RAS question
Data costs in India have declined by what percentage from ₹269/GB?
Correct answer: (C) 96%.
India's mobile data cost fell by about 96% from Rs. 269 per GB in 2014 to Rs. 9.94 per GB in 2023.
Explanation
The official Lok Sabha answer from the Ministry of Communications says that India had one of the world's most affordable data rates, with the cost of data falling from Rs. 269 per GB in 2014 to Rs. 9.94 per GB in 2023. The percentage fall is calculated against the original Rs. 269 base: the drop is Rs. 259.06 per GB, which is roughly 96% of Rs. 269. That is why 96% is the best match among the options. The point being tested is not just a telecom statistic, but the ability to read a government data point and convert an absolute decline into a percentage decline.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) 75% would imply a much smaller fall, leaving the 2023 price around one-fourth of Rs. 269 rather than near Rs. 9.94 per GB.
- (B) 85% still understates the decline because Rs. 9.94 is far less than 15% of the 2014 price of Rs. 269 per GB.
- (D) 99% overstates the decline, as Rs. 9.94 per GB is around 3.7% of Rs. 269 rather than about 1%.
Concept
This tests digital infrastructure and telecom affordability under Science and Technology. RAS often asks such items because government schemes and parliamentary answers frequently present development indicators as percentage changes.