Q.Explain the features of the Green Revolution in India and discuss its limitations.
The Green Revolution, beginning in the mid-to-late 1960s, rested on an integrated technology package with several distinct features. High-yielding variety (HYV) seeds were the core innovation -- genetically improved seeds bred to give much higher yields when grown with adequate water and fertiliser. This required assured irrigation, since HYV seeds cannot deliver their potential yield under uncertain rainfall, so canal and tube-well irrigation expanded rapidly in adopting regions. The package also relied on greater and more balanced use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides, along with growing mechanisation -- more tractors, pump-sets, and threshers, particularly in irrigated tracts. Finally, price support and procurement -- the government announcing a Minimum Support Price and actually purchasing wheat and rice -- gave farmers a reliable, remunerative market for their additional output, encouraging continued adoption of the new technology.
The Green Revolution's limitations are equally well documented. Regional disparity was significant: the benefits were concentrated mainly in already well-irrigated states such as Punjab, Haryana, and western Uttar Pradesh, while rain-fed regions gained comparatively little. Crop disparity was also notable, since the package worked best for wheat and, later, rice, while pulses and oilseeds were relatively neglected -- one reason for their slower long-run productivity growth. There was also inequality among farmers: large farmers with access to irrigation, credit, and inputs adopted the technology more easily than small and marginal farmers, widening income gaps within the farming community. Finally, the Green Revolution raised genuine environmental concerns -- intensive irrigation contributed to groundwater depletion in several regions, and heavy fertiliser and pesticide use raised concerns about long-term soil health and water quality.
The Green Revolution's features were HYV seeds, assured irrigation, fertiliser/pesticide use, mechanisation, and price support; its limitations were regional disparity (concentrated in Punjab/Haryana/western UP), crop disparity (favouring wheat/rice over pulses/oilseeds), rising farmer-level inequality, and environmental strain (groundwater depletion, soil/water quality concerns).
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