Q31 · UPSC Prelims 2019 · Set A · Current Affairs and GK

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Recently, there was a growing awareness in our country about the importance of Himalayan nettle (Girardinia diversifolia) because it is found to be a sustainable source of

A anti-malarial drug
B biodiesel
C pulp for paper industry
D textile fibre

Correct answer: (d) textile fibre

Explanation

  1. A

    anti-malarial drug

    (a) Anti-malarial drug. Himalayan nettle is not the artemisinin/cinchona story, so this is not the key.

  2. B

    biodiesel

    (b) Biodiesel. Jatropha and some oilseeds are biodiesel candidates; Girardinia is not framed that way, so this is not the key.

  3. C

    pulp for paper industry

    (c) Pulp for paper. Some nettles can yield fibre, but the recent Himalayan livelihood push is textile fibre, not paper pulp as the exam claim, so this is not the key.

  4. D

    textile fibre

    (d) Textile fibre. Girardinia diversifolia (Himalayan nettle, allo) yields a strong bast fibre used for yarn and cloth in Uttarakhand–Nepal hill economies, promoted as a sustainable textile. That use is the official key.

Summary. Official key is (d) textile fibre. Himalayan nettle is a wild bast fibre of the mid-Himalaya, woven into local textiles as an alternative to purely imported fibres. It is not an anti-malarial, biodiesel crop or paper-industry headline. Honour the stored letter (d).

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