Describe the various Technology Missions initiated in Indian agriculture and examine their role in food security.
Approach · directive: “describe / examine”
What it asks · Describe the crop-focused technology missions launched since the 1980s and examine how far they have raised food and nutrition security.
The question has 2 parts — answer each
- Describe the various Technology Missions initiated in Indian agriculture
- Examine their role in food security: gains and remaining gaps
Open with · Technology missions combine research, seeds, inputs, extension and markets in a time-bound push on one crop; the Technology Mission on Oilseeds (1986) set the template.
Cover
- Technology Mission on Oilseeds (1986), later covering pulses, oil palm and maize: drove the Yellow Revolution and near self-sufficiency in edible oils by the 1990s.
- Technology Mission on Cotton (2000): better varieties, pest management and modernised ginning raised yield and fibre quality.
- Technology Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture in the North East (2001–02), later part of MIDH: fruits, vegetables and spices for nutrition and income.
- National Food Security Mission (2007): area and productivity gains in rice, wheat, pulses and coarse cereals — backbone of grain security.
- Recent missions: NMEO–Oil Palm (2021) and NMEO–Oilseeds (2024), a pulses self-reliance mission, Digital Agriculture Mission and natural farming mission.
- Food-security role: record foodgrain output, lower import dependence, better diets through pulses, oilseeds, horticulture and millets; price stability.
- Gaps: continuing edible oil and pulse imports, lagging rain-fed areas, weak seed replacement and market links, strain on water and soil.
Close with · Missions succeed when technology meets assured markets; the next phase must target climate-resilient, rain-fed and nutrition-rich crops.
Add value (verified)
- 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.”
Question: UPSC's CS (Main) 2026, GS Paper III — paper ↗. Approach: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify) — UPSC publishes no model answers. ·
Model answer · 221 words (UPSC limit 150) · Minimalist IAS
A technology mission bundles research, quality seed, inputs, extension and market support into a time-bound push on one crop or sector; the Technology Mission on Oilseeds (1986) set the template.
The missions
- Technology Mission on Oilseeds (1986), later extended to pulses, oil palm and maize: drove the Yellow Revolution and near self-sufficiency in edible oils by the 1990s.
- Technology Mission on Cotton (2000): better varieties, integrated pest management and modernised ginning raised yields and fibre quality.
- Technology Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture in the North East (2001-02), later folded into MIDH: fruits, vegetables and spices for nutrition and income.
- National Food Security Mission (2007): area expansion and productivity gains in rice, wheat, pulses and coarse cereals.
- New generation: NMEO-Oil Palm (2021), NMEO-Oilseeds (2024, ₹10,103 crore over 2024-25 to 2030-31), a pulses self-reliance mission, the Digital Agriculture Mission and a natural farming mission.
Role in food security
- Availability: record foodgrain output and lower import dependence in mission crops; NFSM underpins the grain security on which the PDS rests.
- Nutrition and stability: pulses, oilseeds, horticulture and millets diversify diets and steady prices.
- Gaps: edible oil and pulse imports continue; rain-fed regions lag; seed replacement and market links stay weak; intensive cropping strains water and soil.
Missions deliver when technology meets assured markets; the next phase must target climate-resilient, rain-fed and nutrition-rich crops.
Written by Minimalist IAS from facts checked at source (how we verify) — a little fuller than exam length, so every part of the question is covered; in the hall, keep the structure and trim the detail. UPSC publishes no model answers: compare your structure and coverage with this, then write your own.