Environmental Impact Assessment purpose – UGC NET Question

Environmental Impact Assessment is a preventive environmental management tool used before major projects are approved. Its primary role is to identify and predict potential environmental impacts, evaluate their significance and suggest mitigation measures. By doing so, it helps decision makers consider environmental costs and benefits alongside economic and social factors. Therefore, the main purpose of EIA is impact identification and evaluation prior to decision-making, as indicated in option C.

Option A:
Option A is incorrect because EIA is not a funding mechanism; it does not provide financial assistance. It is an assessment process used to guide decisions on whether and how a project should proceed.

Option B:
Option B is incorrect since EIA may lengthen approval time due to detailed studies and consultations. Its aim is environmental safeguards, not speedy clearance.

Option C:
Option C is correct because it clearly states the core activities of EIA: identifying, predicting and evaluating environmental impacts before decisions. This allows potential negative effects to be avoided, reduced or compensated.

Option D:
Option D is incorrect because increasing land value is not an objective of EIA. Any rise or fall in land prices is incidental and not part of the assessment’s purpose.