UGC NET Questions (Paper – 1)

Statements A, B, D and E are correct as they deal with losses, augmentation, demand management and justice dimensions of urban water. Leakage and non-revenue water weaken systems, urban rainwater harvesting can supplement supplies, managing demand reduces stress and equitable access is central to justice. C is wrong because wetlands and lakes help store water and mitigate floods, and F is wrong since integrated management explicitly considers linkages between different parts of the urban water cycle. Hence, A, B, D and E only is the correct combination.

Option A:
Option A is incorrect as it omits E and thereby fails to reflect the equity aspect of urban water management. Without E, the answer focuses only on technical measures and leaves out social justice concerns.

Option B:
Option B is incorrect because it includes C, which dismisses the role of wetlands and lakes in mitigation and recharge. Accepting C contradicts hydrological understanding and urban planning practice.

Option C:
Option C is incorrect since it groups B, D, E and F and incorrectly accepts F, which claims integrated management ignores system interactions. By definition, integrated approaches do the opposite, so this option is conceptually flawed.

Option D:
Option D is correct because it brings together all the true statements and excludes the two false ones about wetlands and integration. It captures technical, environmental and equity aspects of urban water issues.

Statements A, B and D are correct because environmental movements have indeed resisted unsustainable deforestation and displacement, combined ecology with livelihood rights and used legal channels such as public interest litigation. These features are prominent in many national and local struggles. Statement C is incorrect because many movements support alternative development paths and appropriate technologies rather than rejecting all development. Thus, the combination including A, B and D and excluding C is correct.

Option A:
Option A is incorrect as it includes only A and B and omits D. While A and B correctly capture grassroots and Chipko-type struggles, ignoring the legal strategies used by environmental groups leaves out an important dimension of environmental activism. The set of correct statements is therefore incomplete.

Option B:
Option B is incorrect because it combines A and D but leaves out B. The Chipko movement’s focus on both forests and livelihoods is an important example often cited in the syllabus. Excluding B means this option does not list all the correct statements.

Option C:
Option C is correct since it brings together A, B and D, which jointly describe the roles of movements in resisting harmful projects, protecting communities and using public interest litigation. It also rightly rejects C, which caricatures movements as anti-development in all forms. This makes it the only fully accurate combination.

Option D:
Option D is incorrect because it includes C along with B and D. Accepting C would imply that environmental movements reject all technological change, which is not true. Many movements advocate alternative, more sustainable technologies, so this option misrepresents their stance.

The NGT is a specialised judicial body established to handle environmental disputes quickly and with technical expertise. It adjudicates civil cases involving substantial questions relating to the environment, including enforcement of legal rights, compensation and restoration. Its core role is to decide such cases, not to legislate or directly manage resources.

Option A:
Option A is incorrect because making laws is the function of Parliament and state legislatures; the NGT applies existing environmental laws rather than enacting new ones.

Option B:
Option B is correct since the NGT’s mandate is to hear and dispose of environmental cases concerning pollution, forests, biodiversity and other natural resources.

Option C:
Option C is incorrect as day-to-day management of parks and sanctuaries is handled by forest and wildlife departments, not by the NGT.

Option D:
Option D is incorrect because tax collection is carried out by revenue authorities; the NGT may impose penalties or compensation, but it is not a tax-collecting agency.

Statements A, B, C and E are correct because they describe multi-actor governance, unequal burdens on disadvantaged groups, location of informal settlements and the role of participation in improving accountability. Statement D is false since user charges can be designed with lifeline tariffs or subsidies to protect poorer users. Statement F is false because decentralisation outcomes depend on power structures, capacity and accountability mechanisms. Thus, the option containing A, B, C and E while excluding D and F is correct.

Option A:
Option A is incorrect as it omits E and therefore does not mention participatory budgeting and planning, which are important innovations for more inclusive urban governance.

Option B:
Option B is incorrect because it excludes C, so it fails to emphasise the spatial concentration of disadvantaged groups in high-risk locations, which is central to urban environmental inequities.

Option C:
Option C is correct since it integrates governance structures, justice concerns, spatial patterns and participatory tools, while rejecting simplistic claims about user charges and decentralisation.

Option D:
Option D is incorrect as it includes D, which claims user charges cannot be pro-poor, even though carefully designed tariffs can protect vulnerable users.

Environmental justice emphasises the fair distribution of environmental benefits and burdens across all social groups. It challenges patterns in which marginalised communities bear disproportionate pollution and lack access to environmental amenities. The stem directly articulates this concern for equality and protection,so justice is the correct term.

Option A:
Efficiency focuses on maximising output or welfare with given inputs and may overlook who benefits or suffers from environmental policies. It does not address the equity and rights based issues highlighted in the question.

Option B:
Environmental justice movements seek to ensure that no group is forced to live in unsafe or degraded environments simply because of their social status. They call for inclusive decision making and legal protections. This perspective clearly corresponds to the description in the stem.

Option C:
Privatisation involves transferring ownership from public to private sectors and is a governance choice. It can affect environmental outcomes but does not itself guarantee fairness or protection for vulnerable groups. Therefore it is not appropriate here.

Option D:
Neutrality suggests lack of bias but does not capture the proactive demand for fairness and protection embedded in the environmental justice concept. It is thus not the right completion for the phrase.

Statements D and F are wrong because they deny the central role of ethics and rights in environmental decisions. D ignores that many environmental choices involve moral judgments beyond simple economic calculations. F is incorrect because rights-based conservation approaches show that recognising marginalised groups’ rights can support long-term stewardship. Statements A, B, C and E correctly explain equity notions, justice concerns and indigenous ethical perspectives. Hence, the wrong statements together are D and F only.

Option A:
Option A is correct as it picks exactly D and F, the two statements that conflict with contemporary thinking on environmental ethics and justice. It implicitly validates A, B, C and E as accurate descriptions of key ethical ideas used in policy debates and activism.

Option B:
Option B is incorrect because it singles out only D as wrong and overlooks F, which also seriously misrepresents the relationship between rights and conservation. By failing to include F, it underestimates the importance of rights-based approaches.

Option C:
Option C is incorrect since it treats only F as wrong and ignores D. While F is indeed incorrect, D is equally problematic in suggesting ethics have no place in decision-making, so this option does not fully respond to the question.

Option D:
Option D is incorrect because it groups C, D and F as wrong, even though C correctly characterises the focus of environmental justice. Including C among wrong statements contradicts the accepted definition of that concept.

Statements C and D are wrong. Environmental justice is centrally concerned with fair distribution of environmental benefits and burdens, not solely species conservation, and ethical considerations are very relevant for policy decisions on who bears costs and who receives benefits. Statements A and B correctly distinguish anthropocentric and ecocentric perspectives. Hence, the correct option is the one that identifies C and D together as wrong.

Option A:
Option A is correct because it groups exactly the two statements that misrepresent environmental ethics and justice, while leaving A and B recognised as accurate descriptions of ethical positions. It aligns with the conceptual treatment of ethics in People, Development and Environment.

Option B:
Option B is incorrect as it isolates C only and ignores D, even though D is also clearly wrong in claiming ethics are irrelevant to policy-making.

Option C:
Option C is incorrect because it treats B, C and D as wrong. B is actually correct, since ecocentric views extend intrinsic value to ecosystems and non-human beings. Misclassifying B undermines understanding of ethical frameworks.

Option D:
Option D is incorrect because it marks A, C and D as wrong. A is a valid characterisation of anthropocentric ethics, so including it among wrong statements is unjustified.

Climate justice highlights that the impacts of climate change are unevenly distributed,with poorer and marginalised groups often suffering the most despite contributing least to emissions. It calls for equitable allocation of mitigation and adaptation responsibilities. This perspective links climate policy to human rights and social justice. Hence the description in the question clearly refers to climate justice.

Option A:
Climate neutrality describes a state in which net greenhouse gas emissions are reduced to zero,typically through reductions and offsets. It is a technical goal rather than a framework for examining fairness. Therefore it does not match the ethical and political focus described in the stem.

Option B:
Climate justice analyses how historical emissions,capabilities and vulnerabilities differ among countries and communities. It argues that these differences should guide who does what in responding to climate change. This emphasis on fairness and disproportionate burden aligns exactly with the question.

Option C:
Climate normalcy is not a widely used term in climate discourse. It does not represent a recognised ethical framework. Thus it is not an appropriate option here.

Option D:
Climatic determinism is an outdated idea that climate largely determines cultural and societal development. It has been criticised for oversimplification and bias. It is unrelated to debates about fairness in climate responsibility.

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) is a dedicated body set up under the NGT Act,2010 to handle cases related to environmental protection and conservation of forests and natural resources. It is empowered to provide relief and compensation for environmental damage. The stem clearly refers to a specialised judicial body for speedy disposal of environmental disputes,which describes the NGT. Therefore National Green Tribunal is the correct option.

Option A:
The Central Pollution Control Board is a technical and advisory body responsible for monitoring and controlling pollution. It does not adjudicate disputes in a judicial capacity. Hence it is not the institution described in the question.

Option B:
The National Green Tribunal functions with expert and judicial members and follows relatively simple procedures to make environmental justice more accessible. Its mandate covers a wide range of environmental laws. These features align well with the explanation in the stem.

Option C:
The Ministry of Environment,Forest and Climate Change is the apex administrative body for policy making and implementation. While it frames rules and notifications,it is not a tribunal that hears and decides disputes,so it is not the right answer.

Option D:
The Forest Advisory Committee evaluates proposals for diversion of forest land for non forest use under the Forest Conservation Act. It has a specific advisory role and is not a general environmental dispute resolution body. Thus it does not match the stem.

Environmental justice emphasises fair distribution of environmental benefits and burdens and meaningful participation of affected communities. Forced displacement without proper compensation or rehabilitation imposes heavy burdens on already vulnerable groups. The stem describes precisely such unfair treatment in the name of development,which is a violation of environmental justice. Hence Option B is correct.

Option A:
Efficiency concerns achieving outcomes with minimal cost or resource use and does not address fairness in burden sharing. A project could be economically efficient yet highly unjust,so Option A misses the central issue in the question.

Option B:
Justice focuses on equity,rights and fair procedures. In environmental contexts it demands that no group be disproportionately harmed by projects and that communities have a voice in decisions. This fits the dam displacement scenario.

Option C:
Neutrality suggests taking no side,but environmental conflicts require explicit consideration of power imbalances and rights. Neutrality does not capture the fairness concerns raised in the stem,so Option C is not suitable.

Option D:
Marketing relates to promoting products or ideas. It is not a principle governing fair treatment of displaced communities and thus cannot complete the statement correctly.

Statements A, B, C and E are correct on distributive, procedural, inter-generational and recognition justice. Statement D is wrong because justice is central to hazardous facility siting. Statement F is wrong because equity is a core concern, not something to ignore. Therefore A, B, C and E only is correct.

Option A:
Option A is incorrect because it includes D (false).

Option B:
Option B is incorrect because it includes F (false) and omits C.

Option C:
Option C is incorrect because it includes F (false) and omits A.

Option D:
Option D is correct because it includes A, B, C and E and excludes D and F.