Question

UPSC Prelims 2017 Question:

Consider the following statements

The nation-wide ‘Soil Health Card Scheme’ aims at

expanding the cultivable area under irrigation.

enabling the banks to assess the quantum of loans to be granted to farmers on the basis of soil quality.

checking the overuse of fertilizers in farmlands.

Which of the above statements is/are correct?

1. 1 and 2 only
2. 3 only
3. 2 and 3 only
4. 1, 2 and 3

Answer (Detailed Solution Below)

Option 2: 3 only

Detailed Solution

Explanation:

- Soil Health Card is a Government of India's scheme promoted by the Department of Agriculture & Cooperation under the Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare. It is being implemented through the Department of Agriculture of all the State and Union Territory Governments.
- SHC is a printed report that a farmer will be handed over for each of his holdings. It will contain the status of his soil with respect to 12 parameters, namely N,P,K (Macronutrients); S (Secondary- nutrient); Zn, Fe, Cu, Mn, Bo (Micronutrients); and pH, EC, OC (Physical parameters). Based on this, the SHC will also indicate fertilizer recommendations and soil amendments required for the farm.

Some objectives of the scheme include:

- To develop and promote soil test-based nutrient management in the districts for enhancing nutrient use efficiency. So, statement 3 is correct.

To provide financial assistance to farmers to apply corrective measures for deficiencies and popularise balance and integrated nutrient management practices for their cropping systems.

To build capacities of district and state level staff and of progressive farmers for promotion of nutrient management practices.

It does not promote the expansion of cultivable areas under irrigation and neither does it enable the bank to assess the quantum of loans on the basis of soil quality. So, statements 1 and 2 are not correct.

Therefore, option (2) is the correct answer.

Knowledge Box

Other objectives of the Soil Health Card Scheme include:

To issue soil health cards every two years to all farmers, so as to provide a basis to address nutrient deficiencies in fertilization practices.
To strengthen the functioning of Soil Testing Laboratories (STLs) through capacity building, involvement of agriculture students and effective linkage with Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)/ State Agricultural Universities (SAUs).
To diagnose soil fertility related constraints with standardized procedures for sampling uniformly across states and analysis and design taluka/block level fertilizer recommendations in targeted districts.

Subject: Geography | Soils

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