📘 Q.12 IAS Prelims 2022 — Polity & Governance: Tea Board of India
🧷 Authentic Classroom Explanation by IAS Monk
📍 The Question:
With reference to the “Tea Board” in India, consider the following statements:
- The Tea Board is a statutory body.
- It is a regulatory body attached to the Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.
- The Tea Board’s Head Office is situated in Bengaluru.
- The Board has overseas offices at Dubai and Moscow.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
(a) 1 and 3
(b) 2 and 4
(c) 3 and 4
(d) 1 and 4
✅ Correct Answer: (d)
🔎 Curiosity Raiser (UPSC angle)
UPSC is checking whether you can correctly map institutions to ministries and locations, not merely recall their names.
A small mismatch in ministry or headquarters can cost the answer.
🧠 Core Concept Tested
Statutory status, administrative control, and organisational details of the Tea Board of India
🔍 Classroom Explanation (UPSC Prelims Focused)
Statement 1 ✅
- The Tea Board is a statutory body constituted under Section 4 of the Tea Act, 1953.
- It was formally set up on 1st April 1954.
👉 Statement 1 is correct.
Statement 2 ❌
- The Tea Board functions under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, not under:
- Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.
👉 Statement 2 is incorrect.
Statement 3 ❌
- The Head Office of the Tea Board is located in Kolkata (West Bengal).
- Bengaluru is not its headquarters.
👉 Statement 3 is incorrect.
Statement 4 ✅
- The Tea Board has overseas offices at:
- Dubai
- Moscow
- These offices promote export of Indian tea and act as liaison offices.
👉 Statement 4 is correct.
❌ Why the final answer is (d)
- Statements 1 and 4 are correct.
- Statements 2 and 3 are incorrect.
- Hence, option (d).
📘 Enrich Notes (Prelims Value Add)
- Tea Act, 1953 → Statutory basis of Tea Board
- Administrative Ministry → Ministry of Commerce & Industry
- Headquarters → Kolkata
- Overseas Offices → Dubai, Moscow
- Composition → MPs, producers, traders, brokers, consumers, state govt reps, trade unions
- Reconstitution → Every 3 years
📌 Prelims Recall Line
Tea Board is statutory, commerce-linked, Kolkata-based, and export-facing.
🧘♂️ IAS Monk Whisper
Institutions speak not only through their mandate,
but through the ministry they answer to.