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In July 1968, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi released a special postage stamp to commemorate the:
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Answer: Option A — Wheat Revolution
Detailed Solution
In July 1968, India Post issued a special commemorative stamp titled "Wheat Revolution", released by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, to mark the record wheat harvest achieved with the new high-yielding varieties.
Background:
- In the mid-1960s, India faced severe food shortages after the droughts of 1965 and 1966 and depended heavily on wheat imports from the United States.
- From 1965-66, semi-dwarf high-yielding wheat varieties from Mexico were introduced, tested and spread rapidly, especially in Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh, along with irrigation and fertilisers.
- In 1968, India harvested a record wheat crop of about 17 million tonnes, far higher than in previous years.
- The sharp jump in wheat output was so dramatic that it was celebrated as a "Wheat Revolution", and the stamp was issued to mark this achievement.
The term "Green Revolution":
The term "Green Revolution" was coined in March 1968 by William Gaud, the administrator of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), to describe the dramatic increase in food grain production in developing countries due to new technologies.
In India, the Wheat Revolution was the first and most successful part of the Green Revolution. Rice production increased later and more slowly.
Key people:
- Norman Borlaug: developed the Mexican semi-dwarf wheat varieties (Nobel Peace Prize, 1970).
- S. Swaminathan: led the scientific effort to adapt and spread the new wheat varieties in India.
- Subramaniam: Union Agriculture Minister who gave political support to the new strategy.
- S. Athwal: plant breeder at Punjab Agricultural University, called the father of the Wheat Revolution in India.
- Varieties: Lerma Rojo 64-A and Sonora 64 (Mexican), and later Kalyan Sona and Sonalika (1967), developed from Mexican material.
Impact:
Within a few years, India became self-sufficient in food grains and stopped depending on food aid.
Why not the other options?
- ✗The White Revolution (milk) began with Operation Flood in 1970.
- ✗The Blue Revolution relates to fisheries.
- ✗The Yellow Revolution relates to oilseeds and was launched in the 1980s.
Quick tip
Remember: Wheat Revolution stamp = July 1968 (Indira Gandhi), marking the record wheat harvest; "Green Revolution" term coined by William Gaud in 1968.
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Agriculture in India — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Agriculture in India, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers agriculture in India: cropping seasons (kharif, rabi and zaid), major food and cash crops and their leading producer states, irrigation, the Green, White, Blue and other agricultural revolutions, and allied activities such as animal husbandry and fisheries. Questions usually ask which crop belongs to which season, which state is the largest producer of a crop, and which revolution relates to which product. For example, the White Revolution relates to milk and was led by Verghese Kurien, and the Blue Revolution relates to fisheries. Producer rankings can change from year to year, so check the latest data for those questions. Practise the agriculture in India questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.