UPSC Prelims 2014 · GS Paper I
Question 4: Economy and Social Development
Consider the following pairs :
| Programme/Project | Ministry | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Drought-Prone Area Programme | Ministry of Agriculture |
| 2. | Desert Development Programme | Ministry of Environment and Forests |
| 3. | National Watershed Development Project for Rainfed Areas | Ministry of Rural Development |
Which of the above pairs is/are correctly matched?
AnswerUPSC’s answer is (d).
As the schemes stood in 2014, none of the three pairs is correct. The Drought-Prone Area Programme and the Desert Development Programme were watershed-based area programmes run by the Department of Land Resources under the Ministry of Rural Development, not Agriculture or Environment and Forests. The National Watershed Development Project for Rainfed Areas was run by the Ministry of Agriculture, not Rural Development. Remember the pattern: DPAP and DDP belong to Rural Development, NWDPRA to Agriculture.
- 1. DPAP was a Rural Development scheme, not Agriculture.
- 2. DDP was also a Rural Development scheme, not Environment and Forests.
- 3. NWDPRA was run by Agriculture, not Rural Development.
Why each option is right or wrong
- (a) Wrong. DPAP is under Rural Development and DDP is not under Environment and Forests.
- (b) Wrong. NWDPRA belonged to the Ministry of Agriculture, not Rural Development.
- (c) Wrong. All three pairs name the wrong ministry.
- (d) Right. Every pair is mismatched, so none is correct.
Answer: UPSC’s key. Explanation: written by UPSC Grade, not by UPSC.
Source: UPSC, Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination 2014, General Studies Paper I, Series A. The paper on upsc.gov.in.