RAS question
On its tenth anniversary on April 14, 2026, e-NAM linked how many mandis across States and Union Territories?
Correct answer: (B) 1,656.
By March 2026, e-NAM had integrated 1,656 mandis across 23 States and 4 Union Territories.
Explanation
The PIB backgrounder on the National Agriculture Market states that e-NAM had integrated 1,656 mandis across 23 States and 4 Union Territories by March 2026. This is the relevant mandi-network count. The number matters because e-NAM links mandis to a unified national electronic trading platform, supporting online trade, price discovery, quality assaying, competitive bidding, real-time bid tracking and direct electronic payment to farmers. Its scale is also reflected in the onboarded base of over 1.80 crore farmers and cumulative trade worth Rs 4.84 lakh crore from 2016 to March 2026. Therefore, among the four options, 1,656 is correct.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) 1,148 understates the PIB-backed figure; the reported integrated mandi count by March 2026 was 1,656.
- (C) 2,015 overstates the reported network size; PIB reported 1,656 mandis, not a figure above two thousand.
- (D) 1,328 is below the reported total and does not match the PIB figure of 1,656 mandis across 23 States and 4 Union Territories.
Concept
This tests agricultural market reforms under the Indian Economy syllabus, especially digital mandi integration through e-NAM. RAS often asks such scheme-scale figures because they connect policy design with measurable implementation.