According to India’s National Policy on Biofuels, which of the following can be used as raw materials for the production of biofuels? 1) Cassava 2) Damaged wheat grains 3) Groundnut seeds 4) Horse gram 5) Rotten potatoes 6) Sugar beet Select the correct answer using the code given below:

The answer is A (1, 2, 5 and 6 only). The National Policy on Biofuels, 2018, classifies feedstock by type. Sugar-containing materials such as sugar beet and sweet sorghum, and starch-containing materials such as cassava, damaged wheat grains and rotten potatoes unfit for human consumption, are permitted for ethanol production.

• 1 Cassava: starchy feedstock, permitted for ethanol.
• 2 Damaged wheat grains: permitted for ethanol because they are unfit for food use. The policy deliberately keeps edible food grains out.
• 3 Groundnut seeds: wrong. This is an edible oilseed. The policy restricts biodiesel to non-edible oils and bars food crops.
• 4 Horse gram: wrong. It is a pulse, which is a food crop, so it is excluded.
• 5 Rotten potatoes: permitted, since the policy allows spoiled, unfit-for-consumption starchy produce.
• 6 Sugar beet: a classic sugar-containing feedstock for ethanol.

The core concept is the food-versus-fuel principle. Connect it to Mains GS-3 on food security, agriculture and energy security. Note that the 2018 list was later relaxed in 2021-22 to allow surplus FCI rice and maize for ethanol, so the question is framed on the 2018 policy text.

Trap: aspirants pick option D because all six look like crops or agricultural produce. The real filter is whether the material is edible.