With reference to ‘Changpa’ community of India, consider the following statement : (1). They live mainly in the State of Uttarakhand. (2). They rear the Pashmina goats that yield a fine wool. (3). They are kept in the category of Scheduled Tribes. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

The correct answer is B. Statements 2 and 3 are right, and statement 1 is wrong.

The Changpa are semi-nomadic pastoralists of the Changthang plateau in eastern Ladakh, not Uttarakhand. Ladakh was part of Jammu and Kashmir when this question was asked, and it became a Union Territory in 2019. The location itself is unchanged, only the administrative label. Uttarakhand's high-altitude pastoral and trading communities are Bhotiyas and Shauka groups, and that is where the confusion usually starts.

• Statement 1 is wrong. Changpa live mainly in Changthang, Ladakh.
• Statement 2 is correct. They rear Changra goats, whose fine undercoat is the source of pashmina wool. Changthang is the core pashmina belt.
• Statement 3 is correct. The Changpa are notified as a Scheduled Tribe.

Core concept: pastoral nomadism in cold deserts and the pashmina value chain. For Mains GS-I (geography of pastoral economies) and GS-II (tribal welfare and ST status), Changpa make a good case study. Pashmina trade, shrinking pasture due to climate change and grazing rights are all live issues.

Trap: Candidates shift the Changpa to Uttarakhand because of the Himalayan Bhotiya links, and then mark A or D. Anchor the community to Changthang and to the Changra goat together.