Question

During the first phase of the Green Revolution in India (spanning the mid-1960s to mid-1970s), the introduction of High Yielding Variety (HYV) seeds was largely concentrated in which specific regions?

• A. \( \text{Punjab, Haryana, and western Uttar Pradesh} \)
• B. \( \text{The arid regions of Rajasthan and Gujarat} \)
• C. \( \text{The eastern states of Bihar, Odisha, and West Bengal} \)
• D. \( \text{The rain-dependent semi-arid areas of the Deccan Plateau} \)

Hint:

The Green Revolution was split into two separate phases: Phase 1 (mid-60s to mid-70s) was highly concentrated in affluent wheat-growing northern states, while Phase 2 (mid-70s to mid-80s) expanded to a broader range of states and crop varieties like rice.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A

Concept: The introduction of High Yielding Variety (HYV) seed packages required strict agricultural preconditions—including reliable, controlled irrigation networks and heavy chemical fertilizer inputs—to successfully increase crop yields.

Step 1: Identify regional infrastructure advantages during Phase 1. When the program launched in the mid-1960s, the union government chose to concentrate its limited supplies of HYV wheat seeds and financial subsidies in regions that already had reliable, well-developed irrigation canals and groundwater pumping infrastructure.

Step 2: Map the specific target states. This requirement led to the program being concentrated in Punjab, Haryana, and western Uttar Pradesh. These regions experienced a dramatic surge in agricultural output (the wheat revolution), while rain-dependent or less developed agricultural areas across eastern and southern India saw little initial impact until subsequent expansion phases in the late 1970s.