MPPSC 2021 Prelims Q31: Which of the following districts does NOT have a Baiga

Q: What is the answer to MPPSC 2021 Prelims Q31?

C. Correct — C, Raisen. The Baiga Development Agency is a special tribal-welfare administrative unit set up in the districts where the Baiga — a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG) — are concentrated: Mandla, Dindori, Balaghat and Shahdol, the core of the 'Baiga-Chak' belt in the Central Indian highlands. Raisen, in central MP near Bhopal, has no significant Baiga population, so it has no such agency.

MPPSC 2021 Prelims Paper-I · Question 31 of 100

Verified against the official question paper. Answer as per the official MPPSC answer key.

Which of the following districts does NOT have a Baiga Development Agency?

(a)Mandla
(b)Shahdol
(c)Raisen
(d)Balaghat

Answer

Why

Correct — C, Raisen. The Baiga Development Agency is a special tribal-welfare administrative unit set up in the districts where the Baiga — a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG) — are concentrated: Mandla, Dindori, Balaghat and Shahdol, the core of the 'Baiga-Chak' belt in the Central Indian highlands. Raisen, in central MP near Bhopal, has no significant Baiga population, so it has no such agency.

Why the others are wrong

(a)Mandla — Wrong — Mandla is at the heart of the Baiga-Chak belt and has a Baiga Development Agency.
(b)Shahdol — Wrong — Shahdol has a substantial Baiga population and its own Baiga Development Agency.
(d)Balaghat — Wrong — Balaghat is also a Baiga-majority district covered by a Baiga Development Agency.

Concept

The Baiga are a PVTG native to the Central Indian highlands, traditionally practising bewar (shifting) cultivation. Madhya Pradesh runs dedicated Baiga Development Agencies — separate from ordinary district administration — in the districts of Baiga concentration, to target land, livelihood and welfare support at the community.

MPPSC frames this as an 'odd one out': three options are genuine Baiga-heartland districts and one lies outside that belt — spotting the outlier (Raisen) is the whole question.

Key facts

Baiga: a PVTG concentrated in the Mandla-Dindori-Balaghat-Shahdol belt of MP, called 'Baiga-Chak'
Baiga Development Agencies are set up in these Baiga-concentration districts for targeted welfare
Raisen district, near Bhopal, lies outside the Baiga habitat belt
Madhya Pradesh has 3 PVTGs: Baiga, Bharia (Patalkot, Chhindwara) and Sahariya (Gwalior-Chambal)

Baiga tribal man of Madhya Pradesh in traditional headdress and beadwork, one of the state's Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups covered by Baiga Development Agencies

Study next

Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) of Madhya Pradesh: Baiga, Bharia, SahariyaForest Rights Act 2006 and tribal Habitat RightsBewar (shifting) cultivation and forest-conservation conflictDistrict-wise tribal population concentration in MPTribal welfare institutions: TRIFED, District Tribal Welfare offices

Common traps

Assuming every central-MP district with a tribal population has a Baiga agency — the agency is Baiga-specific, not general-tribal
Confusing the Baiga-Chak belt (Mandla-Dindori-Balaghat-Shahdol) with MP's tribal belt in general

MPPSC frequently asks 'which district does NOT have X agency/scheme' — memorise the belt, not just the tribe name.

Related PYQs

No directly related past PYQ was found.

Practice

practice — not a real PYQ
Which of the following is a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG) of Madhya Pradesh?
- (a)Gond
- (b)Baiga
- (c)Bhil
- (d)Korku
Answer(b) Baiga — one of MP's 3 PVTGs (with Bharia and Sahariya); Gond, Bhil and Korku are numerically large MP tribes but not classified as PVTGs.
practice — not a real PYQ
The Baiga tribe of Madhya Pradesh is traditionally associated with which form of cultivation?
- (a)Jhum cultivation
- (b)Bewar (shifting) cultivation
- (c)Terrace cultivation
- (d)Contract farming
Answer(b) Bewar cultivation — the shifting/slash-and-burn method traditionally practised by the Baiga in central India.