RAS question
The Ranthambore National Park was established in which year?
Correct answer: (D) 1980.
Ranthambore National Park was established in 1980, when the main area of the reserve was notified as a National Park out of the erstwhile Sawai Madhopur Wildlife Sanctuary.
Explanation
Ranthambore became a National Park in 1980, not at the earlier conservation milestones often confused with it. The Government of Rajasthan's Tiger Conservation Plan states that the main area of the reserve was notified as Ranthambhore National Park in 1980 out of the erstwhile Sawai Madhopur Wildlife Sanctuary. In 1955, part of the forest was declared a Reserved Area under the Rajasthan Wild Animals and Birds Protection Act, 1951. Project Tiger was launched in 1973, and Ranthambhore was among the first nine wildlife areas identified as Project Tiger reserves. Reserved-area or wildlife-sanctuary status, Project Tiger reserve status, and National Park notification are separate protected-area milestones. The park is also known for its tigers and the historic Ranthambore Fort.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) 1990 is too late because the National Park notification was issued in 1980.
- (B) 1955 marks the earlier reserved-area status, not the year when Ranthambore was notified as a National Park.
- (C) 1973 marks the Project Tiger context, when Ranthambhore was among the first nine wildlife areas identified for the programme, not the National Park notification.
Concept
Protected-area chronology treats reserved-area or wildlife-sanctuary status, inclusion in Project Tiger, and National Park notification as separate legal or administrative milestones. RAS questions often test the exact status and year, not merely the place name.