UPSC Prelims 2018 · Question 100 of 99
UPSC Prelims 2018 question on National Programme Organic Production
- ExamUPSC CSE
- Year2018
- PaperGeneral Studies Paper I
- SubjectIndian Economy
- TopicAgriculture Economy
- DifficultyHard
- TypeStatement
With reference to organic farming in India, consider the following statements:
1. The National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP) is operated under the guidelines and directions of the Union Ministry of Rural Development.
2. The 'Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority' (APEDA) functions as the Secretariat for the implementation of NPOP.
3. Sikkim has become India's first fully organic State.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Show answer
Answer: B. 2 and 3 only
Verdict
Statements 2 and 3 are correct, so the answer is (b) 2 and 3 only.
Statement by statement
Statement 1 is INCORRECT. The National Programme for Organic Production has been implemented by the Ministry of Commerce since 2001, not by the Ministry of Rural Development. The commerce link reflects the programme's origin in export certification.
Statement 2 is CORRECT. The Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority functions as the Secretariat for the implementation of the NPOP.
Statement 3 is CORRECT. Sikkim became India's first fully organic State in 2016, by implementing organic practices on around 75,000 hectares of agricultural land.
Source
PIB release on the National Programme for Organic Production; APEDA organic certification documents.
How to crack it
Statement 2 is itself the clue to statement 1. APEDA is an export promotion body under the Ministry of Commerce, so a programme for which APEDA is the secretariat must sit with Commerce rather than Rural Development. Reading the statements as mutually informative, rather than as isolated claims, converts a fact you may not know into one you can deduce. Where a scheme is tied to certification for export, look for Commerce as the nodal ministry.