Question — Q.63
With reference to the organisations under the Government of India, consider the following details:
In how many of the above rows are the given details correctly matched?
| Sl. No. | Organisation | Function | Controlling Union Ministry (as given in question) |
| 1. | Central Economic Intelligence Bureau (CEIB) | To coordinate between various law enforcement agencies | Ministry of Home Affairs ✗ |
| 2. | Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) | To investigate complex corporate frauds | Ministry of Finance ✗ |
| 3. | Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) | To preserve values in public life and ensure the health of the national economy | Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pension ✓ |
A1 ✓
B2
C3
DNone
⚠️ The Classic Ministry Swap Trap
UPSC deliberately swapped the ministries of CEIB and SFIO — two agencies that both deal with financial matters:
• Row 1 (CEIB): Table says Home Affairs — correct answer is Finance
• Row 2 (SFIO): Table says Finance — correct answer is Corporate Affairs
• Row 3 (CBI): Table says Personnel, PG & Pensions — correct ✓
• Row 1 (CEIB): Table says Home Affairs — correct answer is Finance
• Row 2 (SFIO): Table says Finance — correct answer is Corporate Affairs
• Row 3 (CBI): Table says Personnel, PG & Pensions — correct ✓
Each Row — Verified from Official Sources
1
✗ Wrong — Ministry is incorrect
Central Economic Intelligence Bureau (CEIB)
✓ Function — Correct
Coordinate between various law enforcement agencies — accurate. CEIB is the nodal coordination agency between LEAs like CBI, DRI, ED, CBDT, CBIC etc.
✗ Ministry — Wrong
Table says: Ministry of Home Affairs
Correct: Ministry of Finance (Dept. of Revenue) · Confirmed on ceib.gov.in
Correct: Ministry of Finance (Dept. of Revenue) · Confirmed on ceib.gov.in
✗ CEIB = Ministry of Finance, NOT Home Affairs
Set up 1985 · Under Dept. of Revenue, Ministry of Finance · Secretariat for Economic Intelligence Council (EIC) chaired by Finance Minister
2
✗ Wrong — Ministry is incorrect
Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO)
✓ Function — Correct
Investigate complex corporate frauds — accurate. SFIO investigates white-collar crimes and corporate fraud under the Companies Act 2013.
✗ Ministry — Wrong
Table says: Ministry of Finance
Correct: Ministry of Corporate Affairs · Confirmed on sfio.nic.in
Correct: Ministry of Corporate Affairs · Confirmed on sfio.nic.in
✗ SFIO = Ministry of Corporate Affairs, NOT Finance
Set up 2003 on Naresh Chandra Committee recommendation · Statutory status under Section 211, Companies Act 2013 · Under Ministry of Corporate Affairs
3
✓ Correct — Both function and ministry match
Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)
✓ Function — Correct
“Preserve values in public life and ensure the health of the national economy” — accurate. This is CBI’s stated mandate covering anti-corruption + economic offences.
✓ Ministry — Correct
Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions — confirmed. CBI operates under DoPT (this ministry).
✓ Only correctly matched row — CBI = Personnel, PG & Pensions
India’s premier investigative agency · Anti-corruption + economic offences · Also Interpol nodal agency · Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions (DoPT)
Correct Organisation–Ministry Matrix — Master Reference
| Organisation | Correct Ministry | Function | Table’s error |
| CEIB | Ministry of Finance (Dept. of Revenue) | Coordinate between law enforcement agencies · Central Repository of economic offence records | Table says “Home Affairs” ✗ |
| SFIO | Ministry of Corporate Affairs | Investigate complex corporate frauds · white-collar crimes · Companies Act 2013 | Table says “Finance” ✗ |
| CBI ✓ | Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions | Preserve values in public life · health of national economy · Interpol nodal agency | Correctly matched ✓ |
| ED | Ministry of Finance (Dept. of Revenue) | Enforce FEMA and PMLA · foreign exchange violations · money laundering | — |
| NIA | Ministry of Home Affairs | Investigate terrorism and national security offences | — |
| NCB | Ministry of Home Affairs | Coordinate drug law enforcement · NDPS Act | — |
Memory Trick
🧠 Lock In the Three Ministries
CEIB = Finance: CEIB coordinates Economic intelligence → Ministry of Finance. The Economic Intelligence Council (EIC) is chaired by the Finance Minister — CEIB is its secretariat. Economic → Finance.
SFIO = Corporate Affairs: SFIO investigates Corporate frauds → Ministry of Corporate Affairs. It draws powers from the Companies Act — the same ministry that administers company law. Corporate fraud → Corporate ministry.
CBI = Personnel: CBI is under Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions (DoPT) — NOT Home Affairs or Finance. Many students get this wrong. Its mandate to fight corruption in public life links it to the Personnel ministry.
The swap trap — Finance was given to SFIO, Home Affairs to CEIB: Both are wrong. Ask: Which ministry coordinates economic intelligence? → Finance (CEIB). Which ministry oversees Companies Act enforcement? → Corporate Affairs (SFIO).
