Aspirant Academy
ENHI

RAS question

Which of the following statements about the Meena tribe of Rajasthan is/are CORRECT? 1. They are primarily an agricultural tribe concentrated in eastern Rajasthan. 2. They worship Lord Krishna and observe the Gangaur festival with great importance. 3. The Meenas have a rich literary tradition including the 'Mewat' texts. 4. They are classified as a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG).

Correct answer: (A) 1 and 2 only.

The correct statements about Rajasthan's Meena tribe are that it is primarily agricultural and concentrated in eastern Rajasthan, and that Meenas worship Lord Krishna and observe Gangaur with importance.

  1. (A)

    1 and 2 only

  2. (B)

    1, 2 and 3 only

  3. (C)

    2 and 4 only

  4. (D)

    1, 2, 3 and 4

Explanation

Statements 1 and 2 are correct. The eGyanKosh, IGNOU unit describes the Mina/Meena tribe as mostly populated around Amber, now Jaipur, and in the east, north-east and south-east of Rajasthan, including the eastern-Rajasthan focus across districts such as Sawai Madhopur, Dausa, Jaipur, Karauli and Tonk. The Minas' main gods include Bhairon, Hanuman, Krishna and the Devis, and Teej and Gangaur fairs are made colourful by Mina men, women and children. Statement 3 is not accepted because Meena literary tradition is linked to Meena Purana, Meena Charitra and Minesh Puraan, not Mewat texts. Statement 4 is also wrong: Meena is not a PVTG; Saharia of Baran district is Rajasthan's PVTG reference point.

Why the other options are wrong

  • (B) Option B wrongly includes statement 3, because Mewat texts are linked with the Meo community rather than with Meena literary tradition.
  • (C) Option C wrongly includes statement 4 and omits statement 1, since Meenas are described as an agricultural tribe concentrated in eastern Rajasthan and are not classified as a PVTG.
  • (D) Option D accepts all four statements, but statements 3 and 4 both fail: Mewat texts are not part of Meena tradition, and Meena is not Rajasthan's PVTG.

Concept

This tests Rajasthan tribal geography: regional concentration, livelihood, worship practices and official vulnerability classification. RAS repeats this area because tribes such as Meena and Saharia are frequent anchors for culture, society and welfare-policy questions.

Source

Related questions