Indian agriculture (Green Revolution): Identify the significant shifts that occurred during India’s Green Revolution era. Focus on cropping pattern, inputs, regions, and productivity changes associated with the HYV programme (mid-1960s onward). Choose the best description.
General Knowledge
Indian Geography
Difficulty: Medium
Choose an option
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ARapid spread of HYV wheat/rice with intensive irrigation and fertilizers, concentrated in Punjab–Haryana–Western UP, raising yields substantially
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BShift from foodgrains to coarse millets in rainfed east and northeast, with falling fertilizer use
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CMajor expansion only in pulses across all states with limited irrigation growth
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DUniform gains across all crops and regions regardless of irrigation access
Answer
Correct Answer: Rapid spread of HYV wheat/rice with intensive irrigation and fertilizers, concentrated in Punjab–Haryana–Western UP, raising yields substantially
Explanation
Key shifts
- Adoption of HYV seeds, especially for wheat (and later rice), alongside irrigation, fertilizers, and mechanization.
- Regional concentration of gains in well-irrigated northwestern India (Punjab, Haryana, Western UP) and select command areas.
- Marked rise in productivity and output of wheat (and rice later), not uniform across pulses/coarse cereals or rainfed regions initially.
Final AnswerConcentrated HYV-irrigation-fertilizer push in NW India driving yield gains (option A).