UKPSC Prelims 2024 General Studies Paper-I · Question 20 of 147

Correct — A, U.S. Nagar, Dehradun, Pithoragarh, Chamoli.

Census 2011 gives each district's Scheduled Tribe share as: Udham Singh Nagar 7.5% (123,037 of 1,648,902), Dehradun 6.6% (111,663 of 1,696,694), Pithoragarh 4.0% (19,535 of 483,439) and Chamoli 3.1% (12,260 of 391,605). Read downward, that is U.S. Nagar, Dehradun, Pithoragarh, Chamoli.

The idea to carry away: Uttarakhand's tribal population is concentrated in the Terai and the Doon, not in the high Himalaya. The Tharu and Buksa of Udham Singh Nagar and the Jaunsari of Jaunsar-Bawar outnumber the Bhotia of the border valleys many times over.

Each of these four districts sits above the state figure of 2.9% (291,903 of 10,086,292). The other nine districts are at about 1% or less, so these four are the top four of the state.

• (b)
  Dehradun, U.S. Nagar, Pithoragarh, Chamoli — This swaps the top pair. Dehradun has more people than Udham Singh Nagar (1,696,694 against 1,648,902) but fewer tribal residents (111,663 against 123,037), spread over that larger base. Its share of 6.6% therefore trails U.S. Nagar's 7.5%.

  This sequence is the correct answer to descending order of total population (Census 2011) for the same four districts. The stem asks for a share, so the larger base works against Dehradun, not for it.

• (c)
  U.S. Nagar, Dehradun, Chamoli, Pithoragarh — Top pair right, bottom pair reversed. Pithoragarh's share is 4.0% (19,535 tribal residents) against Chamoli's 3.1% (12,260). The Bhotia are the main tribe in each, but Pithoragarh's valleys of Johar, Darma, Byans and Chaudans hold the larger Bhotia population, and the district is also the main home of the Raji.

  Chamoli's Niti and Mana valleys are well known Bhotia country, which is the pull of this option, but the figures put Pithoragarh ahead of Chamoli on ST share.

• (d)
  Dehradun, Chamoli, Pithoragarh, U.S. Nagar — This places Udham Singh Nagar last when it is first, and Dehradun first when it is second. The Terai district holds the state's largest tribal population, 123,037 people, chiefly Tharu and Buksa, and the highest share, 7.5%.

  This sequence is the correct answer to descending order of literacy rate (Census 2011): Dehradun 84.25%, Chamoli 82.65%, Pithoragarh 82.25%, U.S. Nagar 73.10%. The Terai's low literacy is a separate fact from its high tribal share.

The percentage of Scheduled Tribe population to total population is a district's ST count divided by its total population. It is a share, not a headcount. A district with a very large population can rank low despite a sizeable tribal count, and a small district can rank high with a modest one.

For these four Uttarakhand districts the two measures happen to agree: U.S. Nagar leads Dehradun on count and on share, and Pithoragarh leads Chamoli on count and on share. Elsewhere in the state they can diverge, so the stem's wording decides which measure to use.

• Census 2011: Udham Singh Nagar had 123,037 Scheduled Tribe persons, 7.5% of its 1,648,902 people, the highest share of any Uttarakhand district.
• Dehradun had 111,663 ST persons, 6.6% of 1,696,694; the Jaunsari are its largest tribe, followed by the Buksa.
• Pithoragarh had 19,535 ST persons, 4.0% of 483,439; the Bhotia are its largest tribe, followed by the Raji.
• Chamoli had 12,260 ST persons, 3.1% of 391,605, mostly Bhotia.
• Uttarakhand's ST population in 2011 was 291,903, 2.9% of 10,086,292.
• Uttarakhand's five notified Scheduled Tribes are Bhotia, Buksa, Jaunsari, Raji and Tharu; Buksa and Raji are Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups.
• By total population (2011) the same four districts run Dehradun, U.S. Nagar, Pithoragarh, Chamoli, which is the sequence in option (b).
• By literacy rate (2011) they run Dehradun 84.25%, Chamoli 82.65%, Pithoragarh 82.25%, U.S. Nagar 73.10%, which is the sequence in option (d).
• By population density (2011) they run U.S. Nagar 649, Dehradun 549, Pithoragarh 68, Chamoli 49 per sq km, the same sequence as the ST-share answer.

• Ranking Dehradun above U.S. Nagar because it is the capital and has the larger total population; the stem asks for a share, and Dehradun's larger base dilutes its 111,663 tribal residents below U.S. Nagar's 7.5%.
• Assuming the high-Himalayan Bhotia districts, Chamoli and Pithoragarh, must lead because they are the classic tribal country; the Terai and Doon tribes are several times more numerous.
• Reversing Chamoli and Pithoragarh: Chamoli's Niti and Mana valleys are well known, but Pithoragarh holds the larger Bhotia population plus the Raji, giving it the higher share (4.0% against 3.1%).
• Reading 'descending' as 'ascending': the reversed sequence would end with U.S. Nagar, which is the shape of option (d), a sequence that is actually the literacy order.

• practice — not a real PYQ

  According to Census of India 2011, which district of Uttarakhand has the highest percentage of Scheduled Tribe population to its total population?

  • (a)Dehradun
  • (b)Udham Singh Nagar
  • (c)Pithoragarh
  • (d)Chamoli
  Answerb — Udham Singh Nagar's 123,037 tribal residents are 7.5% of its population, the highest share in the state. Dehradun (a) is second at 6.6%. Pithoragarh (c) at 4.0% and Chamoli (d) at 3.1% trail because the Bhotia are far fewer than the Terai's Tharu and Buksa.
• practice — not a real PYQ

  Match the Scheduled Tribe of Uttarakhand with the district in which it is chiefly concentrated: (A) Jaunsari (B) Tharu (C) Raji (1) Udham Singh Nagar (2) Pithoragarh (3) Dehradun

  • (a)A-3, B-1, C-2
  • (b)A-1, B-3, C-2
  • (c)A-3, B-2, C-1
  • (d)A-2, B-1, C-3
  Answera — The Jaunsari live in Jaunsar-Bawar (Dehradun), the Tharu in the Terai of Udham Singh Nagar, and the Raji mainly in Pithoragarh. Option (b) sends the Jaunsari to the Terai and the Tharu to Dehradun; (c) swaps the Tharu and the Raji; (d) puts the Jaunsari in Pithoragarh and the Raji in Dehradun.
• practice — not a real PYQ

  Which of the following Scheduled Tribes of Uttarakhand are recognised as Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs)? (1) Buksa (2) Raji (3) Tharu (4) Jaunsari Select the correct answer using the codes below:

  • (a)1 and 2 only
  • (b)1, 2 and 3 only
  • (c)2 and 4 only
  • (d)1, 2, 3 and 4
  Answera — Buksa and Raji are the two Uttarakhand entries on the PVTG list. Tharu and Jaunsari are notified Scheduled Tribes but are not PVTGs, so (b), (c) and (d) each include at least one tribe that does not carry PVTG status.
• practice — not a real PYQ

  As per Census of India 2011, the Scheduled Tribe population of Uttarakhand is approximately what percentage of the state's total population?

  • (a)1.9%
  • (b)2.9%
  • (c)4.9%
  • (d)7.5%
  Answerb — 291,903 tribal persons out of 10,086,292 is 2.9%. Option (d) is the share of Udham Singh Nagar alone, the highest district, not the state; (a) understates and (c) overstates the state total of 2.9%.