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Q90 (IAS/2016) Environment & Ecology › Biodiversity & Protected Areas › State and national symbols Official Key

Recently, for the first time in our country, which of the following States has declared a particular butterfly as 'State Butterfly'?

Result
Your answer: —  ·  Correct: D
Explanation

Maharashtra is the first state in India to have a state butterfly.[2] The Blue Mormon (Papilio polymnestor) was declared the state butterfly of Maharashtra.[2] This historic declaration made Maharashtra a pioneer among Indian states in recognizing a butterfly as an official state symbol. While other states like Karnataka (which notified the Sahyadri Birdwing in 2016)[3] and Arunachal Pradesh (which notified the Kaiser-i-Hind in 2021)[4] later adopted state butterflies, Maharashtra was the first to do so. Since this question is from 2016, Maharashtra's pioneering status as the first state to declare a state butterfly makes option D the correct answer.

Sources
  1. [1] https://penchtigerreserve.maharashtra.gov.in/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Final_Butterfly-pocket-guide-book.pdf
  2. [2] https://penchtigerreserve.maharashtra.gov.in/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Final_Butterfly-pocket-guide-book.pdf
  3. [3] https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/state-butterflies
  4. [4] https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/state-butterflies
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Don’t just practise – reverse-engineer the question. This panel shows where this PYQ came from (books / web), how the examiner broke it into hidden statements, and which nearby micro-concepts you were supposed to learn from it. Treat it like an autopsy of the question: what might have triggered it, which exact lines in the book matter, and what linked ideas you should carry forward to future questions.
Q. Recently, for the first time in our country, which of the following States has declared a particular butterfly as 'State Butterfly'? [A]…
At a glance
Origin: Mostly Current Affairs Fairness: Low / Borderline fairness Books / CA: 0/10 · 7.5/10
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This is a pure 'First in India' trivia question derived from newspapers (The Hindu, June 2015). Standard static books (Laxmikanth/Shankar IAS) are useless here. The strategy is simple: scan current affairs for 'First State to...' headlines, especially those linking Environment (species) with Governance (official symbols).

How this question is built

This question can be broken into the following sub-statements. Tap a statement sentence to jump into its detailed analysis.

Statement 1
Was Arunachal Pradesh the first Indian state to declare an official "State Butterfly" in 2016?
Origin: Web / Current Affairs Fairness: CA heavy Web-answerable

Web source
Presence: 5/5
"Maharashtra is the first state in India to have a state butterfly."
Why this source?
  • Explicitly states which state was the first in India to have a state butterfly.
  • Directly contradicts the claim that Arunachal Pradesh was first in 2016.
Web source
Presence: 5/5
"State Butterfly of Arunachal Pradesh: Kaiser-i-Hind (Teinopalpus imperialis). Notified in 2021."
Why this source?
  • Lists Arunachal Pradesh's state butterfly as being notified in 2021, not 2016.
  • Shows Karnataka's state butterfly was notified in 2016, indicating Arunachal was not first that year.

Environment, Shankar IAS Acedemy .(ed 10th) > Chapter 29: Environment Issues and Health Effects > z. Tiger of India > p. 430
Strength: 5/5
“No: 1; Name of Tiger Reserve: Nagarjunsagar Srisailam (part); State: Andhra Pradesh No: \overline{2}; Name of Tiger Reserve: Namdapha; State: Arunachal Pradesh No: 3; Name of Tiger Reserve: Pakke; State: Arunachal Pradesh No: 4; Name of Tiger Reserve: Kamlang; State: Arunachal Pradesh No: 5; Name of Tiger Reserve: Orang; State: Assam No: 6; Name of Tiger Reserve: Manas; State: Assam No: 7; Name of Tiger Reserve: Nameri; State: Assam All Rights Reserved. No part ofthis material may be reproduced in anv form or by anv means, without permissiol in writing.”
Why relevant

Lists multiple tiger reserves in Arunachal Pradesh, indicating the state is recognized for significant biodiversity and protected wildlife areas.

How to extend

A student could take this biodiversity emphasis as a plausible motive for the state government to adopt wildlife emblems (like a state butterfly) and then check dates of such declarations for Arunachal and other states.

Introduction to the Constitution of India, D. D. Basu (26th ed.). > Chapter 14: The State Legislature > New States added since 1950 > p. 294
Strength: 3/5
“Mizoram. By the State of Mizoram Act, 1986, Mizoram was elevated from the status of a Union Territory to be the 23rd State in the First Schedule of the Constitution. Arunachal Pradesh. By a similar process, statehood was conferred on the Union Territory of Arunachal Pradesh, by enacting the State of Arunachal Pradesh Act, 1986. Goa. Goa was separated from Daman and Diu and made a State, by the Goa, Daman and Diu Reorganisation Act, 1987.”
Why relevant

Notes Arunachal Pradesh was elevated to full statehood (State of Arunachal Pradesh Act, 1986), giving it legislative authority to adopt state symbols after that date.

How to extend

Use the statehood date to narrow the time window when Arunachal could legally declare a state symbol and compare with other states' timelines for adopting state emblems.

Indian Polity, M. Laxmikanth(7th ed.) > Chapter 6: Union and Its Territory > New States and Union Territories Created After 1956 > p. 55
Strength: 3/5
“In 1987, three new States of Mizoram, 11, Arunachal Pradesh, 2 and Goa, 3 came into being as the 23rd, 24th and 25th states of the Indian Union respectively. The union territory of Mizoram was conferred the status of a full state as a sequel to the signing of a memorandum of settlement (Mizoram Peace Accord) in 1986 between the Central government and the Mizo National Front, ending the two-decade-old insurgency.”
Why relevant

Also records Arunachal becoming a full state in 1987 (as one of the newer states), implying it had decades to adopt official symbols before 2016.

How to extend

A student could infer that if Arunachal declared a state butterfly in 2016, other older states had earlier opportunities; they should verify whether any other state declared a state butterfly before 2016.

Indian Polity, M. Laxmikanth(7th ed.) > Chapter 39: Panchayati Raj > Salient Features > p. 389
Strength: 3/5
“It must be noted here that the above provision relating to the reservation of seats in panchayats (both members and chairpersons) for the scheduled castes is not applicable to the state of Arunachal Pradesh. This is because the state is inhabited fully by indigenous tribal people and there are no scheduled castes. This provision was added later by the 83rd Constitutional Amendment Act of 2000. Duration of Panchayats The act provides for a five-year term of office to the panchayat at every level from the date of its first meeting. However, it can be dissolved before the completion of its term.”
Why relevant

States that Arunachal is inhabited largely by indigenous tribal people and lacks scheduled castes, highlighting distinct cultural/administrative features that might influence adoption of local symbols.

How to extend

A student could consider that unique cultural identity might motivate a state-specific symbol (butterfly) and then check if that cultural reasoning led to a 2016 declaration compared with other states.

Indian Polity, M. Laxmikanth(7th ed.) > Chapter 33: State Legislature > Language in State Legislature > p. 341
Strength: 2/5
“The Constitution has declared the official language(s) of the state or Hindi or English, to be the languages for transacting business in the state legislature. However, the presiding officer can permit a member to address the House in his/ her mother-tongue. The state legislature is authorised to decide whether to continue or discontinue English as a floor language after the completion of fifteen years from the commencement of the Constitution (i.e., from 1965). In case of Himachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya and Tripura, this time limit is twenty-five years and that of Arunachal Pradesh, Goa and Mizoram, it is forty years.”
Why relevant

Shows Arunachal is treated differently in constitutional provisions (e.g., longer period for English as floor language), indicating the state has special administrative recognition.

How to extend

One could extend this pattern of 'special treatment' to hypothesize Arunachal may proactively adopt distinctive state symbols and then verify the actual date and whether it was first.

Statement analysis

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Statement analysis

This statement analysis shows book citations, web sources and indirect clues. The first statement (S1) is open for preview.

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Statement analysis

This statement analysis shows book citations, web sources and indirect clues. The first statement (S1) is open for preview.

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