The National Green Tribunal Act, 2010 was enacted in consonance with which of the following provisions of the Constitution of India? 1. Right of healthy environment, construed as a part of Right to life under Article 21 2. Provision of grants for raising the level of administration in the Scheduled Areas for the welfare of Scheduled Tribes under Article 275(1) 3. Powers and functions of Gram Sabha as mentioned under Article 243(A) Select the correct answer using the codes given below:

The correct answer is B, 2 only. The second statement describes the two bodies correctly while the first gets the origin of the Board wrong, so only statement 2 can be accepted. The National Green Tribunal is a specialised court set up by the National Green Tribunal Act of 2010 to decide disputes under the environmental laws quickly, and it does take such cases away from the ordinary courts. The Central Pollution Control Board works on the quality of air and water, promoting the cleanliness of streams and wells, laying down standards and running the national monitoring network. Statement 1 is wrong because the Board was also created by a statute, the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act of 1974, and not by an executive order; the Air Act of 1981 later added to its work. A and C are wrong because each accepts statement 1. D is wrong because statement 2 is sound. Exam tip: CPCB 1974 under the Water Act, NGT 2010 under its own Act.

The correct answer is D, Thermal Power Plant. Fly ash is the fine, powdery residue that rises with the flue gases when pulverised coal is burnt to raise steam in a coal-fired power station. Because it is so light it escapes up the chimney unless electrostatic precipitators trap it, and untrapped fly ash settles on fields and water bodies carrying heavy metals such as arsenic and mercury. India's Fly Ash Notification makes it compulsory for thermal power stations to use this ash, so today most of it goes into cement, bricks, road embankments and mine filling, turning a pollutant into a building material. Option A is wrong because an oil refinery mainly releases sulphur dioxide, hydrocarbons and volatile organic compounds. Option B is wrong because a fertilizer plant emits ammonia and oxides of nitrogen. Option C is wrong because a cement plant gives out cement dust and carbon dioxide; it consumes fly ash rather than producing it. Exam tip: fly ash comes from coal-based thermal power plants, is captured by electrostatic precipitators and is reused in cement and bricks.

The correct answer is C, SDG 6. Sustainable Development Goal 6 is clean water and sanitation, and its aim is to ensure the availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all. The seventeen goals were adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in September 2015 as part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and they took over from the Millennium Development Goals. Goal 6 covers safe drinking water, toilets and an end to open defecation, better treatment of waste water, efficient use of water in farming and industry, and the protection of rivers, lakes and groundwater. A is wrong because SDG 4 is quality education. B is wrong because SDG 7 is affordable and clean energy. D is wrong because SDG 5 is gender equality. Exam tip: SDG 4 education, SDG 5 gender equality, SDG 6 clean water and sanitation, SDG 7 clean energy; the seventeen goals were adopted in 2015 with 2030 as the target year.

The correct answer is B, 2005. The Kyoto Protocol came into force on 16 February 2005. It had been adopted at Kyoto in Japan on 11 December 1997 as the first binding agreement under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change of 1992. It could start only after 55 parties had ratified it, including developed countries that accounted for at least 55 per cent of the 1990 carbon dioxide emissions of that group. Russia’s ratification in November 2004 crossed that mark, and the treaty began ninety days later. Its first commitment period ran from 2008 to 2012 and asked developed countries to cut emissions to about five per cent below their 1990 levels. A is wrong because 2004 is the year Russia ratified, not the year the treaty began. C and D are wrong because the protocol was already working by then; 2007 is remembered instead for the Bali road map. Exam tip: adopted in 1997, in force in 2005, first commitment period 2008 to 2012.

The correct answer is C, Odisha. Chilika is a shallow lagoon on the Bay of Bengal coast, separated from the sea by a sandy ridge and joined to it by a narrow mouth, which is why its water is brackish. It was among the first two Indian sites on the Ramsar List, it shelters the Irrawaddy dolphin, and the island of Nalabana within it is a bird sanctuary that fills with migratory birds in winter. Option A is wrong because the large lagoon of Andhra Pradesh is Pulicat, which is shared with Tamil Nadu and ranks second in the country. Option B is wrong because West Bengal is the land of the Sundarbans delta, not of a large lagoon. Option D is wrong because Tamil Nadu has the Point Calimere and Pichavaram wetlands and the southern part of Pulicat, but Chilika does not reach it.