UPSC Prelims 2017 · GS Paper I
Question 72: Economy and Social Development
Consider the following statements : The nation-wide ‘Soil Health Card Scheme’ aims at
- 1.expanding the cultivable area under irrigation.
- 2.enabling the banks to assess the quantum of loans to be granted to farmers on the basis of soil quality.
- 3.checking the overuse of fertilizers in farmlands.
Which of the above statements is/are correct ?
AnswerUPSC’s answer is (b).
The Soil Health Card Scheme, launched in 2015, gives each farmer a card showing the nutrient status of the soil and recommending the right doses of fertilisers and soil amendments. Its aim is balanced and efficient fertiliser use, which checks overuse of fertilisers, so Statement 3 is right. It does not extend irrigation to new land, and it is not designed to help banks fix loan amounts by soil quality, so Statements 1 and 2 are wrong. Remember: soil testing leads to balanced fertiliser use.
- 1. The scheme tests soil; it does not expand irrigation.
- 2. It is not a tool for banks to size loans.
- 3. Cards advise balanced doses, checking overuse of fertilisers.
How you could have got this
- If you were sure statement 2 is not correct, (a), (c) and (d) go: each of them includes 2.
What you needed to know: It is not a tool for banks to size loans.
Only (b) is left. You didn’t need statements 1 or 3.
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) Wrong: neither irrigation expansion nor bank lending is the scheme's aim.
- (b) Right: only checking overuse of fertilisers is the scheme's aim.
- (c) Wrong: loan assessment by soil quality is not an aim.
- (d) Wrong: statements 1 and 2 are not aims.
Answer: UPSC’s key. Explanation: written by UPSC Grade, not by UPSC.
Source: UPSC, Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination 2017, General Studies Paper I, Series A. The paper on upsc.gov.in.