Ramesh Singh : Miscellaneous - 6 - UPSC MCQ

Programme (NLRMP), started in 2008, aims at updating and digitising land records by the end of the Twelfth Plan. Eventually, the intent is to move from the presumptive title (where registration of a title does not imply the owner's title is legally valid) to a conclusive title (where it does).

• Environmental degradation: Due to excessive and uncontrolled use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides have degraded the environment by increasing pollution levels in land, water and air.

• In India, it is more due to deforestation and extension of cultivation in ecologically fragile areas. At the same time, there is an excessive pressure of animals on forests—mainly by goats and sheep.

• These are the farm subsidies which are provided in the form of cheaper credit facilities, farm loan waivers, reduction in irrigation and electricity bills, fertilizers, seeds and pesticides subsidy as well as the investments in agricultural research, environmental assistance, farmer training, etc.

• These subsidies are also provided to make farm products more competitive in the global market.

• The World Trade Organization (WTO) has put some ceilings on the amount of direct and indirect subsidies being provided by the various developing and developed nations because these subsidies distort the free market forces which have their implications.

• India's agrimarket is presently regulated by the Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) Act enacted by the state governments.

• There are about 2,477 principal regulated Agri markets and 4,843 sub-market yards regulated by the respective APMCs in India.

• Thus, India has not one, not 29 (number of states) but thousands of agricultural markets.

(i) The minimum shares to be divested will be 51 per cent

(ii) The wholesale sale of shares will be done to a 'strategic partner having international class experience and expertise in the sector.

• The corpus of the National Investment Fund will be permanent. The Fund will be professionally managed, to provide sustainable returns without depleting the corpus, by selected Public Sector Mutual Funds (they are, UTI Asset Management Company Ltd.; SBI Funds Management Company Pvt. Ltd.; LIC Mutual Fund Asset Management Company Ltd.).

• The cost of production for India is presently higher than international prices.

• India's cost of production of aluminium has been increasing gradually while world costs remained static.

• A Micro Units Development Refinance Agency (MUDRA) Bank set up to provide development and refinance to commercial banks/ NBFCs/cooperative banks for loans given to micro-units.

MUDRA follows a 'credit-plus approach' by also providing several other services such as – financial literacy and addressing skill gaps, information gaps, etc.