Day-257 | Daily MCQs | UPSC Prelims | CURRENT DEVELOPMENTS

Answer: C
Explanation:
Statement 1 is correct: The Soil Health Card (SHC) is a Government of India’s scheme promoted by the Department of Agriculture & Cooperation under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare. It is being implemented through the Department of Agriculture of all the State and Union Territory Governments.
Statement 2 is correct: The SHC provides information to farmers on the nutrient status of their soil, along with recommendations on the appropriate dosage of fertilizers to be applied for improving soil health and its fertility. The soil health card is a printed report containing information on soil health through 12 parameters, including soil information on macro and micronutrients, pH levels and organic content.

Answer: B
Explanation:
Statement 1 is not correct: The Mega Food Park Scheme is being implemented by the Ministry of Food Processing Industries. It is based on the ‘Cluster’ approach and envisages the creation of state-of-the-art support infrastructure in a well-defined Agri/horticultural zone for the setting up of modern food processing units in the industrial plots provided in the park with the well-established supply chain. Mega food parks typically consist of supply chain infrastructure including collection centres, primary processing centres, central processing centres, cold chains and around 25-30 fully developed plots for entrepreneurs to set up food processing units.
Statement 2 is correct: The Scheme aims at providing a mechanism to link agricultural production to the market by bringing together farmers, processors and retailers to ensure maximizing value addition, minimizing wastage, increasing farmers income and creating employment opportunities, particularly in the rural sector.

Answer: D
Explanation:
Option (d) is correct: In 2018, the Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi approved a new Umbrella Scheme ‘Pradhan Mantri AnnadataAaySanraksHan Abhiyan’ (PM-AASHA). It is an umbrella scheme to ensure Minimum Support Price (MSP) to farmers. The three components outlined under the scheme are thus aimed towards enhancing agricultural productivity, reducing the cost of cultivation, which will enable boosting and securing farmer’s income in the long run.
• Price Support Scheme (PSS)
• Price Deficiency Payment Scheme (PDPS)
• Pilot of Private Procurement & Stockist Scheme (PPPS)

Answer: A
Explanation:
Statement 1 is correct: Recently, the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Rural Livelihoods Mission Overdraft facility for women Self Help Groups (SHGs) members was launched.
Statement 2 is correct: The Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM), a flagship programme of the Ministry of Rural Development, aims at eliminating rural poverty through mobilizing poor women into community institutions like Self Help Groups (SHGs) and strengthening their livelihood base by accessing necessary credit from banks.

Answer: B
Explanation:
Statement 1 is not correct: Industry leaders from across 30 major sectors participated in job fairs organized across the length and breadth of the country over a period of seven days between 17th – 23rd December 2021, as part of the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav Campaign. These job fairs, organized under the DeenDayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY) programme by the Ministry of Rural Development, were facilitated by various State Rural Livelihood Missions (SRLM) and Project Implementation Agencies (PIA).
Statement 2 is correct: DeenDayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY) was started with an ambitious agenda to benchmark wage placement-linked programs to global standards. The Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) revamped the placement linked skill development program under National Rural Livelihood Mission as DeenDayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY) on 25th September 2014. DDU-GKY is a nationwide placement-linked skill training program funded by the Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD), Government of India (GoI).