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
Show answer
Answer: D. The Himalayan nettle (Girardinia diversifolia) yields strong, long fibres that can be spun into textiles. Hill communities in Uttarakhand and Nepal have used it for cloth, and it was promoted as a sustainable natural fibre.
Watch for: The nettle is a plant from the hills, so students guess medicine or biofuel.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. Wrong because the nettle is valued for fibre, not as an anti-malarial drug.
- B. Wrong because it is not a recognised biodiesel source.
- C. Wrong because it is known for textile fibre, not paper pulp.
Source to check: Uttarakhand Bamboo and Fibre Development Board material on Himalayan nettle; Ministry of Textiles (Central Silk Board/natural fibre) publications
Answer from the official UPSC key. Written and fact-checked by AI against the official key. Spotted a mistake? Report it.