Question

Which of the following statements are true about the Indian Agriculture ?
(A) India is not sufficient in edible vegetable oil production.
(B) Horticulture production was about 331 million tonnes during 2020-21.
(C) PM-KISAN scheme provide Rs. 2,000 year farmer
(D) Per drop more crop scheme was launched in 2019-20
(E) Soil Health Card Scheme was launched in 2014-15
Choose the correct answer from the options given below :

• A. (A), (C) and (D) only
• B. (B), (C) and (E) only
• C. (A), (B) and (E) only
• D. (C), (D) and (E) only

Hint:

To avoid confusion with scheme details:
- PM-KISAN provides Rs. 6,000 per year (not Rs. 2,000 per year, though each installment is Rs. 2,000).
- PMKSY (including Per Drop More Crop) was launched in 2015 to expand micro-irrigation.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is C

Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
Evaluating statements regarding national agricultural statistics, flagship government schemes, and crop production levels requires a comprehensive understanding of India's agricultural policy and macro-level data.

Step 2: Detailed Explanation:
Let us analyze each statement individually to determine its validity:
- Statement (A): India is highly dependent on imports to meet its domestic demand for edible vegetable oils.
The country imports nearly 60% to 65% of its total edible oil requirements, making this statement true.
- Statement (B): According to the third advance estimates released by the Ministry of Agriculture, India's total horticulture production reached a record high of 331.05 million tonnes during the year 2020-21, making this statement true.
- Statement (C): The Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) scheme provides an income support of Rs. 6,000 per year to all landholding farmer families across the country, paid in three equal installments of Rs. 2,000 every four months.
Since the total annual support is Rs. 6,000 and not Rs. 2,000, this statement is false.
- Statement (D): The "Per Drop More Crop" scheme, which focuses on improving water-use efficiency through micro-irrigation technologies (drip and sprinkler systems), was launched as a component of the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY) in 2015-16, not 2019-20.
Thus, this statement is false.
- Statement (E): The Soil Health Card Scheme was formally launched by the Government of India on February 19, 2015, which falls under the financial year 2014-15.
Thus, this statement is true.
Therefore, statements (A), (B), and (E) are the correct and true statements about Indian agriculture.

Step 3: Final Answer:
The true statements are (A), (B), and (E) only, corresponding to Option C.