UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Government Launches Digital Portal for Issuance of Certificates of Origin for Cultivated Medicinal Plants

Q1. With reference to the National Biodiversity Authority (NBA), consider the following statements. Which of the above is/are correctly identified?

  1. It was established in 2003 as a statutory body under the Biological Diversity Act, 2002.
  2. It is headquartered at Chennai.
  3. It functions under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
  4. It is the sole authority statutorily empowered to issue Certificates of Origin directly at the local level.
  • A. 1, 2 and 3
  • B. 1, 2 and 4
  • C. 2, 3 and 4
  • D. 1, 3 and 4

Q2. Regarding the Biological Diversity Act, 2002 and its international basis, consider the following statements. Which of the above is/are correctly identified?

  1. The Act was enacted to give effect to India's obligations under the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, 1992.
  2. Access and Benefit Sharing is one of the three core objectives of the Convention on Biological Diversity.
  3. The Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit Sharing was adopted in 2010.
  4. The Convention on Biological Diversity was adopted at the Rio Earth Summit in 1972.
  • A. 1, 2 and 3
  • B. 1, 2 and 4
  • C. 2, 3 and 4
  • D. 1 and 4

Q3. In the context of the Convention on Biological Diversity, the term 'Access and Benefit Sharing' (ABS) most precisely refers to which one of the following?

  • A. The fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the utilization of genetic resources with the providers of those resources
  • B. The equitable distribution of forest revenue between the Centre and the States under a federal formula
  • C. The sharing of carbon-credit revenues among the member countries of the Convention
  • D. The provision of subsidized access to cultivated medicinal plants for registered AYUSH practitioners

Q4. Under the Biological Diversity (Amendment) Act, 2023, how many broad categories of users are specifically exempted from benefit-sharing obligations, namely users of codified traditional knowledge, users of cultivated medicinal plants and their products, and AYUSH practitioners for sustenance/livelihood?

  • A. Two
  • B. Three
  • C. Four
  • D. Five

Q5. Under the Access and Benefit Sharing regime operationalised alongside the Certificate-of-Origin portal, entities with an annual turnover up to how many rupees crore are entirely exempt from any benefit-sharing payment?

  • A. One
  • B. Three
  • C. Five
  • D. Fifty

Q6. The Certificate-of-Origin portal enables Access and Benefit Sharing exemptions for a defined set of users. Consider the following. Which of the above is/are correctly identified as eligible beneficiaries of the exemption?

  1. Registered AYUSH practitioners.
  2. Growers and cultivators of medicinal plants.
  3. Users of codified traditional knowledge.
  4. Foreign companies sourcing wild-collected medicinal plants.
  • A. 1, 2 and 3
  • B. 1, 2 and 4
  • C. 2, 3 and 4
  • D. 1, 3 and 4

Q7. Under the Biological Diversity Act, 2002, Biodiversity Management Committees at the local level are constituted by which one of the following?

  • A. Local bodies such as Panchayats and Municipalities
  • B. The State Biodiversity Boards
  • C. The National Biodiversity Authority
  • D. The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change

Q8. With reference to State Biodiversity Boards (SBBs) and Biodiversity Management Committees (BMCs), which one of the above is NOT correct?

  1. State Biodiversity Boards are established by the State Governments under the Act.
  2. Biodiversity Management Committees prepare the People's Biodiversity Register.
  3. Biodiversity Management Committees may levy collection fees for accessing biological resources for commercial purposes within their jurisdiction.
  4. All matters relating to access by foreign nationals or entities are decided exclusively by the State Biodiversity Boards.
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 4 only
  • C. 2 and 3
  • D. 1 and 4

Q9. The power to declare that the provisions of the Biological Diversity Act shall not apply to biological resources normally traded as commodities, their derivatives and cultivated medicinal plants and their products, is provided under which one of the following?

  • A. Section 40 of the Biological Diversity Act, 2002 (as amended)
  • B. Section 8 of the Biological Diversity Act, 2002
  • C. Section 22 of the Biological Diversity Act, 2002
  • D. Section 41 of the Biological Diversity Act, 2002

Q10. Comparing the 2025 Access and Benefit Sharing Regulations with the earlier framework, consider the following statements. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. The 2025 Regulations replaced the earlier 2014 guidelines on access and benefit sharing.
  2. Unlike the earlier framework, the 2025 Regulations introduced benefit-sharing obligations on the use of Digital Sequence Information.
  3. The 2025 Regulations abolished all benefit-sharing obligations for high-value biological resources such as sandalwood.
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 1 and 2 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3