RAS question
Economic Survey is prepared by:
Correct answer: (B) Chief Economic Adviser's team in DEA.
The Economic Survey is prepared by the Economic Division of the Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance, under the guidance of the Chief Economic Adviser.
Explanation
The Economic Survey is not prepared by a planning body or by the central bank. It is prepared within the Ministry of Finance: specifically, by the Economic Division of the Department of Economic Affairs under the guidance of the Chief Economic Adviser. The DEA's own Economic Division page supports this chain of responsibility. It describes the division as the DEA wing focused on economic policy research and advice, says it anchors publication of the Annual Economic Survey laid before Parliament before the Union Budget, and lists preparation of the Annual Economic Survey among the division's functions. That is why the option naming the Chief Economic Adviser's team in DEA is the precise answer.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) NITI Aayog does not prepare the Economic Survey; the cited DEA page places that responsibility with the Economic Division in the Department of Economic Affairs.
- (C) The Planning Commission cannot be the answer because it was replaced by NITI Aayog, while the Economic Survey's preparation is identified with the DEA's Economic Division.
- (D) RBI is not the preparing institution for the Economic Survey; it publishes its own annual report, whereas the Survey is prepared in the Department of Economic Affairs.
Concept
This tests the institutional location of a major Union Budget document within Indian Economy. RAS repeatedly asks such questions because they check whether aspirants can connect economic documents with the correct ministry, department and authority.