Statements: The meteorological Department has issued a statement mentioning…

Concept: In "Cause and Effect" statement reasoning, two given statements are examined for whether one is shown to trigger the other, or whether each is simply the outcome of its own separate real-world process with no stated link between them. A statement counts as a "cause" only when the passage shows it directly producing the other statement's outcome; it counts as an "effect" when it is itself the result of some prior, unstated condition.

Application: Statement I is a weather-department report of deficient monsoon rainfall — itself the outcome of climatic conditions, not something the passage traces to any other stated fact. Statement II is a government decision to lower its GDP growth estimate — itself the outcome of a broader economic assessment (industrial output, consumption, trade, fiscal factors) that the passage does not tie explicitly to the rainfall report. Neither statement is shown driving the other, and neither is shown driving some third, shared consequence; each is simply the result of its own separate cause.

Cross-check:

• If Statement I caused Statement II, the passage would need to state that the GDP revision was made because of the rainfall report — it does not.

• If Statement II caused Statement I, an economic estimate would have to alter the weather, which is not possible.

• Calling both statements "independent causes" would require them to be shown driving some further, shared outcome — no such outcome is given.

• Reading both as outcomes of their own separate, unstated causes matches everything the passage actually states.