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Q10 (IAS/2015) Science & Technology › ICT, AI, Cybersecurity & Emerging Tech › Science and technology initiatives Official Key

Which of the following statements is/are correct regarding National Innovation Foundation-India (NIF)? 1. NIF is an autonomous body of the Department of Science and Technology under the Central Government. 2. NIF is an initiative to strengthen the highly advanced scientific research in India's premier scientific institutions in collaboration with highly advanced foreign scientific institutions. Select the correct answer using the code given below.

Result
Your answer: —  ·  Correct: A
Explanation

NIF is an autonomous body of the Department of Science and Technology under the Central Government[1], making statement 1 correct. However, statement 2 is incorrect. The areas of focus of National Innovation Foundation (NIF) includes the Incubation and promotion of technological grassroots innovations including those which stems from children creativity and to add value to India's outstanding traditional knowledge base[2]. NIF's primary focus is on grassroots innovations, traditional knowledge, and innovations by students, not on strengthening advanced scientific research in premier institutions through foreign collaboration. The National Innovation Foundation (NIF) - India, established in March 2000 with the support of the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government[3] of India, works to scout, spawn, and sustain grassroots innovations. Therefore, only statement 1 is correct.

Sources
  1. [2] https://dst.gov.in/sites/default/files/DST%20AR%20English%202023-24.pdf
  2. [3] https://nif.org.in/aboutnif
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PROVENANCE & STUDY PATTERN
Guest preview
Don’t just practise – reverse-engineer the question. This panel shows where this PYQ came from (books / web), how the examiner broke it into hidden statements, and which nearby micro-concepts you were supposed to learn from it. Treat it like an autopsy of the question: what might have triggered it, which exact lines in the book matter, and what linked ideas you should carry forward to future questions.
Q. Which of the following statements is/are correct regarding National Innovation Foundation-India (NIF)? 1. NIF is an autonomous body of th…
At a glance
Origin: Mostly Current Affairs Fairness: Low / Borderline fairness Books / CA: 0/10 · 10/10
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This is a classic 'Mandate Swap' trap. UPSC takes a pro-poor/grassroots body (NIF) and describes it with an elite/high-tech definition (Statement 2). The key is to associate 'NIF' strictly with 'Grassroots Innovation' and 'Traditional Knowledge', not high-end lab research.

How this question is built

This question can be broken into the following sub-statements. Tap a statement sentence to jump into its detailed analysis.

Statement 1
Is National Innovation Foundation-India (NIF) an autonomous body of the Department of Science and Technology (Government of India)?
Origin: Web / Current Affairs Fairness: CA heavy Web-answerable

Web source
Presence: 5/5
"NIF is an autonomous body of the Department of Science and Technology under the Central Government ."
Why this source?
  • Directly presents the assertion as a statement about NIF: 'NIF is an autonomous body of the Department of Science and Technology under the Central Government.'
  • Shows the claim is commonly stated in government/competitive-exam material.
Web source
Presence: 5/5
"Innovation Foundation - India (NIF), an autonomous body of DST, aims to motivate students studying in classes 6 to 12."
Why this source?
  • Explicitly describes NIF as an autonomous body of DST in a DST-linked programme website.
  • Context links NIF to DST through the INSPIRE-MANAK scheme, indicating institutional relationship.
Web source
Presence: 3/5
"The National Innovation Foundation (NIF) - India, established in March 2000 with the support of the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government ..."
Why this source?
  • States NIF was established 'with the support of the Department of Science and Technology (DST),' indicating an official connection to DST.
  • Provides institutional origin information from NIF's own site corroborating DST linkage.

Indian Economy, Nitin Singhania .(ed 2nd 2021-22) > Chapter 6: Economic Planning in India > 2019 > p. 154
Strength: 4/5
“• 1. Atal Innovation Mission is setup under the • (a) Department of Science and Technology • (b) Ministry of Labour and Employment • (c) NITI Aayog • (d) Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship”
Why relevant

Gives an example (Atal Innovation Mission) of a body associated with the Department of Science and Technology, showing DST sponsors or hosts innovation-oriented initiatives.

How to extend

A student could check whether NIF is listed alongside or described similarly to such DST initiatives (e.g., on DST pages or lists of DST autonomous bodies).

Indian Economy, Nitin Singhania .(ed 2nd 2021-22) > Chapter 12: Indian Industry > NATIONAL PRODUCTIVITY COUNCIL (NPC) > p. 401
Strength: 4/5
“• NPC is a national-level organization set up in 1958 to promote productivity culture in India. • The NPC comes under the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce & Industry. • It is an autonomous, multipartite, non-profit organization and has been registered as a Society under the Societies Registration Act XXI of 1860.”
Why relevant

Shows the pattern that central ministries often have autonomous organizations 'coming under' them (example: NPC under DPIIT) and describes how such bodies are characterized.

How to extend

Use this pattern to look for official classification language (e.g., 'autonomous body under the Department of Science & Technology') for NIF on government registries.

Indian Polity, M. Laxmikanth(7th ed.) > Chapter 87: National Integration > National Foundation for Communal Harmony > p. 607
Strength: 4/5
“The National Foundation for Communal Harmony (NFCH) was set up in 1992. It is an autonomous body under the administrative control of the Union Home Ministry. It promotes communal harmony, fraternity and national integration. The activities undertaken by the NFCH are mentioned below: 8 • 1. Provide financial assistance to the child victims of societal violence for their care, education and training, aimed at their effective rehabilitation • 2. Promote communal harmony and national integration by organizing variety of activities either independently or in association with educational institutions, NGOs & other organizations • 3. Conduct studies and grant scholarships to institutions/scholars for conducting studies this information is obtained from the official website of the National Foundation for Communal Harmony, Government of India.”
Why relevant

Provides another clear example of an 'autonomous body under the administrative control' of a specific ministry (NFCH under Home), illustrating common phrasing used to denote such relationships.

How to extend

Search for the same phrasing ('autonomous body under the administrative control of the Department of Science and Technology') in relation to NIF in official sources.

Indian Polity, M. Laxmikanth(7th ed.) > Chapter 56: NITI Aayog > AUTONOMOUS AND ATTACHED BODIES > p. 470
Strength: 3/5
“t AUTONOMOUS AND ATTACHED BODIES The NITI Aayog is supported by a n autonomous body i.e., the National Institute of Labor Economics Research and Development, and an attached office i.e., the Development Monitoring and Evaluation Organisation. These are explained below: I. National Institute of Labour Economics Research and Development The National Institute of Labour Economics Research and Development (NI LERD) was formerly known as the Institute of Applied Manpower Research (IAMR). It is a central autonomous organization under the NITI Aayog. Its primary objectives are research, data collection, education and training in all aspects of human capital planning, human resource development, and monitoring and evaluation.”
Why relevant

Demonstrates that various parent organizations (here NITI Aayog) have explicitly labelled 'central autonomous organization' subsidiaries — showing the typical terminology used for such linkages.

How to extend

Compare the terminology used for NIF in official descriptions with terms like 'central autonomous organization' to infer its administrative status.

Indian Polity, M. Laxmikanth(7th ed.) > Chapter 56: NITI Aayog > ESTABLISHMENT > p. 465
Strength: 3/5
“t ESTABLISHMENT On the 13th of August, 2014, the Modi Government scrapped the 65-year-old Planning Commission and announced that it would he replaced by a new body. Accordingly, on January 1, 2015, the NfTI Aayog (National Institution for Development Promotion in India) was established as the successor to the planning commission. However, it must be noted here that the NITI Aayog, like that of the Planning Commission, was also created by an executive resolution of the Government of India (Le., Union Cabinet). Hence, it is also neither a constitutional body nor a statutory body. In other words, it is a non-constitutional or extra-constitutional body (Le., not created by the Constitution) and a non-statutory body (not created by an Act of the Parliament).”
Why relevant

Explains distinctions between types of government bodies (statutory/constitutional vs. bodies created by executive resolution), which helps interpret official provenance language when assessing whether an entity is an autonomous body under a ministry.

How to extend

A student can check whether NIF is created by an Act, by executive resolution, or is described as an autonomous body to classify its legal/administrative relationship with DST.

Statement analysis

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