UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — ANRF ANNOUNCES SELECTION OF 10 INSTITUTIONS FOR ESTABLISHING CONVERGENCE RESEARCH CENTRES OF EXCELLENCE (COES)

Q1. What is the total estimated outlay of the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF) for the five-year period 2023-28, as approved at the time of enactment of the ANRF Act, 2023?

  • A. Rs. 25,000 crore
  • B. Rs. 50,000 crore
  • C. Rs. 75,000 crore
  • D. Rs. 1,00,000 crore

Q2. Which one of the following statements most precisely describes the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF)?

  • A. A constitutional body established under Article 280A to advise the Union on research funding
  • B. A statutory apex body established under the ANRF Act, 2023 under the Department of Science and Technology, which has repealed and subsumed the Science and Engineering Research Board
  • C. A registered society under the Ministry of Education that funds doctoral fellowships in central universities
  • D. A non-statutory advisory committee of NITI Aayog that coordinates R&D among CSIR, ICMR and DRDO

Q3. As per the Anusandhan National Research Foundation Act, 2023, the Executive Council of the ANRF is invariably chaired by which one of the following?

  • A. The Prime Minister of India
  • B. The Union Minister of Science and Technology
  • C. The Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India
  • D. The Secretary, Department of Science and Technology

Q4. Under the Anusandhan National Research Foundation Act, 2023, how many ex-officio Vice-Presidents does the Governing Board of the ANRF have?

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

Q5. The Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF), which has selected ten institutions to host Convergence Research Centres of Excellence, is set up as an autonomous body under which one of the following?

  • A. Department of Science and Technology, Ministry of Science and Technology
  • B. Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education
  • C. Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science and Technology
  • D. Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, Ministry of Science and Technology

Q6. Who is the ex-officio President of the Governing Board of the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF) that has announced the Convergence Research Centres of Excellence?

  • A. The Prime Minister of India
  • B. The Union Minister of Science and Technology
  • C. The Union Minister of Education
  • D. The Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India

Q7. The first Governing Board meeting of the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF), which approved its flagship programmes including the Partnerships for Accelerated Innovation and Research (PAIR), was chaired by which one of the following?

  • A. The Prime Minister of India
  • B. The Union Minister of Science and Technology
  • C. The Union Minister of Education
  • D. The Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India

Q8. In the context of ANRF's flagship initiatives, the term 'MAHA-EV Mission' refers to which one of the following?

  • A. Mission for Advancement in High-Impact Areas — Electric Vehicle
  • B. Make-in-India Advanced Hub for Affordable Electric Vehicles
  • C. Manufacturing and Assembly Hub for Automotive Electric Vehicles
  • D. Mahatma Gandhi Action-Hub for Affordable EV Adoption

Q9. As per the recommendations of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and the vision of Viksit Bharat 2047, which one of the following has been established as the apex body to provide high-level strategic direction of scientific research in India?

  • A. Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB)
  • B. Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF)
  • C. Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)
  • D. Principal Scientific Adviser's Office

Q10. Under the Convergence Research Centres of Excellence (CoEs) programme — which operationalises the multidisciplinary research mandate of NEP 2020 and feeds into the Viksit Bharat 2047 vision — how many host institutions have been selected by the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF)?

  • A. 5
  • B. 10
  • C. 15
  • D. 25

Q11. The Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF), with a total estimated outlay of ₹50,000 crore for the period 2023-28, has been established under which one of the following?

  • A. The Anusandhan National Research Foundation Act, 2023
  • B. The Science and Engineering Research Board Act, 2008
  • C. An executive resolution of the Department of Science & Technology under the National Education Policy, 2020
  • D. The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (Amendment) Act, 2023

Q12. With reference to the ₹50,000 crore funding outlay of the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF) for the period 2023-28, consider the following sources: 1. Contribution from the Central Government 2. Contributions from industry and philanthropic organisations 3. Statutorily mandated contributions from State Governments 4. Contributions from international bodies and foundations Which of the above are correctly identified as envisaged sources of the ANRF corpus?

  1. Contribution from the Central Government
  2. Contributions from industry and philanthropic organisations
  3. Statutorily mandated contributions from State Governments
  4. Contributions from international bodies and foundations
  • A. 1, 2 and 4 only
  • B. 1, 3 and 4 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2, 3 and 4