Read the passage carefully and answer the following question:
Ralegan Siddhi is a small village in the district of Ahmadnagar, Maharashtra. It has become an example for watershed development throughout the country.
In 1975, this village was caught in a web of poverty and illicit liquor trade. The transformation took place when a retired army personnel, settled down in the village and took up the task of watershed development. He convinced villagers about the importance of family planning and voluntary labour; preventing open grazing, felling trees, and liquor prohibition.
A youth group called Tarun Mandal was formed. The group worked to ban the dowry system, caste discrimination and untouchability. Liquor distilling units were removed and the prohibition imposed. Open grazing was completely banned with a new emphasis on stall-feeding. The cultivation of water-intensive crops like sugarcane was banned. Crops such as pulses, oilseeds and certain cash crops with low water requirements were encouraged.
A Rs. 22 lakh school building was constructed using only the resources of the village. No donations were taken. Money, if needed, was borrowed and paid back. The villagers took pride in this self-reliance. A new system of sharing labour grew out of this infusion of pride and voluntary spirit. People volunteered to help each other in agricultural operation. Landless labourers also gained employment. Today the village plans to buy land for them in adjoining villages.
Cultivation of which crop was banned to overcome the water scarcity?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → Sugarcane
The passage states: “The cultivation of water-intensive crops like sugarcane was banned. Crops such as pulses, oilseeds and certain cash crops with low water requirements were encouraged.”
Sugarcane is a water-intensive crop: it needs a lot of water. Banning it saved water in the village. Pulses and oilseeds need little water, so they were encouraged, not banned.
Note 1: This passage is taken from the case study ‘Watershed Development in Ralegan Siddhi, Ahmadnagar, Maharashtra’ in the chapter ‘Water Resources’ (India: People and Economy), almost word for word.
Note 2: A similar question was also asked in CUET (UG) 2023 on 02-06-2023 (Slot 2).