Question

Chipko Andolan originated in
a) Karnataka
b) Uttarakhand
c) Kerala
d) Rajasthan

Answer 1

Hint: Chipko andolan was a movement started for forest conservation in India. This movement started in the rural villages and further spread to the whole country.

Complete answer:
To answer this question, we must know about the movement and why it started.
Chipko Movement was a non- violent ecological movement which aimed in protecting trees and forests. The word Chipko means “to hug”. This movement was started in 1970 in the rural villages of Himalayan regions of Uttar Pradesh now called Uttarakhand, India. As the forest and forest produce was the main source of livelihood, people started this movement so as to protect forest and earn their livelihood. In this movement, the protestors mainly the women embraced the trees so as to prevent it from cutting.
The andolan further spread to many parts of the country and the government had to think seriously about the importance of forest produce. The local villagers who earn livelihood from forests were greatly benefitted. As a result of this movement, the environment was saved and conserved from great damage. This in the long run improved the quality of soil and increased the water resources naturally.

Additional information:
Chipko type of movement was also started in Rajasthan in the eighteenth century where a tribe of people sacrificed their lives to save trees.

Thus, the correct answer is (B). The Chipko andolan originated in Uttarakhand.

Note: Chipko movement spread to all over India. It has inspired many activists to work on nature conservation programmes like water management etc. It also encouraged students to study and research on several new methods of conservation.