UPSC Prelims 2019 Question:

Consider the following statements

The Environment Protection Act, 1986 empowers the Government of India to

1. state the requirement of public participation in the process of environmental protection, and the procedure and manner in which it is sought
2. lay down the standards for emission or discharge of environmental pollutants from various sources
   
   

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Explanation:

• The Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, is an umbrella legislation under which various rules and notifications have been framed and issued to take care of the different dimensions of environmental challenges.
  
  

• It confers powers to the central government to protect and improve the environment and for prevention, control, and abatement of environmental pollution. But it does not state the requirement for public participation in the process of environmental protection. So, statement 1 is not correct. 
  
  
• Section 3(2)(iv) of the Act lays down standards for the emission or discharge of environmental pollutants from various sources and has regard to the composition (or quality) of the emission (or discharge) of environmental pollutants from such sources. So, statement 2 is correct.
  
  

Therefore, option (2) is the correct answer.

Subject: Environment | Biodiversity and Conservation