UPSC – CSE Prelims 2024
MEDIUM
ECONOMY – AGRICULTURE
1. Which one of the following is the correct description of “100 Million Farmers”?
- It is a platform for accelerating the transition towards food and water systems that are net-zero (carbon), nature-positive and that aims to increase farmer resilience.
- It is an international alliance and a network of individuals and farming organisations interested in supporting and strengthening the development of the organic animal husbandry.
- It is a digital platform fully integrated with service providers and built on blockchain that lets buyers, sellers and third parties trade fertilizers quickly and securely.
- It is a platform with the mission of encouraging the farmers to form Farmer Product Organisations or Agribusiness Consortiums, thus facilitating the access to global open markets to sell their products.
Ans. (a)
100 Million Farmers
- It is an initiative of World Economic Forum (WEF).
- It supports a global agenda for the adoption of regenerative agriculture and climate adaptation practices at the farm level.
- It is a platform supporting private and public leaders to position food and farmers as central pillars on the global climate and nature agenda, and accelerate collective action to scale climate-and nature-friendly agricultural practices.
UPSC – CSE Prelims 2023
ECONOMY – AGRICULTURE
1. Consider the following statements:
- India has more arable area than China.
- The proportion of irrigated area is more in India as compared to China.
- The average productivity per hectare in Indian agriculture is higher than that in China.
How many of the above statements are correct?
(a) Only one
(b) Only two
(c) All three
(d) None
Ans: B
Statement 1 is Correct
Statement 2 is correct: Irrigated area accounts for nearly 48.8 per cent of the 140 million hectare (mha) of agricultural land in India. China’s irrigation cover is 41% of cultivated area, and India’s is 48%.
Statement 3 is incorrect: China’s productivity in most crops is 50 to 100% higher than India’s
ECONOMY – AGRICULTURE
2. Which one of the following best describes the concept of ‘Small Farmer Large Field’?
(a) Resettlement of a large number of people, uprooted from their countries due to war, by giving them a large cultivable land which they cultivate collectively and share the produce
(b) Many marginal farmers in an area organize themselves into groups and synchronize and harmonize selected agricultural operations
(c) Many marginal farmers in an area together make a contract with a corporate body and surrender. their land to the corporate body for a fixed term for which the corporate body makes a payment of agreed amount to the farmers
(d) A company extends loans, technical knowledge and material inputs to a number of small farmers in an area so that they produce the agricultural commodity required by the company for its manufacturing process and commercial production
Answer: (b)
The Small Farmers, Large Field (SFLF) model is founded on the same principles of aggregation and achieving economies of scale, through strengthening backward and forward integration along the supply chain and lowering costs by synchronizing key agricultural operations from field preparation to harvest.
ECONOMY – AGRICULTURE
3. Consider the following statements:
- The Government of India provides Minimum Support Price for niger (Guizotia abyssinica) seeds.
- Niger is cultivated as a Kharif crop.
- Some tribal people in India use niger seed oil for cooking.
How many of the above statements are correct?
(a) Only one
(b) Only two
(c) All three
(d) None
Answer : (c) All three
Gond tribals of Satpura hill ranges in Madhya Pradesh traditionally grow niger on the top of the plateau, where water does not stagnate.But due amarbel (a twining parasitic plant known as Cuscuta chinensis in scientific lexicon) the productivity has declined rapidly due to which assured paddy cultivation has been trending.
UPSC – CSE Prelims 2020
ECONOMY – AGRICULTURE
1. In India, which of the following can be considered as public investment in agriculture?
1. Fixing Minimum Support Price for agricultural produce of all crops
2. Computerization of Primary Agriculture Credit Societies
3. Social Capital development
4. Free electricity supply to farmers
5. Waiver of agricultural loans by the banking system
6. Setting up of cold storage facilities by the governments
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
(a) 1, 2 and 5 only
(b) 1,3 4 and 5 only
(c) 2,3 and 6 only
(d) 1,2,3,4,5 and 6
Ans: (c)
Explanation:
• Related news – July 2020 : Nabard launches Rs 5,000-crore scheme for computerisation of PACS by FY23
The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard) announced a Rs 5,000 crore grant-based scheme for computerisation of 35,000 Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) by FY23.
• The term social capital refers to a positive product of human interaction. The positive outcome may be tangible or intangible and may include useful information, innovative ideas, and future opportunities.
The objective of the Scheme of Cold Chain, Value Addition and Preservation Infrastructure is to provide integrated cold chain and preservation infrastructure facilities, without any break, from the farm gate to the consumer.
ECONOMY – AGRICULTURE
2. Which of the following factors/policies were affecting the price of rice in India in the recent past?
1. Minimum Support Price
2. Government’s trading
3. Government’s stockpiling
4. Consumer subsidies
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
(a) 1,2 and 4 only
(b) 1,3 and 4 only
(c) 2 and 3 only
(d) 1,2, 3 and 4
Ans: (d)
Explanation:
Few of the domestic factors which may affect the Indian rice pricing are:
• Overall Production of Basmati and Non-Basmati Rice in India which further depends on seasonal Monsoon across Indian states.
• Domestic demands from Indian consumers.
• Rice Tenders floated by Food Corporation of India and other government organizations.
• Any state and central government policies concerning domestic rice trade or rice export.
Few of the international factors which may affect the Indian rice pricing are:
• The international orders and global tenders for procurement of basmati and non-basmati rice.
• Appreciation / depreciation of USD or USD V. INR conversion ratio.
• Increase / decrease Rice crops production in other rice producing nations.
• Crude prices may or may not indirectly affect the pricing.
Indian government policies (i.e. MEP – Minimum Export Price), or ban on export of non basmati and basmati rice
ECONOMY – AGRICULTURE
3. Under the Kisan Credit Card scheme, short-term credit support is given to farmers for which of the following purposes?
- Working capital for maintenance of farm assets
- Purchase of combine harvesters.
- Consumption requirements of farms households
- Post-harvest expenses
- Construction of family house and setting up of village cold storage facility
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
(a) 1,2 and 5 only
(b) 1,3 and 4 only
(c) 2,3,4 and 5 only
(d) 1,2,3,4, and 5
Ans: (b)
Explanation:
The Kisan Credit Card scheme aims at providing adequate and timely credit to farmers under single window for:
- Meeting the short term credit requirements for cultivation of crops
- Post harvest expenses
- Produce Marketing loan
- Consumption requirements of farmer household
- Working capital for maintenance of farm assets, activities allied to agriculture, like dairy animals, inland fishery and also working capital required for floriculture, horticulture etc.
- Investment credit requirement for agriculture and allied activities like pump sets, sprayers, dairy animals, floriculture, horticulture etc
- Short term credit requirements of rearing of animals, birds, fish, shrimp, other aquatic organisms, capture of fish.
ECONOMY – AGRICULTURE
4. Consider the following statements:
1. In the case of all cereals, pulses and oil-seeds, the procurement at Minimum Support Price (MSP) is unlimited in any State/UT of India.
2. In the case of cereals and pulses, the MSP is fixed in any State/UT at a level to which the market price will never rise.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
Ans: (d)
Explanation:
· The Minimum Support Price (MSP) is an agricultural product price set by the Government of India to purchase directly from the farmer.
· This rate is to safeguard the farmer to a minimum profit for the harvest, if the open market has lesser price than the cost incurred.
· The Indian government sets price for 23 commodities twice a year
As per official data, only 13.5% of paddy farmers and 16.2% of wheat farmers in India sell their harvest to a procurement agency at an assured Minimum Support Price (MSP).
ECONOMY – AGRICULTURE
5. What is the use of biochar in farming?
1. Biochar can be used as a part of the growing medium in vertical farming.
2. When biochar is a part of the growing medium, it promotes the growth of nitrogen-fixing microorganisms.
3. When biochar is a part of the growing medium, it enables the growing medium to retain water for longer time.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 2 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1,2 and 3
Ans: (d)
Explanation:
• Biochar is a high-carbon, fine-grained residue that is currently produced through modern pyrolysis processes (direct thermal decomposition of biomass in the absence of oxygen and preventing combustion). It produces a mixture of solids (the biochar proper), liquid (bio-oil), and gas (syngas) products.
Biochar may increase soil fertility of acidic soils (low pH soils), increase agricultural productivity, and provide protection against some foliar and soil-borne diseases.
ECONOMY – AGRICULTURE
6. What is/are the advantage/advantages of zero tillage in agriculture ?
- Sowing of wheat is possible without burning the residue of previous crop.
- Without the need for nursery of rice saplings, direct planting of paddy seeds in the wet soil is possible.
- Carbon sequestration in the soil is possible.
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
Ans: (d)
Explanation:
- Tillage is the agricultural preparation of soil by mechanical agitation, typically removing weeds established in the previous season.
- No-till farming can be more profitable in some cases.
- In some cases it may reduce labour, fuel, irrigation and machinery costs.
- No-till can increase yield because of higher water infiltration and storage capacity, and less erosion.
- Another possible benefit is that because of the higher water content, instead of leaving a field fallow it can make economic sense to plant another crop instead.
- No-till farming has been claimed to increase soil organic matter, and thus increase carbon sequestration.
ECONOMY – AGRICULTURE
7. With reference to pulse production in India, consider the following statement:
1. Black Gram can be cultivated as both kharif and rabi crop.
2. Green-gram alone accounts for nearly half of pulse production.
3. In the last three decades, while the production of kharif pulse has increases, the production of rabi pulses
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 2 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
Ans: (a)
Explanation:
• India is the largest producer (25% of global production), consumer (27% of world consumption) and importer (14%) of pulses in the world.
• Pulses account for around 20 per cent of the area under foodgrains and contribute around 7-10 per cent of the total foodgrains production in the country.
• Though pulses are grown in both Kharif and Rabi seasons, Rabi pulses contribute more than 60 per cent of the total production.
• Gram is the most dominant pulse having a share of around 40 per cent in the total production followed by Tur/Arhar at 15 to 20 per cent and Urad/Black Matpe and Moong at around 8-10 per cent each.
• Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka are the top five pulses producing States.
ECONOMY – AGRICULTURE
8. “The crop is subtropical in nature. A hard frost is injurious to it. It requires at least 210 frostfree days and 50 to 100 centimeters of rainfall for its growth. A light well-drained soil capable of retaining moisture is ideally suited for the cultivation of the crop” which one of the following is that crop?
(a) Cotton
(b) Jute
(c) Sugarcane
(d) Tea
Ans: (a)
Explanation:
· Cotton requires high temperature, light rainfall, 210 frost-free days and bright sunshine for its growth.
· It grows best on black and alluvial soils.
Source: NCERT Class VIII Chp 4: Agriculture pg . 45
ECONOMY – AGRICULTURE
9. With reference to the current trends in the cultivation of sugarcane in India consider the following statements:
- A substantial saving in seed material is made when ‘bud chip settlings’ are raised in a nursery and transplanted in the main field.
- When direct planting of setts is done, the germination percentage is better with single-budded setts as compared to setts with many buds.
- If bad weather conditions prevail when setts are directly planted, single-budded setts have better survival as compared to large setts.
- Sugarcane can be cultivated using settlings prepared from tissue culture.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 3 only
(c) 1 and 4 only
(d) 2,3 and 4 only
Ans: (c)
Explanation:
Related news: Bud chip technology catching on among sugarcane farmers
- Sugarcane is commercially planted using setts at the rate of 6-8 tonnes per hectare, amounting to around 10 per cent of the total production.
- This large mass of planting material creates logistical challenges in transportation and storage of seed cane.
- The tissue culture technique, owing to its cumbersome outfit and physical limitation, is turning out to be uneconomical.
- A viable alternative is bud chip technology, which reduces the mass and enables quick multiplication of seeds.
- This method has proved to be more economical and convenient than the traditional method of planting two to three bud setts
- Researchers have found that setts having two buds on germination provide about 65 to 70 % better yield.
- Large setts have better survival during bad as well.
ECONOMY – AGRICULTURE
10. In the context of India, which of the following is/are considered to be practices(s) of ecofriendly agriculture:
- Crop diversification
- Legume intensification
- Tensiometer use
- Vertical farming
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
(a) 1,2 and 3 only
(b) 3 only
(c) 4 only
(d) 1,2,3 and 4
Ans: (d)
Explanation:
- Tensiometer helps check soil moisture and avoids wastage of water.
- In vertical farming, crops are grown indoors, under artificial conditions of light and temperature.
- Crops are grown indoors, under artificial conditions of light and temperature. It aims at higher productivity in smaller spaces.
- It uses soil-less methods such as hydroponics, aquaponics and aeroponics.
- Vertical farming uses significantly less water and pesticides than traditional agricultural methods. Being indoors, the crops aren’t subject to seasons and hence give high productivity year-round.
- Lettuces, tomatoes and green crops can be produced through this practice.
- The Hindu : 9 January 2020
- https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/agriculture/vertical-farming-explained/article30522508.ece
ECONOMY – AGRICULTURE
11. What are the advantages of fertigation in agriculture?
- Controlling the alkalinity of irrigation water is possible.
- Efficient application of Rock Phosphate and all other phosphatic fertilizers is possible.
- Increased availability of nutrients to plants is possible.
- Reduction in the leaching of chemical nutrients is possible.
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
(a) 1, 2 and 3 only
(b) 1, 2 and 4 only
(c) 1,3 and 4 only
(d) 2, 3 and 4 only
Ans: (c)
Explanation:
Fertigation is a process in which fertilizer is dissolved and distributed along with water in your drip or spray irrigation system. Its advantages are:
- Improves efficiency of fertilizer use
- Increases nutrient availability
- Saves 20-40% fertilizer without affecting growth and yield
- Saves labour and energy in application of fertilizer
- Reduce environmental contamination
- Reduces leaching of nutrients
Phosphorus Fertigation is not been generally recommended for application through drip irrigation system because of its tendency to cause clogging.
ECONOMY – AGRICULTURE
12. With reference to chemical fertilizers in India, consider the following statements :
- At present, the retail price of chemical fertilizers is market-driven and not administered by the Government.
- Ammonia, which is an input of urea, is produced from natural gas.
- Sulphur, which is a raw material for phosphoric acid fertilizer, is a by-product of oil refineries.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 2 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
Ans: (b)
Explanation:
- The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) approved the inclusion of a complex fertilizer, ammonium phosphate, under the nutrient-based subsidy scheme.
- The scheme was set up in 2010 to ensure the availability of phosphatic and potassic fertilizers to farmers at an affordable price, as the retail prices of such non-urea fertilisers are decontrolled and set by manufacturers.
The Hindu April 2020
- A typical modern ammonia-producing plant first converts natural gas (i.e., methane) or LPG (liquefied petroleum gases such as propane and butane) or petroleum naphtha into gaseous hydrogen.
- The hydrogen is then combined with nitrogen to produce ammonia via the Haber-Bosch process.
- About 90% of the phosphoric acid produced is used to make fertilizers.
- Phosphoric acid is produced from fluorapatite, known as phosphate rock,, by the addition of concentrated (93%) sulfuric acid in a series of well-stirred reactors.
- Sulfuric acid is manufactured using Sulfur (a byproduct from the refining of oil
UPSC – CSE Prelims 2019
ECONOMY – AGRICULTURE
1. The economic cost of food grains to the Food Corporation of India is Minimum Support Price and bonus (if any) paid to the farmers plus
(a) Transportation cost only
(b) Interest cost only
(c) Procurement incidentals and distribution cost
(d) Procurement incidentals and charges for godowns
Ans: (c)
The Correct Answer is Option 3 i.e procurement incidentals and distribution cost.
- The economic cost of food grains procured by the Food Corporation of India (FCI) is a total of Minimum Support Price and bonus (if any) paid to the farmers plus the procurement incidentals and distribution cost.
- FCI’s economic cost has three main components – procurement cost, procurement price, and distribution cost.
- The procurement incidentals are the initial costs incurred during the procurement of foodgrains.
- The distribution costs include freight, handling charges, storage charges, losses during transit and establishment cost.
ECONOMY – AGRICULTURE
2. With reference to the cultivation of Kharif crops in India in the last five years, consider the following statements :
- Area under rice cultivation is the highest.
- Area under the cultivation of Jowar is more than that of oilseeds.
- Area of cotton cultivation is more than that of sugarcane.
- Area under sugarcane cultivation has steadily decreased.
Which of the statements given above are correct ?
(a) 1 and 3 only
(b) 2, 3 and 4 only
(c) 2 and 4 only
(d) 1, 2, 3 and 4
Ans: (a)
As in case of production, area under sugarcane cultivation registered a rapid increase from 1.7 million hectares in 1950-51 to 4.1 million hectares in 1998-99 after which the area under sugarcane cultivation increased at a slow rate. In fact, area under sugarcane cultivation decreased from 4.4 million hectares in 2002-03 to 4.0 million hectares in 2003-04.
ECONOMY – AGRICULTURE
3. Among the agricultural commodities imported by India, which one of the following accounts for the highest imports in terms of value in the last five years?
(a) Spices
(b) Fresh fruits
(c) Pulses
(d) vegetable oils
Ans: (d)
The correct answer is option 4, i.e Vegetable oils.
- Vegetable oils account for the highest import in terms of value in the last five years.
- India relies on imports for 70 percent of its edible oil consumption.
- The HIghest import of vegetable oils in terms of value is in December 2018 in the last five years.
- Pulses account for second-most highest while fresh fruits account for third-highest and spices account for least imports in terms of value in the last five years among the following agricultural commodities imported by India.
ECONOMY – AGRICULTURE
4. Consider the following Statements :
- According to the Indian patents Act, a biological process to create a seed can be patented in India.
- In India, there is no Intellectual property Appellate Board.
- Plant varieties are not eligible to be patented in India.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?
- 1 and 3 only (b) 2 and 3 only
- 3 only (d) 1, 2 and 3
Ans: (c)
Indian patent law prohibits patents on any plant and animals or any process through a genetically modified organism is ‘created’, as long as it was purely biological. The only notable exception was microorganisms. So Article 27.3 of the TRIPS Agreement allowed governments to exclude “essentially biological” objects and processes – but microorganisms, and microbiological and non-biological processes weren’t exempt from patents.
ECONOMY – AGRICULTURE
5. With reference to land reforms in independent India, which one of the following statements is correct ?
(a) The ceiling laws were aimed at family holdings and not individual holdings.
(b) The major aim of land reforms was providing agricultural land to all the landless.
(c) It resulted in cultivation of cash crops as a predominant form of cultivation.
(d) Land reforms permitted no exemptions to the ceiling limits.
Ans: (b)
Land Reform:
- The major aim of land reforms was to provide agricultural land to all the landless. Hence, option 2 is correct.
Land Ceiling
- It means fixing the maximum size of landholding that an individual/family can own.
- The ceiling laws aimed at fixing the maximum size of land which could be owned by an individual. Land Ceiling laws were applied to family holdings as well as individual holdings. Hence, Option 1 is incorrect.
- The outcome of Land reforms
- (i) abolition of intermediaries,
- (ii) fixation of ceilings on land holdings, and
- (iii) redistribution of surplus land among landless or semi-landless peasants.
Cultivation and Exemption:
- Cultivation of cash crops requires much more other inputs rather than the mere availability of holdings.
- Commercialization of agriculture, and not land reforms, led to an increase in the cultivation of cash crops. Hence, Option 3 is also incorrect.
- Certain exemptions to the ceiling limits were allowed for plantations of crops like tea and coffee, Bhoodan Yagna Committees, registered cooperatives, and other bodies.
- Certain exemptions in land reforms were permitted to the ceiling limits. Example -Exemptions for Garden Lands, Forest Land, Barren Land, etc. Hence, Option 4 is also not correct.
ECONOMY – AGRICULTURE
6. Among the following, which one is the largest exporter of rice in the world in the last five years?
(a) China
(b) India
(c) Myanmar
(d) Vietnam
Ans (b)
The correct answer is option 2, i.e India.
- India’s share in world exports of rice in recent years (2014-18) has stayed at 25-26% and it emerged the world’s largest rice exporter in 2011-12, displacing Thailand from its leadership position.
- There were two factors which played a role in this.
- Indian government’s decision in February 2011 to lift a four-year ban on exports of non-basmati varieties of rice paved the way for a rise in exports of those varieties.
- Thailand government under Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, in the same year favoured farmers by strengthening a Rice Pledging Scheme under which it promised to procure unlimited stocks at an enhanced price that reflected a 50 per cent increase over 2010.
ECONOMY – AGRICULTURE
7. In India, the use of carbofuran, methyl parathion, phorate and triazophos is viewed with apprehension. These chemicals are used as
(a) pesticides in agriculture
(b) preservatives in processed foods
(c) fruit-ripening agents
(d) moisturising agents in cosmetics
Ans (a)
- Recently, in May 2019 in order to promote organic farming in the state of Kerala, the state Agriculture Department had ordered a ban on the use of various toxic pesticides used in agriculture.
- During this period the Kerala Agriculture University was asked to provide alternatives to the banned pesticides, which include carbofuran, phorate, methyl parathion, monocrotophos, methyl demethon, prophenophos and triazophos.
- The Kerala Agriculture University suggested less hazardous pesticides, like acephate, carbaryl, dimethoate and flubendiamide.
UPSC – CSE Prelims 2018
ECONOMY – AGRICULTURE
1. With reference to the circumstances in Indian agriculture, the concept of “Conservation Agriculture” assumes significance. Which of the following fall under the Conservation Agriculture?
- Avoiding the monoculture practices
- Adopting minimum tillage
- Avoiding the cultivation of plantation crops
- Using crops residues to cover soil surface
- Adopting spatial and temporal crop sequencing/crop rotations
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
(a) 3 and 4
(b) 2, 3, 4 and 5
(c) 2, 4 and 5
(d) 1, 2, 3 and 5
Ans: (c)
Conservation Agriculture
- It is a farming system that promotes maintenance of a permanent soil cover, minimum soil disturbance (i.e. no tillage), and diversification of plant species.
- It enhances biodiversity and natural biological processes above and below the ground surface, which contribute to increased water and nutrient use efficiency and to improved and sustained crop production.
- Three principles of Conservation Agriculture are:
- Minimum mechanical soil disturbance (i.e. no tillage)
- Permanent soil organic cover (at least 30 percent) with crop residues and/or cover crops.
- Species diversification through varied crop sequences and associations involving at least three different crops.
ECONOMY – AGRICULTURE
2. With reference to organic farming in India, consider the following statements: (Easy)
- ‘The National Programme for Organic Production’(NPOP) is operated under the guidelines and direction of the Union Ministry of Rural Development.
- ‘The Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority’ (APEDA) functions as the Secretariat for the implementation of NPOP.
- Sikkim has become India’s first fully organic State.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
Ans: (b)
National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP)
- Ministry of Commerce has implemented the NPOP since 2001.
- The Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority’ (APEDA) functions as the Secretariat for the implementation of NPOP.
- Sikkim became India’s first fully organic state in January 2016.
ECONOMY – AGRICULTURE
3. As per the NSSO 70th Round “Situation Assessment Survey of Agricultural Households”:
- Rajasthan has the highest percentage share of agricultural households among its rural
- Out of the total agricultural households in the country, a little over 60 percent belong to OBCs.
- In Kerala, a little over 60 precent of agricultural households reported to have received maximum income from sources other than agricultural activities.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?
(a) 2 and 3only
(b) 2 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
Ans: (c)
The government conducts a ‘situation assessment survey of agricultural households’ from time to time. The survey was last conducted by the NSSO [National Sample Survey Office] during its 70th round (January-December 2013).
Out of the total agricultural households in the country, around 45 percent belong to OBCs.