UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Tamil Nadu’s encroachment problem
Q1. In its August 2026 observations on forest encroachment in the Agasthyamalai landscape, the Supreme Court asked Tamil Nadu to adopt a "structured, time-bound, closely monitored framework". In the context of these proceedings, this expression refers to which one of the following?
- A. A blanket regularisation of all occupations predating the creation of the tiger reserves, with eviction confined only to later entrants
- B. A permanent transfer of the administration of every protected area in the landscape from the State forest department to the Union government
- C. A division-wise eviction plan carrying fixed deadlines and remaining under continuing supervision of the Court and its monitoring committee
- D. A total and indefinite prohibition on all human entry into the entire landscape, extending even to forest staff and research teams
Q2. Under the existing statutory scheme invoked in the 2026 Agasthyamalai proceedings, the primary responsibility for physically evicting encroachers from, and managing, a wildlife sanctuary or tiger reserve in Tamil Nadu vests in which one of the following?
- A. The National Tiger Conservation Authority, which exclusively exercises all eviction and demolition powers inside every tiger reserve in the country
- B. The Central Empowered Committee, whose recommendations on encroachment are binding on all State Governments without exception
- C. The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, which alone can order the removal of any encroachment on forest land anywhere in India
- D. The State forest department, headed by the Chief Wild Life Warden appointed by the State Government under the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972
Q3. Consider the following statements comparing the Central Empowered Committee as originally constituted with the Committee as notified in 2023:
1. The Committee was first constituted in 2002 pursuant to Supreme Court directions in the T.N. Godavarman proceedings, and its membership then included non-governmental representatives.
2. The Committee notified in September 2023 by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change dispenses with non-governmental representatives and is composed of officials appointed by that Ministry.
3. Under the 2023 notification, a recommendation of the Committee that a State or the Central Government declines to accept becomes binding once the Committee reiterates it.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- The Committee was first constituted in 2002 pursuant to Supreme Court directions in the T.N. Godavarman proceedings, and its membership then included non-governmental representatives.
- The Committee notified in September 2023 by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change dispenses with non-governmental representatives and is composed of officials appointed by that Ministry.
- Under the 2023 notification, a recommendation of the Committee that a State or the Central Government declines to accept becomes binding once the Committee reiterates it.
- A. 1 only
- B. 1 and 2 only
- C. 2 and 3 only
- D. 1, 2 and 3
Q4. With reference to the Central Empowered Committee as constituted under the 2023 notification, consider the following:
1. Its composition consists of a Chairman, a Member Secretary and three expert members.
2. Its members hold office for a term of three years.
3. It was notified by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change in response to a Supreme Court order of August 2023.
4. It derives its existence from an express section of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 that requires such a forest-monitoring committee to be set up in every State.
Which of the above is/are correctly identified?
- Its composition consists of a Chairman, a Member Secretary and three expert members.
- Its members hold office for a term of three years.
- It was notified by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change in response to a Supreme Court order of August 2023.
- It derives its existence from an express section of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 that requires such a forest-monitoring committee to be set up in every State.
- A. 1 and 3
- B. 2 and 4
- C. 1, 2 and 3
- D. 3 and 4 only
Q5. Consider the following protected areas:
1. Kalakad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve
2. Shendurney Wildlife Sanctuary
3. Neyyar Wildlife Sanctuary
4. Srivilliputhur-Megamalai Tiger Reserve, which lies wholly within the Tamil Nadu portion of the biosphere reserve
Which of the above is/are correctly identified as lying within the Agasthyamala Biosphere Reserve?
- Kalakad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve
- Shendurney Wildlife Sanctuary
- Neyyar Wildlife Sanctuary
- Srivilliputhur-Megamalai Tiger Reserve, which lies wholly within the Tamil Nadu portion of the biosphere reserve
- A. 1 and 4
- B. 2 and 3 only
- C. 1, 3 and 4
- D. 1, 2 and 3
Q6. In which year was the Agasthyamala Biosphere Reserve included in UNESCO's World Network of Biosphere Reserves by the International Coordinating Council of the Man and the Biosphere Programme?
- A. 2001
- B. 2009
- C. 2016
- D. 2020
Q7. The diversion of forest land in a State for a non-forest purpose requires prior approval of which one of the following, under Section 2 of the Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam, 1980?
- A. The National Green Tribunal, acting through its Principal Bench at New Delhi
- B. The Central Government, acting through the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change
- C. The National Board for Wild Life, acting through its Standing Committee chaired by the Union Environment Minister
- D. The State Government concerned, acting through its Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Head of Forest Force
Q8. Consider the following actions:
1. Directing that a reserved forest cease to be reserved
2. Assigning forest land by way of lease to a private entity
3. Clearing naturally grown trees on forest land for the purpose of reafforestation
4. Appointing the Chief Wild Life Warden of a State
Which of the above is/are correctly identified as requiring the prior approval of the Central Government under Section 2 of the Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam, 1980?
- Directing that a reserved forest cease to be reserved
- Assigning forest land by way of lease to a private entity
- Clearing naturally grown trees on forest land for the purpose of reafforestation
- Appointing the Chief Wild Life Warden of a State
- A. 1, 2 and 3
- B. 1 and 2 only
- C. 2, 3 and 4
- D. 1 and 4
Q9. Under the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, the 'buffer or peripheral area' of a tiger reserve is best described as which one of the following?
- A. Revenue land acquired by the National Tiger Conservation Authority for the voluntary relocation of villages moved out of the core
- B. The belt around a tiger reserve declared an eco-sensitive zone by the Central Government under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986
- C. An area to be kept inviolate for tiger conservation, notified by the State Government after settlement of the rights of forest dwellers
- D. An area adjoining the core where a lesser degree of habitat protection applies, delimited in consultation with the concerned Gram Sabha and an Expert Committee
Q10. According to the Central Empowered Committee's interim report placed before the Supreme Court on encroachments in the Srivilliputhur-Megamalai Tiger Reserve, how many of the identified encroachers were serving or retired government employees?
Q11. The Supreme Court's verdict of 29 May 2026 directing closure and demolition of illegal resorts in the Megamalai area and disconnection of electricity to encroached commercial establishments arose from proceedings concerning violations of which pair of central enactments?
- A. The Indian Forest Act, 1927 and the Forest Rights Act, 2006
- B. The Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 and the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972
- C. The Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 and the Biological Diversity Act, 2002
- D. The Compensatory Afforestation Fund Act, 2016 and the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986