Difficulty: Easy
Correct Answer: Fertilizers
Explanation:
Introduction / Context:
In Indian economic and agricultural studies, various colour based revolutions are used as shorthand to describe major changes in specific sectors. For example, Green Revolution is associated with cereals like wheat and rice, White Revolution with milk, and Yellow Revolution with oil seeds. The term Grey Revolution is less common but still important for competitive exams. This question checks whether you can correctly link Grey Revolution with the right agricultural input that contributed to higher productivity in fields across India.
Given Data / Assumptions:
Concept / Approach:
Colour revolutions in agriculture serve as memory aids. Each colour is conventionally mapped to a particular product or input. The key idea is that Grey Revolution is linked with the increased use and production of fertilizers, especially chemical fertilizers, which played an important supporting role after the Green Revolution. Fertilizers supply essential nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium to crops, boosting yields when used responsibly. Connecting each colour to its correct sector helps eliminate confusion among similar sounding revolutions.
Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recall that Green Revolution is associated mainly with wheat and rice production through high yielding varieties, irrigation and inputs.
Step 2: Remember that White Revolution is connected with dairy development and an increase in milk production.
Step 3: Yellow Revolution is usually linked with oil seeds, and Blue Revolution with fish production.
Step 4: Grey Revolution, in commonly used Indian economic terminology, refers to the expansion in the use and production of fertilizers, especially chemical fertilizers used in conjunction with Green Revolution technologies.
Step 5: Match this knowledge with the given options and select fertilizers as the correct association.
Verification / Alternative check:
You can cross check from standard Indian economy or agriculture textbooks, where tables list different colour revolutions. These tables usually mention that Grey Revolution represents growth in fertilizer production and consumption. Since the other options already have well known revolutions linked with them, such as Yellow for oil seeds and Blue for fish, that cross check confirms that fertilizers is the right answer for Grey Revolution.
Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Cotton: Cotton is often associated with terms like White Gold but not with Grey Revolution.
Fruits: Growth in fruits and horticulture is generally covered under Golden Revolution, not Grey.
Oil seeds: As mentioned, higher oil seed production is linked with Yellow Revolution, so this is not correct here.
Fish production: Fish and aquaculture development is linked with Blue Revolution, not Grey.
Common Pitfalls:
A common mistake is to confuse Grey and White Revolutions or to mix up Grey and Yellow due to the similarity in naming. Another error is to think that cotton or other crops might be linked with Grey because of the colour of textiles. Always rely on standard classification given in Indian economy study material, because exam questions often depend on that standard mapping rather than on everyday associations. Repeated revision of all the major colour revolutions helps you avoid guesswork and negative marking.
Final Answer:
Grey Revolution in the Indian context is primarily associated with increased production and use of fertilizers.
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