Which of the following is the correct order of the stages of the environmental clearance process?

The correct answer is B, the United States of America. The National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, which came into force in 1970, required every agency of the American federal government to prepare a statement of the environmental effects of any major action it proposed, and that requirement is taken as the beginning of environmental impact assessment as a legal duty anywhere in the world. Option A is wrong because the United Kingdom adopted assessment later, under the directives of the European Community. Option C is wrong because Sweden hosted the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment at Stockholm in 1972, which is a different landmark and a common point of confusion. Option D is wrong because India began appraising river valley projects administratively only in 1978 and made assessment a legal requirement by notification in 1994.

The correct answer is C, the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. Section 3 of that Act gives the central government power to take all measures it thinks necessary to protect and improve the quality of the environment, and the EIA Notifications of 1994 and 2006 were both issued under it. The Act was passed in the aftermath of the Bhopal gas tragedy of 1984 and is an umbrella law for environmental regulation. Option A is wrong because the Wild Life (Protection) Act of 1972 deals with protected areas, schedules of species and hunting. Option B is wrong because the Water Act of 1974 created the pollution control boards and deals with effluent standards and consent to operate. Option D is wrong because the Forest (Conservation) Act of 1980 governs the diversion of forest land, for which a separate forest clearance is needed.

The correct answer is C, 2006. The EIA Notification of 2006 replaced the earlier notification of 1994 and reorganised the whole clearance process, chiefly by dividing projects into Category A, appraised and cleared at the central level, and Category B, appraised and cleared at the state level, and by laying down the four stages of screening, scoping, public consultation and appraisal. Option A is wrong because 1986 is the year of the parent Act, the Environment (Protection) Act, not of any notification. Option B is wrong because the notification of 1994, which first made assessment compulsory in India, has been superseded. Option D is wrong because 2010 is the year of the National Green Tribunal Act, which created the forum for appeals against clearance decisions, a related but separate law.

The correct answer is B, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. Under the notification of 2006, a Category A project is appraised by the Expert Appraisal Committee constituted at the centre, and the ministry grants or refuses the prior environmental clearance on that committee's recommendation. Option A is wrong because the State Environment Impact Assessment Authority clears Category B projects, on the recommendation of the State Expert Appraisal Committee; swapping the two categories is the commonest error in this question. Option C is wrong because the Central Pollution Control Board sets standards and monitors pollution but grants no environmental clearance. Option D is wrong because the National Green Tribunal is an appellate and adjudicating body: it hears challenges to a clearance that has been granted or refused, and does not grant clearance itself.

The correct answer is B, scoping. Scoping is the stage at which the Expert Appraisal Committee, or the state committee for a Category B1 project, determines the Terms of Reference: the detailed list of issues, study area, seasons of data and specific concerns that the assessment must address. The consultant then prepares the EIA report against that list, which is why an incomplete Terms of Reference weakens everything that follows. Option A is wrong because screening only sorts Category B projects into B1 and B2 and issues no terms. Option C is wrong because public consultation is held on the draft report that has already been prepared under the Terms of Reference. Option D is wrong because appraisal is the final scrutiny of that report, after which the committee recommends grant or refusal of clearance.