UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Opposition targets Centre over growing inequality and ‘atmosphere of fear’

Q1. The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005, repeatedly invoked by the Opposition during the February 2026 Budget Session debate on inequality and unemployment, stands repealed from 1 July 2026 by which one of the following Acts that raises the guaranteed wage-employment ceiling to 125 days per rural household?

  • A. PM Garib Kalyan Rozgar Adhiniyam, 2025
  • B. Viksit Bharat – G RAM G Act
  • C. National Rural Livelihoods (Guarantee) Act, 2024
  • D. Deen Dayal Antyodaya Employment Guarantee Act, 2025

Q2. With reference to the findings of the World Inequality Report 2026 on India as compared to the position a decade earlier, consider the following statements: 1. The top 10% of Indians hold around 58% of national income while the bottom 50% hold about 15%. 2. The top 1% in India hold about 40% of national wealth, whereas the bottom 50% own only about 6% of national wealth. 3. The income gap between the top earners and the rest of the population has remained broadly stable at around 38% between 2014 and 2024. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. The top 10% of Indians hold around 58% of national income while the bottom 50% hold about 15%.
  2. The top 1% in India hold about 40% of national wealth, whereas the bottom 50% own only about 6% of national wealth.
  3. The income gap between the top earners and the rest of the population has remained broadly stable at around 38% between 2014 and 2024.
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 1 and 2 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q3. In the context of the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006, the term 'Community Forest Resource (CFR) rights' refers to which one of the following?

  • A. The right of forest-dwelling communities to protect, regenerate, conserve or manage any community forest resource which they have been traditionally protecting for sustainable use
  • B. The right of a Gram Panchayat to lease community forest land to private timber contractors on a revenue-sharing basis
  • C. The exclusive proprietary right vested in the State Forest Department to undertake compensatory afforestation on community forest land
  • D. The right of forest dwellers to receive monetary compensation in lieu of surrendering forest land to centrally-sponsored infrastructure projects

Q4. According to the ILO–IHD India Employment Report 2024, the youth unemployment rate in India in 2022 was closest to which one of the following?

  • A. 5.7%
  • B. 10.0%
  • C. 12.4%
  • D. 17.5%
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