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RAS question

Consider the following statements about the Great Indian Bustard (GIB): 1. It is the state bird of Rajasthan. 2. India's GIB conservation breeding centres are located at Sam and Ramdevra in Barmer district. 3. Fewer than 150 GIBs remain in the wild, primarily in the Thar Desert. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Correct answer: (B) 1 and 3 only.

The Great Indian Bustard is Rajasthan's state bird, fewer than 150 remain in the wild mainly in the Thar Desert, and the Sam and Ramdevra conservation breeding facilities are in Jaisalmer district, not Barmer.

  1. (A)

    1 and 2 only

  2. (B)

    1 and 3 only

  3. (C)

    2 and 3 only

  4. (D)

    1, 2 and 3

Explanation

Statements 1 and 3 are correct, while statement 2 is wrong. The Great Indian Bustard, Ardeotis nigriceps, is Rajasthan's state bird and the Thar Desert of Rajasthan is its main remaining wild stronghold, with fewer than 150 birds left in the wild. The location detail is the trap: the conservation breeding programme has facilities at Sam and Ramdevra in Jaisalmer district, not in Barmer. The National CAMPA Authority progress report records the establishment and operationalisation of the Sam conservation breeding centre, the Ramdevra centre, Thar landscape surveys, and power-line impact assessment. The species is under severe pressure from power-line collisions, habitat loss, and human disturbance, so RAS often asks both status and site-location facts together.

Why the other options are wrong

  • (A) A excludes statement 3, even though fewer than 150 Great Indian Bustards remain in the wild, mainly in Rajasthan's Thar Desert.
  • (C) C includes statement 2, but Sam and Ramdevra are in Jaisalmer district, so calling them Barmer district breeding centres makes the statement wrong.
  • (D) D treats all three statements as correct, but statement 2 mislocates the Sam and Ramdevra conservation breeding centres in Barmer instead of Jaisalmer.

Concept

This tests Rajasthan environment and biodiversity conservation: state symbols, threatened species, protected desert habitats, and official conservation projects. It recurs in RAS because the Great Indian Bustard links Rajasthan's state bird, the Thar Desert, Desert National Park landscape, and current conservation threats.

Source

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