UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Why India’s R&D system needs a map of where funds really go

Q1. Under the Anusandhan National Research Foundation Act, 2023, the 'Executive Council' of the Foundation is best described as which one of the following?

  • A. The apex policy organ that gives strategic direction to research and innovation, presided over ex officio by the Prime Minister
  • B. The body that scrutinises grant applications and manages the Foundation's finances, headed by the Principal Scientific Adviser
  • C. The disciplinary peer-review panel of six natural-science members nominated by the Union Minister of Education
  • D. The inter-ministerial committee of Secretaries constituted to release the Foundation's annual budgetary grant

Q2. Which one of the following is the administrative department for the Anusandhan National Research Foundation?

  • A. The Department of Higher Education under the Ministry of Education
  • B. The Department of Scientific and Industrial Research under the Ministry of Science and Technology
  • C. The Department of Science and Technology under the Ministry of Science and Technology
  • D. The Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser under the Cabinet Secretariat

Q3. The Anusandhan National Research Foundation Act, 2023 provides for the constitution of how many distinct funds, through which the Foundation's ₹50,000 crore target for 2023–28 is to be mobilised?

  • A. Two
  • B. Three
  • C. Four
  • D. Six

Q4. Of the ₹50,000 crore that the Anusandhan National Research Foundation is expected to mobilise during 2023–28, the single largest share is expected to come from which one of the following?

  • A. The Central Government's budgetary provision routed through the Department of Science and Technology
  • B. Donations from public sector enterprises, private industry and philanthropic foundations
  • C. Corporate Social Responsibility contributions mandated under the Companies Act, 2013
  • D. Loans and technical assistance from multilateral institutions such as the World Bank

Q5. Which one of the following correctly states the number of pre-existing statutory research boards repealed and dissolved by the Anusandhan National Research Foundation Act, 2023, along with the year of the Act that had created that board?

  • A. One board, created by an Act of 2008
  • B. One board, created by an Act of 2011
  • C. Two boards, created by Acts of 2008 and 2011
  • D. Two boards, created by Acts of 1958 and 2008

Q6. The Chairperson of the erstwhile Science and Engineering Research Board was, ex officio, which one of the following?

  • A. The Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India
  • B. The Director-General of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research
  • C. The Secretary of the Department of Biotechnology
  • D. The Secretary of the Department of Science and Technology

Q7. Consider the following statements regarding the reports on 'Ease of Doing Research & Development in India' released by NITI Aayog in 2026: 1. The release consisted of two documents — a main report and a separate survey report. 2. They were the outcome of an exercise of about nine months that drew on outreach to over 400 institutional leaders and inputs from over 850 scientists and researchers. 3. They recommended raising India's investment in research and development from about 0.64 per cent of GDP to at least 2 per cent of GDP within the next four to five years. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. The release consisted of two documents — a main report and a separate survey report.
  2. They were the outcome of an exercise of about nine months that drew on outreach to over 400 institutional leaders and inputs from over 850 scientists and researchers.
  3. They recommended raising India's investment in research and development from about 0.64 per cent of GDP to at least 2 per cent of GDP within the next four to five years.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q8. With reference to NITI Aayog's reports on 'Ease of Doing Research & Development in India', consider the following as areas on which their recommendations are focused: 1. Funding mechanisms for research 2. Institutional governance of research bodies 3. Regulatory frameworks governing research 4. Binding annual patent-filing targets for every centrally funded institution Which of the above is/are correctly identified?

  1. Funding mechanisms for research
  2. Institutional governance of research bodies
  3. Regulatory frameworks governing research
  4. Binding annual patent-filing targets for every centrally funded institution
  • A. 1 and 3 only
  • B. 2 and 4 only
  • C. 1, 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Q9. NITI Aayog's assessment of the Anusandhan National Research Foundation's grant portfolio found its funding heavily concentrated in the Indian Institutes of Technology. Approximately what share of ANRF funding did it place with the IITs?

  • A. About 40 per cent
  • B. About 55 per cent
  • C. About 65 per cent
  • D. About 80 per cent

Q10. In the Government's compilation of R&D expenditure for 2020–21, among how many Central Government 'major scientific agencies' was such expenditure distributed, and which agency accounted for the maximum share?

  • A. Ten agencies; the Defence Research and Development Organisation
  • B. Twelve agencies; the Department of Atomic Energy
  • C. Twelve agencies; the Defence Research and Development Organisation
  • D. Fifteen agencies; the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research

Q11. With reference to India's Gross Expenditure on Research and Development (GERD), consider the following statements: 1. GERD as a share of GDP rose from about 0.66 per cent in 2019–20 to about 0.84 per cent in 2023–24. 2. In absolute terms, GERD rose from about ₹1.33 lakh crore in 2019–20 to about ₹2.45 lakh crore in 2023–24. 3. The share of government in GERD rose from about 33.8 per cent in 2019–20 to about 51.8 per cent in 2023–24. 4. In 2020–21, India's GERD-to-GDP ratio was lower than that of Brazil, the Russian Federation and China, but higher than that of South Africa. Which of the statements given above is/are NOT correct?

  1. GERD as a share of GDP rose from about 0.66 per cent in 2019–20 to about 0.84 per cent in 2023–24.
  2. In absolute terms, GERD rose from about ₹1.33 lakh crore in 2019–20 to about ₹2.45 lakh crore in 2023–24.
  3. The share of government in GERD rose from about 33.8 per cent in 2019–20 to about 51.8 per cent in 2023–24.
  4. In 2020–21, India's GERD-to-GDP ratio was lower than that of Brazil, the Russian Federation and China, but higher than that of South Africa.
  • A. 1 and 3 only
  • B. 3 only
  • C. 3 and 4 only
  • D. 2 and 4 only

Q12. The first in NITI Aayog's series of regional consultative meetings on 'Ease of Doing Research & Development' was hosted at which one of the following venues?

  • A. Raj Bhawan, Lucknow
  • B. CSIR–Indian Institute of Petroleum, Dehradun
  • C. Science City, Ahmedabad
  • D. Indian Institute of Technology, Jammu