The Indian Forest Management Standard used for this certification forms part of which document?

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 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.

The correct answer is Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam - Plant4Mother. India showcased it at the Rome session as a whole-of-government and whole-of-society initiative, and reported that more than 3.5 billion saplings have been planted under it. Option A is wrong because MISHTI is the coastal initiative that restores mangroves, strengthens climate resilience and supports local livelihoods, and no sapling figure of this kind was attached to it. Option B is wrong because the Aravalli Green Wall is a land restoration programme under which about 6.45 million hectares of degraded land have been identified, which is an area figure rather than a planting count. Option D is wrong because that mission was not named in the statement delivered at this session. Candidates should link each initiative to its own distinct figure to avoid mixing them up.

The correct answer is 26 million hectares. India reaffirmed this commitment at the forestry session in Rome and reported that 21.76 million hectares have already been brought under restoration, which shows how much of the pledge has been covered. The Bonn Challenge is a global effort on restoring degraded and deforested land, and countries bring their own national targets to it. Options A, B and D give figures that were not the commitment stated. Along with this, India described the Aravalli Green Wall, under which about 6.45 million hectares of degraded land have been identified for restoration, and the MISHTI initiative for mangrove restoration along the coast. The pairing of the commitment with the achieved figure is the detail most likely to be tested.