RAS question
Consider the following statements about sericulture in India: 1. Karnataka is the largest producer of mulberry silk in India. 2. Muga silk, produced only in Assam, is a non-mulberry silk with GI tag protection. 3. The Central Silk Board operates under the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Correct answer: (D) 1 only.
Only Karnataka being India's largest producer of mulberry silk is correct; the Muga-only-in-Assam claim and the Agriculture Ministry claim for the Central Silk Board are incorrect.
Explanation
Karnataka leads India in mulberry silk production, so Statement 1 is correct. The Central Silk Board's Annual Report 2022-23 state-wise table places Karnataka far ahead in mulberry silk, with 11,823 MT in 2022-23. Statement 2 fails because, although Assam Muga has GI protection and Muga is a non-mulberry silk, the claim that it is produced only in Assam is too absolute; Muga is a wider North-Eastern industry, and the CSB report also discusses Muga and related support through North-Eastern units rather than limiting it to Assam alone. Statement 3 is plainly wrong because the Central Silk Board functions under the Ministry of Textiles, not the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) It includes Statement 2, whose wording is too narrow because Muga is not treated as produced only in Assam, even though Assam Muga has GI protection.
- (B) It leaves out the correct Karnataka statement and wrongly accepts Statement 3, although the Central Silk Board is under the Ministry of Textiles.
- (C) It accepts all three statements, but Statement 2 is over-specific about Assam and Statement 3 names the wrong Union ministry.
Concept
This tests economic geography of Indian sericulture and the institutional placement of sectoral boards. RAS repeats such questions because they combine state-wise production patterns, GI-linked regional products, and ministry-board mapping.