Question

(a) What is 'Chipko andolan'? How did it originate?
​(b) How did the 'Chipko andolan' ultimately benefit the local population? Give any two benefits.

Answer 1

(a) The Chipko Andolan originated in a remote village in Garhwal, called Reni, during early 1970s. This movement started from an incident of dispute between the local villagers and a logging contractor who had been allowed to cut trees in a forest close to the village. When the contractor's workers went to the forest to cut the trees, the women of the village reached the forest quickly and hugged the tree trunks, thus, preventing the workers from cutting the trees. Ultimately, the contractor had to withdraw. The movement soon became very popular and quickly spread to various communities across the country.

(b) The benefits to the local population from the Chipko andolan are -

• It helped in the preservation of local traditions, cultures as well as in the environment protection as the people could get basic necessities from the forest such as shelter and food for the cattles.
• This movement was also helpful in maintaining ecological balance.