[MISSION 2023] RTM(Revision through MCQs)- 25 Apr 2023

Ans: (d)

Explanation:

• The Government established the Small Farmers’ Agri-Business Consortium (SFAC) as a Society in January 1994 to facilitate agri-business ventures by catalysing private investment through Venture Capital Assistance (VCA) Scheme in close association with financial institutions.
• SFAC is an Autonomous Society promoted by Department of Agriculture, Cooperation and Farmers Welfare, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Govt. of India”
• It is registered under Societies Registration Act 1860. The role of State SFACs is to aggressively promote agribusiness project development in their respective States.
• The main functions of SFAC are:
  • Promotion of development of small agribusiness through VCA scheme.
  • Helping formation and growth of Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) / Farmer Producer Companies (FPCs).
  • Improving availability of working capital and development of business activities of FPOs/FPCs through Equity Grant and Credit Guarantee Fund Scheme.
  • Implementation of National Agriculture Market (e-NAM) Electronic Trading platform.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2023/04/25/farmer-producer-companies-fpc/

Ans: (a)

Explanation:

• One of the reasons for agrarian distress is the declining average size of farm holdings. The average farm size declined from 2.3 hectares (ha) in 1970-71 to 1.08 ha in 2015-16. The share of small and marginal farmers increased from 70 per cent in 1980-81 to 86 per cent in 2015-16.
• In the last decade, the Centre has encouraged farmer producer organisations (FPOs) to help farmers. Since 2011, it has intensively promoted FPOs under the Small Farmers’ Agri-Business Consortium (SFAC), NABARD, state governments and NGOs.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2023/04/25/farmer-producer-companies-fpc/

Ans: (d)

Explanation:

• APEDA has developed its own Virtual Trade Fair (VTF) application to facilitate interaction among exporters, producer organizations and international buyers.
• In March 2021, APEDA organized its first Virtual Trade Fair – India Rice and Agro Commodity Show, which saw the participation of millet exporters also. A series of Virtual Buyer-Seller Meets (BSM) with Embassies, importers, exporters and product associations from India have been organized.
• To give impetus to the export of potential products as well as to remove the bottlenecks in the supply chain of nutria-cereals, APEDA has created Nutri Cereals Export Promotion Forum which also included millets exports. It has also organized a sensitization programme for millet start-ups to familiarize them about export opportunities.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2023/04/25/farmer-producer-companies-fpc/

Ans: (b)

Explanation:

• It may be noted that urea forms around 80 per cent of the total nitrogenous fertilisers consumed in India and it has recorded exponential increase in consumption over the years.
• Around 30-50 percent of nitrogen from urea is utilised by plants and the rest gets wasted due to quick chemical transformation as a result of leaching, volatilization and run off, thereby low use efficiency.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2023/04/25/reducing-urea-consumption-in-india/

Ans: (b)

Explanation:

• Plants can absorb nitrogen in the form of nitrite (NO2−), nitrate (NO3−) and ammonium (NH4+) ions.
• statements 2: https://www.deccanherald.com/content/670253/why-neem-coated-urea-safer.html

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2023/04/25/reducing-urea-consumption-in-india/

Ans: (a)

Explanation:

• A “carbon credit” (also known as a “carbon offset”) is an electronic and serialized unit that represents one ton of CO2 equivalent that is reduced, avoided, or sequestered from projects applying an approved carbon credit methodology.
• Decarbonization means the reduction of carbon. More specifically, the term refers to the conversion of the economic system or individual carbon emitting entity converting to reduce the carbon intensity of its (direct or value chain) emissions over time.

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2023/04/25/farming-carbon-credit-market/

Ans: (d)

Explanation:

Refer: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2023/04/25/pushkaralu-festival/

Ans: (b)

Explanation:

• S1: Aurang was a Persian term for a warehouse – a place where goods are collected before being sold. The term also refers to a workshop.
• S2: The term banian is the Anglicised form of the Sanskrit and Bangla word banik (merchant). In Anglo-Indian society and among the natives too a banian was one who was engaged by an individual western merchant or a firm to work for them as a broker, interpreter and agent.
• S3: Under the ryotwari settlement system, the government recognized mirasidars as the sole proprietors of land, dismissing tenants’ rights completely.

Refer: UPSC CSE 2020

Ans: (b)

Explanation:

• S1: They were Theravadins.
• S2: The Mahāsāṃghikas school was first located in the area of Vaiśālī and spread also to southern India, with centers at Amarāvatī and Nāgārjunakoṇḍa. Its texts were written in Prākrit. It further divided into several subsects, of which the best known was the Lokottaravāda (so called because of its views on Lokottara).
• The Lokottaravāda was one of the early Buddhist schools according to Mahayana doxological sources compiled by Bhāviveka, Vinitadeva and others
• S3: The Mahāsaṅghikas believed in a plurality of buddhas who are supramundane (lokottara) and held that what passed for Gautama Buddha in his earthly existence was only an apparition.

Refer: UPSC CSE 2020

Ans: (c )

Explanation:

• S1: This was about mid 8-9th CE.
• S2: Mahendravarman I reigned in early 7th CE as a Pallava king over the present day Andhra region and Northern regions of what forms present-day Tamil Nadu.
• S3: Parantaka I reigned 907– c. 953.
• S4: Gopala ruled c. 750s–770s CE.

Refer: UPSC CSE 2020