Direction for the following 7 (seven) items: Read the following five passages and answer the items (21-27) that follow. Your answers to these items should be based on the passages only.

Many opportunities to harness the highly skewed, seasonal and spatial distribution of monsoon flows, which occur in a four-month period from June to September annually, have been lost. Since these few months account for most of the rainfall and consequent freshwater availability, the need for holding rainwater in reservoirs, for subsequently releasing it for use over the year, is a necessity nobody can afford to overlook. Climate change will continue to affect weather conditions and create water shortages and excesses. While millions suffer from droughts and floods, waters in the country’s many rivers flow unutilized, and are discharged into the sea every year.

With reference to the above passage, which of the following could be the most rational and practical implications for India?
1. Inter-linking of rivers should be undertaken.
2. A network of dams and canals should be built across the country for proper distribution of water.
3. Farmers should be provided easy loans for digging borewells.
4. Usage of water for agriculture should be regulated by law.
5. Distribution of river water among regions should be regulated by the Union Government.
Select the correct answer using the code given below.

The correct answer is 1 and 2.

Step-by-Step Explanation:

1. Analyzing the Passage:
The passage emphasizes the following key points:
• Monsoon rainfall in India is highly skewed, seasonal, and spatially distributed (occurring mainly over a four-month period from June to September).
• There is a critical necessity to store/hold rainwater in reservoirs to release it throughout the year when needed.
• Climate change aggravates water shortages (droughts) and excesses (floods).
• Huge amounts of river water flow unutilized and discharge into the sea every year while millions suffer from droughts and floods.

2. Evaluating the Options/Implications based on the Passage:
• Statement 1 ("Inter-linking of rivers should be undertaken"): The passage directly points out that river waters flow unutilized into the sea while some regions face droughts and others face floods. Inter-linking rivers helps transfer excess water from surplus river basins to water-scarce basins. Thus, this is a rational and practical implication derived directly from the passage.
• Statement 2 ("A network of dams and canals should be built across the country for proper distribution of water"): The passage explicitly highlights that "the need for holding rainwater in reservoirs, for subsequently releasing it for use over the year, is a necessity nobody can afford to overlook." Dams act as reservoirs for holding rainwater, and canals serve as the network for distribution. Therefore, statement 2 is directly supported by the passage.
• Statement 3 ("Farmers should be provided easy loans for digging borewells"): Digging more borewells leads to over-exploitation of groundwater, which is not mentioned or implied as a solution for managing unutilized river water or monsoon flows in the passage.
• Statement 4 ("Usage of water for agriculture should be regulated by law"): Regulating agricultural water usage by law is a policy measure that goes beyond the scope of storing and managing seasonal river/monsoon flows described in the passage.
• Statement 5 ("Distribution of river water among regions should be regulated by the Union Government"): While river water disputes exist, the passage focuses on structural management of water excess/shortage (holding water and preventing unutilized discharge into the sea), not political/constitutional governance of river water distribution by the Union Government.

Conclusion:
Statements 1 and 2 are the most rational and practical implications directly addressing the issues highlighted in the passage. Hence, the correct combination is 1 and 2.