QUESTION 3
GS3
10 marks
What do you mean by Minimum Support Price (MSP)? How will MSP rescue the farmers from the low income trap?
WRITE IN
7 min
150 words
What the examiner wants
Define MSP and assess how far it can lift farmers out of low incomes.
Explain + ExamineMake clear how and why it happens: causes, process, and an example for each point. Go into the details, test each point against evidence, and conclude on what it shows.
Demand-wise check
- 1Meaning: price announced by the Centre on CACP advice for 22 mandated crops (plus FRP for sugarcane), acting as a floor≈30 words
- 2Rescue role: price assurance, investment in inputs, crop choice signals, procurement for PDS, 1.5 times cost formula (Budget 2018-19)≈30 words
- 3Limits: effective mainly for rice and wheat in a few states; low awareness; skews cropping to paddy; small farmers often sell to traders≈30 words
- 4Beyond MSP: PM-AASHA (price deficiency payments), e-NAM, FPOs, income support (PM-KISAN), diversification≈30 words
Open in about 20 words and close in about 20.
Answer plan
Definition and mechanismHow it raises incomeLimitsComplementary measuresConclusion
Where marks usually go
- Assuming MSP reaches all farmers
- Not explaining which cost base (A2+FL vs C2) is used
Draw this
- Flow: CACP → Cabinet announcement → procurement (FCI/states) → farmer income
Value addition
- CommitteeShanta Kumar Committee (2015), citing NSSO data, said only about 6% of farm households sell at MSP to procurement agencies.High Level Committee on FCI, 2015
- CommitteeSwaminathan Commission (National Commission on Farmers) recommended MSP at least 50% above the weighted average cost (C2).NCF, 2006
Mapped topper copies
Reviewed public-source references related to this PYQ. Same-syllabus references are labelled separately.
- Aniket Ranjan · AIR 48 · Page 9 ↗Reviewed PYQ reference
- Abhishek Singh · Page 12 ↗Reviewed PYQ reference
- Shakti Dubey · AIR 1 · Page 29 ↗Same syllabus reference
- Aniket Ranjan · AIR 48 · Page 7 ↗Same syllabus reference
Links open original public sources. MainsBuddy does not host these answer sheets.
Next: plan for one minute, write it in 7 minutes, then get it checked.