With reference to the scheme wise allocation in the 2023-24 Union Budget, which of the following statement/s is/are correct? (1) Compared to the previous year, highest percentage of decline has been recorded in the allocation for MGNREGA. (2) Compared to the previous year, highest percentage of growth has been recorded in the allocation for Jal Jeevan Mission. Select the correct answer using the code given below – Code -
- (a)Neither 1 nor 2
- (b)Only 1
- (c)Both 1 and 2
- (d)Only 2
Correct — B, Only 1. Statement 1 is true: MGNREGA's allocation was cut from ₹89,400 crore (2022-23 revised estimate) to ₹60,000 crore (2023-24 budget estimate) — a fall of about 32.9%, the largest percentage decline among major schemes. Statement 2 is false: the Jal Jeevan Mission did get a big rise (₹55,000 crore RE 2022-23 → ₹70,000 crore, about +27.3%), but that was NOT the highest percentage growth — several heads rose more sharply (for example, the power-sector Reform-Linked Distribution Scheme roughly doubled, about +101%). So only statement 1 is correct.
- (a)Neither 1 nor 2 — Wrong — statement 1 is correct: MGNREGA did record the largest percentage cut (₹89,400 cr → ₹60,000 cr, about -33%).
- (c)Both 1 and 2 — Wrong — statement 2 is incorrect. Jal Jeevan Mission's ~27% rise was large but not the highest percentage growth of any scheme in the 2023-24 Budget.
- (d)Only 2 — Wrong — it inverts the truth: statement 1 (MGNREGA) is the correct one, and statement 2 (Jal Jeevan Mission as the highest-growth scheme) is the false one.
This is a Union Budget 2023-24 current-affairs question on scheme-wise allocation changes versus the previous year. Two facts matter: MGNREGA saw the steepest percentage cut, while the Jal Jeevan Mission — though sharply higher — was not the single fastest-growing head. The Budget shifted emphasis toward capital expenditure, water supply and infrastructure and away from demand-driven rural-employment spending.
The trap is that both named schemes did move a lot, so the statements 'feel' right. The distinction is 'highest percentage': MGNREGA genuinely had the biggest fall, but Jal Jeevan's big jump was still beaten by other heads (like the power-distribution reform scheme), so statement 2 fails. Match the superlative to the correct scheme, not just the direction of change.
- MGNREGA: ₹89,400 cr (RE 2022-23) → ₹60,000 cr (BE 2023-24) — about -32.9%, the largest percentage cut.
- Jal Jeevan Mission: ₹55,000 cr (RE) → ₹70,000 cr — about +27.3%; large but not the highest-growth scheme.
- The largest percentage increase was in the power-sector Reform-Linked Distribution Scheme (roughly +101%).
- The 2023-24 Budget's total capital expenditure was raised sharply to ₹10 lakh crore.
- Assuming a scheme with a big rise automatically had the 'highest' percentage growth.
- Mixing up Budget Estimate and Revised Estimate when computing the year-on-year change.
UPPSC current-affairs sets pair a scheme with a superlative ('highest growth/decline') — verify both the direction AND that it is truly the largest, and mind whether the comparison is BE-to-BE or against the revised estimate.
No directly related past PYQ was found.
- practice — not a real PYQ
In the Union Budget 2023-24, the allocation for which scheme was reduced the most (by percentage) compared with the previous year's revised estimate?
- (a)Jal Jeevan Mission
- (b)MGNREGA
- (c)PM Awas Yojana
- (d)PM-KISAN
Answer(b) MGNREGA — cut from about ₹89,400 crore to ₹60,000 crore (~-33%).
- practice — not a real PYQ
The total capital expenditure outlay announced in the Union Budget 2023-24 was:
- (a)₹5 lakh crore
- (b)₹7.5 lakh crore
- (c)₹10 lakh crore
- (d)₹15 lakh crore
Answer(c) ₹10 lakh crore — a 33% jump, a key theme of the 2023-24 Budget.