With what purpose is the Government of India promoting the concept of "Mega Food Parks”? 1) To provide good infrastructure facilities for the food processing industry. 2) To increase the processing of perishable items and reduce wastage. 3) To provide emerging and eco-friendly food processing technologies to entrepreneurs. Select the correct answer using the codes given below:

The correct answer is D (1, 2 and 3), because all three statements describe the stated purpose of the Mega Food Park scheme run by the Ministry of Food Processing Industries.

• Statement 1 is correct. The scheme provides a common, well-developed infrastructure (processing centres, cold chain, warehousing, testing labs) that individual units can use.
• Statement 2 is correct. The hub-and-spoke model is meant to add value to farm produce close to the source and cut post-harvest losses of perishables such as fruits, vegetables and dairy.
• Statement 3 is correct. The parks are meant to give entrepreneurs access to modern and eco-friendly processing technologies that they could not afford alone.

The core concept here is the hub-and-spoke model: a central processing hub with primary processing centres (spokes) at the farm end. This links to the Mains theme of farm-gate value addition, doubling farmers' income, and reducing food wastage in the supply chain. Since the scheme's guidelines have been revised over time, check the current scheme details before relying on exact numbers or funding norms.

Trap: Candidates often treat the scheme as only an infrastructure programme and mark option A. The question asks for all stated objectives, and all three statements are part of the official purpose.