GS Paper III 2026 · Q3
10 marks · 150 words Farm subsidies, MSP, PDS & food security X-Ray · Core #44भारतीय कृषि में लागू किए गए विभिन्न तकनीकी मिशनों का वर्णन कीजिए एवं खाद्य सुरक्षा में उनकी भूमिका का परीक्षण कीजिए।
Read this question in English
Describe the various Technology Missions initiated in Indian agriculture and examine their role in food security.
🧭 How to think about this question · directive: “describe / examine”
Decode the demand
- Two directives, two parts: 'describe' the various technology missions (names, dates, crops, what each bundled) and 'examine' their role in food security (gains, gaps, a verdict). Both need their own heading.
- The idea in one line: a technology mission is a time-bound, single-crop drive that joins research, seed, inputs, extension and markets under one command; keep each description to that pattern.
- The trap: listing missions as a chronology and stopping. The examiner wants the link to food security: availability, stability, nutrition and self-reliance, each with a number.
- Carry data: record foodgrain output, the edible-oil import share, outlay and target of the newest missions.
Think in a structure
- Open with the definition and a paradox: record grain, yet imported oil. That paradox is the 'examine' part in seed form.
- Describe as a timeline from 1986 to 2025, one crisp point per mission with its distinctive feature; examine with a table that maps each food-security pillar to a mission and its result, then points on gains and gaps.
- End positively: three measures a policymaker can act on, with the pulses mission's assured procurement as the model, then an SDG anchor.
Facts checked at source (5)· open
- NMEO–Oilseeds runs for seven years (2024-25 to 2030-31) with an outlay of ₹10,103 crore.PIB — Cabinet approves NMEO-Oilseeds (3 October 2024) ↗“The Mission will be implemented over a seven-year period, from 2024-25 to 2030-31, with a financial outlay of Rs 10,103 crore.”
- Foodgrain production reached a record 357.73 million tonnes in 2024-25 (Final Estimates), up from 332.30 million tonnes in 2023-24.PIB — Record foodgrain output breaks all previous highs (Final Estimates 2024-25) ↗“Foodgrain production rises to 357.73 million tonnes in 2024-25, up from 332.30 million tonnes in 2023-24”
- Imports meet 57% of India's domestic demand for edible oils (background to NMEO-Oilseeds, 2024).PIB — Cabinet approves National Mission on Edible Oils–Oilseeds (October 2024) ↗“The country is heavily reliant on imports which account for 57% of its domestic demand for edible oils.”
- The Mission for Aatmanirbharta in Pulses (approved 1 October 2025) carries ₹11,440 crore and targets 350 lakh tonnes of pulses by 2030-31.PMO — Union Cabinet approves Mission for Aatmanirbharta in Pulses for 2025-26 to 2030-31 ↗“Pulses Mission to drive production to 350 lakh tonnes by 2030-31 Rs.11,440 crore investment push to achieve self-sufficiency in pulses”
- The pulses mission assures procurement of tur, urad and masoor under PM-AASHA's Price Support Scheme through NAFED and NCCF.PMO — Union Cabinet approves Mission for Aatmanirbharta in Pulses for 2025-26 to 2030-31 ↗“A major feature of the Mission will be assured maximum procurement of Tur, Urad, and Masoor under Price Support Scheme (PSS) of PM-AASHA. NAFED and NCCF will undertake 100% procurement in participating states for the next four years”
Question: UPSC's CS (Main) 2026, GS Paper III — paper ↗. Guidance: Minimalist IAS, checked 8 Nov 2026 (how we verify). ·
Model answer· 352words · Minimalist IAS
A technology mission is a time-bound, single-crop drive that bundles research, seed, inputs, extension and markets under one command. Foodgrain output touched a record 357.73 million tonnes in 2024-25, yet imports still meet 57% of edible-oil demand (PIB), so the missions' record on food security is mixed.
The Technology Missions initiated in Indian agriculture
- 1986: Oilseeds
- 2000: Cotton
- 2001-02: North-East Horticulture
- 2007: NFSM
- 2021-25: NMEO-Oil Palm, NMEO-Oilseeds, Pulses Mission
- Oilseeds (1986): the first of the Pitroda-era missions; pulses, oil palm and maize joined later, driving the Yellow Revolution and near self-sufficiency by the 1990s.
- Cotton (2000): four mini-missions on research, extension, market yards and ginning modernised fibre quality and raised yields.
- Horticulture (2001-02): the North-East mission grew into MIDH (2014), covering fruits, vegetables, spices and post-harvest chains.
- NFSM (2007): area expansion and productivity in rice, wheat, pulses and later coarse cereals through demonstrations and seed subsidy.
- New generation: NMEO-Oilseeds (2024, ₹10,103 crore, 2024-25 to 2030-31) and the Mission for Aatmanirbharta in Pulses (2025, ₹11,440 crore, 350 lakh tonnes by 2030-31).
Their role in food security
| Pillar | Mission lever | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Availability | NFSM, Oilseeds mission | Record 357.73 million tonnes |
| Stability | Pulses Mission | PM-AASHA assured procurement |
| Nutrition | MIDH, millets under NFSM | Diversified diets |
| Self-reliance | NMEO | 57% of edible oil still imported |
- Availability: NFSM crops feed the PDS and buffer stocks that carry the National Food Security Act, 2013.
- Price stability: assured procurement of tur, urad and masoor through NAFED and NCCF cushions pulse price spikes.
- Nutrition security: pulses, oilseeds, horticulture and millets move the diet beyond rice and wheat.
- Gaps: edible-oil and pulse imports persist; rain-fed districts lag; intensive cereals strain groundwater and soil; seed replacement stays low.
Way forward
- Technology with a market: replicate PM-AASHA-type assured procurement for every mission crop so farmers risk the switch.
- Rain-fed first: target dryland districts with short-duration pulses and oilseeds, not only irrigated belts.
- Converge missions: link seed, digital and natural-farming missions so one farmer meets one plan.
SDG 2 seeks zero hunger and sustainable agriculture by 2030; India's missions have secured the grain, and their next task is to secure oils, pulses and nutrition on rain-fed land.
Prepared by Minimalist IAS to the answer standard of Shivam Singh (mentor, 7 years) · facts checked against official sources (how we verify) · updated 8 Nov 2026. UPSC publishes no model answers: compare your structure and coverage with this, then write your own.
