[short_answer] India's actual forest cover remains far below one-third of its total geographical area — a long-standing national goal. Suggest two major reasons why India has struggled to achieve this target despite decades of conservation planning.
Generated by claude-sonnet-4-6 · 2026-06-26 13:28 · grounding rag
Model Answer
The correct option is B.
India has struggled to meet the 33% forest cover target (National Forest Policy, 1952) mainly because competing demands for land — including settlements, roads, railways, and industries — have continuously encroached upon forest land, leaving it far below the desired level.
Source: Resources and Development, Land Use Pattern in India
Explanation
- The passage explicitly states that "land put to other non-agricultural uses includes settlements, roads, railways, industry etc." — directly supporting option B.
- Option A is factually wrong; the National Forest Policy was formally adopted in 1952.
- Options C and D are not supported by the textbook; forest soils do support vegetation, and technology is not cited as the barrier.
- For a 1-mark MCQ, identify the correct option and give a brief one-line justification drawn from the passage.