What is the crucial message conveyed by the above passage?
aIndia should revise its PDS.
bIndia should not be a member of WTO.
cFor India, food security collides with trade.
dIndia provides food security to its poor.
AnswerUPSC’s answer is (c).
The passage says India is bound by WTO agreements, under which farm support for developing countries is limited to 10 per cent of the value of production, and that India's PDS rests on support prices and public stockholding, which may exceed that limit in some years. The crucial message is that India's food security programme can collide with its trade commitments. The passage does not call for revising the PDS or leaving the WTO.
Why each option is right or wrong
(a) No call to revise the PDS is made.
(b) Leaving the WTO is not suggested.
(c) Correct: PDS support may breach the WTO limit, so food security meets trade rules.
(d) India's food provision is a detail, not the message of the passage.
Answer: UPSC’s key. Explanation: written by UPSC Grade, not by UPSC.
