2016 GS Paper I, all questions

UPSC Prelims 2016 · GS Paper I

Question 21: Economy and Social Development

With reference to ‘Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana’, consider the following statements :

  1. 1.Under this scheme, farmers will have to pay a uniform premium of two percent for any crop they cultivate in any season of the year.
  2. 2.This scheme covers post-harvest losses arising out of cyclones and unseasonal rains.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

a1 only
b2 only
cBoth 1 and 2
dNeither 1 nor 2

AnswerUPSC’s answer is (b).

Under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, launched in 2016, farmers pay 2 percent of the sum insured for Kharif food crops and oilseeds, 1.5 percent for Rabi food crops and oilseeds, and 5 percent for commercial and horticultural crops, so the premium is not uniform. The scheme does cover post-harvest losses from cyclones and unseasonal rains for a short period after harvest, on crops lying in the field to dry.

  • 1. The premium is 2 percent only for Kharif food crops and oilseeds; it is 1.5 percent for Rabi and 5 percent for commercial and horticultural crops.
  • 2. Post-harvest losses from cyclones and unseasonal rains are covered for a limited period.

How you could have got this

  1. If you were sure statement 1 is not correct, (a) and (c) go: each of them includes 1.

    What you needed to know: The premium is 2 percent only for Kharif food crops and oilseeds; it is 1.5 percent for Rabi and 5 percent for commercial and horticultural crops.

  2. Then, if you were sure statement 2 is correct, (d) goes: it leaves 2 out.

    What you needed to know: Post-harvest losses from cyclones and unseasonal rains are covered for a limited period.

Only (b) is left. This one needs every statement.

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) Statement 1 is false: the premium differs by crop and season.
  • (b) Right: only statement 2, on post-harvest losses, is correct.
  • (c) Statement 1 is false, so 'both' fails.
  • (d) Statement 2 is correct, so 'neither' fails.

Answer: UPSC’s key. Explanation: written by UPSC Grade, not by UPSC.

Practise this paper timedPrevious questionNext question

Source: UPSC, Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination 2016, General Studies Paper I, Series A. The paper on upsc.gov.in.