Question

Read the paragraph below and answer the following question.
                                                                                       CHIPKO MOVEMENT 
The unusually heavy monsoon of 1970 precipitated the most devastating flood in living memory. In the Alaknanda valley, water inundated 100 square kilometers of land, washed away 6 metal bridges and 10 kilometers of motor roads, 24 buses and several other vehicles, 366 houses collapsed, and 500 acres of standing paddy crops were destroyed. The loss of human and bovine life was considerable. 
The 1970 floods mark a turning-point in the ecological history of the region. Villagers, who bore the brunt of the damage, were beginning to perceive the hitherto tenuous links between deforestation, landslides and floods. It was observed that some of the villages most affected by landslides lay directly below forests where forests felling operations had taken place. 
The villagers’ cause was taken up by the Dashaulti Gram Swarajya Sangh (DGSS), a cooperative organisation based in Chamoli district. 
Despite these early protests, the government went ahead with the yearly auction of forests in November. One of the plots scheduled to be assigned was the Reni Forest. 
The contractors’ men who were travelling to Reni from Joshimath spotted the bus shortly before Reni. Skirt ing the village, they made for the forest. A small girl who spied the workers with their implements rushed to Gaura Devi, the head of the village Mahila Mandal (Women’s Club). Gaura Devi quickly mobilised the other housewives and went to the forest. Pleading with the labourers not to start felling operations, the women initially met with abuse and threats. When the women refused to budge, the men were eventually forced to retire.
The Chipko Movement was about ‘red’ issues. Identify what is meant by ‘red’ issues?

• A. Climate change issues
• B. Forest-preservation issues
• C. Water conservation issues
• D. Subsistence and livelihood issues

Hint:

When studying the Chipko Movement, remember that the primary concern was the protection of forests, which were essential to the survival of the local communities. The movement emphasized environmental conservation and its direct link to the subsistence needs of the people.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is B

The Chipko Movement primarily focused on forest-preservation issues. The movement was a response to the destruction of forests by logging and the impact this had on the local communities' livelihood. The term 'red issues' refers to the environmental struggles for conservation, particularly in the context of protecting forests, which were being affected by deforestation and related ecological problems.