UPSC Prelims 2014 · Question 97 of 100
UPSC Prelims 2014 question on Planning Bodies India
- ExamUPSC CSE
- Year2014
- PaperGeneral Studies Paper I
- SubjectPolity
- TopicNon-Constitutional Bodies
- DifficultyMedium
- TypeStatement
Which of the following are associated with 'Planning' in India?
1. The Finance Commission
2. The National Development Council
3. The Union Ministry of Rural Development
4. The Union Ministry of Urban Development
5. Parliament
Select the correct answer using the code given below.
Show answer
Answer: C. 2 and 5 only
Verdict
The answer is 2 and 5 only. The National Development Council and Parliament are the bodies directly associated with planning in India.
Analysis
Statement 2 is CORRECT. The National Development Council, with the Prime Minister, Union Ministers, Chief Ministers and Planning Commission members, considered and approved the Five Year Plans. Statement 5 is CORRECT. Parliament debated and approved the plans and the allocations giving effect to them. Statement 1 is INCORRECT in this context. The Finance Commission is a constitutional body for tax devolution and grants, a distinct function from plan formulation. Statements 3 and 4 are INCORRECT. The rural and urban development ministries implement schemes but do not formulate national plans.
Source
M. Laxmikanth, Indian Polity.
How to crack it
Read the operative word associated with planning as meaning formulation and approval, not implementation, because otherwise every ministry qualifies and the question collapses. When a list mixes bodies of very different kinds, ask what specific function the stem names and admit only bodies exercising that function. Note that the Planning Commission and the National Development Council belong to the pre 2015 architecture, replaced by NITI Aayog, so date this question to its own period.