UPSC Prelims 2016 GS Paper I · Q68 of 100 Environment & Ecology easy

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

  1. (a) constitutional reforms
  2. (b) Ganga Action Plan
  3. (c) linking of rivers
  4. (d) protection of Western Ghats ✓ UPSC's answer

Why the answer is (d)

• The Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel under Madhav Gadgil (2011) recommended declaring the entire Western Ghats an Ecologically Sensitive Area with graded zones; the Kasturirangan High-Level Working Group (2013) diluted this to about 37% of the area — both concern protection of the Western Ghats, option (d).

• Neither dealt with constitutional reform (a), the Ganga (b) or river linking (c).

• Hence option (d).

Why the other options are wrong

(a) constitutional reforms
These were environmental, not constitutional, committees.
(b) Ganga Action Plan
They were not about the Ganga.
(c) linking of rivers
They were not about river linking.

Asked in the GS Paper I of the UPSC Civil Services Preliminary Examination 2016, held on 7 August 2016. Question and answer key: Union Public Service Commission. Explanation: UPSC Answer Check.

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