On International Tourism Day (September 27, 2024) three villages in Madhya Pradesh were recognized by the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, for their outstanding sustainable tourism efforts. Which of the following village was not among them?
- (a)Pranpur
- (b)Sabarvani
- (c)Ladpura Khas
- (d)Ghogra
Correct — D, Ghogra. On World Tourism Day, 27 September 2024, the Union Ministry of Tourism announced the winners of the second edition of its Best Tourism Village Competition, and three villages of Madhya Pradesh figured among the 36 winners: Pranpur in Ashoknagar district (Craft category), and Sabarvani in Chhindwara district and Ladpura Khas in Niwari district (Responsible Tourism category). Ghogra does not appear on that list — the name is familiar in Madhya Pradesh as a waterfall site in Chhindwara district, which is what makes it a convincing decoy.
- (a)Pranpur — Pranpur was in fact honoured — the weavers' village next to Chanderi in Ashoknagar district, awarded in the Craft category for its Chanderi handloom tradition and its craft-tourism village model.
- (b)Sabarvani — Sabarvani was honoured too — a Gond tribal village in Tamia tehsil of Chhindwara district, in the buffer landscape of Satpura National Park, awarded in the Responsible Tourism category for its community homestays and village-walk model.
- (c)Ladpura Khas — Also a winner — a Bundeli village near Orchha in Niwari district, recognised in the Responsible Tourism category for homestays run by local families and cultural experiences for visitors.
The Best Tourism Village Competition is a national competition of the Union Ministry of Tourism, begun in 2023, that identifies villages practising rural, community-based and responsible tourism and supports them with recognition and capacity-building. Entries are judged across thematic categories — craft, responsible tourism, heritage, adventure, wellness and others — and the results are announced on World Tourism Day, 27 September. The 2024 edition drew 991 applications from 30 States and Union Territories and named 36 winning villages across eight categories.
The question is an 'odd one out' built on a real list, so the reliable route is to know the three winners rather than to reason about the fourth name. Madhya Pradesh's three winners map neatly onto three different tourism assets — a craft village beside Chanderi (Pranpur), a tribal village in the Satpura buffer (Sabarvani), and a heritage-adjacent village near Orchha (Ladpura Khas). Each is a village of the state's Responsible Tourism Mission, which had already built homestays and community guides in them.
- Best Tourism Village Competition — Union Ministry of Tourism; the 2024 (second) edition received 991 applications from 30 States/UTs and declared 36 winners across 8 categories, announced on World Tourism Day, 27 September 2024
- Pranpur, Ashoknagar district — Craft category; the weavers' village adjoining Chanderi, home of the Chanderi handloom saree
- Sabarvani, Tamia tehsil of Chhindwara district — Responsible Tourism category; a Gond tribal village in the Satpura National Park buffer landscape
- Ladpura Khas, Niwari district — Responsible Tourism category; a Bundeli village close to the heritage town of Orchha
- World Tourism Day is observed every year on 27 September
- Confusing the Ministry of Tourism's national competition with UN Tourism's international Best Tourism Villages list
- Misplacing the districts — Pranpur is in Ashoknagar (Chanderi), Sabarvani in Chhindwara, Ladpura Khas in Niwari
- Assuming all three villages won in the same category — Pranpur's award was for Craft, the other two for Responsible Tourism
MPPSC turns any national recognition won by a Madhya Pradesh place into a question, usually as 'which was not among them' or as a village-to-district match. Store each winner with its district and its category; UPSC, when it touches this area, asks about the scheme or the craft rather than the village.
Consider the following towns of India: 1. Bhadrachalam 2. Chanderi 3. Kancheepuram 4. Karnal Which of the above are famous for the production of traditional sarees/fabric?
- (a) 1 and 2 only
- (b) 2 and 3 only
- (c) 1, 2 and 3
- (d) 1, 3 and 4
Answer(b) 2 and 3 only — Chanderi and Kancheepuram
Same craft anchor: UPSC tested Chanderi as a traditional weaving town, and it is Chanderi's weaving that won Pranpur, the village next door, its Craft award.
Match the following districts of Madhya Pradesh with their unique product and choose the correct option: (1) Ashoknagar – (i) Bananas (2) Khargone – (ii) Maheshwari Sarees and Tiger Print (3) Burhanpur – (iii) Chanderi Sarees (4) Mandsaur – (iv) Garlic
- (a) (i) (ii) (iii) (iv)
- (b) (iii) (ii) (i) (iv)
- (c) (iv) (iii) (ii) (i)
- (d) (ii) (iii) (iv) (i)
Answer(b) (iii) (ii) (i) (iv)
The 2024 paper fixed Ashoknagar to Chanderi sarees — the same district-and-craft pairing that explains why Pranpur was honoured in the Craft category.
- practice — not a real PYQ
Pranpur village of Madhya Pradesh, recognised in the Craft category of the Best Tourism Village Competition 2024, is associated with which craft?
- (a)Chanderi handloom weaving
- (b)Bagh block printing
- (c)Gond painting
- (d)Maheshwari saree weaving
Answer(a) Chanderi handloom weaving — Pranpur adjoins Chanderi in Ashoknagar district.
- practice — not a real PYQ
Ladpura Khas, awarded in the Responsible Tourism category in 2024, lies close to which heritage town of Bundelkhand?
- (a)Orchha
- (b)Mandu
- (c)Maheshwar
- (d)Chanderi
Answer(a) Orchha — Ladpura Khas is in Niwari district, beside the Betwa-side heritage town of Orchha.