UPSC Prelims 2004 · General Studies
Question 77: Economy and Social Development
Consider the following statements:
- 1.Regarding the procurement of food grains, Government of India follows a procurement target rather than an open-ended procurement policy.
- 2.Government of India announces minimum support prices only for cereals.
- 3.For distribution under Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS), wheat and rice are issued by the Government of India at uniform central issue prices to the States/Union Territories.
Which of these statements given above is/are correct?
AnswerThe answer is (d).
Only statement 3 is correct. Procurement of wheat and rice at the minimum support price is open-ended, with a buffer-stock norm, not a fixed target, so statement 1 is wrong. Support prices are announced for pulses, oilseeds, cotton and jute as well as cereals. Under the TPDS wheat and rice are issued to the States at uniform central issue prices.
- 1. Procurement is open-ended, not target-based.
- 2. Support prices also cover pulses, oilseeds, cotton and jute.
- 3. Central issue prices are uniform for wheat and rice under the TPDS.
How you could have got this
- If you were sure statement 2 is not correct, (a) and (b) go: each of them includes 2.
What you needed to know: Support prices also cover pulses, oilseeds, cotton and jute.
The red flag in statement 2 is “only”. In UPSC’s papers, statements with “only” were true 27% of the time (82 statements). A hint, not a rule.
- Then, if you were sure statement 1 is not correct, (c) goes: it includes 1.
What you needed to know: Procurement is open-ended, not target-based.
Only (d) is left. You didn’t need statement 3.
This follows an unofficial answer: UPSC has not published its key for this year, and if that answer is wrong, so is this path.
Which options go is worked out from UPSC’s key and the options, not by a model.
Why each option is right or wrong
- (a) Statements 1 and 2 are both false.
- (b) Statement 2 is false: support prices cover more than cereals.
- (c) Statement 1 is false.
- (d) Correct: only statement 3 holds.
Explanation: written by UPSC Grade, not by UPSC.
Source: UPSC, Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination 2004, General Studies. UPSC's own paper isn't online; the words are from a published compilation. The paper on upsc.gov.in.