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 fighting social inequality and powerlessness”. Identify the main actors of this struggle:

• A. Local people vs panchayat
• B. Local people vs money lenders
• C. Local people vs forest contractors
• D. Local people vs government

Hint:

When studying social movements like the Chipko Movement, focus on the specific groups in conflict and their respective roles. In this case, it was the local communities fighting against external contractors and government-backed exploitation of resources.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is C

The Chipko Movement was primarily a struggle between local communities and forest contractors. The villagers, particularly the women, mobilized to prevent the felling of trees by contractors who were hired by the government to auction the forests. The struggle was about protecting their environment and livelihood, against external forces that were exploiting the local resources. This led to the movement's direct confrontation with the forest contractors who were responsible for the destruction of the forests.