Given below are two statements, one is labelled as Assertion (A) and the other as Reason (R): Assertion (A): The Union Budget 2020-21 has focused on Rural Development with the aim of doubling farmer income. Reason (R): The 16 Action Points announced in the budget are centred around agriculture, irrigation and rural development. Select the correct answer from the codes given below.
- (a)Both (A) and (R) are true and (R) is the correct explanation of (A)
- (b)Both (A) and (R) are true but (R) is not the correct explanation of (A)
- (c)(A) is true but (R) is false
- (d)(A) is false but (R) is true
Correct — A, both (A) and (R) are true and (R) is the correct explanation of (A). The Union Budget 2020-21 (presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on 1 February 2020) was built on three themes — Aspirational India, Economic Development and a Caring Society — and under 'Aspirational India' it placed heavy emphasis on agriculture, irrigation and rural development, in line with the Government's stated goal of doubling farmers' income by 2022. To operationalise this the Finance Minister announced a 16-point action plan for agriculture and farmers' welfare (covering water-stressed districts, solarisation of farms under PM-KUSUM, warehousing, the Kisan Rail and Krishi Udaan, among others), with roughly Rs 2.83 lakh crore earmarked for agriculture and allied activities, irrigation and rural development. So both statements are true, and the 16 action points (R) are precisely the mechanism through which the budget pursued rural development and higher farm incomes (A) — making R the correct explanation of A.
- (b)Both (A) and (R) are true but (R) is not the correct explanation of (A) — Both are true, but the link is causal — the 16 action points ARE the content of the rural-development/farm-income push, so R does explain A; this option wrongly denies the explanatory link.
- (c)(A) is true but (R) is false — R is factually true — the Budget 2020-21 did announce a 16-point action plan focused on agriculture, irrigation and rural development.
- (d)(A) is false but (R) is true — A is true — the budget's 'Aspirational India' theme did prioritise rural development with the aim of doubling farmers' income.
The Union Budget 2020-21 organised its proposals under three themes — Aspirational India, Economic Development and a Caring Society. 'Aspirational India' bundled agriculture, irrigation, rural development, health and education, and it is here that the 16-point action plan for farmers sat, tied to the flagship goal of doubling farmers' income.
Assertion-Reason technique: first check each statement is independently true, then ask whether R actually causes/explains A. Here the 16 action points are not a separate fact — they are the concrete measures that make up the rural-development thrust, so R is the explanation of A, giving option (a).
- Union Budget 2020-21 presented on 1 Feb 2020 by FM Nirmala Sitharaman; three themes: Aspirational India, Economic Development, Caring Society
- A 16-point action plan for agriculture and farmers' welfare was announced, aligned to doubling farmers' income (target year 2022)
- About Rs 2.83 lakh crore earmarked for agriculture, allied activities, irrigation and rural development
- Signature measures included PM-KUSUM (solar) expansion, Kisan Rail, Krishi Udaan and a plan for water-stressed districts
- Assuming the phrase 'doubling farmers' income by 2022' originated in this budget — the goal was set in 2016 and this budget only advanced it
- Confusing the 16-point agriculture action plan with other numbered plans/agendas
UPPSC and UPSC test flagship budgets through Assertion-Reason and statement items — know the headline theme plus one or two signature schemes to judge both the fact and the cause-effect link.
No directly related past PYQ was found.
- practice — not a real PYQ
The Union Budget 2020-21 was presented around which three themes?
- (a)Aspirational India, Economic Development and a Caring Society
- (b)Make in India, Digital India and Skill India
- (c)Growth, Equity and Sustainability
- (d)Reform, Perform and Transform
Answer(a) Aspirational India, Economic Development and a Caring Society — the three pillars of Budget 2020-21.
- practice — not a real PYQ
Which of the following schemes, expanded in Budget 2020-21, promotes the solarisation of farms and farmers' pumps?
- (a)PM-KUSUM
- (b)PM-KISAN
- (c)PMFBY
- (d)PM-AASHA
Answer(a) PM-KUSUM — Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan, which supports solar pumps and grid-connected solar power for farmers.