What is primary deficit ?
This MPSC previous-year question is drawn from MPSC Group B Combined Pre 2026 (English). It belongs to the Economics section and is reproduced here in English exactly as it appeared in the official Maharashtra Public Service Commission paper, along with the four options, the official Set A answer key and a compact explanation of why the correct option is correct.
Correct answer: D
Explanation
The examiner has marked option D. Primary deficit is the fiscal deficit minus interest payments — it strips out the interest burden to show fresh borrowing needs. Remembering 'fiscal deficit − interest' makes this a one-line recall.
Why this question matters
The Maharashtra Public Service Commission recycles economics question patterns across its main five recruitment examinations. Solving a PYQ from one paper substantially increases your accuracy on adjacent papers because the underlying facts and the option-craft are identical. That cross-transfer is the strongest argument for prioritising PYQ practice over generic textbook review.
How to attempt this in the exam
Read every option twice before committing to a choice. Once you commit, jot down in one line why each of the other three options is wrong — that elimination habit is what turns a 60-percentile score into a 90-percentile score. MPSC's favourite trap on economics questions is to swap a single anchor word (a date, a place, a body, a ratio) so a mostly-right option becomes wrong.
Subject-specific tip
Tip for Economics: connect every scheme to a launch year, the implementing ministry and the primary beneficiary. MPSC Economics options often swap the launch year or the implementing ministry — that is the easiest elimination.
Economics for MPSC — schemes, sectors, statistics
MPSC Economics is a schemes-plus-statistics subject. Every prelim carries roughly ten to twelve economics items covering: (a) government schemes — MGNREGA (from NREGA 2005), Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (2014), Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (2016), Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (2019), Ayushman Bharat (2018), the DAY-NRLM / DAY-NULM livelihood pair, PMAY (Urban and Gramin), PMGSY, Startup India, Stand Up India; (b) macroeconomic statistics — GDP growth, inflation trajectory (CPI / WPI), fiscal deficit target under FRBM, tax-to-GDP ratio, and India's rank in specific indices (Human Development Index, Ease of Doing Business, Global Hunger Index).
Almost every scheme question can be answered with the four-attribute lock: launch year, implementing ministry, primary target beneficiary, and headline financial commitment. Our Economics notes on the Notes tab arrange every Union government scheme along exactly this four-column matrix, with cross-references to Maharashtra's parallel state schemes such as Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Jan Arogya Yojana, Balasaheb Thackeray Krishi Vyavasay Sanjeevani Prakalp and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Shetkari Sanman Yojana.
For macro-statistics, MPSC prefers the latest annual Economic Survey numbers plus the RBI Handbook of Statistics on Indian Economy. Skim the Executive Summary of the current Economic Survey (roughly forty pages) and you cover eighty-plus percent of the numeric MPSC Economics items. Combine that with the Union Budget's highlights and the latest edition of the Maharashtra Economic Survey for state-level statistics.
Source and editorial process
Source: MPSC Group B Combined Pre 2026 (English). This question, its four options and the marked correct answer are transcribed verbatim from the official Maharashtra Public Service Commission Set A paper. Our editorial team cross-checks each question against the original PDF released on mpsc.gov.in and against the corresponding official answer key.
We never paraphrase the wording. Where MPSC has issued a revised key after an objection round, the answer highlighted above reflects the revised key and the revision is logged in our internal change-log. If you spot a discrepancy, please email us at dontknowacademy@gmail.com — we acknowledge every report within 24 hours and push a fix within 48 hours.
Related study material
Deepen your preparation on this topic with our long-form MPSC study guides. Every guide is written specifically for the Maharashtra Public Service Commission preliminary syllabus and takes twelve to sixteen minutes to read in full.
- MPSC Exam PatternGroup B, Group C, PSI, Gazetted CS & TS prelims — marks, syllabus, negative marking, cut-offs.
- MPSC Preparation Strategy6-month plan, book list, daily routine, PYQ usage, mock-test strategy.
- Indian Polity for MPSCConstitution, Fundamental Rights, DPSPs, Parliament, state government, key amendments.
About MPSC PYQ QUIZ
MPSC PYQ QUIZ is a free educational platform by Don't know Academy that helps Maharashtra Public Service Commission aspirants practise with the complete archive of previous-year questions. Every paper on the site is sourced from the official MPSC release, tagged by subject and topic, and paired with the official Set A answer key. The platform is independent and not affiliated with MPSC, the Government of Maharashtra or any government body — please read our Disclaimer for the full statement.