RAS question
Which river is known as 'Vaan ki Asha' (Hope of the Forest)?
Correct answer: (C) Banas.
The Banas River is locally known as Van Ki Asha, or the Hope of the Forest, in Rajasthan.
Explanation
Banas is the right answer because the name is tied directly to the river's local identity: Integration of ecosystem-based with engineered water resource governance and management in semi-arid landscapes: a case study in the Banas Catchment, Rajasthan, India records that the Banas River is referred to as Van Ki Asha, meaning Hope of the Forest, for its role in bringing water across Rajasthan. The name has this literal meaning and the river passes through Rajsamand, Bhilwara, Ajmer, Tonk and Sawai Madhopur. The Banas is a Rajasthan river whose headwaters rise near Kumbhalgarh and whose combined course flows through Rajsamand, Bhilwara, Tonk and Sawai Madhopur before meeting the Chambal. So the phrase belongs to Banas, not to another major Rajasthan river.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Chambal is not the river called Van Ki Asha; it is the river that the Banas later joins.
- (B) Luni does not fit the phrase because Luni is associated with a salty meaning, while Van Ki Asha is attached to Banas.
- (D) Mahi is not called Van Ki Asha; that local name applies specifically to the Banas River.
Concept
This tests Rajasthan drainage geography, especially river names, meanings and local epithets. Such questions recur in RAS because they connect physical geography with Rajasthan-specific terminology.