Prelims · Environment & ecology · 23 questions

Protected areas & conservation

Every UPSC Prelims question on this topic, 2016–2026, newest first. Tap an option to check yourself; the answer and explanation open below it.

Asked in 8 of 11 years · most in 2020 (4)

UPSC syllabus: “General issues on Environmental ecology, Bio-diversity and Climate Change - that do not require subject specialization.” See the full syllabus →

Prelims 2026 · Q22

Easy Provisional key

With respect to the Western Hoolock Gibbons, which of the following statements is/are correct?

1.A Sanctuary in North-east India is home to this ape species listed as Endangered in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List.
2.They have specialized brachiation and can easily swing between trees.
3.They possess a strong and heavy build like gorillas, yet are remarkably agile tree climbers.

Select the answer using the code given below:

Answer & explanation

Answer: (b) 1 and 2

The western hoolock gibbon, India's only ape, is assessed as Endangered by the IUCN, and Assam's Hollongapar Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary in Jorhat is named after it. Gibbons are expert brachiators that swing arm over arm through the canopy, but they are small, light apes, not heavily built like gorillas.

✓ 1. Hollongapar Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary (about 21 sq km, Jorhat district, Assam) is named after the hoolock gibbon; the western hoolock (Hoolock hoolock) is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List.
✓ 2. Gibbons have very long forearms and move mainly by brachiation, swinging from branch to branch and covering more than 3 m in a single swing.
✗ 3. Gibbons are the lightest apes, weighing roughly 4–13 kg; the agility comes from a slender, light build, not a heavy gorilla-like body.

Remember · Western hoolock gibbon: India's only ape, IUCN Endangered, Schedule I; Hollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary, Jorhat (Assam); moves by brachiation.

Sources

Jorhat District (Government of Assam), Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary ↗ “Hollongapar Gibbon Wildlife sanctuary, more popularly known as Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary named after Hoolock Gibbon covers an area of 20.98 square kilometers”
Assam State Biodiversity Board (Government of Assam): Choudhury, The Distribution, Status and Conservation of Hoolock Gibbon in Assam ↗ “It is listed as “Endangered.” on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (IUCN 2008). … The hoolock gibbon, Hoolock hoolock, is the only ape found in the Indian subcontinent.”
Animal Diversity Web (University of Michigan), Hylobatidae: gibbons ↗ · reference work “These apes are of medium size (3.9-12.7 kg). They lack tails. Their forearms are remarkably long … They are remarkably active and agile brachiators, capable of exceeding 3m in a swing.”

Question and answer: UPSC's provisional GS Paper I (2026, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). Permalink ·

Prelims 2026 · Q27

Easy Provisional key

Which of the following statements with regard to the arrival of Amur Falcons at Doyang Lake in Nagaland each year from Mongolia is/are correct?

1.It showcases how sustained local conservation efforts can contribute to the arrival and protection of international migratory birds.
2.It reflects the global success of advanced tracking technologies that guide migratory birds back to their stopover sites.
3.It confirms that Amur Falcons have adapted to permanent residency in India due to favourable habitat changes.

Select the answer using the code given below:

Answer & explanation

Answer: (a) 1 only

Amur Falcons stop over in the Doyang area of Wokha district for about a month each October–November on their long migration to southern Africa. Mass hunting in 2012 gave way to protection by villagers, churches, youth groups and the forest department, which is why the roost now thrives. Satellite tags only record their routes; they do not guide the birds, and the falcons do not stay in India.

✓ 1. After the 2012 slaughter, local communities around Pangti and Doyang turned protectors, enforcing hunting bans; the safe roost is the product of that sustained community effort.
✗ 2. Satellite tagging (from 2013) was used to study the falcons' routes; migratory birds navigate on their own, and tags play no part in guiding them back.
✗ 3. The falcons are passage migrants: they spend about a month in Nagaland and then continue to southern Africa, so they have not become permanent residents.

Remember · Amur Falcon: breeds in Siberia–China–Mongolia, stops over in Nagaland (Pangti, Doyang, Wokha) in Oct–Nov, winters in southern Africa; a community-conservation success after 2012.

Sources

CMS (Convention on Migratory Species), From Prey to Protected Species: How the Tide Turned for the Amur Falcon ↗ “By 2013, authorities, religious leaders and youth groups had stepped in to persuade local people to provide safe passage to the birds, which spend a month in the area, normally in October - November”
Wokha District (Government of Nagaland), Places of Interest ↗ “Roosting site of Amur Falcon (Falcon Amurensis) lies on the way to Pangti village near Doyang valley. It is also known as the Amur Falcon capital of the World.”

Question and answer: UPSC's provisional GS Paper I (2026, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). Permalink ·

Prelims 2026 · Q32

Medium Provisional key

With reference to Madhav National Park, which of the following statements is/are correct?

1.It was declared a Tiger Reserve in India in 2025.
2.Sakhya Sagar, which is designated as a Ramsar Site, is situated within this National Park.
3.Its area is shared between Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.

Select the answer using the code given below:

Answer & explanation

Answer: (b) 1 and 2

Madhav National Park, near Shivpuri in Madhya Pradesh, became Madhav Tiger Reserve in 2025, and Sakhya Sagar, a Ramsar site since 2022, lies inside it. The park is wholly in Madhya Pradesh, so the claim of a share with Rajasthan is wrong.

✓ 1. In March 2025 the Prime Minister announced Madhav Tiger Reserve as the country's 58th and Madhya Pradesh's 9th tiger reserve.
✓ 2. Sakhya Sagar, a man-made reservoir in the core zone of the reserve, was designated a Ramsar site in July 2022 and is a wetland of Madhya Pradesh.
✗ 3. The park lies in Shivpuri district of Madhya Pradesh. It is not a transboundary area and no part of it is in Rajasthan.

Remember · Madhav Tiger Reserve (Shivpuri, MP): 58th in India, 9th in MP, announced March 2025. Sakhya Sagar, a Ramsar site since 2022, lies inside it. All within Madhya Pradesh.

Sources

DD News (Prasar Bharati): PM Modi on opening of India's 58th Tiger Reserve (9 March 2025) ↗ “Thrilled to announce that the country has added the 58th Tiger Reserve to its tally with the latest entrant being Madhya Pradesh’s Madhav Tiger Reserve. This is MP’s 9th Tiger Reserve”
PIB (MoEFCC): India Designates 5 New Ramsar Sites (26 July 2022) ↗ “one (Pala wetland) in Mizoram and one wetland (Sakhya Sagar) in Madhya Pradesh, making a total of 54 Ramsar sites in the country.”
Madhya Pradesh Tourism: Tiger Reserves in Madhya Pradesh ↗ · reference work “One of the reserve's most notable features is Sakhya Sagar Lake, a man-made reservoir situated in the core zone of the reserve.”
Madhya Pradesh Tourism: Madhav National Park ↗ · reference work “the park that is situated in Shivpuri District of Gwalior division is an ideal destination for nature enthusiasts.”

Question and answer: UPSC's provisional GS Paper I (2026, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 1 Oct 2026 (how we verify). Permalink ·

Prelims 2025 · Q37

Medium

Regarding Peacock tarantula (Gooty tarantula), consider the following statements:

I.It is an omnivorous crustacean.
II.Its natural habitat in India is only limited to some forest areas.
III.In its natural habitat, it is an arboreal species.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Answer & explanation

Answer: (d) II and III

The Gooty (peacock) tarantula, Poecilotheria metallica, is a spider, so it is an arachnid and not a crustacean, and it hunts animal prey rather than being an omnivore. It is a tree-dwelling species restricted to a few forest patches in the Eastern Ghats, so II and III are correct.

✗ I Tarantulas belong to the class Arachnida (order Araneae, family Theraphosidae), not to the crustaceans, and Britannica says they feed mainly at night on insects and occasionally on small frogs, toads and mice, so 'omnivorous crustacean' is wrong on both counts.
✓ II The species is endemic to India and is Critically Endangered because it is restricted to a small, highly degraded forest area in the Eastern Ghats (between Nandyal and Giddalur, Andhra Pradesh); a later record extended its range to the Eastern Ghats of Tamil Nadu, but it remains confined to a few forest areas.
✓ III Its genus, Poecilotheria, is the only tarantula genus that is specifically arboreal, living in trees in the forests of peninsular India and Sri Lanka.

Remember · Gooty (peacock) tarantula, Poecilotheria metallica: an arboreal spider (arachnid), endemic to a small Eastern Ghats forest area in India; IUCN Critically Endangered.

Sources

Journal of Threatened Taxa (2019) 11(10): Range extension of the Gooty Tarantula Poecilotheria metallica in the Eastern Ghats of Tamil Nadu, India ↗ · reference work “This species is endemic to India, and according to the current IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, the species is categorized as Critically Endangered, as it is restricted to a 100km² highly degraded forest between Nandyal and Giddalur in the Eastern Ghats of Andhra Pradesh … The old world genus Poecilotheria Simon, 1885 of the subfamily Poecilotheriinae is the only genus specifically arboreal in habit, occurring largely in the dry deciduous and evergreen forests or wooded areas in peninsular India and Sri Lanka”
Encyclopaedia Britannica: Tarantula (taxonomy) ↗ · reference work “Taxonomy Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Arthropoda Class: Arachnida Order: Araneae Infraorder: Mygalomorphae Family: Theraphosidae … many make burrows in soil and feed mainly at night on insects and occasionally small frogs, toads, and mice; some species are arboreal.”

Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2025, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 1 Oct 2026 (how we verify). Permalink ·

Prelims 2023 · Q38

Hard

Consider the following statements:

Once the Central Government notifies an area as a ‘Community Reserve’

1.the Chief Wildlife Warden of the State becomes the governing authority of such forest
2.hunting is not allowed in such area
3.people of such area are allowed to collect non-timber forest produce
4.people of such area are allowed traditional agricultural practices

How many of the above statements are correct?

Answer & explanation

Answer: (b) Only two

Why not the tempting option · UPSC's key is (b): statements 2 and 3 are correct, 1 and 4 are not. The Act settles 1 (a Community Reserve management committee, not the Chief Wild Life Warden, manages the reserve) and supports 2 (the general ban on hunting applies, and the sanctuary duty to secure wild animals is extended to community reserves). On 3 and 4 the Act grants no positive rights: it does not extend the sanctuary bar on removing forest produce (section 29) to community reserves, so collection of non-timber produce continues, but it freezes the land-use pattern (section 36C(3)), which rules out opening reserve land to cultivation — forest officials in Nagaland describe community reserves as areas where people can neither hunt nor farm, 'leave alone jhum cultivation'. A looser reading that treats settled farming as unchanged land use would give three, but the key does not take it; and the stem's 'Central Government notifies' is loose (the State Government declares a community reserve) without changing the count. In the exam, read the land-use freeze as excluding agriculture.

A Community Reserve is declared by the State Government on private or community land whose owners volunteer to conserve wildlife, and it is run by a Community Reserve management committee, so statement 1 is wrong. Hunting stays banned (2) and the Act does not bar the collection of forest produce there (3), but the land-use pattern is frozen, so reserve land cannot be turned over to cultivation (4): two statements are correct.

✗ 1. Section 36D of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 makes the Community Reserve management committee, constituted by the State Government, the authority for conserving, maintaining and managing the reserve. The Chief Wild Life Warden controls sanctuaries, not community reserves.
✓ 2. Hunting of protected wild animals is banned by section 9 everywhere, and section 36C(2) extends to a community reserve the sanctuary duty under section 33(b) to ensure the security of wild animals.
✓ 3. The Act applies only selected sanctuary provisions to a community reserve — sections 18(2), 27(2) to (4), 30, 32 and 33(b) and (c). The sanctuary bar on removing forest produce (section 29) is not among them, so the community's collection of non-timber produce on its own land continues under the management committee.
✗ 4. Section 36C(3) freezes the land-use pattern after notification: no change is allowed without a resolution of the management committee and State Government approval, so reserve land cannot be opened to cultivation. In Nagaland, which has the most community reserves, forest officials describe them as areas where people can neither hunt nor farm, leave alone practise jhum.

Remember · Community Reserve (Wild Life (Protection) Act, s. 36C-36D, added 2002): private or community land, declared by the State Government, managed by a Community Reserve management committee; hunting banned, land-use pattern frozen, forest-produce collection not barred.

Sources

Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, section 36C (India Code) ↗ “The State Government may, where the community or an individual has volunteered to conserve wild life and its habitat, declare any private or community land not comprised within a National Park, sanctuary or a conservation reserve, as a community reserve … The State Government shall constitute a Community Reserve management committee, which shall be the authority responsible for conserving, maintaining and managing the community reserve. … no change in the land use pattern shall be made within the community reserve, except in accordance with a resolution passed by the management committee and approval of the same by the State Government. … The provisions of sub-section (2) of section 18, sub-sections (2), (3) and (4) of section 27, sections 30, 32 and clauses (b) and (c) of section 33 shall, as far as may be, apply in relation to a community reserve as they apply in relation to a sanctuary.”
Down To Earth: Community reserves — are they forest department's backdoor entry into North East India (quoting an assistant conservator of forests, Nagaland) ↗ · reference work “After a forest has been made into a community reserve, people cannot hunt there, nor can they use it for agricultural practices, leave alone jhum cultivation”

Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2023, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 1 Oct 2026 (how we verify). Permalink ·

Prelims 2022 · Q30

Medium

Consider the following pairs:

	Wetland/Lake	Location
1.	Hokera Wetland	Punjab
2.	Renuka Wetland	Himachal Pradesh
3.	Rudrasagar Lake	Tripura
4.	Sasthamkotta Lake	Tamil Nadu

How many pairs given above are correctly matched?

Answer & explanation

Answer: (b) Only two pairs

All four are Ramsar sites. Renuka (Sirmaur, Himachal Pradesh) and Rudrasagar (Melaghar, Tripura) are correctly placed, but Hokera (Hokersar) lies near Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir, and Sasthamkotta is in Kollam district, Kerala. So only two pairs match.

✗ 1. Hokera, also called Hokersar, is a wetland near Srinagar in the Kashmir valley, a winter halt for migratory birds from Siberia and Central Asia — not in Punjab.
✓ 2. Renuka lake and the Renuka Wildlife Sanctuary around it are in Sirmaur district, Himachal Pradesh.
✓ 3. Rudrasagar Lake is at Melaghar in Sepahijala district, Tripura; the Neermahal water palace stands in the middle of it.
✗ 4. Sasthamkotta (Sasthamcotta) Lake, Kerala's largest freshwater lake, is about 19 km from Kollam town and supplies Kollam's drinking water — it is in Kerala, not Tamil Nadu.

Remember · Hokera/Hokersar — J&K; Renuka — Himachal Pradesh; Rudrasagar (Neermahal) — Tripura; Sasthamkotta — Kerala (largest freshwater lake of the state). All are Ramsar sites.

Sources

District Srinagar (Government of Jammu and Kashmir): About District ↗ “Hokersar is a wetland situated near Srinagar. Thousands of migratory birds come to Hokersar from Siberia and other regions in the winter season.”
District Sirmaur (Government of Himachal Pradesh): Renuka Ji ↗ “Renuka lake is situated in the Sirmour district of Himachal Pradesh in India and it is 672 m above the sea level.”
District Sepahijala (Government of Tripura): Neermahal ↗ “It is situated in Melaghar, 53 kilometers away from the Agartala, the capital of Tripura. The palace is situated in the middle of Rudrasagar Lake”
District Kollam (Government of Kerala): Places of Interest ↗ “Sasthamcottah is an attractive village situated about 19 kms. from Kollam Town. It is a beauty spot, a health resort and a centre of pilgrimage. The extensive freshwater lake here, is said to be the biggest of its kind in Kerala.”

Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2022, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). Permalink ·

Prelims 2020 · Q73

Medium

Which of the following Protected Areas are located in Cauvery basin?

1.Nagarhole National Park
2.Papikonda National Park
3.Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve
4.Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

Answer & explanation

Answer: (c) 1, 3 and 4 only

Nagarhole, Sathyamangalam and Wayanad are all drained by the Kaveri (Cauvery) and its tributaries, but Papikonda National Park lies along the Godavari in Andhra Pradesh, so 2 is the only one that does not belong.

✓ 1. Nagarhole's own stream, the Nagarahole, joins the Kabini, and the Kabini is a right-bank tributary of the Kaveri.
✗ 2. Papikonda National Park is in the Papi Hills of Andhra Pradesh, where the Godavari cuts through the range; it belongs to the Godavari basin, not the Cauvery.
✓ 3. Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve in Erode district (Tamil Nadu) is drained by the Bhavani, Moyar and Suvarnavathi, which are Kaveri tributaries.
✓ 4. Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary in Kerala is drained by the Kabini, which rises in Wayanad and joins the Kaveri in Karnataka.

Remember · Nagarhole, Wayanad and Sathyamangalam sit in the Kabini-Bhavani part of the Cauvery basin; Papikonda sits on the Godavari.

Sources

NTCA brief note: Nagarahole Tiger Reserve ↗ “The reserve is named after a small river ‘Nagarahole’ (literally a snake stream in Kannada), which meanders within the habitat, before joining the river Kabini.”
Inland Waterways Authority of India, Detailed Project Report: Kabini River (NW-51) ↗ “Kabini River originates from the Pakramthalam hills (Western Ghat) in Wayanad district of Kerala state at an altitude of about 2140m. It flows eastward to join the Kaveri River at Tirumakudalu Narasipura in Karnataka”
Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve (Government of Tamil Nadu), Tiger Conservation Plan: Core Zone ↗ “Major Streams Swarnavathi & Halibidha Halla are the major streams. The Suvarnavathi is one of the Southern tributaries of the R. Kaveri.”
Papikondalu, Eluru District (Government of Andhra Pradesh) ↗ “Papikondalu Mountain range runs along River Godavari, one of the largest and vivacious rivers in India.”
Kerala Tourism (Government of Kerala), Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary ↗ · reference work “Rivers like the Kabini, Cherupuzha, and Bavali flow through the sanctuary, enhancing its scenic beauty and providing essential water sources for its flora and fauna.”

Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2020, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 1 Oct 2026 (how we verify). Permalink ·

Prelims 2020 · Q75

Medium

Which one of the following protected areas is well-known for the conservation of a sub-species of the Indian swamp deer (Barasingha) that thrives well on hard ground and is exclusively graminivorous?

Answer & explanation

Answer: (a) Kanha National Park

Kanha National Park (Madhya Pradesh) is the home of the hard-ground barasingha, Rucervus duvaucelii branderi, the swamp-deer sub-species that lives on firm ground and feeds only on grass. It is Madhya Pradesh's State animal.

✓ (a) The Madhya Pradesh Forest Department calls the hard-ground barasingha the State animal and says it is found exclusively in Kanha; until recently Kanha held the only world population of this sub-species.
✗ (b) Manas (Assam) also shelters swamp deer, so it tempts, but it is known for the rhino, tiger, pygmy hog and Bengal florican; the hard-ground form is Kanha's.
✗ (c) Mudumalai (Tamil Nadu, Nilgiris) is known for elephant, gaur and tiger; its official fauna list has no swamp deer.
✗ (d) Tal Chhapar (Churu, Rajasthan) is known as a haven for blackbuck and birds, not for barasingha.

Remember · Hard-ground barasingha (Rucervus duvaucelii branderi) is Kanha's flagship deer and Madhya Pradesh's State animal.

Sources

Kanha Tiger Reserve, Madhya Pradesh Forest Department e-brochure ↗ “The State animal of Madhya Pradesh - Hard Ground Barasingha is found exclusively in Kanha Tiger Reserve.”
Kanha Tiger Reserve, MEE-TR portal (Wildlife Institute of India) ↗ “Besides the viable population of tigers and, till recently, the only world population of the hard ground barasingha (Rucervus duvaucelii branderi), a wide range of plant and animal species”
Manas Wildlife Sanctuary, UNESCO World Heritage Centre ↗ “The site provides critical and viable habitats for rare and endangered species, including tiger, greater one-horned rhino, swamp deer, pygmy hog and Bengal florican.”
Mudumalai Tiger Reserve brief note, National Tiger Conservation Authority ↗ “Fauna The faunal assemblage include: elephant, gaur, sambar, four homed antelope, spotted deer, barking deer, blackbuck, wild pig, mouse deer and predators like tiger, leopard and wild dog.”
Parks and Wildlife, Rajasthan Tourism (Government of Rajasthan) ↗ “Renowned for being a safe haven black bucks and a variety of birds, this sanctuary is named after the Chhapar village.”

Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2020, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). Permalink ·

Prelims 2020 · Q77

Medium

Which of the following are the most likely places to find the musk deer in its natural habitat?

1.Askot Wildlife Sanctuary
2.Gangotri National Park
3.Kishanpur Wildlife Sanctuary
4.Manas National Park

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

Answer & explanation

Answer: (a) 1 and 2 only

Musk deer (Moschus chrysogaster) is a high-Himalayan animal, so the Uttarakhand mountain areas, Askot Wildlife Sanctuary and Gangotri National Park, are its likely homes, not the plains and foothill areas of Kishanpur and Manas.

✓ 1. Askot Wildlife Sanctuary in Pithoragarh district, Uttarakhand, is listed as a home of musk deer, alongside snow leopard, bharal and tahr.
✓ 2. The Wildlife Institute of India lists Musk deer (Moschus chrysogaster) among the mammals documented in Gangotri National Park, Uttarakhand.
✗ 3. Kishanpur is a lowland sanctuary in Uttar Pradesh, part of Dudhwa Tiger Reserve on the Gangetic alluvial plain; its deer are swamp deer, hog deer, spotted deer and the like, not musk deer.
✗ 4. Manas (Assam) is known for tiger, greater one-horned rhino, swamp deer, pygmy hog and Bengal florican; musk deer is not among its species.

Remember · Musk deer lives in high, cold Himalayan forests (Uttarakhand, Kashmir, Sikkim); look for Askot and Gangotri, not the Terai or Assam plains.

Sources

Askot Sanctuary, Pithoragarh District (Government of Uttarakhand, NIC) ↗ “It is a haven for snow leopards, Himalayan black bears, musk deers, snow cocks, tahra, bharals, chirs, koklas, pheasants and chukors.”
Gangotri National Park, Wildlife Institute of India ↗ “Snow leopard ( Panthera uncia ), Black bear ( Ursus thibetanus ), Brown bear ( Ursus arctos ), Musk deer ( Moschus chrysogaster ), Blue sheep or Bharal ( Pseudois nayaur ), Himalayan tahr ( Hemitragus jemlahicus )”
Dudhwa Tiger Reserve (includes Kishanpur Sanctuary), National Tiger Conservation Authority ↗ “Axis porcinus (Hog Deer), Muntiacus muntjak (Barking Deer), Cervus duvaceli (Swamp deer), Cervus unicolor (Sambhar), Sus scrofa (Wild Boar)”
Manas Wildlife Sanctuary, UNESCO World Heritage Centre ↗ “The site provides critical and viable habitats for rare and endangered species, including tiger, greater one-horned rhino, swamp deer, pygmy hog and Bengal florican.”

Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2020, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). Permalink ·

Prelims 2020 · Q95

Easy

With reference to India's Desert National Park, which of the following statements are correct?

1.It is spread over two districts.
2.There is no human habitation inside the Park.
3.It is one of the natural habitats of Great Indian Bustard.

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

Answer & explanation

Answer: (c) 1 and 3 only

Desert National Park in Rajasthan lies in two districts, Jaisalmer and Barmer, and shelters the Great Indian Bustard, but it is not free of people. Dozens of villages and hamlets exist inside its boundary, so statement 2 fails.

✓ 1. The Park covers 3,162 sq km, of which 1,900 sq km is in Jaisalmer district and 1,262 sq km in Barmer district of Rajasthan.
✗ 2. People live inside the Park. The official nomination lists 73 villages and other settlements (dhanis) within it, though the population density is low, about 4-5 persons per sq km.
✓ 3. The Park has a good population of the Great Indian Bustard, called Godawan locally, and it is one of the bird's natural habitats.

Remember · Desert National Park (Rajasthan, gazetted 1980): Jaisalmer and Barmer districts, villages inside it, and a stronghold of the Great Indian Bustard.

Sources

UNESCO World Heritage Centre, Tentative List: Desert National Park, India (submitted by Rajasthan Forest Department), area and districts ↗ “The Desert National Park (DNP) covers an area of 3162 km² of which 1900 km² is in Jaisalmer district and remaining 1262 km² is in Barmer district of Rajasthan State. … the human population within the DNP is low (4-5 persons per km²). There are 73 villages and also settlements or Dhanis existing within the Park. … More than 100 bird species have been listed from DNP including a good population of the Great Indian Bustard (locally called Godawan )”

Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2020, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). Permalink ·

Prelims 2020 · Q100

Medium

Among the following Tiger Reserves, which one has the largest area under “Critical Tiger Habitat”?

Answer & explanation

Answer: (c) Nagarjunsagar-Srisailam

Nagarjunsagar-Srisailam has the largest Critical Tiger Habitat of the four, at 2,595.72 sq km. The other three are far smaller: Sunderban 1,699.62, Ranthambore 1,113.36 and Corbett 821.99 sq km.

✓ (c) The National Tiger Conservation Authority lists a core area of 2,595.72 sq km for Nagarjunsagar-Srisailam; the core is the notified Critical Tiger Habitat. It is the largest core area among India's tiger reserves.
✗ (d) Sunderban has a core of 1,699.62 sq km. Its total area (2,584.89 sq km) is close to the winner's core figure, which makes it a tempting choice, but the question asks about the critical habitat only.
✗ (a) Corbett is the oldest tiger reserve in the group but its core is only 821.99 sq km.
✗ (b) Ranthambore has a core of 1,113.36 sq km.

Remember · A tiger reserve = core or Critical Tiger Habitat (inviolate) + buffer. Nagarjunsagar-Srisailam has the largest core, 2,595.72 sq km.

Sources

National Tiger Conservation Authority: list of tiger reserves with core and buffer areas (Nagarjunsagar) ↗ “15 Nagarjunsagar Sagar 1982-83 Andhra Pradesh 2007 2,595.72 700.59 3,296.31 … 9 Sunderban 1973-74 West Bengal 2007 1,699.62 885.27 2,584.89”
PIB, Ministry of Environment and Forests: tiger reserves and critical habitats ↗ “A tiger reserve includes two parts: A. Core or critical tiger habitat (National Park or Sanctuary status). B. Buffer or peripheral area.”

Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2020, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). Permalink ·

Prelims 2019 · Q18

Medium

Which one of the following National Parks lies completely in the temperate alpine zone?

Answer & explanation

Answer: (d) Valley of Flowers National Park

The Valley of Flowers in Chamoli, Uttarakhand, is a high-altitude West Himalayan park of alpine meadows, lying wholly above the tree-dominated lower zones. The other three begin in the foothills or low valleys and climb through tropical and subtropical forests, so they are not completely temperate alpine.

✓ (d) Part of the Nanda Devi and Valley of Flowers World Heritage Site, it is known for meadows of endemic alpine flowers in the high West Himalaya, in the transition between the Zanskar and Great Himalaya ranges.
✗ (a) Manas in Assam lies on a gentle slope in the Himalayan foothills with alluvial grasslands and tropical forests — a lowland park.
✗ (b) Namdapha in Arunachal Pradesh rises from about 200 m to 4,571 m, so it runs from tropical evergreen forest up to alpine vegetation rather than lying wholly in one zone.
✗ (c) Neora Valley in West Bengal is known for dense subtropical and temperate forest on the Eastern Himalayan slopes, not for a park lying wholly in the alpine belt.

Remember · Valley of Flowers NP (Chamoli, Uttarakhand) = wholly alpine meadows; part of the Nanda Devi–Valley of Flowers World Heritage Site (1988, extended 2005).

Sources

UNESCO World Heritage Centre: Nanda Devi and Valley of Flowers National Parks ↗ “Nestled high in West Himalaya, India’s Valley of Flowers National Park is renowned for its meadows of endemic alpine flowers and outstanding natural beauty.”
UNESCO World Heritage Centre: Manas Wildlife Sanctuary ↗ “On a gentle slope in the foothills of the Himalayas, where wooded hills give way to alluvial grasslands and tropical forests, the Manas sanctuary is home to a great variety of wildlife”
UNESCO World Heritage Centre, Tentative List: Namdapha National Park (Government of India) ↗ “The park spans a wide altitudinal range from 200 m to 4,571 m at Dapha Bum, the highest point in the park.”
Kalimpong District (Government of West Bengal): Flora and Fauna ↗ “The Neora Valley National Park (88 sq. km), on the north-eastern face of the district with its dense subtropical and impenetrable temperate forest, is a national asset.”

Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2019, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). Permalink ·

Prelims 2019 · Q22

Easy

Consider the following statements:

1.Asiatic lion is naturally found in India only.
2.Double-humped camel is naturally found in India only.
3.One-horned rhinoceros is naturally found in India only.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Answer & explanation

Answer: (a) 1 only

Only the Asiatic lion is confined to India today, surviving in and around Gir in Gujarat. The double-humped (Bactrian) camel is a Central Asian animal that survives in India only in Ladakh's Nubra valley, and the one-horned rhinoceros also lives in Nepal's Terai, for example in Chitwan.

✓ 1. The Asiatic lion once ranged from West Asia to central India, but since the early 20th century its wild range has shrunk to the Gir National Park and surrounding areas of Gujarat.
✗ 2. The Bactrian or two-humped camel belongs to Central Asia; India's small herd in the Nubra valley of Ladakh is a remnant of the old Central Asian trade routes, so the species is not found only in India.
✗ 3. The greater one-horned rhinoceros lives in northern India (Kaziranga, Manas, Jaldapara and others) and in southern Nepal, where Chitwan holds one of its last populations.

Remember · India-only: Asiatic lion (Gir). Shared: one-horned rhino (India + Nepal), Bactrian camel (Central Asia; in India only Nubra, Ladakh).

📘 Read it in NCERT: Class 10 Contemporary India – II, Ch 2 (practise this chapter)

Sources

PIB, Ministry of Environment and Forests: Lion as a National Animal (Rajya Sabha reply) ↗ “the Gir forest has the only wild population of Asiatic lion ( Panthera leo persica ) in the world.”
Environment Ministry (Parivesh), Conservation value of Nubra protected area ↗ “there is a herd of feral double humped (Bactrian) camel in Nubra, which is a remnant of the Central Asian trade that passed through this region.”
ICAR-National Research Centre on Camel: Double Humped Camel (archived copy) ↗ “A small population of bactrian camel exists in the Nubra valley of Ladakh (J&K).”
UNESCO World Heritage Centre: Chitwan National Park (Nepal) ↗ “Nestled at the foot of the Himalayas, Chitwan has a particularly rich flora and fauna and is home to one of the last populations of single-horned Asiatic rhinoceros”
UNESCO World Heritage Centre: Kaziranga National Park (India) ↗ “It is inhabited by the world's largest population of one-horned rhinoceroses, as well as many mammals, including tigers, elephants, panthers and bears, and thousands of birds.”
NCERT Class 10 · Contemporary India – II, Chapter 2 “including the tiger, the one- horned rhinoceros, the Kashmir stag or hangul, three types of crocodiles”

Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2019, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). Permalink ·

Prelims 2019 · Q27

Medium

Which of the following are in Agasthyamala Biosphere Reserve?

Answer & explanation

Answer: (a) Neyyar, Peppara and Shendurney Wildlife Sanctuaries; and Kalakad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve

Agasthyamala Biosphere Reserve, at the southern end of the Western Ghats, takes in three Kerala wildlife sanctuaries (Shendurney, Peppara and Neyyar) and the Kalakad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve of Tamil Nadu.

✓ (a) UNESCO's description of the reserve names exactly these: the Shendurney, Peppara and Neyyar wildlife sanctuaries and the Kalakad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve. The reserve spans districts of Tamil Nadu and Kerala.
✗ (b) This mixes sites from the Nilgiri and Wayanad hills further north in the Western Ghats; none is part of Agasthyamala.
✗ (c) Kaundinya, Gundla Brahmeswaram and Papikonda are sanctuaries of Andhra Pradesh, and Mukurthi is in the Nilgiris of Tamil Nadu, so the set cannot belong to Agasthyamala.
✗ (d) Kawal, Sri Venkateswara and Nagarjunasagar-Srisailam are in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, far from Agasthyamala.

Remember · Agasthyamala BR (Tamil Nadu and Kerala): Shendurney, Peppara, Neyyar sanctuaries plus Kalakad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve.

Sources

UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Programme: Agasthyamala Biosphere Reserve ↗ “The reserve includes three wildlife sanctuaries, Shendurney, Peppara and Neyyar, as well as the Kalakad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve.”

Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2019, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). Permalink ·

Prelims 2019 · Q29

Hard

Consider the following pairs:

	Wildlife	Naturally found in
1.	Blue-finned Mahseer	Cauvery River
2.	Irrawaddy Dolphin	Chambal River
3.	Rusty-spotted Cat	Eastern Ghats

Which of the pairs given above are correctly matched?

Answer & explanation

Answer: (c) 1 and 3 only

Why not the tempting option · UPSC's key is (c). Pair 1 holds on the reading 'lives wild in the Cauvery': the blue-finned mahseer is now the river's dominant mahseer and breeds there. Strictly it is not native to the Cauvery, since peer-reviewed work shows it was stocked from a Maharashtra hatchery from the 1970s–80s and the river's own mahseer is the hump-backed Tor remadevii; but no option offers '3 only', and with pair 2 clearly wrong, (c) is the only answer the options allow. In the exam, when one pair is contestable on fine taxonomy, let the options decide.

UPSC's key accepts pairs 1 and 3 and rejects pair 2. The blue-finned mahseer is the mahseer most often found in the Cauvery today, where it breeds in the wild; the Irrawaddy dolphin's Indian stronghold is Chilika Lagoon, not the Chambal; and the Rusty-spotted Cat does occur in the Eastern Ghats.

✓ 1. The blue-finned mahseer (Tor khudree, the Deccan mahseer) is now the common mahseer of the Cauvery: a self-sustaining wild population, which a 2015 study of the river's angler catches found to be recruiting strongly, after decades of stocking by Karnataka's fisheries department and angling bodies.
✗ 2. Chilika Lagoon on the east coast is the largest habitat of the endangered Irrawaddy dolphin in India. The Chambal is known for the gharial and the Ganges river dolphin, not this species.
✓ 3. The Rusty-spotted Cat lives in forests of peninsular India, including the Eastern Ghats; it has been recorded on camera in Papikonda National Park in the northern Eastern Ghats of Andhra Pradesh.

Remember · Irrawaddy dolphin: Chilika Lagoon (Odisha). Rusty-spotted Cat: peninsular forests including the Eastern Ghats. Blue-finned mahseer: the common mahseer of the Cauvery today.

Sources

Chilika Development Authority (Government of Odisha): Chilika Lagoon ↗ · reference work “Hot spot of biodiversity with 228 species of Bird, 335 species of Fish and largest group of endangered Irrawaddy dolphin habitat”
Journal of Threatened Taxa 12(10), 2020: length-weight relationships of two mahseers (Tor) of the river Cauvery, Karnataka ↗ · reference work “these are the first available LW relationships for the Critically Endangered Tor remadevii and the non-native and locally invasive Tor khudree”
Journal of Threatened Taxa 8(5), 2016: camera-trap records of Rusty-spotted Cat from Papikonda National Park, northern Eastern Ghats ↗ · reference work “The present note reports the first camera trap records of the Leopard Cat Prionailurus benghalensis Kerr, 1792 and Rusty Spotted Cat, Prionailurus rubiginosus Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1831 from the Papikonda National Park, situated in the northern Eastern Ghats of Andhra Pradesh.”
Pinder et al. (2018), PLoS ONE: taxonomy of the hump-backed mahseer, open-access copy on PubMed Central (NIH) ↗ “Currently known to be endemic and restricted to the River Cauvery basin in the Western Ghats, T . remadevii is distinguished from congener”
Pinder, Raghavan & Britton (2015), Endangered Species Research 28: the hump-backed mahseer of India's River Cauvery, open-access copy in the Bournemouth University repository ↗ · reference work “evidence suggests that the hump-backed phenotype is endemic to the river, whereas the blue-finned phenotype was introduced in the 1980s … with further documentation that stocking activity on the Cauvery included 30 000 mahseer by the Fish Farmers Development Agency, Mysore”

Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2019, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 1 Oct 2026 (how we verify). Permalink ·

Prelims 2019 · Q68

Medium

Consider the following statements:

1.As per law, the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority exists at both National and State levels.
2.People's participation is mandatory in the compensatory afforestation programmes carried out under the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Act, 2016.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Answer & explanation

Answer: (a) 1 only

Only statement 1 is correct. The Compensatory Afforestation Fund Act, 2016 sets up a National Authority (section 8) and a State Authority in each State (section 10), but it does not make people's participation mandatory in compensatory afforestation.

✓ 1. Section 8 constitutes the 'National Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority', and section 10 constitutes a 'State Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority' in each State.
✗ 2. The Act lays down the Authorities, their governing bodies and how the National and State Funds are managed and used. Nowhere does it make people's participation a compulsory part of compensatory afforestation.

Remember · The CAF Act, 2016 creates a National Authority and State Authorities to manage compensatory-afforestation money; it does not mandate people's participation.

Sources

The Compensatory Afforestation Fund Act, 2016 (official text, Forest Department, Government of Rajasthan), section 8, National Authority ↗ “there shall be constituted a National Authority to be called the “National Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority” … there shall be constituted a State Authority to be called the “State Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority” in each State.”

Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2019, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 1 Oct 2026 (how we verify). Permalink ·

Prelims 2018 · Q94

Easy

In which one of the following States is Pakhui Wildlife Sanctuary located?

Answer & explanation

Answer: (a) Arunachal Pradesh

Pakhui Wildlife Sanctuary is in the East Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh. Pakhui and Pakke are two spellings of the same protected area, which is also a tiger reserve.

✓ (a) The National Tiger Conservation Authority places Pakke Tiger Reserve in East Kameng district, Arunachal Pradesh. PIB records that it was declared the Pakhui Wildlife Sanctuary in 2002 and was made a tiger reserve in the same year.
✗ (b) Pakhui is not in Manipur. The reserve lies in Arunachal Pradesh and is contiguous with Assam's Nameri Tiger Reserve.
✗ (c) Pakhui is not in Meghalaya; it is in East Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh.
✗ (d) Pakhui is not in Nagaland; it is in East Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh.

Remember · Pakhui (Pakke) Wildlife Sanctuary and Tiger Reserve: East Kameng, Arunachal Pradesh, next to Assam's Nameri.

Sources

Pakke Tiger Reserve, brief note (National Tiger Conservation Authority) ↗ “Pakke Tiger Reserve is located in the East Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh.”
Tiger Reserves of India: Pakhui Tiger Reserve, Backgrounder (PIB, Ministry of Environment and Forests, 11 June 2009) ↗ “It was designated ‘Como Sanctuary’ in 1977. Later on it was declared as Pakhui Wildlife Sanctuary in 2002.”

Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2018, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). Permalink ·

Prelims 2017 · Q4

Medium

From the ecological point of view, which one of the following assumes importance in being a good link between the Eastern Ghats and the Western Ghats?

Answer & explanation

Answer: (a) Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve

Sathyamangalam, in the Erode region of western Tamil Nadu, sits where the Western Ghats meet the Eastern Ghats. Its forests form a corridor that lets tigers, elephants and other wildlife move between the two hill systems; it became a tiger reserve in 2013.

✓ (a) The reserve's own management describes it as the vital corridor linking the Western and Eastern Ghats, which keeps wildlife populations of the two ranges connected.
✗ (c) Nagarhole in Karnataka is a Western Ghats park; it does not reach the Eastern Ghats.
✗ (d) Seshachalam, around Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh, is an Eastern Ghats biosphere reserve with no link to the Western Ghats.

Remember · Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve (Tamil Nadu, 2013) is the junction and wildlife corridor between the Western and Eastern Ghats, within the Nilgiri landscape.

Sources

Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve, Tamil Nadu Forest Department (official site) ↗ “Born from the vision to protect the vital corridor linking the Western and Eastern Ghats, Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve stands as a triumph of conservation science and community partnership”

Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2017, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). Permalink ·

Prelims 2017 · Q67

Easy

If you want to see gharials in their natural habitat, which one of the following is the best place to visit?

Answer & explanation

Answer: (b) Chambal River

The Chambal River is the best place to see gharials in the wild. A 600 km stretch of it is the National Chambal Sanctuary, set up in 1978 mainly to protect the gharial, and it has the world's largest population of the species.

✓ (b) The National Chambal Sanctuary, on the Chambal, was created in 1978 under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 for the conservation and management of the gharial (Gavialis gangeticus).
✗ (a) Bhitarkanika is a coastal mangrove area of Odisha, not a river stretch protected for gharials.
✗ (c) Pulicat is a brackish-water lagoon shared by Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, better known as a bird-watching site than for gharials.

Remember · Gharial (Gavialis gangeticus): the National Chambal Sanctuary, a 600 km stretch of the Chambal River protected since 1978, has the world's largest wild population.

Sources

Wildlife Institute of India (MoEFCC): National Chambal Sanctuary ↗ “has been protected since 1978 as National Chambal Sanctuary (NCS), for conservation and management of the gharials (Gavialis gangeticus) under section 18(1) of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. … This is one of the most important wetland sanctuaries of the country as it harbours worlds largest population of gharial”
Government of Tamil Nadu, Wildlife Warden Chennai: Pulicat Lake ↗ “Pulicat Lake is a large brackish water lagoon lying partly in Tamil Nadu and partly in Andhra Pradesh State.”

Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2017, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). Permalink ·

Prelims 2017 · Q80

Easy

The term ‘M-STrIPES’ is sometimes seen in the news in the context of

Answer & explanation

Answer: (b) Maintenance of Tiger Reserves

M-STrIPES is the Monitoring System for Tigers: Intensive Protection and Ecological Status, a technology platform of the National Tiger Conservation Authority. It is used to assist patrolling, assess ecological status and reduce human-wildlife conflict in and around tiger reserves.

✓ (b) NTCA describes it as a platform that helps manage tiger reserves through effective patrolling, ecological assessment and conflict mitigation. That is the maintenance of Tiger Reserves.
✗ (a) M-STrIPES monitors tigers in their reserves. It is not a captive-breeding programme.
✗ (c) India's indigenous satellite navigation system is the ISRO-run Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS), also called NavIC.
✗ (d) It has nothing to do with highway security; it works in and around tiger reserves.

Remember · M-STrIPES = Monitoring System for Tigers: Intensive Protection and Ecological Status, NTCA's technology platform for patrolling and monitoring in tiger reserves.

Sources

National Tiger Conservation Authority: Our Work, M-STrIPES ↗ “It is a platform where modern technology is used to assist effective patrolling, assess ecological status and mitigate human-wildlife conflict in and around tiger reserves.”
ISRO: IRNSS Programme (NavIC) ↗ “IRNSS is an independent regional navigation satellite system being developed by India.”

Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2017, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). Permalink ·

Prelims 2017 · Q95

Easy

Recently there was a proposal to translocate some of the lions from their natural habitat in Gujarat to which one of the following sites?

Answer & explanation

Answer: (b) Kuno Palpur Wildlife Sanctuary

The proposal was to give the Asiatic lion a second home at Kuno-Palpur Wildlife Sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh. Every wild Asiatic lion lives in Gujarat, so one epidemic or disaster could wipe out the subspecies, and Kuno was chosen as the best alternative site.

✓ (b) Palpur-Kuno Wildlife Sanctuary in northern Madhya Pradesh was picked as the best site for a second lion population. In April 2013 the Supreme Court directed that the lions be re-introduced there.
✗ (a) Corbett National Park in Uttarakhand is a tiger reserve. The lion proposal named Kuno, not Corbett.
✗ (d) Sariska in Rajasthan is a tiger reserve. It was not the site proposed for the lions.
✗ (c) Mudumalai in Tamil Nadu is a tiger reserve in the south. It was not the site proposed for the lions.

Remember · The second home planned for Gir's Asiatic lions is Kuno (Palpur-Kuno) Wildlife Sanctuary, Madhya Pradesh.

Sources

IUCN Red List: Panthera leo persica (Asiatic Lion) ↗ “Palpur-Kuno Wildlife Sanctuary in northern Madhya Pradesh has now been selected as the best candidate area.”
UNEP Law and Environment Assistance Platform: Centre for Environmental Law v. Union of India (Supreme Court, 2013) ↗ “The supreme Court held that re-introduction of the Asiatic lion in Kuno was a priority that cannot be delayed if we want to protect this species from extinction.”

Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2017, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). Permalink ·

Prelims 2016 · Q33

Easy

Which of the following best describes/describe the aim of 'Green India Mission' of the Government of India?

1.Incorporating environmental benefits and costs into the Union and State Budgets thereby implementing the 'green accounting'
2.Launching the second green revolution to enhance agricultural output so as to ensure food security to one and all in the future
3.Restoring and enhancing forest cover and responding to climate change by a combination of adaptation and mitigation measures

Select the correct answer using the code given below.

Answer & explanation

Answer: (c) 3 only

Launched under the National Action Plan on Climate Change (2008), which has eight missions, the Green India Mission is about forests: protect, restore and enhance India's forest and tree cover while helping the country both adapt to and mitigate climate change. It is neither a budget-accounting reform nor an agricultural programme.

✗ 1. Valuing environmental costs and benefits in national or State accounts is 'green accounting', a separate idea; it is not what the Green India Mission does.
✗ 2. Raising farm output is the domain of agriculture programmes (NAPCC's own farm mission is the National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture), not of the Green India Mission.
✓ 3. GoI describes GIM as aiming to protect, restore and enhance India's diminishing forest cover and to respond to climate change through adaptation and mitigation; its goals include better forest/tree cover on 5 million ha and better quality on another 5 million ha.

Remember · Green India Mission (NAPCC mission): forest/tree cover up on 5 million ha, quality improved on another 5 million ha, more ecosystem services, forest-based livelihoods for 3 million households.

Sources

Government of India: India's Fourth Biennial Update Report to the UNFCCC (2024) ↗ “The National Mission for Green India (GIM) is one of the eight Missions outlined under the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC).”
Government of India: India's Long-Term Low-Carbon Development Strategy (2022) ↗ “The mission goals include: improve forest/tree cover by 5 million ha; improve quality of forest/tree cover by another 5 million ha; enhance ecosystem services including carbon sequestration”

Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2016, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). Permalink ·

Prelims 2016 · Q68

Easy

'Gadgil Committee Report' and 'Kasturirangan Committee Report', sometimes seen in the news, are related to

Answer & explanation

Answer: (d) protection of Western Ghats

Both reports are about protecting the ecology of the Western Ghats. The Environment Ministry set up the Gadgil panel (headed by Prof. Madhav Gadgil) to mark ecologically sensitive zones there, and then the Kasturirangan group to review that panel's recommendations.

✓ (d) The Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (Gadgil, report of August 2011) and the High Level Working Group on Western Ghats (Kasturirangan, report of April 2013) both dealt with conserving the Ghats and identifying ecologically sensitive areas.
✗ (a) Neither body had anything to do with constitutional reform; both were set up by the Ministry of Environment and Forests.
✗ (b) The Ganga Action Plan was a river-cleaning programme; these two reports were about a mountain range, not a river.
✗ (c) Linking of rivers is a separate water-resources subject; neither the Gadgil nor the Kasturirangan panel was set up for it.

Remember · Gadgil (WGEEP, 2011) and Kasturirangan (HLWG, 2013) are the two Western Ghats reports; the second reviewed the first.

Sources

Report of the High Level Working Group on Western Ghats, Volume I (Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change) ↗ “the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) constituted a Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (WGEEP). The mandate of WGEEP was to demarcate ecologically sensitive zones and suggest measures to conserve, protect and rejuvenate the ecology of Western Ghats region.”
Schemes to protect Western Ghats (Press Information Bureau, Government of India) ↗ “MoEFCC had constituted two Committees viz., the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (WGEEP) headed by Prof. Madhav Gadgil and the High Level Working Group (HLWG) headed by Dr. K. Kasturirangan, to review the recommendations of the WGEEP.”

Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2016, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). Permalink ·

The same topic in Mains

Conservation, pollution & EIAGS 3 syllabus

Read it in NCERT

Class 10 Contemporary India – II, Chapter 2cited in 1 explanation

Protected areas & conservation

The same topic in Mains

Read it in NCERT

More in Environment & ecology