Question 62 from UPSC CSE 2016 - Current
Affairs

Question

With reference to 'Initiative for Nutritional Security through Intensive Millets Promotion', consider the following statements:
1. This initiative aims to demonstrate the improved production and post-harvest technologies, and to demonstrate value addition techniques, in an integrated manner, with a cluster approach.
2. Poor, small, marginal, and tribal farmers have a larger stake in this scheme.
3. An important objective of the scheme is to encourage farmers of commercial crops to shift to millet cultivation by offering them free kits of critical inputs of nutrients and micro-irrigation equipment.
Which of the above statements is/are correct?

IASCODEX · Accepted Answer

Correct Option: C. 1 and 2 only

Strategy: - Evaluate Statement 1 against typical objectives of agricultural development schemes, such as integrated, cluster-based approaches for production and value addition.
- Assess Statement 2 by considering the socio-economic context of millet cultivation, focusing on the reliance of poor, small, marginal, and tribal farmers on these crops.
- Critically analyze Statement 3, which claims an objective to shift commercial crop farmers to millets using free kits. Recognize this as an unlikely and overly specific objective for a nutritional security scheme.
- Conclude that Statements 1 and 2 are correct, while Statement 3 is incorrect, identifying option C as the answer.

Key Info: The 'Initiative for Nutritional Security through Intensive Millets Promotion' (INSIMP) was launched as a sub-scheme under the National Food Security Mission (NFSM) in 2011-12. Its primary goal is to enhance the production and productivity of millets (nutri-cereals) in India.

**Objectives and Approach:**
The initiative aims to demonstrate improved production and post-harvest technologies in an integrated manner. It also focuses on demonstrating value addition techniques (e.g., processing, packaging) to enhance marketability. The implementation adopts a cluster approach, concentrating efforts in specific regions suitable for millet cultivation. This includes improved agronomic practices, crop diversification, and provision of quality seeds.

**Beneficiaries and Rationale:**
Millets are predominantly cultivated in rain-fed, drought-prone, and tribal areas, often by small, marginal, and tribal farmers who rely on these hardy crops for food and livelihood security. These farmers often lack access to irrigation and costly inputs, making millets a resilient and viable option. Therefore, these socio-economic groups have a larger stake in schemes promoting millets, as it directly addresses their nutritional and economic security.

**Scope:**
The scheme's focus is on improving millet cultivation and utilization, not on encouraging farmers of commercial crops (e.g., sugarcane, cotton, wheat, rice) to shift to millet cultivation through specific incentives like 'free kits of critical inputs.' Such a broad objective would imply a significant alteration of established cropping patterns, which is not the primary intent of this nutritional security focused initiative. While promoting millets is important, the scheme targets existing millet-growing regions and farmers, or expansion into suitable marginal lands.

IASCODEX · Answer

Option A: 1 only

IASCODEX · Answer

Option B: 2 and 3 only

IASCODEX · Answer

Option D: 1, 2, and 3