GeographyCBSE Class 12 · Planning and Sustainable Development in Indian Context

Integrated Tribal Development Project in Bharmaur (Class 12 Geography, India: People and Economy, Chapter 6)

Updated 16 October 2026 · Fact-checked

Bharmaur (Bharmaur and Holi tehsils of Chamba district, Himachal Pradesh) is the homeland of the Gaddi tribe. It became one of five Integrated Tribal Development Projects (ITDP) under the tribal sub-plan of the Fifth Five Year Plan (1974), to improve the Gaddis' quality of life and narrow the development gap. Infrastructure and literacy improved, but remote Tundah and Kugti still lag.

Notice that ITDP 1974 brought better roads and literacy, yet remote Tundah and Kugti are still cut off and lag behind.

Illustration drawn for QuestionBuddy.

Understand Integrated Tribal Development Project in Bharmaur

Why this topic matters. The syllabus names "Integrated Tribal Development Project in Bharmaur Region" as case study 1 of Chapter 6. CBSE has used it for short case-study items and for a 5-mark "positive effects" answer, so know the setting, the plan, the gains and the gaps. The chapter has no map item (the syllabus map list says Nil for Chapter 6).

1. Setting.

Bharmaur tribal area = Bharmaur and Holi tehsils of Chamba district, Himachal Pradesh; a notified tribal area since 21 November 1975.
Location: 32° 11' N to 32° 41' N and 76° 22' E to 76° 53' E; area about 1,818 sq km, mostly 1,500 m to 3,700 m above sea level.
Pir Panjal in the north, Dhaula Dhar in the south; in the east the Dhaula Dhar extension converges with the Pir Panjal near Rohtang Pass.
The Ravi and its tributaries, the Budhil and the Tundahen, carve deep gorges and divide the region into four physiographic divisions: Holi, Khani, Kugti and Tundah.
Freezing winters with snowfall; mean monthly temperature 4 degrees C in January and 26 degrees C in July.
Name: NCERT says Bharmaur comes from the Sanskrit Brahmaur; the book uses Bharmaur "to retain the colloquial flavour".

2. People and economy.

The Gaddis, a tribal community with a distinct identity in the Himalayan region; they practised transhumance and spoke the Gaddiali dialect.
2011 census: population of Bharmaur sub-division 39,113, that is 21 persons per sq km. It is one of the most (economically and socially) backward areas of Himachal Pradesh; the Gaddis historically faced geographical and political isolation and socio-economic deprivation.
Harsh climate, low resource base and fragile environment have influenced its society and economy, which rest on agriculture and allied activities such as sheep and goat rearing.

3. The plan.

Development began in the 1970s when the Gaddis were included among scheduled tribes.
Under the Fifth Five Year Plan, the tribal sub-plan was introduced in 1974 and Bharmaur became one of the five ITDPs of Himachal Pradesh.
Aim: improve the quality of life of the Gaddis and narrow the gap in development between Bharmaur and other parts of Himachal Pradesh.
Highest priority: transport and communications; agriculture and allied activities; social and community services.

4. Gains.

Most significant: infrastructure, namely schools, healthcare, potable water, roads, communications and electricity.
Social benefits: a big rise in literacy, better sex ratio, fewer child marriages. Female literacy rose from 1.88 per cent (1971) to 65 per cent (2011); the male-female literacy gap also narrowed.
Agriculture: in the last three decades of the twentieth century the cultivation of pulses and other cash crops increased, though cultivation still uses traditional technology.
Pastoralism has declined: only about one-tenth of households now practise transhumance, but a sizeable section still migrate to Kangra and nearby areas in winter for wage labour.

5. Gaps. Villages along the Ravi in Holi and Khani are the main beneficiaries of the new infrastructure; remote villages in Tundah and Kugti still lack enough of it.

Inference (ours, not NCERT). NCERT states the gains and the gaps but does not say the development gap with the rest of Himachal Pradesh has closed. A balanced answer calls the project a partial success.

Key quotations

Short lines worth knowing by heart: who says them, when, and why they matter.

The most significant contribution of tribal sub-plan in Bharmaur region is the development of infrastructure in terms of schools, healthcare facilities, potable water, roads, communications and electricity.
NCERT, India: People and Economy, Chapter 6: Case study, Integrated Tribal Development Project in Bharmaur.
The core line for any answer on what the ITDP achieved.

Integrated Tribal Development Project in Bharmaur: key facts

Where and who: Bharmaur and Holi tehsils
Chamba district, Himachal Pradesh
Gaddi tribe
Gaddiali dialect
notified tribal area from 21 November 1975; Homeland of the Gaddis.
Physical setting: 32 11 N to 32 41 N
76 22 E to 76 53 E
about 1,818 sq km
1,500 m to 3,700 m
Pir Panjal north, Dhaula Dhar south
Rohtang Pass in the east; Ravi, Budhil and Tundahen drain it.
Plan facts: Gaddis made scheduled tribe in the 1970s
Tribal sub-plan 1974
Fifth Five Year Plan
one of five ITDPs in Himachal Pradesh; Aim: better quality of life and a narrower development gap.
Numbers to quote: Population 39,113 (2011)
21 persons per sq km
female literacy 1.88 per cent (1971) to 65 per cent (2011)
about one-tenth of households still practise transhumance; Four divisions: Holi, Khani, Kugti, Tundah.

How to answer Integrated Tribal Development Project in Bharmaur questions

Case-study answers on Bharmaur score when each point carries one NCERT fact. Separate the setting, the plan, the gains and the unfinished work, and keep inference labelled.

1Open with the location: Chamba district, Himachal Pradesh, home of the Gaddis.
2Name the plan: tribal sub-plan of 1974 under the Fifth Five Year Plan; Bharmaur was one of five ITDPs.
3For "positive effects", give separate marks to infrastructure, literacy, female literacy, sex ratio and child marriage, and crops.
4For "evaluate" questions, add the gaps: Tundah and Kugti, traditional farming technology, winter wage migration to Kangra.
5Use figures only from the chapter: 1.88 to 65 per cent, one-tenth, 39,113, 21 per sq km.

Integrated Tribal Development Project in Bharmaur in real life

The idea, met in an everyday situation. Answer the question in your own words, then compare with the model answer. The one-line hook is what to remember.

Choosing priorities for a hill tribe

Suppose planners must develop a high mountain valley where a tribal community lives by farming and rearing sheep and goats, and decide to spend first on roads and telephones, on farming and its allied activities, and on schools and health services.

Which NCERT project does this resemble and what were its highest priorities?

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

The tribal sub-plan was introduced in 1974 under the Fifth Five Year Plan.
Bharmaur was designated one of the five ITDPs of Himachal Pradesh.
The plan laid the highest priority on transport and communications, agriculture and allied activities, and social and community services.

Answer: The Integrated Tribal Development Project in Bharmaur; its three priorities were transport and communications, agriculture and allied activities, and social and community services.

Memory hook: Roads, fields, schools.

Social benefits of area development

Imagine that in a hill block, over four decades, the share of women who can read rises from almost nothing to about two-thirds, fewer girls are married as children and the sex ratio improves.

What kind of benefits are these, and which NCERT figures match the first change?

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

NCERT lists the social benefits of ITDP as a tremendous increase in literacy, improvement in sex ratio and decline in child marriage.
Female literacy rose from 1.88 per cent in 1971 to 65 per cent in 2011.

Answer: Social benefits of the ITDP; female literacy rose from 1.88 per cent (1971) to 65 per cent (2011).

Memory hook: Read, live, marry later.

Tricks to remember Integrated Tribal Development Project in Bharmaur

Short memory aids. Say each one aloud once, then use it on a question the same day.

Four divisions "H K K T"
Holi, Khani, Kugti, Tundah. Holi and Khani lie along the Ravi and gained most; Kugti and Tundah are the remote ones.
Use it when: Physiographic divisions and uneven benefits.
Pir north, Dhaula south
P comes before D in the alphabet and in the map: Pir Panjal on top, Dhaula Dhar below.
Use it when: Mountain boundaries of Bharmaur.
74 then 75
Tribal sub-plan 1974; notified tribal area 21 November 1975.
Use it when: Two close dates.
1.88 to 65
Female literacy: under 2 per cent in 1971, 65 per cent in 2011.
Use it when: The headline social figure.

Integrated Tribal Development Project in Bharmaur: solved examples

Ordered from board level to HOTS. Try each one before you open the solution.

Example 1: Two dates in the Bharmaur story · 1 mark · MCQBoard level

The tribal sub-plan was introduced, and Bharmaur was notified as a tribal area, in which years respectively?
(A) 1974 and 1975
(B) 1975 and 1974
(C) 1971 and 1974
(D) 1975 and 1971

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

NCERT: the tribal sub-plan was introduced in 1974 under the Fifth Five Year Plan; Bharmaur has been a notified tribal area since 21 November 1975 (1 mark).

Answer: (A) 1974 and 1975

Example 2: Statements on the Bharmaur area · 1 mark · MCQHarder board level

Consider the statements:
I. The Bharmaur tribal area comprises the Bharmaur and Holi tehsils of Chamba district.
II. It has been a notified tribal area since 21 November 1975.
III. Holi, Khani, Kugti and Tundah are the four tehsils of the area.
Which are correct?
(A) I and II
(B) II and III
(C) I and III
(D) I, II and III

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

I and II are NCERT facts.
III is wrong: Holi, Khani, Kugti and Tundah are the four physiographic divisions made by the Ravi and its tributaries; the tehsils are Bharmaur and Holi (1 mark).

Answer: (A) I and II

Example 3: Assertion and reason on female literacy · 1 mark · Assertion-reasonHarder board level

Assertion (A): The female literacy rate in Bharmaur rose from 1.88 per cent in 1971 to 65 per cent in 2011.
Reason (R): The difference between male and female literacy levels has also declined.
(A) Both (A) and (R) are true and (R) is the correct explanation of (A).
(B) Both (A) and (R) are true but (R) is not the correct explanation of (A).
(C) (A) is true but (R) is false.
(D) (A) is false but (R) is true.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Both statements appear in NCERT as separate social benefits of the ITDP.
A narrowing gap is a result alongside the rise in female literacy; it does not explain why female literacy rose (1 mark).

Answer: (B) Both (A) and (R) are true but (R) is not the correct explanation of (A).

Example 4: Source-based: from pastoralism to wage labour · 3 marks · Source-basedHarder board level

Read the passage: "Traditionally, the Gaddis had subsistence agricultural-cum-pastoral economy having emphasis on foodgrains and livestock production. But during the last three decades of twentieth century, the cultivation of pulses and other cash crops has increased in Bharmaur region. But the crop cultivation is still done with traditional technology. The declining importance of pastoralism in the economy of the region can be gauged from the fact that at present only about one-tenth of the total households practise transhumance. But the Gaddis are still very mobile as a sizeable section of them migrate to Kangra and surrounding areas during winter to earn their livings from wage labour."
(i) Which statement about farming in Bharmaur is supported by the passage? (1)
(A) Cash crops are grown with modern technology (B) Cash crops spread but technology is traditional (C) Cash crops have disappeared (D) Only foodgrains are grown
(ii) The destination of the winter migrants named in the passage is: (1)
(A) Chamba (B) Kullu (C) Kangra (D) Shimla
(iii) Suppose, hypothetically, a block of the region had 10,000 households. Taking the passage figure, about how many would still practise transhumance? (1)
(A) 100 (B) 1,000 (C) 5,000 (D) 9,000

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

(i) Pulses and other cash crops have increased, but cultivation is still done with traditional technology, so (B) (1 mark).
(ii) Kangra and surrounding areas, so (C) (1 mark).
(iii) One-tenth of 10,000 = 1,000 (a hypothetical block and our own arithmetic on the NCERT fraction), so (B) (1 mark).

Answer: (i) B; (ii) C; (iii) B

Example 5: Four divisions, uneven gains · 3 marks · Short answerBoard level

The Ravi and its tributaries divide the Bharmaur region into four physiographic divisions. Name the four divisions, and state which of them have been the main beneficiaries of the infrastructure built under the tribal sub-plan and which still lag behind. (3 marks)

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

The Ravi and its tributaries, the Budhil and the Tundahen, carve deep gorges and divide the region into Holi, Khani, Kugti and Tundah (1 mark).
Villages located along the river Ravi in the Holi and Khani areas are the main beneficiaries of the infrastructural development (1 mark).
The remote villages in the Tundah and Kugti areas still do not have sufficient infrastructure (1 mark).

Answer: The four physiographic divisions are Holi, Khani, Kugti and Tundah, formed by the Ravi and its tributaries, the Budhil and the Tundahen. The villages along the Ravi in the Holi and Khani areas have been the main beneficiaries of the schools, healthcare, potable water, roads, communications and electricity provided under the tribal sub-plan. The remote villages in the Tundah and Kugti areas still do not have sufficient infrastructure, so the gains have been uneven within the region.

Example 6: HOTS: why Bharmaur needed regional planning · 5 marks · Long answerHOTS / competency

NCERT says there is no uniform economic development over space and that regional planning draws plans to reduce regional imbalance. Using Bharmaur as the example, explain why a purely sectoral plan would have been less suitable, and show how the Bharmaur plan's priorities match its conditions. Label any inference. (5 marks)

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Regional planning (1 mark): NCERT: some areas are more developed and others lag; this uneven development over space needs planners with a spatial perspective, and such area-specific planning is regional planning; sectoral planning targets sectors such as agriculture, transport or services.
Bharmaur's conditions (2 marks): harsh climate, low resource base, fragile environment, isolation, one of the most backward areas of Himachal Pradesh; the aim was to narrow the gap with other parts of the state.
Match of priorities (2 marks): transport and communications answer isolation; agriculture and allied activities support the economic base; social and community services serve schools and health. The matching is our inference, as NCERT lists the priorities without explaining each.

Answer: NCERT explains that there is no uniform economic development over space: some areas are more developed and some lag behind, so planners need a spatial perspective and area-specific plans to reduce regional imbalance. This is regional planning, whereas sectoral planning frames schemes for sectors such as agriculture, irrigation, transport or services across the economy.

Bharmaur is a clear case for the area approach. It has a harsh climate, a low resource base and a fragile environment, the Gaddis historically faced geographical and political isolation and socio-economic deprivation, and it is one of the most backward areas of Himachal Pradesh. The tribal sub-plan therefore aimed at narrowing the gap between Bharmaur and other areas of the state.

Its three highest priorities fit these conditions (our inference, since NCERT does not explain each): transport and communications to overcome isolation, agriculture and allied activities to strengthen the local economic base, and social and community services for schools and healthcare. A sector-wise plan spread across the whole state would not by itself have targeted such a small, remote area.

Where students lose marks in Integrated Tribal Development Project in Bharmaur

The slips examiners see most often, and what to write instead.

Mistake: Placing Bharmaur in the wrong state or district
Chamba, Kangra and Kullu all sound alike in the Himachal context.
Wrong working
Bharmaur is in Kangra district, Uttarakhand.
Right working
Bharmaur is in Chamba district of Himachal Pradesh; Kangra is only where Gaddis go in winter.
Do this: Chamba = home, Kangra = winter work.
Usually costs: 1 mark.
Mistake: Calling Holi, Khani, Kugti and Tundah tehsils
Holi is also a tehsil, so the four names are mistaken for four tehsils.
Wrong working
The four tehsils are Holi, Khani, Kugti and Tundah.
Right working
The tehsils are Bharmaur and Holi; Holi, Khani, Kugti and Tundah are four physiographic divisions.
Do this: Two tehsils, four divisions.
Usually costs: 1 mark in a case-study item.
Mistake: Saying the Gaddis no longer rear livestock
The chapter stresses the decline of pastoralism.
Wrong working
Transhumance has stopped in Bharmaur.
Right working
Only about one-tenth of households practise transhumance now; sheep and goat rearing remains an allied activity.
Do this: Write "declined", not "ended".
Usually costs: 1 mark.
Mistake: Mixing the dates 1971, 1974, 1975 and 2011
Four years appear in one short case study.
Wrong working
The tribal sub-plan was introduced in 1975 and female literacy was 1.88 per cent in 2011.
Right working
Tribal sub-plan 1974; notified tribal area 21 November 1975; female literacy 1.88 per cent in 1971 and 65 per cent in 2011.
Do this: Learn them as 74, 75, 71 and 11.
Usually costs: 1 mark.

Exam tips

Give each "positive effect" its own line with one NCERT fact: infrastructure, literacy, female literacy, sex ratio and child marriage, crops.
Always add one gap (Tundah and Kugti, or traditional technology) when a question says "assess" or "evaluate".
Do not expect a map item from this case study; the 2026-27 syllabus lists Nil for Chapter 6.
The questions on this page are our own and are checked by meaning against the chapter page and past papers; they are not copies of board items.

Practice questions on Integrated Tribal Development Project in Bharmaur

Write each answer on paper first. Open the hint only if you are stuck, and the answer only when you have finished.

Q1 · 1 mark · MCQBoard level
The Bharmaur tribal area lies in which district of Himachal Pradesh?
(A) Kullu
(B) Kangra
(C) Chamba
(D) Lahaul and Spiti
Hint
Kangra is where many Gaddis go in winter.
Answer
(C) Chamba. Bharmaur and Holi tehsils of Chamba district make up the area; Kangra is the winter destination of migrating Gaddis.
Q2 · 2 marks · Very short answerHarder board level
Female literacy in Bharmaur rose from 1.88 per cent in 1971 to 65 per cent in 2011. Calculate the rise in percentage points and the number of years it took. (2 marks)
Hint
Subtract the two figures; subtract the two years.
Answer
Rise = 65 - 1.88 = 63.12 percentage points, over 2011 - 1971 = 40 years (our own arithmetic on the NCERT figures).
Q3 · 1 mark · MCQHarder board level
Which one of the following correctly describes a feature of the Bharmaur region?
(A) The Dhaula Dhar bounds it on the north
(B) The Pir Panjal bounds it on the south
(C) The Budhil is a tributary of the Ravi
(D) The Tundahen is a tributary of the Beas
Hint
Pir Panjal is north, Dhaula Dhar south; the rivers belong to the Ravi system.
Answer
(C) The Budhil is a tributary of the Ravi. The Pir Panjal lies in the north and the Dhaula Dhar in the south, and the Tundahen is also a Ravi tributary.
Q4 · 2 marks · Very short answerHarder board level
NCERT gives the Bharmaur region as extending from 32 degrees 11 minutes N to 32 degrees 41 minutes N and from 76 degrees 22 minutes E to 76 degrees 53 minutes E. Find its latitudinal and longitudinal extent in minutes of arc. (2 marks)
Hint
Subtract the smaller from the larger in each direction.
Answer
Latitudinal extent = 41 - 11 = 30 minutes (half a degree); longitudinal extent = 53 - 22 = 31 minutes (our own arithmetic on the NCERT figures).
Q5 · 3 marks · Short answerBoard level
Define transhumance and explain how much it still matters among the Gaddis of Bharmaur. (3 marks)
Hint
Seasonal movement with animals; present share of households.
Answer
Transhumance is the seasonal movement of herders with their animals from the plains to mountain pastures in summer and back again in winter (the definition is from NCERT Fundamentals of Human Geography, which names the Gaddis among such groups). In Bharmaur it has declined: only about one-tenth of the total households practise it now. The Gaddis are still very mobile, however, as a sizeable section migrate to Kangra and surrounding areas in winter to earn a living from wage labour.
Q6 · 3 marks · Short answerHOTS / competency
A student reads that female literacy in Bharmaur rose to 65 per cent by 2011 and writes: "So gender inequality in education has ended in Bharmaur." Use the NCERT figures to show why this is an overstatement. (3 marks)
Hint
Ask what 65 per cent leaves out, and what NCERT says the gap did.
Answer
A rate of 65 per cent means about two in three women are literate, so about 35 per cent (100 - 65, our own arithmetic) are not. NCERT says only that the difference between male and female literacy levels, that is gender inequality, "has also declined"; it does not say the gap has disappeared, and it gives no male figure. So the correct statement is that the gap narrowed, not that inequality ended.

Test your recall

Answer in your head or on paper first, then open the card. Pulling an answer out of memory makes it stick far better than re-reading.

1.Which two tehsils make up the Bharmaur tribal area?Show answer
Bharmaur and Holi, in Chamba district of Himachal Pradesh.
2.Since when has Bharmaur been a notified tribal area?Show answer
Since 21 November 1975.
3.Between which heights does the region mostly lie?Show answer
Between 1,500 m and 3,700 m above mean sea level.
4.What are the mean monthly temperatures of January and July?Show answer
About 4 degrees C in January and 26 degrees C in July.
5.What was Bharmaur's population density in the 2011 census?Show answer
21 persons per sq km (total population of the sub-division 39,113).

Integrated Tribal Development Project in Bharmaur: frequently asked questions

What has CBSE asked from the Bharmaur case study?

The case study has been used for source-based items on the state, the Gaddi tribe and the aim of the ITDP (2023 64/4/1 Q15 to Q17), for a location, climate and backwardness source-based item (2024 64/5/1 Q18), and for 5-mark questions on the positive effects of the project (2024 64/3/2 Q27; 2025 64/1/1 Q26(b); 2026 64/4/1 Q27(b) and 64/5/1 Q28(b); sample paper 2024-25 Q26), and for a 5-mark development-plan item (sample paper 2025-26 Q28). Preparing the setting, the plan, the gains and the gaps covers all of these.

Does NCERT call the ITDP a target area or a target group programme?

No. NCERT lists the Command Area, Drought Prone Area, Desert and Hill Area Development Programmes as target area examples, and SFDA and MFDA as target group examples. The ITDP is described as an area development plan under the tribal sub-plan and is not placed in either list, so do not label it either way.

Why is the place spelt Bharmaur here?

NCERT notes that the name comes from the Sanskrit word Brahmaur and says the book uses Bharmaur "to retain the colloquial flavour". Use the textbook spelling in answers.

Is Bharmaur in the map list?

No. The 2026-27 syllabus map list shows Nil for Chapter 6, Planning and Sustainable Development in Indian Context.