UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — NITI Aayog report backs Centre’s urgent chip push
Q1. The 10-year roadmap 'Future of India's Semiconductor Industry' was prepared primarily by which one of the following units of NITI Aayog?
- A. Frontier Tech Hub
- B. Atal Innovation Mission
- C. Development Monitoring and Evaluation Office
- D. National Data and Analytics Platform
Q2. In the context of the report, the term 'OSAT', identified as a key segment of India's comparative advantage, refers to which one of the following?
- A. Outsourced Semiconductor Assembly and Test
- B. On-Site Advanced Silicon Technology
- C. Optical Semiconductor Automated Testing
- D. Onshore Semiconductor Applications and Tooling
Q3. The report 'Future of India's Semiconductor Industry' was jointly launched by the Union Finance Minister along with which one of the following?
- A. The Minister of Electronics and Information Technology
- B. The Vice Chairman of NITI Aayog
- C. The Union Minister of Commerce and Industry
- D. The Chief Executive Officer of NITI Aayog
Q4. Consider the following statements comparing the 2026 semiconductor roadmap with related NITI Aayog work:
1. Both the 2026 semiconductor roadmap and the earlier 'Electronics: Powering India's Participation in Global Value Chains' report were NITI Aayog publications.
2. The 2026 roadmap was prepared in partnership with the consultancy KPMG.
3. The 2026 roadmap was released in the same year in which the India Semiconductor Mission was originally launched.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- Both the 2026 semiconductor roadmap and the earlier 'Electronics: Powering India's Participation in Global Value Chains' report were NITI Aayog publications.
- The 2026 roadmap was prepared in partnership with the consultancy KPMG.
- The 2026 roadmap was released in the same year in which the India Semiconductor Mission was originally launched.
- A. 1 and 2 only
- B. 1 and 3 only
- C. 2 and 3 only
- D. 1, 2 and 3
Q5. Consider the following statements regarding the numerical targets and projections in the 2026 semiconductor roadmap:
1. It targets a domestic semiconductor value chain of USD 120–150 billion by 2035.
2. It estimates cumulative semiconductor investment of nearly USD 135–180 billion over the next decade.
3. It projects India's semiconductor market to reach about USD 90 billion by 2035.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- It targets a domestic semiconductor value chain of USD 120–150 billion by 2035.
- It estimates cumulative semiconductor investment of nearly USD 135–180 billion over the next decade.
- It projects India's semiconductor market to reach about USD 90 billion by 2035.
- A. 1 and 2 only
- B. 1 and 3 only
- C. 2 and 3 only
- D. 1, 2 and 3
Q6. According to the roadmap's 2035 targets, what share of the global semiconductor chip market does India aim to capture?
- A. 10–13%
- B. 5–8%
- C. 20–25%
- D. 35–50%
Q7. Consider the following as stated objectives of the India Semiconductor Mission 2.0 announced in the Union Budget 2026-27:
1. Domestic production of semiconductor equipment, chemicals and materials
2. Development of full-stack Indian semiconductor intellectual property
3. Strengthening domestic and global semiconductor supply chain resilience
4. Nationalisation of all privately owned semiconductor fabrication units
Which of the above is/are NOT correct?
- Domestic production of semiconductor equipment, chemicals and materials
- Development of full-stack Indian semiconductor intellectual property
- Strengthening domestic and global semiconductor supply chain resilience
- Nationalisation of all privately owned semiconductor fabrication units
- A. 1 and 3
- B. 2 only
- C. 4 only
- D. 3 and 4
Q8. Under which one of the following ministries was the India Semiconductor Mission (ISM) established in 2021 as the nodal programme for chip fabrication, design and packaging incentives?
- A. Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology
- B. Ministry of Commerce and Industry
- C. Ministry of Science and Technology
- D. Ministry of Heavy Industries
Q9. The strategic framework proposed in the 'Future of India's Semiconductor Industry' report is built around how many pillars (the '5P' framework)?
- A. Three
- B. Four
- C. Five
- D. Six
Q10. The report marks a shift from 'ecosystem creation' to 'ecosystem deepening'. Consider the following:
1. Advanced OSAT (packaging and testing)
2. Wide-bandgap compound materials such as SiC and GaN
3. AI-native chip design
4. Fabrication of the world's most advanced leading-edge (sub-2nm) logic nodes
Which of the above are correctly identified as priority focus areas emphasised in the 'ecosystem deepening' phase?
- Advanced OSAT (packaging and testing)
- Wide-bandgap compound materials such as SiC and GaN
- AI-native chip design
- Fabrication of the world's most advanced leading-edge (sub-2nm) logic nodes
- A. 1, 2 and 3
- B. 2 and 4 only
- C. 1 and 3 only
- D. 1, 2, 3 and 4
Q11. Consider the following statements about the earlier NITI Aayog report 'Electronics: Powering India's Participation in Global Value Chains':
1. It set a target of USD 500 billion in electronics manufacturing by 2030.
2. It was released by NITI Aayog in 2024.
3. It aimed to create around 5.5–6 million jobs.
4. It set a target of a USD 120–150 billion semiconductor value chain by 2035.
Which of the above is/are NOT correct?
- It set a target of USD 500 billion in electronics manufacturing by 2030.
- It was released by NITI Aayog in 2024.
- It aimed to create around 5.5–6 million jobs.
- It set a target of a USD 120–150 billion semiconductor value chain by 2035.
- A. 1 and 2
- B. 3 only
- C. 4 only
- D. 2 and 4
Q12. According to the report, India's local ecosystem is not yet ready to meet domestic demand; approximately what proportion of its semiconductor consumption does India currently meet through imports?
- A. 90–95%
- B. 70–75%
- C. 50–55%
- D. 30–35%