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Q31 (IAS/2019) Environment & Ecology › Biodiversity & Protected Areas › Non-timber forest products Official Key

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

Result
Your answer: —  ·  Correct: D
Explanation

The correct answer is option D (textile fibre).

The Himalayan nettle (Girardinia diversifolia) plant has been traditionally used to make various fibre-based products such as sack, rope etc.[1] Nettle fibers have three main advantages such as strong, lightweight and low environmental impact.[1] The nettle fiber continues to be utilized by local villagers to create and cherish the handcrafted products using age-old traditional methods.[2] Additionally, fibrous biocomposites from nettle (girardinia diversifolia) and poly(lactic acid) fibers are being explored for automotive dashboard[3] panel application, demonstrating its modern industrial potential. This abundant resource can potentially yield 24,704.26 tons of raw dried fiber annually[2], making it a significant sustainable source of textile fiber. The other options—anti-malarial drug, biodiesel, and pulp for paper industry—are not supported by the available sources regarding Himalayan nettle's primary uses.

Sources
  1. [3] )00157-3
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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, there was a growing awareness in our country about the importance of Himalayan nettle (Girardinia diversifolia) because it is f…
At a glance
Origin: Mostly Current Affairs Fairness: Low / Borderline fairness Books / CA: 0/10 · 10/10
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This is a classic 'News-to-Prelims' species question. It falls under 'Economic Botany'—plants that solve ecological and economic problems simultaneously. While NCERT Science mentions nettle stings, the specific industrial use (textile) was purely in current affairs (DownToEarth/PIB) regarding Uttarakhand's livelihood projects.

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
What sustainable products or industrial uses are derived from Himalayan nettle (Girardinia diversifolia)?
Origin: Web / Current Affairs Fairness: CA heavy Web-answerable

Web source
Presence: 5/5
"Fibrous biocomposites from nettle (girardinia diversifolia) and poly(lactic acid) fibers for automotive dashboard panel application."
Why this source?
  • Directly documents an industrial application of Girardinia diversifolia in biocomposites.
  • Specifically links nettle fibres with poly(lactic acid) for automotive dashboard panel use (an industrial, sustainable-materials application).
Web source
Presence: 5/5
"The nettle fiber continues to be utilized by local villagers ... to create and cherish the handcrafted products using age-old traditional methods. ... This abundant resource can potentially yield 24,704.26 tons of raw dried fiber annually"
Why this source?
  • Describes traditional and ongoing use of Himalayan nettle fiber for handcrafted and textile products.
  • Provides evidence of large-scale availability and potential raw fibre yield, supporting sustainable product supply for textiles and crafts.
Web source
Presence: 5/5
"The Himalayan nettle ( Girardinia diversifolia) plant has been traditionally used to make various fibre-based products such as sack, rope etc. ... Nettle fibers have three main advantages such as strong, lightweight and low environmental impact."
Why this source?
  • Lists specific fibre-based products (sack, rope) made from Himalayan nettle, showing practical product uses.
  • Notes key advantages (strong, lightweight, low environmental impact) that explain its suitability for sustainable textiles and apparel.

Science , class X (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 2: Acids, Bases and Salts > Nature provides neutralisation options > p. 28
Strength: 4/5
“Nettle is a herbaceous plant which grows in the wild. Its leaves have stinging hair, which cause painful stings when touched accidentally. This is due to the methanoic Do You Know? acid secreted by them. A traditional remedy is rubbing the area with the leaf of the dock plant, which often grows beside the nettle in the wild. Can you guess the nature of the dock plant? So next time you know what to look out for if you accidentally touch a nettle plant while trekking. Are you aware of any other effective traditional remedies for such stings?”
Why relevant

Describes nettle as a stinging herb and mentions a traditional remedy, implying traditional/medicinal local uses of nettle-type plants.

How to extend

A student could check ethnobotanical sources or Himalayan medicinal-plant lists to see if Girardinia diversifolia is used medicinally or in traditional remedies.

Geography of India ,Majid Husain, (McGrawHill 9th ed.) > Chapter 15: Regional Development and Planning > Hill Area Development Programme > p. 32
Strength: 5/5
“Cottage industries like carpet making and handloom are also suitable industrial activities. Along with this, tourism is an important industry which can be developed in the hilly areas. The Himalayan region is rich in pharmaceutical herbs, orchids, and flowers. The pharmaceutical industry can be developed in the Shiwalik and the Lesser Himalayas. In order to achieve these objectives, a detailed survey of the hilly areas is required to obtain information about the distribution of minerals, vegetation types, and availability of the surface and underground water. The surface water can be a big asset for the generation of hydro-power.”
Why relevant

States the Himalayan region is rich in pharmaceutical herbs and that the pharmaceutical industry can be developed there, indicating plants from this region are sources for medicinal/industrial products.

How to extend

Combine this with a map/species distribution to assess whether Himalayan nettle occurs in zones targeted by pharmaceutical collection or cultivation.

NCERT. (2022). Contemporary India II: Textbook in Geography for Class X (Revised ed.). NCERT. > Chapter 4: The Age of Industrialisation > TYPES OF FARMING > p. 87
Strength: 4/5
“List the items which are made of rubber and are used by us. Fibre Crops: Cotton, jute, hemp and natural silk are the four major fibre crops grown in India. The first three are derived from the crops grown in the soil, the latter is obtained from cocoons of the silkworms fed on green leaves specially mulberry. Rearing of silk worms for the production of silk fibre is known as sericulture. Cotton: Cotton:India is believed to be the original home of the cotton plant. Cotton is one of the main raw materials for cotton textile industry. India is second largest producer of cotton after China.”
Why relevant

Lists fibre crops (cotton, jute, hemp) as major fibre sources for textiles, establishing the pattern that regional fibre plants are used industrially.

How to extend

Using basic knowledge that some nettles provide bast fibers, a student could investigate whether Himalayan nettle yields bast fibre suitable for textiles like hemp/jute.

Environment, Shankar IAS Acedemy .(ed 10th) > Chapter 22: Renewable Energy > 22.6 BIOMASS > p. 292
Strength: 3/5
“Biomass is a renewable energy resource derived from the carbonaceous waste of various human and natural activities. It is derived from numerous sources, including the by-products from the timber industry, agricultural crops, grassy and woody plants, residues from agriculture or forestry, oil-rich algae, and the organic component of municipal and industrial wastes. Biomass is a good substitute for the conventional fossil fuels for heating and energy generation purposes. Burning biomass releases about the same amount of carbon dioxide as burning fossil fuels, However, fossil fuels release carbon dioxide captured by photosynthesis over its formative years.”
Why relevant

Explains biomass is derived from grassy and woody plants and used as renewable energy, showing a general industrial use-case for plant residues.

How to extend

A student could consider whether Himalayan nettle could be used as biomass (fuel or bioenergy feedstock) or whether its residues are suitable for such uses.

Physical Geography by PMF IAS, Manjunath Thamminidi, PMF IAS (1st ed.) > Chapter 30: Climatic Regions > Lumbering > p. 470
Strength: 3/5
“Wood pulp is the raw material for paper-making and newsprint. U.S.A. is the leader. But in the field of newsprint, Canada accounts for almost half of the world's total annual production.• As a fuel: Very little softwood is burnt as fuel as its industrial uses are far more significant.• As an industrial raw material: In Sweden, matches form a major export item.• From the by-products of the timber, many chemically processed articles are derived such as rayon turpentine, varnishes, paints, dyes, liquid resins, wood-alcohols, disinfectants and cosmetics.”
Why relevant

Describes how plant fibres/wood pulp and by-products are raw materials for paper, textiles and chemically processed articles, illustrating industrial transformations of plant material.

How to extend

A student could test whether nettle fibre can be processed into paper, textiles or chemical by-products by comparing fibre properties to those of known pulp/fibre crops.

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