UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Women should take back the night

Q1. Consider the following pairs of women-safety initiatives financed from the Nirbhaya Fund and the Ministry/Department responsible for them: 1. One Stop Centre (Sakhi) Scheme — Ministry of Women and Child Development 2. Emergency Response Support System (ERSS-112) — Ministry of Home Affairs 3. Safe City Projects in metropolitan cities — Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs 4. Custody of the Nirbhaya Fund corpus itself — Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance Which of the above are correctly matched?

  1. One Stop Centre (Sakhi) Scheme — Ministry of Women and Child Development
  2. Emergency Response Support System (ERSS-112) — Ministry of Home Affairs
  3. Safe City Projects in metropolitan cities — Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs
  4. Custody of the Nirbhaya Fund corpus itself — Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1, 2 and 4
  • D. 1, 3 and 4

Q2. Proposals and schemes seeking financing from the Nirbhaya Fund are appraised and recommended, and their sanctioned progress reviewed with the concerned line Ministries, by which one of the following?

  • A. The Department of Economic Affairs in the Ministry of Finance, which also custodies the corpus
  • B. The Ministry of Women and Child Development, in conjunction with the line Ministries concerned
  • C. The Women Safety Division of the Ministry of Home Affairs, which runs the major projects
  • D. NITI Aayog, through its vertical dealing with social justice and women's empowerment

Q3. With reference to the Emergency Response Support System (ERSS), consider the following statements: 1. It was conceived pursuant to the recommendations of the Justice Verma Committee. 2. An amount of about ₹321.69 crore was allocated for it from the Nirbhaya Fund. 3. It merges police, fire and health helplines into a single number that can also be reached through a panic button or the '112 India' mobile application. 4. The pan-India emergency number under it was launched across 16 States/UTs and Mumbai city in February 2017. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. It was conceived pursuant to the recommendations of the Justice Verma Committee.
  2. An amount of about ₹321.69 crore was allocated for it from the Nirbhaya Fund.
  3. It merges police, fire and health helplines into a single number that can also be reached through a panic button or the '112 India' mobile application.
  4. The pan-India emergency number under it was launched across 16 States/UTs and Mumbai city in February 2017.
  • A. 1 and 4 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1, 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 3 and 4 only

Q4. As per the Ministry of Home Affairs, how many States and Union Territories have so far upgraded their existing emergency response systems to ERSS 2.0, with the remaining ones targeted for migration by March 2026?

  • A. 18 States and Union Territories
  • B. 21 States and Union Territories
  • C. 24 States and Union Territories
  • D. 28 States and Union Territories

Q5. Consider the following statements comparing the Safe City Projects and the Emergency Response Support System (ERSS): 1. Safe City Projects Phase I was approved at about ₹3,080 crore for eight cities and is implemented as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme with a 60:40 Centre-State funding share, whereas ERSS received an allocation of about ₹322 crore. 2. Both draw upon the Nirbhaya Fund, which is a non-lapsable corpus administered by the Department of Economic Affairs. 3. Safe City proposals were cleared by the Empowered Committee of Officers for the Nirbhaya Fund, whereas ERSS was conceived on the recommendations of the Second Administrative Reforms Commission. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. Safe City Projects Phase I was approved at about ₹3,080 crore for eight cities and is implemented as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme with a 60:40 Centre-State funding share, whereas ERSS received an allocation of about ₹322 crore.
  2. Both draw upon the Nirbhaya Fund, which is a non-lapsable corpus administered by the Department of Economic Affairs.
  3. Safe City proposals were cleared by the Empowered Committee of Officers for the Nirbhaya Fund, whereas ERSS was conceived on the recommendations of the Second Administrative Reforms Commission.
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 1 and 2 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q6. According to the latest available National Crime Records Bureau data cited by the Government, how many cases of crimes against women were registered in the country in the year 2022?

  • A. 3,71,503 cases
  • B. 4,05,861 cases
  • C. 4,28,278 cases
  • D. 4,45,256 cases

Q7. The 'Crime in India' report, compiled on the basis of data furnished by the States and Union Territories, is published by which one of the following?

  • A. The Bureau of Police Research and Development, under the Ministry of Home Affairs
  • B. The National Crime Records Bureau, under the Ministry of Home Affairs
  • C. The Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre, under the Ministry of Home Affairs
  • D. The National Statistical Office, under the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation

Q8. Consider the following statements about two laws enacted in 2013 relating to women's safety: 1. Following the Justice Verma Committee's report, the penal law was amended to make acid attack, sexual harassment, stalking and voyeurism distinct offences, with stalking punishable by up to three years on a first conviction and up to five years on a subsequent one. 2. Under the law on sexual harassment at the workplace, an Internal Committee is required where ten or more persons are employed, while complaints from smaller workplaces, or complaints against the employer himself, lie before the Local Committee. 3. Unlike the amended penal law, which operates across all sectors, the workplace sexual harassment law extends only to the organised sector and to women in regular salaried employment. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. Following the Justice Verma Committee's report, the penal law was amended to make acid attack, sexual harassment, stalking and voyeurism distinct offences, with stalking punishable by up to three years on a first conviction and up to five years on a subsequent one.
  2. Under the law on sexual harassment at the workplace, an Internal Committee is required where ten or more persons are employed, while complaints from smaller workplaces, or complaints against the employer himself, lie before the Local Committee.
  3. Unlike the amended penal law, which operates across all sectors, the workplace sexual harassment law extends only to the organised sector and to women in regular salaried employment.
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 1 and 2 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q9. Consider the following pairs of works and their authors: 1. Toward a Feminist Theory of the State — Catharine A. MacKinnon 2. Culture and Society — Raymond Williams 3. Sexual Harassment of Working Women: A Case of Sex Discrimination — Andrea Dworkin 4. Only Words — Catharine A. MacKinnon Which of the above is/are NOT correctly matched?

  1. Toward a Feminist Theory of the State — Catharine A. MacKinnon
  2. Culture and Society — Raymond Williams
  3. Sexual Harassment of Working Women: A Case of Sex Discrimination — Andrea Dworkin
  4. Only Words — Catharine A. MacKinnon
  • A. 1 and 2
  • B. 2 and 4
  • C. 3 only
  • D. 1, 3 and 4

Q10. Among the following institutional measures of the Ministry of Home Affairs bearing on the safety of women, which one came into existence the earliest?

  • A. The Women Safety Division within the Ministry, created to coordinate schemes for women's safety
  • B. The Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre, inaugurated in New Delhi to coordinate cybercrime response
  • C. The National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal, operationalised for reporting cybercrime against women and children
  • D. The nationwide launch of the single emergency number 112 across sixteen States and Union Territories