UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Stop penalising farmers for stubble burning: RSS body
Q1. With reference to the Commission for Air Quality Management in National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas (CAQM), consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- Where a direction of the Commission conflicts with a direction of the Central Pollution Control Board or a State Pollution Control Board, the Commission's direction prevails.
- Appeals against the orders of the Commission lie with the High Court of the State in which the order is to be enforced.
- The Commission's directions on stubble burning can bind authorities in parts of Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, in addition to Delhi.
- A. 1 and 3 only
- B. 1 only
- C. 1, 2 and 3
- D. 2 and 3 only
Q2. With reference to in-situ and ex-situ crop residue management, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are NOT correct?
- In-situ management keeps the residue's organic matter and nutrients in the soil of the same field.
- Ex-situ management becomes viable only when there is a chain to collect, store and transport the residue and an off-field user for it.
- In-situ management can be carried out with a conventional combine harvester alone, without any additional machine or attachment.
- A. 2 and 3 only
- B. 1 only
- C. 3 only
- D. 1 and 3 only
Q3. The Supreme Court has suggested a procurement mechanism for crop residue as a response to stubble burning. Which one of the following best explains how such a mechanism would reduce farm fires?
- A. It would lengthen the gap between harvesting paddy and sowing wheat, letting the residue decompose naturally
- B. It would turn straw into a saleable input, so clearing it off the field earns money instead of costing it
- C. It would replace off-field collection with in-field mulching, so the residue never has to leave the farm
- D. It would raise the support price of paddy, offsetting the compensation farmers pay when they are fined
Q4. Consider the following statements: Which of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?
- Under the central scheme for crop residue management machinery, the rate of financial assistance for setting up Custom Hiring Centres is higher than the rate for an individual farmer buying machinery.
- Crop residue management machines are needed for only a short period each year, so hiring them out lets many small and marginal farmers use them without bearing the full purchase cost.
- A. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II explains Statement-I
- B. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct, but Statement-II does not explain Statement-I
- C. Statement-I is correct, but Statement-II is incorrect
- D. Statement-I is incorrect, but Statement-II is correct
Q5. With reference to co-firing of biomass in coal-based thermal power plants in India, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- Co-firing is technically possible only in plants newly built with boilers designed specifically for biomass.
- Co-firing replaces a part of the coal fed into a boiler with pellets made mainly from agricultural residue.
- A co-firing requirement on power plants creates a steady commercial demand for crop residue that would otherwise be burnt in the field.
- A. 1, 2 and 3
- B. 2 only
- C. 1 and 2 only
- D. 2 and 3 only
Q6. Replacing a part of the coal in a thermal power plant with paddy-straw pellets is said to reduce the carbon footprint of power generation, even though the pellets also release carbon dioxide when burnt. Which one of the following best explains this?
- A. Pelletisation strips the straw of its carbon content before the pellets reach the boiler
- B. The silica present in paddy straw binds most of the carbon released during combustion
- C. The carbon in the straw was absorbed from the air by the crop during its recent growing season
- D. Burning biomass in a boiler releases carbon monoxide rather than carbon dioxide into the air