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.
Watershed management programmes do not include .....
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → Inter-linking of rivers
Option (1) Improvement of livelihood opportunities — Part of the programmes (Incorrect). This is their aim: by preventing land degradation and improving soil quality, the programmes let the land yield more, and so they improve the livelihoods of people who live from it.
Option (2) Natural resource management — Part of the programmes (Incorrect). The programmes treat land, water and vegetation as linked: saving the soil holds water, and water and soil let plants grow back. Managing these resources together is the means by which livelihoods are improved.
Option (3) Community participation — Part of the programmes (Incorrect). The work lasts only if the local people do it and guard it. In Jhabua the Bhils revived common land through their own efforts, each household planting and caring for a tree, so community participation is the second means the programmes use.
Option (4) Inter-linking of rivers — Not part of the programmes (Correct). Inter-linking of rivers transfers water from water surplus areas to water deficit areas, across river basins. A watershed programme works within one small area, caring for its own land, water and vegetation with the help of the local people.
Note: This passage is NCERT’s case study of watershed management in Jhabua district from the chapter ‘Geographical Perspective on Selected Issues and Problems’ (India – People and Economy), almost word for word. Jhabua’s watershed story walked out of the last chapter of the book and into the exam hall as five questions. Read every case study as closely as the paragraphs around it.
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.” |