Agriculture economy, MSP & food security

Answer: (a) 1 only

Automotive tyres and tubes are among the products that must carry the BIS Standard (ISI) Mark because they affect safety. AGMARK is an Indian mark, given by the Directorate of Marketing and Inspection of the Ministry of Agriculture under a 1937 Act, not by the FAO.

• ✓ 1. For products that affect health and safety, BIS certification is compulsory; automotive tyres and tubes are under compulsory certification, so they must bear the ISI mark.
• ✗ 2. AGMARK grading is run by India's Directorate of Marketing and Inspection under the Agricultural Produce (Grading and Marking) Act, 1937. The FAO is a UN agency and issues no such mark.

Remember · ISI mark = BIS (compulsory for safety items like automotive tyres, LPG cylinders, cement). AGMARK = Directorate of Marketing and Inspection, Agricultural Produce (Grading and Marking) Act, 1937.

📘 Read it in NCERT: Class 7 Exploring Society: India and Beyond (Part 1), Ch 12 (practise this chapter) · Class 10 Understanding Economic Development, Ch 5 (practise this chapter)

Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2017, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). Permalink · Report an error

Answer: (c) Both 1 and 2

The e-National Agriculture Market (e-NAM), launched in 2016, is a pan-India online portal that links regulated mandis. Because buyers across the country can bid on assayed produce, a farmer reaches a nationwide market and better quality can fetch a better price. Both statements are correct.

• ✓ 1. The Union Government launched e-NAM in 2016 as a pan-India online portal connecting mandis and regulated market yards.
• ✓ 2. Linking mandis on one electronic platform lets traders from other markets bid, with quality testing of produce, so farmers get wider access and prices that reflect quality.

Remember · e-NAM (2016): pan-India electronic trading portal networking APMC mandis into a unified national market for farm produce.

📘 Read it in NCERT: Class 11 Indian Economic Development, Ch 5 (practise this chapter)

Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2017, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). Permalink · Report an error

Answer: (b) 3 only

The Soil Health Card Scheme aims at soil-test-based fertiliser use: each farmer gets a card showing the nutrient status of the soil and the dosages to apply, which discourages overuse. It is not an irrigation scheme and it is not a tool for bank lending.

• ✗ 1. Expanding the area under assured irrigation is the aim of a different scheme, the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (launched 2015-16). A soil health card only reports what nutrients the soil has.
• ✗ 2. The card gives nutrient recommendations to the farmer. None of the scheme's stated objectives concerns banks assessing loan amounts from soil quality.
• ✓ 3. The card lets a farmer apply only the recommended dosage of nutrients, and the scheme was designed to correct deficiencies and wasteful fertiliser practices, so it checks overuse.

Remember · Soil Health Card (launched 2015): a soil-test report for each farmer, with crop-wise nutrient advice. It is meant to promote balanced fertiliser use, not irrigation or credit.

Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2017, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). Permalink · Report an error