(a) Why India lags behind many other countries in agricultural productivity? Suggest suitable measures to raise productivity…

(a) Low agricultural productivity and sustainable measures to raise it

India's yields of rice, wheat and pulses are well below China's, Egypt's or the best producers', although the country is among the top producers in output.

Why India lags. (i) Small and fragmented holdings, averaging about 1.1 ha, limit mechanisation, credit and technology. (ii) About half of the net sown area is unirrigated and monsoon-dependent. (iii) Input use is unbalanced, with excess nitrogen and too little potash, organic matter and micronutrients, and poor seed replacement. (iv) Soil degradation, falling groundwater and climate shocks reduce yields. (v) Weak extension, credit and markets, high post-harvest losses, and low public investment in research and irrigation. (vi) Regional divides: Punjab and Haryana have high yields, while eastern India, dry peninsular regions and rainfed areas lag.

Sustainable measures, with actors.

(i) Centre and ICAR. Develop climate-resilient, short-duration and high-yielding varieties, expand Krishi Vigyan Kendras, and support the Digital Agriculture Mission, soil health cards and balanced fertiliser use, including nano-fertilisers.

(ii) States. Extend micro-irrigation under "per drop more crop", revive tanks and watersheds, line canals, and reform power and water pricing so that groundwater is used sparingly. In the east, add pumps, drainage and seeds to use the water surplus (the Bringing Green Revolution to Eastern India approach).

(iii) Markets and farmers. Farmer Producer Organisations, e-NAM, warehouses and cold chains, and better procurement beyond wheat and rice to reward millets, pulses and oilseeds.

(iv) Diversification. Shift from water-intensive paddy and sugarcane to millets, pulses, oilseeds, horticulture and livestock according to agro-climatic regions.

(v) Finance and risk. Credit, PM Fasal Bima Yojana and income support linked to extension, with land-leasing reforms to help small and tenant farmers.

(vi) Sustainability. Conservation agriculture, natural and organic farming where suited, agroforestry and integrated farming.

The measures must be fitted to each agro-climatic region, and delivery depends on state capacity and farmers' organisation.

(b) Ecotourism potential and challenges of island development

Potential. The Andaman and Nicobar Islands have about 8,249 sq km, with forest over about 86 per cent of the area, mangroves, coral reefs, turtle nesting and endemic species. Havelock (Swaraj Dweep), Neil, Baratang's limestone caves and Mount Harriet, Ross and Smith islands, and the Mahatma Gandhi Marine National Park suit diving, snorkelling, bird-watching and nature trails. Lakshadweep, a group of coral atolls with lagoons, has Agatti, Bangaram and Kadmat, with diving, sailing and fishing-based tourism and rich marine life.

Challenges. (i) Fragile ecosystems and small carrying capacity, with coral bleaching, erosion and sea-level rise. (ii) Freshwater scarcity, waste disposal and energy use. (iii) Protection of tribal peoples, such as the Jarawa and the Sentinelese, under the Protection of Aboriginal Tribes Regulation, 1956, and restricted-area rules. (iv) Dependence on costly sea and air links, and vulnerability to cyclones, tsunami (2004) and earthquakes. (v) Security concerns, and conflict among infrastructure projects, forests and local livelihoods.

Way ahead. Low-volume, high-value tourism with carrying-capacity limits, homestays run by locals, renewable power, desalination and waste treatment, coastal regulation enforcement, and planning through the Island Development Agency that respects tribal rights.

(c) Regional variations of health indicators among Indian states

Health outcomes differ widely, reflecting income, education, public health spending and social conditions.

(i) South and west. Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and the small states of Goa and Sikkim do best. Kerala has an infant mortality rate of about 4 to 6 per 1,000 live births, a maternal mortality ratio of about 19 per lakh (SRS 2018-20), and a total fertility rate below 2.

(ii) North and east. Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Jharkhand and Assam lag. Infant mortality is 40 to 50 per 1,000 in UP and Madhya Pradesh (NFHS-5, SRS), Assam's maternal mortality ratio is about 195 per lakh, and the total fertility rate is about 3 in Bihar.

(iii) Nutrition. Stunting among children is about 23 per cent in Kerala and over 40 per cent in Bihar and Meghalaya, and anaemia is high in most states.

(iv) Reasons. Better literacy, particularly of women, stronger primary care, institutional deliveries and immunisation, sanitation, and higher health spending in the south. Poverty, weak infrastructure and shortage of doctors in the north and east, and remote tribal and hill areas.

The National Health Mission, Ayushman Bharat and the Aspirational Districts Programme aim to narrow the gap.