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'Economic Nightmare of India: Its Cause and Cure' was written by which former Prime Minister?
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Answer: Option A — Chaudhary Charan Singh
Detailed Solution
"Economic Nightmare of India: Its Cause and Cure" is a book by Chaudhary Charan Singh, the fifth Prime Minister of India. It was published in 1981.
About the book:
- It criticises the economic policies followed by India after independence, which focused on heavy industry and large cities.
- Charan Singh argued that India's economic problems could be solved only by giving priority to agriculture, small farmers, cottage and small-scale industries, and the villages, where most Indians lived.
- He opposed large-scale mechanisation and collectivisation of farming and supported peasant proprietorship.
About Chaudhary Charan Singh (1902-1987):
He was born on 23 December 1902 in Noorpur, Meerut district (now Hapur), Uttar Pradesh. His birthday is celebrated as "Kisan Diwas" (National Farmers' Day).
As a minister in Uttar Pradesh, he played a key role in the abolition of the zamindari system (Uttar Pradesh Zamindari Abolition and Land Reforms Act, 1950-52) and land consolidation.
He was Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh twice.
He was Home Minister and later Deputy Prime Minister in the Janata Party government of Morarji Desai (1977-79).
He was Prime Minister from 28 July 1979 to 14 January 1980. He is the only Prime Minister who never faced Parliament as Prime Minister, because the Congress withdrew its support before he could prove his majority.
He received the Bharat Ratna (posthumously) in 2024.
His other books include "Abolition of Zamindari", "Joint Farming X-Rayed" and "India's Poverty and Its Solution".
The Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport in Lucknow is named after him.
Other Prime Ministers and their books:
- Morarji Desai: "The Story of My Life".
- Chandra Shekhar: "Meri Jail Diary".
- K. Gujral: "Matters of Discretion".
- V. Narasimha Rao: "The Insider".
Why not the other options?
- ✗Morarji Desai's autobiography is "The Story of My Life".
- ✗Chandra Shekhar wrote "Meri Jail Diary".
- ✗P. Singh is known for the Mandal Commission decision (1990).
Quick tip
Remember: "Economic Nightmare of India" (1981) = Chaudhary Charan Singh (PM 1979-80; zamindari abolition in UP; 23 December = Kisan Diwas; Bharat Ratna 2024).
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Books & Authors — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Books & Authors, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers famous books and their authors, including ancient Indian texts, works of the freedom struggle, classic and modern literature, autobiographies of famous people, and recently published books by well-known personalities. Questions usually name a book and ask for its author, or the other way round. Ancient and historical books, such as Arthashastra (Kautilya), Indica (Megasthenes) and Gitanjali (Rabindranath Tagore), are tested most often. Autobiographies are another favourite, so learn titles such as 'My Experiments with Truth' (Mahatma Gandhi) and 'Wings of Fire' (A. P. J. Abdul Kalam). Practise the books and authors questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.