UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — EnviStats India: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ), 2026

Q1. Match List I (Component of the EnviStats India series) with List II (Defining feature) and select the correct answer using the code given below the Lists:

  • A. A-2, B-1, C-3, D-4
  • B. A-1, B-2, C-4, D-3
  • C. A-2, B-1, C-4, D-3
  • D. A-1, B-2, C-3, D-4

Q2. With reference to the 'EnviStats India: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ), 2026' compared with the earlier FAQ editions and the main EnviStats volumes, consider the following statements: 1. The FAQ 2026 is the first edition of the FAQ series to be aligned with the System of National Accounts (SNA) 2025 revisions. 2. Unlike earlier FAQ editions, the 2026 edition introduces dedicated sections on Forest Accounts and Pollination Services. 3. The FAQ 2026 has replaced the annual 'EnviStats India Vol. II: Environment Accounts' as MoSPI's primary publication on environmental accounts. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. The FAQ 2026 is the first edition of the FAQ series to be aligned with the System of National Accounts (SNA) 2025 revisions.
  2. Unlike earlier FAQ editions, the 2026 edition introduces dedicated sections on Forest Accounts and Pollination Services.
  3. The FAQ 2026 has replaced the annual 'EnviStats India Vol. II: Environment Accounts' as MoSPI's primary publication on environmental accounts.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q3. The annual 'EnviStats India' publications (Vol. I – Environment Statistics and Vol. II – Environment Accounts) and the EnviStats FAQ are compiled and released by which one of the following?

  • A. Central Pollution Control Board under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change
  • B. National Statistical Office under the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation
  • C. National Council of Applied Economic Research under NITI Aayog
  • D. Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services under the Ministry of Earth Sciences

Q4. With reference to the System of Environmental-Economic Accounting (SEEA), as referenced in EnviStats India FAQ 2026, consider the following statements:

  1. The SEEA Central Framework was adopted by the UN Statistical Commission as the first international statistical standard for environmental-economic accounting in 2012.
  2. The SEEA Ecosystem Accounting was adopted as an international statistical standard at the 52nd session of the UN Statistical Commission in 2021.
  3. The SEEA brings together economic and environmental information within the structure of the System of National Accounts (SNA).
  4. The SEEA treats environmental degradation as an externality outside the production boundary and excludes it from asset accounts.
  • A. 1, 2 and 3 only
  • B. 1 and 4 only
  • C. 2, 3 and 4 only
  • D. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Q5. In the context of the System of Environmental-Economic Accounting (SEEA) referenced by EnviStats India FAQ 2026, the term 'natural capital' most precisely refers to:

  • A. The stock of renewable and non-renewable environmental assets (such as forests, minerals, water and ecosystems) that yield flows of goods and services to the economy and are recorded as assets in environmental accounts.
  • B. The financial outlay by the government on afforestation, pollution abatement and conservation programmes during an accounting year.
  • C. The foreign direct investment received by a country into environmentally sustainable industries such as renewable energy and clean technology.
  • D. The monetary value of carbon credits and other tradeable environmental permits held by the government and private entities.

Q6. Of the eleven chapters that comprise the SEEA Ecosystem Accounting document, how many chapters were adopted by the UN Statistical Commission in March 2021 as an international statistical standard (the remainder being adopted only as internationally recognized principles and recommendations)?

  • A. 4 chapters
  • B. 7 chapters
  • C. 9 chapters
  • D. All 11 chapters

Q7. In the context of the Expert Group Report on 'Green National Accounts in India - A Framework', the term 'Green National Accounts' is best described as accounting that:

  • A. Measures the annual flow of national income after deducting the monetary cost of pollution abatement undertaken by industries
  • B. Measures the wealth of the nation by tracking the accretion or depletion of its stock of capital, including natural capital
  • C. Measures the share of renewable energy and forest produce in the Gross Value Added of the primary sector
  • D. Measures household consumption expenditure on environmentally certified goods and ecosystem-friendly services

Q8. The High-Level Expert Group set up to develop a framework for Green National Accounting in India was constituted in 2011 under the chairmanship of:

  • A. Prof. Sir Partha Dasgupta
  • B. Dr. Vijay Kelkar
  • C. Dr. C. Rangarajan
  • D. Prof. Suresh Tendulkar

Q9. The Expert Group on Green National Accounts in India (2011), whose framework underpins the EnviStats India series, was constituted by which one of the following Union Ministries?

  • A. Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change
  • B. Ministry of Finance (Department of Economic Affairs)
  • C. Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation
  • D. Ministry of Earth Sciences

Q10. With reference to the 'EnviStats India: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ), 2026' released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, which of the following are introduced as NEW thematic sections in the 2026 edition?

  1. Forest Accounts
  2. Pollination Services
  3. Ocean Accounts
  4. Biodiversity Accounts
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 2 and 4 only
  • C. 1, 2 and 3
  • D. 3 and 4 only

Q11. Which one of the following is the first dedicated publication of the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation presenting comprehensive national-level information on pollination services, compiled in accordance with the SEEA framework?

  • A. Environmental Accounting Explainer Series: Pollination Services
  • B. EnviStats India 2024: Environment Accounts — Ocean chapter
  • C. EnviStats India 2023, Vol. II: Environment Accounts
  • D. NCAVES India Forum Report, 2021

Q12. The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) — under whose framework the EnviStats India FAQ 2026 is compiled — formally adopted the United Nations System of Environmental-Economic Accounting (SEEA) in which year?

  • A. 2011
  • B. 2015
  • C. 2018
  • D. 2021

Q13. With reference to the EnviStats India 2024: Environment Accounts publication of the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI), consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. It is the seventh consecutive issue of the Environment Accounts publication brought out under the SEEA framework.
  2. Ocean Accounts was introduced as a new area in this edition and did not appear in the preceding (2023) edition.
  3. Compilation of environmental accounts in India under the SEEA framework was initiated by NSO, MoSPI only with this 2024 edition.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q14. Which of the following are correctly identified as constituents of the Expert Group on Ocean Ecosystem Accounts that provided technical assistance for the Ocean Accounts chapter of EnviStats India 2024?

  1. Ministry of Earth Sciences
  2. Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change
  3. Ministry of External Affairs
  4. Geological Survey of India
  • A. 1 and 3
  • B. 2 and 4 only
  • C. 1, 2 and 4
  • D. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Q15. According to the Ocean Accounts chapter of EnviStats India 2024, by approximately what percentage did the coverage of mangroves — an important sub-ecosystem of the ocean ecosystem — increase between 2013 and 2021?

  • A. Around 4%
  • B. Around 8%
  • C. Around 12%
  • D. Around 17%

Q16. In EnviStats India, an 'asset account' for an environmental asset primarily records which one of the following?

  • A. The stock of the environmental asset at the beginning and end of an accounting period and the changes in that stock
  • B. Only the monetary value of natural resources exported by India during the financial year
  • C. The flow of government subsidies provided to extractive industries using that asset
  • D. The cumulative environmental degradation cost deducted from Gross Domestic Product

Q17. As per the physical asset account for forests in EnviStats India, forest resources are classified into how many categories?

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

Q18. With reference to the EnviStats India: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ), 2026 vis-a-vis its earlier editions, consider the following statements:

  1. The 2026 edition introduces dedicated sections on Forest Accounts and Pollination Services for the first time in the FAQ series.
  2. The 2026 edition is the first FAQ edition in which concepts are updated to align with the System of National Accounts (SNA) 2025.
  3. The first EnviStats India publication on environmental accounts (2018) already covered Ocean Accounts as a dedicated chapter.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q19. With reference to the EnviStats India: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ), 2026, released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, consider the following statements:

  1. The 2026 edition is the first in the EnviStats FAQ series to introduce dedicated sections on Forest Accounts and Pollination Services.
  2. Unlike the earlier FAQ editions, the 2026 edition incorporates the revisions of the System of National Accounts (SNA) 2025.
  3. India formally adopted the UN System of Environmental-Economic Accounting (SEEA) framework only with the release of the 2026 FAQ edition.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q20. Under the UN System of Environmental-Economic Accounting — Ecosystem Accounting (SEEA-EA), which underpins India's EnviStats publications, match List I with List II and select the correct answer using the code given below:

  • A. A-2, B-4, C-1, D-3
  • B. A-1, B-4, C-2, D-3
  • C. A-2, B-3, C-1, D-4
  • D. A-4, B-2, C-3, D-1

Q21. With reference to the classification of ecosystem services adopted in India's EnviStats publications and the SEEA Ecosystem Accounting framework, which of the following are correctly identified as 'regulating' ecosystem services?

  1. Pollination of crops by wild bees and other insects, supporting agricultural yields
  2. Supply of fish from inland water bodies for human consumption
  3. Carbon sequestration and climate regulation by forest ecosystems
  4. Recreational and spiritual experiences obtained from visiting national parks and sacred groves
  • A. 1 and 3 only
  • B. 2 and 4 only
  • C. 1, 2 and 4 only
  • D. 3 only