India's First PRAMAAN Forest Certificates Handed Over in Delhi

The correct answer is the Indian Forest and Wood Certification Scheme, shortened to IFWCS. The Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change handed over the first certificates under this scheme in New Delhi, and the certificate itself carries the name PRAMAAN. The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change launched the scheme in December 2023, and the award of these certificates marks its move from a policy framework to implementation in the field. Option A is wrong because the national policy on agroforestry is a separate policy document and does not issue this certificate. Option C is wrong because the Green India Mission works on increasing forest cover and ecosystem services, not on certifying timber. Option D is wrong because compensatory afforestation deals with land and funds used to make up for diverted forest, and has nothing to do with certification of wood.

The correct answer is the Andhra Pradesh Forest Development Corporation, which was certified for its plantations spread over 33,000 hectares after a field and management audit. Option A is wrong because the Odisha Bamboo Development Agency is the agency a farmer was associated with; the second certificate went to that farmer, Govind Mohapatra, and not to the agency for an area of plantation. Option C is wrong because the Indian Institute of Forest Management at Bhopal is the operating agency of the scheme and organised the event, so it awards rather than receives. Option D is wrong because the Quality Council of India is the parent body of the National Accreditation Board for Certification Bodies, which accredits the certification bodies that carry out audits. Keep the roles separate: one recipient corporation, one recipient farmer, one operating institute and one accreditation chain.

The correct answer is the National Working Plan Code 2023. Forest management under PRAMAAN is assessed against the Indian Forest Management Standard, and that standard is part of this Code, so certification is anchored in audited forest management rather than in a voluntary self-declaration by the producer. The audit is done independently by certification bodies accredited by the National Accreditation Board for Certification Bodies under the Quality Council of India, and the accreditation design is benchmarked against international certification frameworks so that buyers and regulators at home and abroad accept the certificate. Option B is wrong because the Indian Forest Act is the older law governing forests and forest produce. Option C is wrong because the national forest policy sets broad goals rather than audit standards. Option D is wrong because no survey manual supplies this standard.

The correct answer is the Union Environment Minister, Bhupender Yadav, who holds the portfolio of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and presented the certificates in New Delhi. He described the certificate as a tool that helps Indian producers, exporters and forest-based enterprises meet the due-diligence and deforestation-free timber sourcing rules now applied by major overseas markets, and also called it a livelihood mission for tribal and rural communities, smallholder farmers, women's self-help groups and gatherers of non-timber forest produce. Option A is wrong because the Prime Minister did not present the certificates, although the Minister invoked the call of 'Vocal for Local and Act Global'. Option C is wrong because the scheme belongs to the environment ministry, not agriculture. Option D is wrong because no forest service officer handed them over; senior officers only attended the function.