Ans: B

Exp:

The land-use categories are maintained in the Land Revenue Records by the Survey of India.

Pair 1 is correct: Culturable Waste-Land is any land that is left fallow (uncultivated) for more than five years. It can be brought under cultivation after improving it through reclamation practices.

Pair 2 is incorrect: Current fallow: is the land that is left without cultivation for one or less than one agricultural year. Fallowing is a cultural practice adopted for giving land rest. The land regains its fertility through natural processes.

Pair 3 is incorrect: Fallow other than current fallow: is also cultivable land that has been left uncultivated for more than a year but less than five years. If the land is left uncultivated for more than five years, it would be classified as a culturable wasteland.

Ans: C

Exp:

Statement 1 is correct: There are three distinct crop seasons in the Northern and Interior parts of the country, namely kharif, rabi and zaid. 

• Kharif season largely coincides with the Southwest Monsoon, under which the cultivation of tropical crops such as rice, cotton, jute, jowar, bajra, and tur is possible.
• Rabi season begins with the onset of winter in October-November and ends in March-April. The low-temperature conditions during this season facilitate the cultivation of temperate and subtropical crops such as wheat, gram and mustard. 
• Zaid season is a short duration summer cropping season beginning after harvesting of rabi crops. The cultivation of watermelons, cucumbers, vegetables and fodder crops during this season is done on irrigated lands.

Statement 2 is correct: Unlike northern India, where there are three distinct crop seasons, this type of distinction in the cropping season does not exist in southern parts of India. In South India, the temperature is high enough to grow tropical crops at any time of the year, and what will be grown depends on the availability of soil moisture.

Ans: D

Exp:

Multi-purpose and large dam projects, launched after Independence with their integrated water resources management approach, aim for the development of agriculture and the village economy with rapid industrialisation and growth of the urban economy. The benefits of dams include:

• irrigation and electricity generation 

• water supply for domestic and industrial uses, 
• flood control, 
• Recreation,
• inland navigation and 
• fish breeding.

However, there are a few concerns such as : 

• Regulating and damming rivers affect their natural flow, causing poor sediment flow and excessive sedimentation at the bottom of the reservoir, resulting in rockier stream beds and poorer habitats for the rivers’ aquatic life. 
• Dams also fragment rivers, making it difficult for aquatic fauna to migrate, especially for spawning. The reservoirs that are created on the floodplains also submerge the existing vegetation and soil, leading to its decomposition over a period of time.

Ans: A

Exp:

In India, much of its forest and wildlife resources are either owned or managed by the government through the Forest Department or other government departments. Forests are classified into 3 categories: Reserved forests, Protected forests and Unclassed forests. 

Statement 1 is correct:  More than half of the total forest land has been declared reserved forests. Reserved forests are regarded as the most valuable as far as the conservation of forest and wildlife resources is concerned.

Statement 2 is incorrect: Reserved and protected forests are also referred to as permanent forest estates maintained for protective reasons. Madhya Pradesh has the largest area under permanent forests, constituting 75 per cent of its total forest area.

Ans: A

Exp:

Statement 1 is incorrect: Joint Forest Management (JFM) programme furnishes a good example of involving local communities in the management and restoration of degraded forests. The programme has been in formal existence since 1988. The state of Odisha passed the first resolution for joint forest management. 

Statement 2 is correct: JFM depends on the formation of local (village) institutions that undertake protection activities mostly on degraded forest land managed by the forest department. The local institutions collaborate with the forest department to jointly manage and protect the forest resources. The forest department provides technical support, expertise, and resources, while the local communities contribute their knowledge of the area, traditional practices, and labour.

Statement 3 is incorrect:  In return, the members of the communities are entitled to intermediary benefits like non-timber forest produces and share in the timber harvested by ‘successful protection’.