Question

Match the following schemes/policies with their objectives:

Agricultural Credit Scheme	To provide insurance cover to farmers against losses due to natural calamities
Food Corporation of India (FCI)	To ensure the availability of credit to farmers for agricultural inputs
National Mission on Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA)	To enhance irrigation facilities for agriculture and promote efficient water use
Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY)	To procure, store and distribute food grains to maintain food security

• A. A-3, B-1, C-2, D-4
• B. A-3, B-4, C-1, D-2
• C. A-2, B-4, C-1, D-3
• D. A-2, B-4, C-3, D-1

Answer 1

Answer:

D. A-2, B-4, C-3, D-1

answer given is as per provisional answer key KAS paper 2

Agricultural Credit Scheme

• This scheme aims to ensure timely and adequate availability of credit to farmers for various agricultural inputs and activities.

• It facilitates access to financial resources for purchasing seeds, fertilizers, pesticides, farm machinery, and for undertaking other farming operations.

• Key Fact: Agricultural credit in India is disbursed through a multi-agency network, including Commercial Banks, Regional Rural Banks (RRBs), and Cooperative Banks.

• Key Fact: The Kisan Credit Card (KCC) scheme, launched in 1998, is a significant initiative under agricultural credit, providing a flexible and simplified procedure for credit delivery to farmers.

• Key Fact: The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) serves as the apex development bank, providing refinancing support to financial institutions involved in agricultural credit.

Food Corporation of India (FCI)

• The primary objective of FCI is to procure, store, and distribute food grains across the country to maintain national food security and stabilize prices.

• It ensures the availability of food grains at affordable prices, particularly to vulnerable sections of society, through the Public Distribution System (PDS).

• Key Fact: FCI was established in 1965 under the Food Corporations Act, 1964.

• Key Fact: It is the main central agency responsible for the procurement of wheat and paddy at Minimum Support Price (MSP) declared by the Government of India, protecting farmers from distress sales.

• Key Fact: FCI is crucial for maintaining the nation's buffer stock of food grains, which is vital for managing food supplies during emergencies and market fluctuations.

National Mission on Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA)

• NMSA is one of the eight missions under the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC).

• Its core objective is to make Indian agriculture more productive, sustainable, remunerative, and climate-resilient through promotion of location-specific integrated farming systems.

• The mission emphasizes sustainable agricultural practices such as efficient resource management, including soil health, water use, and integrated nutrient management.

• Key Fact: While NMSA broadly promotes efficient water management as an integral part of sustainable agriculture, the specific objective "to enhance irrigation facilities for agriculture and promote efficient water use" is most directly and extensively addressed by the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY).

• Key Fact: Key components of NMSA include Rainfed Area Development (RAD), Soil Health Management (SHM), Climate Change and Sustainable Agriculture: Monitoring, Modelling and Networking (CCSAMMN), and promotion of organic farming.

Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY)

• PMKSY was launched in 2015 with the motto 'Har Khet Ko Pani' (Water to Every Field) and 'Per Drop More Crop'.

• Its primary objective is to expand cultivated area under assured irrigation, improve on-farm water use efficiency, and promote micro-irrigation technologies.

• The scheme aims to ensure access to irrigation for every farm and enhance water productivity in agriculture.

• Key Fact: PMKSY integrates various ongoing irrigation programmes of multiple ministries, including Water Resources, Agriculture, and Rural Development, for a holistic approach to water management in agriculture.

• Key Fact: While PMKSY's core focus is on enhancing irrigation infrastructure and water security, which can indirectly contribute to reducing crop vulnerability, the direct objective "to provide insurance cover to farmers against losses due to natural calamities" is specifically addressed by the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY).