Comprehension : Comprehension

Q 27 / 466

UPSC CSE Prelims 2025

Directions: Read the following passage and answer the item that follow the passage. Your answer should be based on the passage only.

Passage - One of the dismal realities of the agricultural sector in independent India has been that it never experienced a high-growth phase, unlike the non-agricultural economy. The highest decadal growth (compound annual growth rate or CAGR) for agriculture has been just 3.5% in the 1980s. Also, after experiencing a spurt in decadal growth during the 1980s, agricultural growth suffered relative stagnation thereafter. This is in sharp contrast to non-agricultural growth, which consistently increased from the 1980s to 2000s.

With reference to the passage, the following assumptions have been made: The growing divergence between the fortunes of the agricultural and non-agricultural economy in India could have been reduced/contained by:

  1. adapting large-scale cultivation of commercial crops and viable corporate farming.
  2. providing free insurance for all crops and heavily subsidizing seeds, fertilizers, electricity and farm machinery at par with developed countries.

Which of the above assumptions is/are valid?

EXPLANATION

Correct Option (4)

The passage provides a descriptive analysis of the historical growth trends in India's agricultural and non-agricultural sectors, highlighting the relative stagnation of agriculture and its divergence from the non-agricultural economy. It focuses on presenting observed realities and growth rates. The passage does not discuss potential solutions, policy interventions, or make any assumptions regarding measures that could reduce or contain this divergence. Therefore, both statements I and II introduce external policy recommendations that are not grounded in the information or assumptions presented within the passage.

Incorrect Options:

  • Statement I proposes adapting large-scale cultivation of commercial crops and viable corporate farming. The passage does not mention or imply any specific farming models, crop types, or strategies for agricultural growth. These are policy suggestions outside the scope of the passage's descriptive content.
  • Statement II suggests providing free insurance for all crops and heavily subsidizing inputs like seeds, fertilizers, electricity, and farm machinery. The passage does not address agricultural subsidies, insurance schemes, or comparisons with developed countries' agricultural support systems. These are specific policy recommendations not discussed or assumed within the given text.
  • Since neither statement I nor statement II is an assumption made or supported by the passage, options 1, 2, and 3 are incorrect. The passage is purely descriptive and does not offer prescriptive solutions or underlying assumptions about how to address the agricultural sector's challenges.