'Adivasis faced exploitation at the hands of colonial government.' In regard to this statement, arrange the following in the correct sequence:
(A) Forests were now to be protected for maximising timber production
(B) With this policy, the mainstay of their livelihoods was taken away from adivasis, rendering their lives poorer and more insecure
(C) Denied access to forests and land for cultivation, adivasis were forced to either use the forests illegally or migrate in search of wage labour
(D) From the late 19th century onwards, colonial government reserved most forest tracts for its own use
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → (D), (A), (B), (C)
(D) From the late 19th century onwards, colonial government reserved most forest tracts for its own use — the first step. By reserving the forests, the colonial government cut off the rights that adivasis had long exercised to gather forest produce and practise shifting cultivation.
(A) Forests were now to be protected for maximising timber production — the second step, the purpose of the reservation: the forests were now to serve the government’s timber needs.
(B) With this policy, the mainstay of their livelihoods was taken away from adivasis, rendering their lives poorer and more insecure — the third step, the result of ‘this policy’: the forest had been the mainstay of their livelihood.
(C) Denied access to forests and land for cultivation, adivasis were forced to either use the forests illegally or migrate in search of wage labour — the last step. With no lawful access left, they were harassed as ‘encroachers’ and thieves or had to leave in search of wage labour.
NCERT (2025-26): “Adivasi Struggles … From the late nineteenth century onwards, the colonial government reserved most forest tracts for its own use, severing the rights that adivasis had long exercised to use the forest for gathering produce and for shifting cultivation. Forests were now to be protected for maximising timber production. With this policy, the mainstay of their livelihoods was taken away from adivasis, rendering their lives poorer and more insecure. Denied access to forests and land for cultivation, adivasis were forced to either use the forests illegally (and be harassed and prosecuted as ‘encroachers’ and thieves) or migrate in search of wage labour.…” |