RAS question
The Sewan grasslands in Rajasthan's Thar Desert are important for which economic activity?
Correct answer: (D) Livestock rearing.
Sewan grasslands in Rajasthan's Thar Desert are important for livestock rearing because they provide fodder for pastoral communities in the arid west.
Explanation
Sewan grasslands are not primarily crop fields; they are rangelands. The Annals of Arid Zone article says natural pastures of Sewan grass mainly provide fodder to livestock in the extreme north-west dry regions of the Rajasthan desert, with their distribution concentrated in Barmer, Bikaner and Jaisalmer. This makes livestock rearing the relevant economic activity. Pastoral communities in western Rajasthan depend on these grasslands for animal husbandry. Sewan's importance, therefore, lies in sustaining grazing and fodder availability in a dry desert landscape, not in supporting field crops or non-pastoral production.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Sugarcane production is wrong because Sewan areas are natural rangelands that mainly provide fodder, not crop-production fields.
- (B) Silk farming is wrong because Sewan grasslands are not linked with sericulture; their use is livestock fodder.
- (C) Rice cultivation is wrong because Sewan is desert rangeland on sandy, low-fertility terrain, with its main role being fodder for livestock.
Concept
This tests the Rajasthan geography theme of arid-zone land use, especially how Thar grasslands support pastoral livelihoods. It recurs in RAS because the exam often links physical regions with their practical economic activities.