UPSC Prelims 2018 · Question 3 of 99

UPSC Prelims 2018 question on Agricultural Household Situation Survey

As per the NSSO 70th Round 'Situation Assessment Survey of Agricultural Households', consider the following statements:

1. Rajasthan has the highest percentage share of agricultural households among its rural households.

2. Out of the total agricultural households in the country, a little over 60 percent belong to OBCs.

3. In Kerala, a little over 60 percent of agricultural households reported to have received maximum income from source other than agricultural activities.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. 2 and 3 only
  2. 2 only
  3. 1 and 3 only
  4. 1, 2 and 3
Show answer

Answer: C. 1 and 3 only

Verdict

Statements 1 and 3 are correct, so the answer is (c) 1 and 3 only.

Statement by statement

Statement 1 is CORRECT. Rajasthan had the highest share of agricultural households among its rural households at 78.4 percent, followed by Uttar Pradesh at 74.8 percent.

Statement 2 is INCORRECT. About 45 percent of agricultural households belonged to Other Backward Classes, not a little over 60 percent.

Statement 3 is CORRECT. Agriculture was the principal income source in every major State except Kerala, where about 61 percent of agricultural households earned most income from non agricultural sources.

Source

Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, NSSO 70th Round Key Indicators of the Situation of Agricultural Households in India.

How to crack it

You will not have memorised the OBC share, so work from the two statements you can reason about. Rajasthan being heavily agrarian is plausible, and Kerala's remittance and services heavy rural economy makes statement 3 almost self evident. That fixes the answer without ever adjudicating statement 2. When a survey question mixes one obscure percentage with two structurally reasonable claims, solve the reasonable ones first.

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