UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — NITI Aayog Launches Central Prabhari Officer (CPO) Portal to Strengthen Real-Time Governance and Last-Mile Delivery

Q1. The Central Prabhari Officer (CPO) Portal launched by NITI Aayog in 2026 digitises field-level monitoring under the Aspirational Blocks Programme. How many blocks are covered under this Programme?

• A. 112
• B. 329
• C. 500
• D. 729

Q2. With reference to the Central Prabhari Officer (CPO) Portal launched in 2026, which one of the following is the sole apex implementing and monitoring body of the Portal?

• A. Ministry of Panchayati Raj
• B. NITI Aayog
• C. Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances
• D. Ministry of Rural Development

Q3. With reference to the Aspirational Districts Programme of NITI Aayog, the term 'delta ranking' refers to which one of the following?

• A. The ranking of districts on the absolute level of their socio-economic indicators at a given point of time
• B. The ranking of districts based on the incremental progress they make across key performance indicators over a defined period
• C. The ranking of districts according to the per-capita quantum of central financial transfers received under the programme
• D. The ranking of districts on the basis of population-weighted health and nutrition outcomes alone

Q4. With reference to the 'Aspirational Blocks Programme' launched in 2023, which one of the following statements best describes it?

• A. It is a NITI Aayog initiative aimed at improving governance and saturating essential services in 500 of the most underdeveloped blocks spread across 329 districts.
• B. It is a Ministry of Panchayati Raj scheme that provides untied grants to 500 model Gram Panchayats selected on the basis of SDG localisation indicators.
• C. It is a Ministry of Rural Development programme to converge MGNREGA and PMAY-G works in 329 backward blocks identified by the Finance Commission.
• D. It is a constitutional initiative under the 73rd Amendment to create 500 new block-level administrative units in tribal-majority districts.

Q5. The Aspirational Blocks Programme (2023) is modelled on which one of the following pre-existing Government of India initiatives?

• A. Aspirational Districts Programme (2018)
• B. Backward Regions Grant Fund (2006-07)
• C. Border Area Development Programme (1986-87)
• D. Integrated Tribal Development Project (1974)

Q6. Under the Aspirational Districts Programme, which one of the following is the primary basis on which the Champions of Change Dashboard ranks the districts every month?

• A. Absolute level of socio-economic development attained by the district
• B. Incremental (delta) progress achieved by the district across Key Performance Indicators
• C. Per-capita central transfers received by the district under flagship schemes
• D. Reduction in the multidimensional poverty headcount of the district

Q7. Central Prabhari Officers, who act as nodal 'in-charge' officers for each Aspirational District, are nominated and their field reporting framework is operationalised by which one of the following?

• A. Ministry of Panchayati Raj
• B. NITI Aayog
• C. Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances
• D. Ministry of Rural Development

Q8. In the context of the Champions of Change Dashboard maintained by NITI Aayog under the Aspirational Districts Programme, the term 'delta ranking' refers to which one of the following?

• A. A ranking of districts based on the absolute value of socio-economic indicators measured at a given point in time
• B. A ranking based on the incremental improvement made by a district over its own baseline across the monitored Key Performance Indicators
• C. A ranking determined by the per-capita central financial outlay allocated to each district under the programme
• D. A ranking generated by aggregating citizen-feedback scores received through a mobile grievance application

Q9. With reference to the Aspirational Districts Programme, which of the following are correctly identified as core themes monitored on the Champions of Change Dashboard?

1. Health and Nutrition
2. Education
3. Urban Mobility and Affordable Housing
4. Financial Inclusion and Skill Development

• A. 1 and 2 only
• B. 1, 2 and 4
• C. 2, 3 and 4
• D. 1, 3 and 4

Q10. With reference to the Indian polity, which one of the following best describes the legal status of NITI Aayog?

• A. A constitutional body established under a specific Article of the Constitution of India
• B. A statutory body established under an Act of Parliament
• C. A non-statutory, executive body established by a resolution of the Union Cabinet
• D. A regulatory authority established under a notification of the Ministry of Finance