Social Justice MCQs for UPSC Prelims — May 2026
Q1. Consider the following statements comparing PM SVANidhi with the Pradhan Mantri MUDRA Yojana (PMMY):
1. Unlike PM SVANidhi, which is a Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs scheme, PMMY is administered under the Ministry of Finance.
2. Both PM SVANidhi and PMMY extend collateral-free loans.
3. PM SVANidhi offers a larger maximum loan amount than PMMY.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- Unlike PM SVANidhi, which is a Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs scheme, PMMY is administered under the Ministry of Finance.
- Both PM SVANidhi and PMMY extend collateral-free loans.
- PM SVANidhi offers a larger maximum loan amount than PMMY.
- A. 1 only
- B. 1 and 2 only
- C. 2 and 3 only
- D. 1, 2 and 3
Q2. Under the restructured PM SVANidhi, which department shares implementation responsibility with MoHUA and is specifically tasked with facilitating access to loans and credit cards through banks and financial institutions?
- A. Department of Financial Services
- B. Department of Economic Affairs
- C. Department of Expenditure
- D. Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade
Q3. PM SVANidhi, whose six-year progress was reviewed in 2026, is the flagship street-vendor scheme of which single Union Ministry?
- A. Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs
- B. Ministry of Finance
- C. Ministry of Rural Development
- D. Ministry of Labour & Employment
Q4. In the six-year review of PM SVANidhi, the figure of 'nearly 95%' cited refers to the share of beneficiaries who:
- A. Accessed formal institutional credit for the first time
- B. Are women vendors
- C. Belong to marginalised communities
- D. Have completed repayment of all three tranches
Q5. In the context of PM SVANidhi loans, the term 'collateral-free' precisely means that the loans are:
- A. Advanced without requiring any security, guarantor or asset as collateral
- B. Advanced entirely free of interest to the vendor
- C. Fully waived off after a fixed vending period
- D. Sanctioned only against pledge of the vendor's business premises
Q6. With reference to the December 2024 restructuring of PM SVANidhi approved by the Union Cabinet, consider the following:
1. A total outlay of ₹7,332 crore.
2. Extension of the lending period up to 31 March 2030.
3. A target of 1.15 crore beneficiaries including 50 lakh new beneficiaries.
4. Transfer of sole nodal responsibility for the scheme to NITI Aayog.
Which of the above is/are correctly identified?
- A total outlay of ₹7,332 crore.
- Extension of the lending period up to 31 March 2030.
- A target of 1.15 crore beneficiaries including 50 lakh new beneficiaries.
- Transfer of sole nodal responsibility for the scheme to NITI Aayog.
- A. 1 and 3 only
- B. 1, 2 and 3
- C. 2 and 4 only
- D. 1, 2, 3 and 4
Q7. Which one of the following is the credit instrument newly introduced under the restructured PM SVANidhi, provided exclusively to beneficiaries who have timely repaid their second loan?
- A. UPI-linked RuPay Credit Card
- B. Kisan Credit Card
- C. BHIM-Aadhaar debit card
- D. PMJDY RuPay debit card
Q8. Under PM SVANidhi, the digital cashback incentive of up to ₹1,200 per year is provided to a beneficiary for which one of the following?
- A. Undertaking eligible digital/UPI transactions
- B. Timely repayment of the loan instalments
- C. Enrolling family members in social-security schemes
- D. Registering the vending unit on an e-commerce portal
Q9. Under the original PM SVANidhi design, what is the maximum amount of the largest (third) working-capital loan tranche?
- A. ₹20,000
- B. ₹50,000
- C. ₹75,000
- D. ₹1,00,000
Q10. With reference to the original loan tranche structure of PM SVANidhi, consider the following:
1. A first tranche of up to ₹10,000.
2. A second tranche of up to ₹20,000.
3. A third tranche of up to ₹50,000.
4. A fourth tranche of up to ₹75,000.
Which of the above is/are NOT correct?
- A first tranche of up to ₹10,000.
- A second tranche of up to ₹20,000.
- A third tranche of up to ₹50,000.
- A fourth tranche of up to ₹75,000.
- A. 1 and 2 only
- B. 3 only
- C. 2 and 4 only
- D. 4 only
Q11. As highlighted in official communications in 2026, PM SVANidhi completed how many years since its launch?
- A. Five years
- B. Six years
- C. Seven years
- D. Ten years
Q12. With reference to the PM SVANidhi scheme, consider the following statements about its original design and mandate:
1. It was launched by the Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs.
2. It provides collateral-free micro-credit to urban street vendors.
3. It was launched in June 2020 in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.
4. Its primary target group is rural landless agricultural labourers.
Which of the above is/are correctly identified?
- It was launched by the Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs.
- It provides collateral-free micro-credit to urban street vendors.
- It was launched in June 2020 in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Its primary target group is rural landless agricultural labourers.
- A. 1 and 2 only
- B. 1, 2 and 3
- C. 3 and 4 only
- D. 1, 2, 3 and 4
Q13. Which State became the first to operationalize an industry partnership under PM-SETU by securing approval of the scheme's first Strategic Investment Plan?
- A. Andhra Pradesh
- B. Gujarat
- C. Odisha
- D. Telangana
Q14. The Craftsmen Training Scheme (CTS), delivered through Industrial Training Institutes, was introduced by the Government of India in which year?
- A. 1950
- B. 1947
- C. 1956
- D. 1961
Q15. In the ₹1,237.58 crore ITI transformation announced as PM-SETU went nationwide across Odisha, Gujarat and Telangana, which entity was selected as the Anchor Industry Partner for the ITI cluster in Odisha?
- A. Jindal Naveen Avsar Limited
- B. ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel India
- C. Apollo Medskills
- D. New Age Makers Institute of Technology (NAMTECH)
Q16. In the context of PM-SETU's nationwide rollout of ITI clusters, the term 'Anchor Industry Partner' refers to:
- A. the lead industrial entity that invests in and drives the upgradation of an ITI cluster
- B. the multilateral bank that co-finances the Central share of the scheme
- C. the public-sector undertaking nominated to run the spoke ITIs of a cluster
- D. the state department that certifies trainees passing out of upgraded ITIs
Q17. Under PM-SETU, a 'Strategic Investment Plan (SIP)' most precisely refers to:
- A. an industry-led investment and upgradation blueprint for an ITI cluster, approved by the National Steering Committee
- B. the annual capital budget of the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship
- C. the co-financing agreement between the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank for the Central share
- D. a state government's roadmap for establishing National Centres of Excellence
Q18. With reference to the first-ever Strategic Investment Plan (SIP) approved under PM-SETU, consider the following statements. Which of the above is/are NOT correct?
- The SIP was approved for the Visakhapatnam ITI Cluster in Andhra Pradesh.
- The anchor industry partner is ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel India.
- The academic partner is the New Age Makers Institute of Technology (NAMTECH).
- The plan was cleared solely by the Andhra Pradesh State Steering Committee.
- A. 1 only
- B. 2 and 3 only
- C. 3 and 4 only
- D. 4 only
Q19. In the context of PM-SETU's launch on 4 October 2025, the 'Kaushal Deekshant Samaroh' refers to:
- A. the ceremony at which the Prime Minister launched youth-focused initiatives worth over ₹62,000 crore
- B. the annual convocation of the five National Skill Training Institutes
- C. the National Steering Committee sitting that clears Strategic Investment Plans
- D. the trade-certification ceremony for graduating ITI craftsmen under NCVET
Q20. PM-SETU received Union Cabinet approval in which month and year?
- A. May 2025
- B. October 2025
- C. February 2025
- D. July 2025
Q21. With reference to the funding structure of PM-SETU's ₹60,000 crore outlay, consider the following statements. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- The Central share alone is larger than the combined State and Industry share.
- The State share is greater than the Industry share.
- Half of the Central share is co-financed equally by the Asian Development Bank and the World Bank.
- A. 1 and 2 only
- B. 2 and 3 only
- C. 1 and 3 only
- D. 1, 2 and 3
Q22. With reference to the PM-SETU scheme, consider the following statements. Which of the above is/are correctly identified?
- It is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme with a total outlay of ₹60,000 crore.
- It targets the upgradation of 1,000 Government ITIs through a hub-and-spoke model of 200 hub and 800 spoke ITIs.
- Its nodal ministry is the Ministry of Education.
- Its Component II provides for capacity augmentation of five National Skill Training Institutes (NSTIs).
- A. 1 and 2 only
- B. 1, 2 and 4
- C. 2, 3 and 4
- D. 1, 2, 3 and 4
Q23. Which one of the following is the principal (primary) statute in India dealing specifically with trafficking for commercial sexual exploitation, which the 2026 judgment sought to supplement?
- A. The Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, 1956
- B. The Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act, 1976
- C. The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015
- D. The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023
Q24. The NFHS is patterned on an international household-survey framework. Which one of the following is the global survey programme on whose design the NFHS is modelled?
- A. The Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) Program, supported by USAID
- B. The Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS) run by UNICEF
- C. The World Health Survey conducted by WHO
- D. The Living Standards Measurement Study of the World Bank
Q25. NFHS-6 records a near-doubling of health protection since NFHS-5, reflecting the spread of Ayushman Bharat-PMJAY and allied schemes. To approximately what percentage of households (having at least one member covered by a health insurance/financing scheme) did coverage rise, up from 41% in NFHS-5?
- A. 48.6%
- B. 55.0%
- C. 60.2%
- D. 72.4%
Q26. The National Family Health Survey-6 national report was released by which one of the following Union ministries?
- A. Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
- B. Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation
- C. Ministry of Women and Child Development
- D. Ministry of Home Affairs
Q27. With reference to the International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS) and its role in the NFHS, consider the following statements:
1. IIPS, Mumbai has served as the nodal agency for the NFHS since the first round (NFHS-1).
2. NFHS-6 is the first round in which all aspects of the survey were coordinated solely by IIPS, without technical assistance from an external partner such as ICF/USAID.
3. IIPS was originally established in 1956 exclusively to conduct the National Family Health Survey.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- IIPS, Mumbai has served as the nodal agency for the NFHS since the first round (NFHS-1).
- NFHS-6 is the first round in which all aspects of the survey were coordinated solely by IIPS, without technical assistance from an external partner such as ICF/USAID.
- IIPS was originally established in 1956 exclusively to conduct the National Family Health Survey.
- A. 1 only
- B. 1 and 2 only
- C. 2 and 3 only
- D. 1, 2 and 3
Q28. Which one of the following institutions serves as the nodal agency that coordinates and provides technical guidance for the National Family Health Survey?
- A. International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS), Mumbai
- B. National Sample Survey Office (NSSO)
- C. Indian Council of Medical Research – National Institute of Nutrition
- D. Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner of India
Q29. NFHS-6 (2023-24) fielded its sample of about 6.79 lakh households across the largest district spread of any NFHS round to date. Across how many districts was the survey conducted?
Q30. The sixth round of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-6) pertains to which one of the following reference periods?
- A. 2019-21
- B. 2021-22
- C. 2023-24
- D. 2024-25