Select the incorrect statement regarding the Rajasthan Forestry and Biodiversity Project (Phase-2).

Correct — option (2), It covers 18 districts and 8 wild-life sanctuaries.

The Rajasthan Forest Department's project page states that the Rajasthan Forestry and Biodiversity Project (Phase-2) is being implemented in 15 districts and 7 wildlife sanctuaries. Both numbers in option (2) differ from that.

The page names them as 10 desert districts (Sikar, Jhunjhunu, Churu, Jalore, Barmer, Jodhpur, Pali, Nagaur, Jaisalmer and Bikaner) and 5 non-desert districts (Banswara, Dungarpur, Bhilwara, Sirohi and Jaipur).

The page's 7 sanctuaries are Kumbhalgarh, Fulwari Ki Nal, Jaisamand, Sitamata, Bassi, Keladevi and Raoli Todgarh, and it places project activities in 650 selected villages.

The project's Annual Report 2019-20 & 2020-21 gives a different district count, 20, in its prologue, without explaining the difference, and also gives 7 sanctuaries. Neither source gives 18 districts or 8 sanctuaries.

The other three statements match the project's own records.

The idea to remember: RFBP-2 is JICA-assisted and began in 2011-12; both project sources give 7 wildlife sanctuaries, and the Forest Department page lists 15 districts.

Why the others are wrong

• (1)
  It is assisted by Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA). — This statement is correct, so it is not the answer. The Government of Rajasthan received a loan from JICA through the Government of India for the project.

  Of the original outlay of Rs 1,152.53 crore for 2011-12 to 2018-19, JICA's loan share was Rs 884.77 crore and the State Government's Rs 267.76 crore. JICA's official name is Japan International Cooperation Agency; the Forest Department's page uses "Japanese", as the option does.

• (3)
  Abheda and Machia Biological Parks have been developed under the project. — This statement is correct, so it is not the answer. The project's annual report for 2019-20 and 2020-21 says RFBP-2 created Machia Biological Park, Jodhpur, and lists the development of Abheda Biological Park, Kota, among its activities in 2020-21.

  The same report credits the project with the Sajjangarh (Udaipur) and Nahargarh (Jaipur) biological parks. It records Machia's inauguration on 20 January 2016.

• (4)
  Water Conservation has also been incorporated in the project. — This statement is correct, so it is not the answer. The Forest Department lists soil and water conservation among the project's fields of activity, along with afforestation, biodiversity conservation, and poverty alleviation and livelihood improvement.

  Its water conservation works include anicuts, check dams, contour bunding, percolation tanks, and renovation of traditional water harvesting structures.

The Rajasthan Forestry and Biodiversity Project (Phase-2), or RFBP-2, is an externally aided forestry project. Its objective is to enhance forest area and livelihood opportunities of forest-dependent people, and to conserve biodiversity, through the Joint Forest Management (JFM) approach.

Under JFM, village communities share in protecting and managing forests. The Forest Department's project pages describe RFBP-2 working through Village Forest Protection and Management Committees and, around sanctuaries, Eco-Development Committees.

In that design, Self-Help Groups formed from the members of these committees take up livelihood activities, and non-government organisations help mobilise the communities.

Key facts

• The Rajasthan Forest Department lists RFBP-2's area as 15 districts (10 desert, 5 non-desert) and 7 wildlife sanctuaries.
• The seven sanctuaries: Kumbhalgarh, Fulwari Ki Nal, Jaisamand, Sitamata, Bassi, Keladevi and Raoli Todgarh.
• Original outlay: Rs 1,152.53 crore for 2011-12 to 2018-19, of which JICA's loan was Rs 884.77 crore and the State's share Rs 267.76 crore.
• The Forest Department page places project activities in 650 selected villages; the project uses the Joint Forest Management approach.
• The project's annual report says RFBP-2 created Machia Biological Park, Jodhpur, which was inaugurated on 20 January 2016.

Common traps

• Check both numbers. The project's sources give 15 or 20 districts and 7 wildlife sanctuaries, and a statement can be wrong on either count.
• Project sources differ on the district count: the Forest Department's project-area page lists 15, while the project's 2019-20 & 2020-21 annual report says 20. Neither gives 18, and both give 7 sanctuaries.
• JICA's official name is Japan International Cooperation Agency. "Japanese International Cooperation Agency" also appears on the Forest Department's own page, so the variant wording does not make a statement false.

UnlockIAS will link similar questions from RAS Pre 2018 and 2016 here once those papers are published on this site.

• practice — not a real PYQ

  The Rajasthan Forestry and Biodiversity Project (Phase-2), begun in 2011-12, received loan assistance from

  • (a)World Bank
  • (b)Asian Development Bank
  • (c)Japan International Cooperation Agency
  • (d)International Fund for Agricultural Development
  Answer(3) — The Government of Rajasthan received a loan from JICA, through the Government of India, for RFBP-2. Options (1), (2) and (4) are other international lenders, but none of them is the funding partner of this project.
• practice — not a real PYQ

  Which of the following wildlife sanctuaries is part of the project area of the Rajasthan Forestry and Biodiversity Project (Phase-2)?

  • (a)Kumbhalgarh
  • (b)Tal Chhapar
  • (c)Van Vihar
  • (d)Jawahar Sagar
  Answer(1) — Kumbhalgarh is one of the project's seven sanctuaries, with Fulwari Ki Nal, Jaisamand, Sitamata, Bassi, Keladevi and Raoli Todgarh. Options (2), (3) and (4) are wildlife sanctuaries of Rajasthan that are not on the project's list.