UPSC Prelims 2018 · Question 4 of 99

UPSC Prelims 2018 question on Green Tribunal vs Pollution Board

How is the National Green Tribunal (NGT) different from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB)?

1. The NGT has been established by an Act whereas the CPCB has been created by an executive order of the Government.

2. The NGT provides environmental justice and helps reduce the burden of litigation in the higher courts whereas the CPCB promotes cleanliness of streams and wells, and aims to improve the quality of air in the country.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. 1 only
  2. 2 only
  3. Both 1 and 2
  4. Neither 1 nor 2
Show answer

Answer: B. 2 only

Verdict

Only statement 2 is correct, so the answer is (b) 2 only.

Statement by statement

Statement 1 is INCORRECT. Both bodies are statutory. The NGT was established in 2010 by the National Green Tribunal Act, and the CPCB was constituted in September 1974 under the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974. Neither rests on an executive order.

Statement 2 is CORRECT. The NGT's dedicated jurisdiction is meant to provide speedy environmental justice and reduce the burden of litigation in the higher courts, while the CPCB's mandate under the Water Act is to promote cleanliness of streams and wells and improve air quality.

Source

Hindustan Times and Down To Earth reporting on India's environment regulator (reference material).

How to crack it

The static half is a body classification question and the move is to ask which parent Act created each body. If you can name an Act, the body is statutory, so any statement calling it an executive creation collapses at once. Keep a running list of environment bodies against their parent statutes, because UPSC repeatedly pairs a famous tribunal with a duller board and separates them on exactly this axis.

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