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 has also been identified as a Green issue. Identify the reason behind this.

• A. It sought to empower the powerless villagers
• B. It sought shelter from the villagers’ profits from selling timber
• C. It sought to highlight the villager’s respect for the forest as a form of wealth other than money
• D. It was supported by villagers and not urban dwellers

Hint:

When studying environmental movements, pay attention to the core values they advocate for. In the case of Chipko, the respect for forests as a non-material source of wealth was central to their fight.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is C

The Chipko Movement was driven by the villagers' deep respect for the forests and their recognition of the forest as an essential resource that went beyond just economic profit. The movement highlighted the idea that the forest represented wealth in a non-material sense, through providing sustenance and ecological balance, rather than simply being a source of timber for economic gain. This principle aligned with the broader environmental and "green" perspective of valuing nature.