fabs in India
3. Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme for Large Scale Electronics Manufacturing
4. Design Linked Incentive (DLI) Scheme
Which of the above is/are correctly identified as constituent schemes of the Semicon India Programme?
- Modified Scheme for setting up of Semiconductor Fabs in India
- Modified Scheme for setting up of Display Fabs in India
- Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme for Large Scale Electronics Manufacturing
- Design Linked Incentive (DLI) Scheme
- A. 1 and 2 only
- B. 1, 2 and 3 only
- C. 1, 2 and 4 only
- D. 1, 2, 3 and 4
Q10. With reference to the differences between the original Semicon India Programme (December 2021) and its subsequently modified version, consider the following statements:
1. Under the modified programme, fiscal support for Silicon CMOS-based Semiconductor Fabs is uniform at 50% of project cost across all technology nodes, whereas the original programme provided differentiated rates tied to the node (e.g., lower support for nodes above 45 nm).
2. Under the modified programme, the fiscal support for Compound Semiconductors / Silicon Photonics / Sensors Fab and ATMP/OSAT facilities was raised from 30% to 50% of capital expenditure.
3. The Design Linked Incentive (DLI) Scheme was introduced for the first time only under the modified programme and was absent from the original 2021 Cabinet approval of the Semicon India Programme.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- Under the modified programme, fiscal support for Silicon CMOS-based Semiconductor Fabs is uniform at 50% of project cost across all technology nodes, whereas the original programme provided differentiated rates tied to the node (e.g., lower support for nodes above 45 nm).
- Under the modified programme, the fiscal support for Compound Semiconductors / Silicon Photonics / Sensors Fab and ATMP/OSAT facilities was raised from 30% to 50% of capital expenditure.
- The Design Linked Incentive (DLI) Scheme was introduced for the first time only under the modified programme and was absent from the original 2021 Cabinet approval of the Semicon India Programme.
- A. 1 and 2 only
- B. 2 and 3 only
- C. 1 and 3 only
- D. 1, 2 and 3
Q11. With reference to the list of 30 Critical Minerals notified by the Ministry of Mines (2023), which underpins India's semiconductor and clean-energy supply chain strategy, consider the following minerals:
1. Gallium
2. Germanium
3. Manganese
4. Tellurium
Which of the above are correctly identified as being on this notified list of 30 Critical Minerals?
- Gallium
- Germanium
- Manganese
- Tellurium
- A. 1, 2 and 3 only
- B. 1, 2 and 4 only
- C. 2, 3 and 4 only
- D. 1, 2, 3 and 4
Q12. With reference to the National Critical Mineral Mission (NCMM) and the Semicon India Programme — the twin pillars of India's chip supply-chain strategy — consider the following statements:
1. The Semicon India Programme has an outlay of ₹76,000 crore, whereas the NCMM was approved with a total outlay of ₹34,300 crore over seven years.
2. Both the Semicon India Programme and the NCMM are administered by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) as the nodal ministry.
3. Unlike the Semicon India Programme, which was approved in 2021, the NCMM was approved by the Union Cabinet only in 2025.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
- The Semicon India Programme has an outlay of ₹76,000 crore, whereas the NCMM was approved with a total outlay of ₹34,300 crore over seven years.
- Both the Semicon India Programme and the NCMM are administered by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) as the nodal ministry.
- Unlike the Semicon India Programme, which was approved in 2021, the NCMM was approved by the Union Cabinet only in 2025.
- A. 1 and 2 only
- B. 1 and 3 only
- C. 2 and 3 only
- D. 1, 2 and 3