๐ Q.11 IAS Prelims 2024 โ Economics (Sectors of Indian Economy)
๐งท Authentic Classroom Explanation by IAS Monk
๐ The Question:
With reference to the sectors of the Indian economy, consider the following pairs:
| Economic Activity | Sector |
|---|---|
| 1. Storage of agricultural produce | Secondary |
| 2. Dairy farm | Primary |
| 3. Mineral exploration | Tertiary |
| 4. Weaving cloth | Secondary |
How many of the pairs given above are correctly matched?
(a) Only one
(b) Only two
(c) Only three
(d) All four
โ Correct Answer: (c) Only three
๐ง Curiosity Raiser
Why does UPSC confuse storage, exploration, and processing across sectors?
๐ Because sector classification depends on the nature of activity, not on where it happens or how modern it looks.
๐ Enrichment Notes (Concept Precision)
๐น Understanding the Three Sectors (UPSC Lens)
๐ข Primary Sector
- Directly exploits natural resources
- Examples:
- Agriculture
- Dairy farming
- Fishing
- Mining (extraction)
โ Pair 2: Dairy farm โ Correctly matched
๐ Secondary Sector
- Converts raw materials into finished or semi-finished goods
- Manufacturing & processing
- Examples:
- Spinning
- Weaving
- Factories
โ Pair 4: Weaving cloth โ Correctly matched
๐ต Tertiary Sector
- Service-based activities
- Supports Primary & Secondary sectors
- Examples:
- Transport
- Storage
- Banking
- Trade
- Consultancy
- Technical services
โ Pair 1: Storage of agricultural produce โ Incorrectly matched
๐ Storage is a service, hence tertiary, not secondary.
โ Pair 3: Mineral exploration โ Correctly matched
๐ Important UPSC nuance:
- Mining โ Primary
- Mineral exploration โ knowledge-intensive, survey, consultancy โ Tertiary
๐งฉ Final Tally
| Pair | Status |
|---|---|
| 1 | โ Incorrect |
| 2 | โ Correct |
| 3 | โ Correct |
| 4 | โ Correct |
โก๏ธ Correct pairs = 3
๐งโโ๏ธ IAS Monk Whisper
What extracts is primary, what transforms is secondary, what supports is tertiary.















