Question

Bindhu lives near the forest. She goes everyday to pick leaves and branches to use in the kitchen as firewood. But after the year 1865, she has often been stopped and treated badly when she goes to the forests by officials. Why was she being stopped?

• A. She was foraging in village forests.
• B. She was foraging in reserved forests.
• C. She was foraging in the British private land.
• D. All of the above.

Answer 1

The correct option is B She was foraging in reserved forests.

The Indian Forest Act of 1865 was used by the British to restrict movement of the natives. Through the amendment of 1878, forests were divided into three parts. These were reserved, protected and village. The protected and village forests were the only ones which allowed any human foraging. But this caused problems to the tribals as they were still restricted by corrupt officers and could not continue to collect resources.