DAY – 25 : Insta 75 Days Revision Plan-2026 : AGRICULTURE

Answer:   (b)

Explanation:

• Statement 1 is incorrect: The Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP) does not announce the MSP. It is an expert body that sends a detailed report containing recommendations for the MSP of mandated crops. The announcement is made by the Union Government after the final decision is reached.
• Statement 2 is correct: The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), which is chaired by the Prime Minister, is the ultimate decision-making body. It considers the CACP’s recommendations along with the views of State Governments and relevant Central Ministries before fixing the MSP levels.

Answer:  (b)

Explanation:

• Statement 1 is incorrect: In fact, it is the exact opposite. CPI (Consumer Price Index) includes services (like education, healthcare, and transport), which make up a significant portion of a consumer’s basket. WPI (Wholesale Price Index) does not include services; it only tracks the prices of physical goods (commodities).
• Statement 2 is correct: Following the recommendations of the Urjit Patel Committee, the RBI shifted its primary inflation anchor from WPI to CPI (Combined) in 2014. This is because CPI better reflects the cost of living and the impact of inflation on the end consumer.
• Statement 3 is incorrect: CPI has a much higher weightage for Food and Beverages (approx. 86%) compared to WPI, where Food Articles (within Primary Articles) and Food Products (within Manufactured Products) combined carry a weightage of only about 24.3%.

Answer:  (c)

Explanation:

Answer:  (b)

Explanation:

• Statement 1 is correct: India’s National Seed Vault is indeed located at Chang La, Ladakh, near the India-China border. It is situated at an altitude of approximately 17,300 feet, making it one of the highest seed vaults in the world. The location was chosen for its natural permafrost and sub-zero temperatures, which provide a natural refrigerator for seed storage.
• Statement 2 is incorrect: The vault is not managed by the Ministry of Science and Technology or CSIR. It is a joint initiative managed by the Defense Institute of High Altitude Research (DIHAR)—which is under the DRDO (Ministry of Defence)—and the National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources (NBPGR), which functions under the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) (Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare).
• Statement 3 is correct: Similar to the Global Seed Vault in Svalbard, Norway, the Chang La facility serves as a Doomsday Vault. It acts as a safety backup to preserve the genetic diversity of Indian crops against climate change, pests, nuclear war, or natural

Answer:   (d)

Explanation:

• Statement 1 is correct: The Food Corporation of India (FCI) was set up in 1965 under the Food Corporations Act, 1964. This was done against the backdrop of a major food shortage in India, following the recommendations of the K. Jha Committee (the inter-ministerial committee on Foodgrain Prices).
• Statement 2 is incorrect: While the FCI works closely with farmers, it does not function under the Ministry of Agriculture. It falls under the administrative control of the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution.
• Statement 3 is correct: The mandate of the FCI is threefold:

• • Effective price support operations for safeguarding the interests of the farmers (Procurement at MSP).
  • Distribution of foodgrains throughout the country for the Public Distribution System (PDS).
  • Maintaining satisfactory level of operational and buffer stocks of foodgrains to ensure National Food Security.

Answer:   (d)

Explanation:

• Statement 1 is correct: The Kisan Credit Card (KCC) scheme was launched in August 1998. It was formulated by NABARD based on the recommendations of the R.V. Gupta Committee to address the challenges farmers faced in accessing timely and affordable credit.
• Statement 2 is correct: The primary goal of KCC is to provide a single-window credit facility. It covers:
• Short-term credit for cultivation of crops.
• Post-harvest expenses.
• Produce marketing loan.
• Consumption requirements of the farmer household.
• Working capital for maintenance of farm assets and activities allied to agriculture.
• Statement 3 is correct: The scheme has a very wide institutional reach. It is implemented by:
  • Commercial Banks (Public and Private sector)
  • Regional Rural Banks (RRBs)
  • Small Finance Banks
  • Cooperative Banks

Answer:   (a)

Explanation:

The CACP uses three distinct definitions of cost to determine the Minimum Support Price:

1. A2 (Paid-out Costs): This includes all actual expenses incurred by the farmer in cash and kind.
   • Cost of seeds, fertilizers, and pesticides.
   • Hired human, bullock, and machine labor.
   • Fuel and irrigation charges.
   • This matches Point 1.
2. A2+FL (Actual Costs + Family Labour): This is the current base used by the Government. It includes the A2 costs plus an imputed (estimated) value of unpaid family labor.
   • This matches Point 2.
3. C2 (Comprehensive Cost): This is a more expansive definition recommended by the Swaminathan Commission. It includes A2+FL plus:
   • Rental value of owned land (the rent the farmer could have earned by leasing the land). (Point 3)
   • Interest on fixed capital assets (the interest on the money invested in tractors, pumps, etc.). (Point 4)

Answer:  (a)

Explanation:

• Statement 1 is correct: The Department of Fertilizers, which functions under the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers, is the nodal agency for implementing the subsidy policy.
• Statement 2 is correct: Under the Nutrient Based Subsidy (NBS) scheme (introduced in 2010), the government announces a fixed amount of subsidy (in ₹ per kg) for each of the four primary nutrients: Nitrogen (N), Phosphate (P), Potash (K), and Sulphur (S). This allows manufacturers to decide the final retail price, which is decontrolled (market-driven), though the government monitors it to prevent price gouging.
• Statement 3 is incorrect: Urea is strictly excluded from the NBS scheme.

• • Urea is under a Statutory Price Control regime.
  • The government fixes the Maximum Retail Price (MRP) of Urea (currently around ₹242 per 45 kg bag), and the difference between the cost of production and this MRP is paid as a subsidy to the manufacturers.

Answer:   (d)

Explanation:

• (a) Correct: The Mercator is a cylindrical projection. If you imagine a cylinder wrapped around the Earth touching the Equator, the meridians (longitude) and parallels (latitude) are projected as straight, vertical, and horizontal lines that meet at 90 degree angles.
• (b) Correct: Because the cylinder only touches the Earth at the Equator, the scale is 1:1 only along that line. As you move toward the poles, the map must be stretched both horizontally and vertically to maintain its shape, leading to massive distortion.
• (c) Correct: This is the primary reason Gerardus Mercator created it in 1569. A Rhumb Line (or loxodrome) is a path with a constant compass bearing. On a Mercator map, this is a straight line, allowing sailors to navigate easily without constantly recalculating their heading.
• (d) Incorrect: This statement describes an Equal-Area Projection (like the Gall-Peters projection). The Mercator projection is Conformal, meaning it preserves angles/shapes but significantly distorts the size of landmasses.

Answer:  (c)

Explanation:

1. Right to vote (NOT AVAILABLE): Under the Representation of the People Act, 1950, only a citizen of India whose name is entered in the electoral roll is entitled to vote. Since an OCI is a foreign national, they cannot vote in any elections (Panchayat, State, or General).
2. Right to hold public office (NOT AVAILABLE): Articles 58, 66, and 124 of the Constitution (among others) mandate that the President, Vice-President, and Judges of the Supreme Court/High Courts must be citizens of India. OCI holders are barred from these and all other public services or posts.
3. Right to inter-country adoption (AVAILABLE): This is a key benefit. OCI cardholders are treated on par with Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) in the matter of inter-country adoption of Indian children, as per the guidelines issued by the Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA).
4. Right to purchase agricultural land (NOT AVAILABLE): Under the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) and subsequent RBI regulations, OCI holders can purchase residential and commercial property, but they are strictly prohibited from purchasing agricultural land, plantation property, or farmhouses in India (unless inherited).

Correct Answer: (c) 01:00 PM

Solution:

Step 1: Find LCM of 15, 20, 30

• 15 = 3 × 5
• 20 = 2² × 5
• 30 = 2 × 3 × 5

LCM = 2² × 3 × 5 = 60 minutes

Step 2: Bells ring together every 60 minutes

Step 3: Count occurrences after 10:00 AM

• 1st time → 11:00 AM
• 2nd time → 12:00 PM
• 3rd time → 01:00 PM

Correct Answer: (a)

Solution:

Step 1: Find LCM of 12, 15, 18

• 12 = 2² × 3
• 15 = 3 × 5
• 18 = 2 × 3²

LCM = 2² × 3² × 5 = 180

Step 2: Required number = (multiple of 180) + 7

Step 3: Smallest 5-digit number = 10,000

Step 4: Find nearest multiple of 180 ≥ 10,000
10,000 ÷ 180 → remainder = 100
So add 80 → 10,080 (divisible by 180)

Step 5: Add remainder 7
Required number = 10,080 + 7 = 10,087

Correct Answer: (b) 15L

Step 1: Find HCF of 75, 45, 105

• 75 = 3 × 5²
• 45 = 3² × 5
• 105 = 3 × 5 × 7

Step 2: Common factors

• 3 and 5

HCF = 3 × 5 = 15

Step 3: This is the largest measure that divides all exactly

Correct Answer: (d) 60

Solution:

Key rule:
LCM must always be divisible by HCF

Step 1: Check options

• 24 ÷ 8 = 3
• 48 ÷ 8 = 6
• 56 ÷ 8 = 7
• 60 ÷ 8 = not divisible

Step 2: Only 60 fails condition

Answer: (b)

Explanation:

The passage emphasizes that access to technology alone does not guarantee meaningful digital inclusion. It highlights that the real challenge lies in the ability to understand, evaluate, and effectively use information. The reference to algorithmic echo chambers and misinformation suggests that users without proper digital literacy may become passive consumers rather than empowered participants. Thus, the central argument is that cognitive skills and digital literacy are more crucial than mere access to devices or the internet. Option (b) best captures this idea by identifying digital literacy as the primary barrier to empowerment, aligning directly with the passage’s core message.