Which of the following statements about 'Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat' programme is/are correct? 1. It was announced in the year 2014. 2. Its aim is to create an environment which promotes learning between the States by sharing best practices and experiences. Select the correct answer using the code given below.

Correct — B, 2 only. Statement 2 states the programme's own aim: states and union territories are paired, and the pairing exists so that people in each learn the other's language, food, festivals and practices, with best practices travelling between administrations. Statement 1 has the wrong year. The Prime Minister announced Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat on 31 October 2015, the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, and the programme was formally launched on 31 October 2016.

• (a)1 only — Keeps the wrong year and throws away the one statement that repeats the programme's stated purpose.
• (c)Both 1 and 2 — Would be right but for the date; the announcement came in 2015, not 2014.
• (d)Neither 1 nor 2 — Statement 2 is an accurate paraphrase of the aim published by the programme itself.

Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat works by pairing — a state or union territory is matched with another for a period, and the two run a calendar of exchanges in language, literature, cuisine, festivals, sport and tourism. There is no new administrative machinery; existing ministries, schools and universities carry the activities.

Anniversary dates are the trick in this family of questions. 31 October is Sardar Patel's birth anniversary and is observed as Rashtriya Ekta Diwas, which is why so many unity-themed initiatives are announced or launched on it — this programme in 2015 and 2016, and the Statue of Unity in 2018. If a date in an option is one year off a well-known anniversary, check it before accepting. Activities that grew out of the programme include Bhasha Sangam for basic sentences in Indian languages, Kashi Tamil Sangamam and the Yuva Sangam student exchanges.

• Announced on 31 October 2015 and formally launched on 31 October 2016.
• The programme runs on state and union-territory pairing, coordinated by the Ministry of Education with the Ministry of Culture.
• Its stated aim is to enhance interaction and mutual understanding between people of different states through that pairing.
• Bhasha Sangam, Yuva Sangam and Kashi Tamil Sangamam are among the activities carried out under it.
• 31 October is observed as Rashtriya Ekta Diwas, the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.

• Accepting a year in an option that sits one year off a famous anniversary.
• Treating the announcement date and the formal launch date as the same event.

Two statements, one of aim and one of date, with the date carrying the error.

• practice — not a real PYQ

  Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat is implemented mainly through

  • (a)pairing of States and Union Territories
  • (b)central grants to border districts
  • (c)a new all-India cultural service
  • (d)compulsory language testing in schools

  Answer(a) pairing of States and Union Territories — paired units run exchanges in language, culture, cuisine and sport.

• practice — not a real PYQ

  Rashtriya Ekta Diwas is observed on the birth anniversary of

  • (a)Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel
  • (b)Bhagat Singh
  • (c)Subhas Chandra Bose
  • (d)Lal Bahadur Shastri

  Answer(a) Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel — 31 October, the date on which this programme was announced and later launched.