Solution (d)

Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 

• It is a worldwide study by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in member and non-member nations intended to evaluate educational systems by measuring 15-year-old school pupils’ scholastic performance on mathematics, science, and reading.
• It was first performed in 2000 and then repeated every three years.
•  Its aim is to provide comparable data with a view to enabling countries to improve their education policies and outcomes. It measures problem solving and cognition in daily life.

Article reference: https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/covid-19-pandemic-created-largest-disruption-of-education-in-history-un/article32265660.ece 

Solution (d)

Part XVII of the Constitution deals with the official language in Articles 343 to 351. Its provisions are divided into four heads—Language of the Union, Regional languages, Language of the judiciary and texts of laws and Special directives.

Solution (b)

Small Farmers’ Agribusiness Consortium (SFAC) 

• SFAC was established in 1994 under Societies Registration Act, 1860 as an autonomous body promoted by the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare.
• The Society is also registered as Non-Banking Financial Institution by Reserve Bank of India.
• The Society is governed by Board of Management which is chaired, ex-officio, by Hon’ble Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare as the President and the Secretary, Department of Agriculture, Cooperation and Farmers Welfare, Government of India, is the ex-officio Vice-President.
• SFAC is implementing the central schemes of Government of India namely VCA, EGCGS for economic inclusion of small and marginal farmers in agribusiness activities.

Solution (c)

Cess is a variant of tax charged over the basic tax liability of a taxpayer. A cess is imposed when the government looks to raise funds for specific purposes. Cess is not the same as any other tax collected by the government such as income tax, goods and services tax, and excise duty.

Every taxpayer, who has to pay the income tax, is liable to pay a cess at the rate of 4%. 

‘Health and Education Cess’ at 4% on tax (including surcharge) was introduced in Budget 2018.

Solution (b)

National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC)

• NCDC is a statutory corporation set up under National Cooperative Development Corporation Act, 1962.
• The objectives of NCDC are planning and promoting programmes for production, processing, marketing, storage, export and import of agricultural produce, foodstuffs, industrial goods, livestock and certain other notified commodities and services on cooperative principles.
• NCDC functions through its Head Office at New Delhi and multiple Regional Offices.
• The NCDC has the unique distinction of being the sole statutory organization functioning as an apex financial and developmental institution exclusively devoted to cooperative sector.
• NCDC is a major financial institution for cooperatives, and has recently started Mission Sahakar 22, which aims to double farmers’ income by 2022.

Source: https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1643349