Read the passage and answer the questions:
Rural Development
Jhabua district is located in the westernmost agro-climatic zone in Madhya Pradesh. It is, in fact, one of the five most backward districts of the country. It is characterized by high concentration of tribal population (mostly Bhils). The people suffer due to poverty, which has been accentuated by the high rate of resource degradation, both forest and land. Watershed management programmes funded by both the Ministries of “Rural Development” and “Agriculture”, Government of India, have been successfully implemented in Jhabua district which has gone a long way in preventing land degradation and improving soil quality. Watershed management programmes acknowledge the linkage between land, water, and vegetation and attempt to improve livelihoods through natural resource management and community participation. In the past five years, the programmes funded by the Ministry of Rural Development alone (implemented by Rajiv Gandhi Mission for Watershed Management) has treated 20% of the total area under Jhabua district.
Which of the following is responsible for poverty in tribal districts?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → Land and Forest degradation
Option (1) Land degradation only — Incorrect. The word ‘only’ leaves out the forests, which are degrading too.
Option (2) Forest degradation only — Incorrect. The word ‘only’ leaves out the land.
Option (3) Land and Forest degradation — Correct. The tribal people of these districts live from the land and the forest. When the soil loses its quality and the forest thins, both give them less, so their means of living shrink. That is how their poverty has been accentuated by the high rate of resource degradation, both forest and land; checking land degradation and improving soil quality is what the watershed programmes set out to do.
Option (4) Water quality degradation — Incorrect. The resources named are forest and land, not water.
NCERT (2025-26): “A Case Study … Jhabua district is located in the westernmost agro-climatic zone in Madhya Pradesh. It is, in fact, one of the five most backward districts of the country. It is characterised by high concentration of tribal population (mostly Bhils). The people suffer due to poverty which has been accentuated by the high rate of resource degradation, both forest and land. The watershed management programmes funded by both the ministries of ‘Rural Development’ and ‘Agriculture’, Government of India, have been successfully implemented in Jhabua district which has gone a long way in preventing land degradation and improving soil quality. Watershed Management Programmes acknowledge the linkage between land, water and vegetation and attempts to improve livelihoods of people through natural resource management and community participation. In the past five years, the programmes funded by the Ministry of Rural Development alone (implemented by Rajiv Gandhi Mission for Watershed Management) has treated 20 per cent of the total area under Jhabua district.” |