Question 8 - MCQ Questions (1 Mark) - Chapter 1 Class 7 Geography - Our Environment - Geography

The chipko Movement was started in

A. Madhya Pradesh

B. Gujarat

C. Uttarakhand

D. Chhatisgarh 

Answer:

Answer by Student

The correct answer is (C) Uttarakhand .

Detailed Explanation by Teachoo

The Chipko Movement was a social and environmental movement that started in the 1970s in Uttarakhand, which was then a part of Uttar Pradesh. The movement was led by local villagers, especially women, who protested against the deforestation and commercialization of their forests by hugging the trees and preventing the loggers from cutting them. The movement was inspired by the non-violent resistance of Mahatma Gandhi and aimed to protect the ecological and economic interests of the rural communities.

Let’s check all the options:

• Option (A) Madhya Pradesh - This is not the state where the Chipko Movement started, but it is the state where another environmental movement called the Narmada Bachao Andolan (Save Narmada Movement) started in the 1980s. This movement opposed the construction of large dams on the Narmada river that threatened to displace millions of people and destroy their livelihoods and culture. So, this is incorrect .
  
  
• Option (B) Gujarat - This is not the state where the Chipko Movement started, but it is the state where another environmental movement called the Navdanya (Nine Seeds) Movement started in the 1990s. This movement was founded by Vandana Shiva, a prominent environmental activist and scholar, who advocated for organic farming, seed saving, biodiversity conservation, and farmers’ rights. So, this is incorrect .
  
  
• Option (C) Uttarakhand - This is the state where the Chipko Movement started in the 1970s in the Garhwal and Kumaon regions. The movement was initiated by Dasholi Gram Swarajya Sangh (DGSS), a cooperative organization founded by Chandi Prasad Bhatt, a Gandhian activist and leader. The movement gained momentum when Sunderlal Bahuguna, another Gandhian activist and leader, joined it and coined the slogan “ecology is permanent economy”. The movement achieved several successes, such as a 15-year ban on green felling in the Himalayan forests and recognition of the villagers’ rights to forest resources. So, this is correct .
  
  
• Option (D) Chhattisgarh - This is not the state where the Chipko Movement started, but it is the state where another environmental movement called the Jungle Bachao Andolan (Save Forest Movement) started in the 1980s. This movement was led by tribal communities who resisted the mining and industrial activities that threatened to destroy their forests and lands. The movement also demanded autonomy and self-governance for the tribal regions. So, this is incorrect .

Thus, option (C) is correct .