GS Paper III — Q3
Describe the various Technology Missions initiated in Indian agriculture and examine their role in food security. (Answer in 150…
Describe the various Technology Missions initiated in Indian agriculture and examine their role in food security. (Answer in 150 words) 10 marks
हिंदी में प्रश्न पढ़ें
भारतीय कृषि में लागू किए गए विभिन्न तकनीकी मिशनों का वर्णन कीजिए एवं खाद्य सुरक्षा में उनकी भूमिका का परीक्षण कीजिए। (उत्तर 150 शब्दों में दीजिए)
Model answer
Drafted with AI by UPSC Answer Check against this question's marking rubric, to the 150-word length. UPSC does not publish answers for Mains — this is one way to score well, not an official key. How we build rubrics and answers.
India’s agricultural Technology Missions began as crop-specific drives to raise productivity. The Technology Mission on Oilseeds (1986, extended to pulses in 1990) spread improved seeds, inputs and price support; its 'Yellow Revolution' roughly doubled oilseed output within a decade. The Technology Mission on Cotton (2000) raised yields and ginning quality, and the Technology Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture in the North Eastern and Himalayan States expanded horticulture. The oilseed push continued through NMOOP (2014) and now the National Mission on Edible Oils – Oil Palm (2021) and – Oilseeds (2024).
Later missions widened scope: NFSM for rice, wheat, pulses and coarse cereals; NMSA for climate-resilient farming; the Digital Agriculture Mission for AgriStack and advisories; and the National Mission on Natural Farming for low-cost inputs.
They strengthen food security through availability (higher cereal, pulse and oilseed output), nutrition (horticulture, pulses), affordability (lower costs) and stability (climate resilience). Yet edible-oil imports still exceed half of demand and gains are uneven across regions and smallholders, so convergence and stronger extension are needed.
How this answer will be evaluated
Framework: Situation > Analysis > Measures > Assessment
What earns full marks: Names 3+ missions, clearly links each to food security, and provides a balanced assessment.
Evaluation rubric
Each sub-part is marked on its own, against the marks and word limit printed on the paper.
- The answer Describe the various Technology Missions in Indian agriculture and examine their role, and its limits, in food security. 10 marks · 150 words
examine— intro → how/why with reasoning → evidence → conclusion
Must cover
- Name at least 3 distinct technology missions (e.g., TMO 1986, Technology Mission on Cotton 2000, Horticulture mission for NE/Himalayan states)
- Explain the specific technology or focus of each mission
- Link mission outcomes to food security dimensions (availability, access/affordability, nutrition, stability)
- Provide a balanced assessment of their role
Loses marks
- Listing missions without explaining their role in food security
- Confusing general agricultural policies with specific technology missions
- Focusing only on one mission in detail
Earns more
- Mentioning specific crops or regions associated with missions
- Referencing the Green Revolution / Yellow Revolution context
- Mentioning later missions (NFSM, NMSA, NMEO, Digital Agriculture Mission, Natural Farming)
- Noting limits: edible-oil import dependence, uneven regional gains, smallholder access
Extra mark
- Citing a specific production statistic for a mission crop
- Mentioning the year of launch for a specific mission
What "Describe" is asking you to do
Give a full, ordered account of the thing named — its parts, stages or mechanism — in the sequence in which it actually exists or occurs. Most describe questions come from the science optionals, where the marks sit in correct technical detail and, where the stem says so, a labelled diagram.
Structure that answers it
One-line identification of the subject → the parts or stages in their real order, each with its defining detail → labelled diagram where the subject is structural → closing line on function or significance
Where marks are lost
Loose general prose where the examiner is ticking named parts, correct terminology and their sequence; and in the General Studies papers, turning to evaluation before the description is finished.
Practice this exact question
Write your answer and it is marked point by point against the model answer above — what you covered, what you missed, what you got wrong.
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