UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — SC permits TTZ Authority to process MSME applications

Q1. The statutory authority that regulates industrial activity in the Taj Trapezium Zone operates under a parent enactment administered by which one of the following Union Ministries?

  • A. Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change
  • B. Ministry of Culture (through the Archaeological Survey of India)
  • C. Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs
  • D. Ministry of Tourism

Q2. Under which one of the following statutes was the Taj Trapezium Zone Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority constituted?

  • A. The Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981
  • B. The Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958
  • C. The Environment (Protection) Act, 1986
  • D. The Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972

Q3. With reference to M.C. Mehta v. Union of India (the Taj Trapezium case), consider the following statements: 1. The matter arose from Writ Petition (Civil) No. 13381 of 1984. 2. The Court invoked the precautionary principle and the polluter pays principle. 3. The Court directed 292 industries either to switch to natural gas or to relocate outside the zone. 4. The Court reached its conclusions by relying on the report of the Shriram Committee. Which of the above is/are NOT correct?

  1. The matter arose from Writ Petition (Civil) No. 13381 of 1984.
  2. The Court invoked the precautionary principle and the polluter pays principle.
  3. The Court directed 292 industries either to switch to natural gas or to relocate outside the zone.
  4. The Court reached its conclusions by relying on the report of the Shriram Committee.
  • A. 1 and 2
  • B. 4 only
  • C. 3 and 4
  • D. 2 only

Q4. With reference to the Taj Trapezium case, consider the following statements: 1. The 1993 NEERI report recommended relocation of polluting industries from the zone. 2. The report of the Varadharajan Committee was considered by the Court. 3. The public interest litigation was instituted by the Archaeological Survey of India. 4. Sulphur dioxide from industries, forming acid, was held responsible for damaging the Taj's marble. Which of the statements given above are correctly identified?

  1. The 1993 NEERI report recommended relocation of polluting industries from the zone.
  2. The report of the Varadharajan Committee was considered by the Court.
  3. The public interest litigation was instituted by the Archaeological Survey of India.
  4. Sulphur dioxide from industries, forming acid, was held responsible for damaging the Taj's marble.
  • A. 1, 2 and 3
  • B. 2, 3 and 4
  • C. 1, 2 and 4
  • D. 1 and 4 only

Q5. The Taj Trapezium Zone Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority is chaired ex officio by which one of the following?

  • A. The Chairman of the Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board
  • B. The Commissioner, Agra Division
  • C. The Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change
  • D. The Chief Secretary, Government of Uttar Pradesh

Q6. The descriptor 'Trapezium' in the name 'Taj Trapezium Zone' derives from which one of the following?

  • A. The trapezoid shape of the notified area drawn around monuments such as the Taj Mahal, Agra Fort and Fatehpur Sikri
  • B. A trapezium-shaped emission-monitoring grid laid out by the Pollution Control Board over Agra city
  • C. The four industrial categories — red, orange, green and white — mapped in four quadrants of the zone
  • D. A Mughal-era revenue division of the Agra region historically known as the trapezium

Q7. Under the Supreme Court's July 2026 order, a pending MSME application may be cleared by the TTZ Authority without the Court's prior leave only when unanimous approval is also given by which pair of bodies?

  • A. The Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board and the Archaeological Survey of India
  • B. The Central Pollution Control Board and the National Green Tribunal
  • C. The National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) and the Central Empowered Committee (CEC)
  • D. The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and the Central Pollution Control Board

Q8. Approximately how many pending MSME applications did the Supreme Court, in July 2026, permit the TTZ Authority to process?

  • A. About 410
  • B. About 292
  • C. About 1,996
  • D. About 40

Q9. The moratorium imposed by the Supreme Court in October 2024 in the TTZ context barred which one of the following without the Court's prior sanction?

  • A. Approval by the TTZ Authority of new industrial units and expansion of existing units
  • B. All felling and transplantation of trees anywhere within the zone
  • C. Entry of privately owned diesel vehicles into the walled city of Agra
  • D. Entry of tourists to the Taj Mahal on days of severe air pollution

Q10. Consider the following statements comparing NEERI and the Central Empowered Committee (CEC): 1. NEERI is a constituent research laboratory of the CSIR, whereas the CEC was constituted pursuant to Supreme Court directions to monitor forest and environmental compliance. 2. Unlike NEERI, the CEC functions exclusively under the Ministry of Science and Technology. 3. Both bodies were associated by the Supreme Court, in its July 2026 order, with vetting non-polluting MSME proposals in the TTZ. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. NEERI is a constituent research laboratory of the CSIR, whereas the CEC was constituted pursuant to Supreme Court directions to monitor forest and environmental compliance.
  2. Unlike NEERI, the CEC functions exclusively under the Ministry of Science and Technology.
  3. Both bodies were associated by the Supreme Court, in its July 2026 order, with vetting non-polluting MSME proposals in the TTZ.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 1 and 3 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q11. Which one of the following correctly describes the classification of enterprises as MSMEs under the framework in force after 1 April 2025?

  • A. They are classified under the MSMED Act, 2006 using composite criteria of investment in plant and machinery and annual turnover
  • B. They are classified solely on the basis of the number of workers employed by the enterprise
  • C. Any enterprise crossing Rs 500 crore turnover is automatically reclassified as a micro unit for priority-sector benefits
  • D. Every enterprise that undertakes exports is permanently exempt from all investment and turnover ceilings

Q12. Which one of the following is regarded as the Supreme Court decision that formally adopted the doctrine of sustainable development, along with the precautionary and polluter pays principles, into Indian environmental law?

  • A. M.C. Mehta v. Union of India (Taj Trapezium)
  • B. Rural Litigation and Entitlement Kendra v. State of U.P.
  • C. Vellore Citizens' Welfare Forum v. Union of India
  • D. Subhash Kumar v. State of Bihar