Consider the following statements: 1) The Accelerated Irrigation Benefits Programme was launched during 1996-97 to provide loan assistance to poor farmers. 2) The Command Area Development Programme was launched in 1974-75 for the development of water-use efficiency. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

The correct answer is B (2 only). Statement 2 is correct and statement 1 is wrong.

• Statement 1 is wrong. The Accelerated Irrigation Benefits Programme (AIBP) was launched in 1996-97 to give central loan assistance to states so they could complete ongoing major and medium irrigation projects that were stuck for want of funds. It was never a scheme for loans to poor farmers. Farmer-level credit comes from a different channel, such as Kisan Credit Cards and NABARD refinance. AIBP was later subsumed into the irrigation component of PMKSY (2015-16), so check the current status if a question asks about it.
• Statement 2 is correct. The Command Area Development Programme was started in 1974-75 to fix the gap between irrigation potential created and irrigation actually used. Its focus is on field channels, warabandi, land levelling and on-farm water management, which together raise water-use efficiency in the command area.

The core concept is the difference between creating irrigation potential (dams, canals) and utilising it (field-level infrastructure and water management). This links directly to Mains GS-3 questions on irrigation efficiency, the PMKSY's "per drop more crop" approach, and the reasons for the gap between potential and utilised irrigation.

Trap: Aspirants see the word "accelerated" and "benefits" and assume it is a farmer-credit scheme. Keep AIBP tied to states and projects, not individual farmers.