As per the NSSO 70th Round “Situation Assessment Survey of Agricultural Households”, consider the following statements:
- Rajasthan has the highest percentage share of agricultural households among its rural households.
- Out of the total agricultural households in the country, a little over 60 percent belong to OBCs.
- In Kerala, a little over 60 percent of agricultural households reported to have received maximum income from sources other than agricultural activities.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
[UPSC Civil Services Exam – 2018 Prelims]
(a) 2 and 3 only
(b) 2 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
Answer: (c)
Explanation:
- Statement 1 is correct: Rajasthan had the highest percentage of agricultural households (78.4%) among its rural households, followed by Uttar Pradesh (74.8%) and Madhya Pradesh (70.8%), according to the NSSO 70th Round “Situation Assessment Survey of Agricultural Households”.
- Statement 2 is not correct: As the survey found that about 45% of the total agricultural households in the country belonged to Other Backward Classes (OBC), while about 16% were from Scheduled Castes (SC) and 13% were from Scheduled Tribes (ST).
- Statement 3 is correct: In all major states except Kerala, agricultural activity (including cultivation, livestock, and other agricultural activities) was the principal source of income for the majority of households. In Kerala, around 61% of agricultural households reported earning the maximum income from sources other than agricultural activities.
Therefore, option (c) is the correct answer.