UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Cabinet approves Scheme for support to NCRPB for replacement of old trucks and buses in Delhi-NCR area

Q1. With reference to the Regional Plans prepared by the National Capital Region Planning Board (NCRPB), consider the following statements:

  1. The Regional Plan-2021 for NCR was notified in 2005, whereas the Draft Regional Plan-2041 was released in December 2021.
  2. Unlike the Regional Plan-2021, the Regional Plan-2041 excludes any district of Uttar Pradesh from the National Capital Region.
  3. Once notified by the NCRPB, the Regional Plan becomes statutorily binding on the participating States, overriding their respective State Master Plans.
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 1 and 2 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q2. Which of the following is/are NOT among the statutory functions of the National Capital Region Planning Board under the NCRPB Act, 1985?

  1. Preparation of the Regional Plan and Functional Plans for the National Capital Region.
  2. Coordination of the enforcement of Sub-Regional Plans by the participating States.
  3. Notification of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards for the NCR airshed.
  4. Issuance of directions to polluting industries in NCR for closure under the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981.
  • A. 1 and 2
  • B. 3 and 4 only
  • C. 1, 3 and 4
  • D. 2 and 4 only

Q3. With reference to the framework for air quality management in the Delhi-NCR airshed before and after the enactment of the Commission for Air Quality Management in NCR and Adjoining Areas Act, 2021, consider the following statements:

  1. The Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) for Delhi-NCR was first notified in 2017 by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change on the recommendation of the Central Pollution Control Board.
  2. After the CAQM Act, 2021 came into force, the power to issue binding directions for implementation of the GRAP in the NCR vests with the Commission for Air Quality Management and not with the Central Pollution Control Board.
  3. The Act defines 'adjoining areas' as parts of Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh only, expressly excluding the State of Punjab.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q4. With reference to the Commission for Air Quality Management in NCR and Adjoining Areas Act, 2021, which of the following bodies are NOT specified as ex-officio technical institutional members of the Commission?

  1. Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB)
  2. Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)
  3. National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA)
  4. India Meteorological Department (IMD)
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 3 and 4 only
  • C. 1, 2 and 3
  • D. 2, 3 and 4

Q5. With reference to the Vehicle Scrappage Policy, 2021, which of the following statements is/are NOT correct?

  1. The rules governing Registered Vehicle Scrapping Facilities (RVSFs) were notified by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways in September 2021.
  2. Vehicles owned by the Central and State Governments are de-registered after 15 years from the date of initial registration.
  3. Private (non-transport) vehicles are mandatorily sent for scrapping upon completion of 15 years from initial registration, irrespective of their fitness.
  4. State Governments have been advised to grant up to 25% concession in motor vehicle tax for personal vehicles purchased against a Certificate of Deposit.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 3 only
  • C. 2 and 4 only
  • D. 1, 3 and 4

Q6. The rules for setting up Registered Vehicle Scrapping Facilities (RVSFs) and Automated Testing Stations (ATS) under the Vehicle Scrappage Policy, 2021 were notified by which one of the following Union Ministries?

  • A. Ministry of Heavy Industries
  • B. Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change
  • C. Ministry of Road Transport and Highways
  • D. Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs

Q7. Bharat Stage VI (BS-VI) mass emission standards for motor vehicles in India were notified through an amendment to the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989 by which one of the following Union Ministries?

  • A. Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change
  • B. Ministry of Road Transport and Highways
  • C. Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas
  • D. Ministry of Heavy Industries

Q8. With reference to the Bharat Stage VI (BS-VI) emission standards for motor vehicles in India, which of the following tailpipe emissions is/are NOT directly regulated as a pollutant under these norms?

  1. Oxides of Nitrogen (NOx)
  2. Particulate Matter (PM)
  3. Carbon Monoxide (CO)
  4. Carbon Dioxide (CO2)
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 2 and 3
  • C. 4 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q9. With reference to the judicial and quasi-judicial directions governing old vehicles in the Delhi-NCR airshed, consider the following statements:

  1. The National Green Tribunal, by its order of April 2015, prohibited diesel vehicles older than 10 years and petrol vehicles older than 15 years from plying in Delhi-NCR.
  2. The Supreme Court, in 2018, upheld the deregistration of overage diesel and petrol vehicles in Delhi-NCR.
  3. Directions on vehicular pollution control in Delhi have been issued by the Supreme Court in the continuing-mandamus matter of M.C. Mehta v. Union of India (WP(C) 13029/1985).
  4. The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) was constituted by a statute enacted in 2011 to enforce the age-based ban on vehicles in the NCR.
  • A. 1, 2 and 3 only
  • B. 1 and 4 only
  • C. 2, 3 and 4 only
  • D. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Q10. In the context of the Supreme Court / NGT directions and the CAQM regime applicable to Delhi-NCR, the expression 'End-of-Life Vehicle' is most accurately defined as:

  • A. Any motor vehicle that has completed twenty years from its date of first registration, regardless of fuel type or emission standard.
  • B. A diesel vehicle older than 10 years or a petrol vehicle older than 15 years in Delhi-NCR, which stands debarred from plying irrespective of a valid fitness certificate.
  • C. Only those vehicles which have failed the mandatory automated fitness test conducted at a Registered Vehicle Scrapping Facility (RVSF).
  • D. Any vehicle conforming to BS-III or older emission norms throughout India, irrespective of its age, that is denied renewal of registration.

Q11. The 'PM Electric Drive Revolution in Innovative Vehicle Enhancement (PM E-DRIVE)' Scheme, which subsumed the Electric Mobility Promotion Scheme (EMPS) 2024, is notified and administered by which one of the following Union Ministries?

  • A. Ministry of Road Transport and Highways
  • B. Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs
  • C. Ministry of Heavy Industries
  • D. Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas

Q12. With reference to the PM E-DRIVE Scheme and its predecessor schemes for electric mobility, consider the following statements: 1. The Electric Mobility Promotion Scheme (EMPS) 2024 was subsumed within the PM E-DRIVE Scheme upon the latter's notification. 2. Unlike the earlier FAME schemes, PM E-DRIVE earmarks a dedicated outlay for procurement of e-buses through Convergence Energy Services Limited (CESL) for deployment in select major cities. 3. While the FAME-II Scheme was implemented by the Ministry of Heavy Industries, PM E-DRIVE was shifted to the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways to align with vehicle scrappage and registration functions. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. The Electric Mobility Promotion Scheme (EMPS) 2024 was subsumed within the PM E-DRIVE Scheme upon the latter's notification.
  2. Unlike the earlier FAME schemes, PM E-DRIVE earmarks a dedicated outlay for procurement of e-buses through Convergence Energy Services Limited (CESL) for deployment in select major cities.
  3. While the FAME-II Scheme was implemented by the Ministry of Heavy Industries, PM E-DRIVE was shifted to the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways to align with vehicle scrappage and registration functions.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q13. The National Capital Region Planning Board, which defines the constituent areas and boundaries of the National Capital Region, was constituted under which one of the following enactments?

  • A. Delhi Development Act, 1957
  • B. National Capital Region Planning Board Act, 1985
  • C. Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi Act, 1991
  • D. Commission for Air Quality Management in NCR and Adjoining Areas Act, 2021

Q14. With reference to the National Capital Region (NCR) as notified under the NCRPB Act, 1985, which of the following are correctly identified as districts forming part of the NCR?

  1. Muzaffarnagar in Uttar Pradesh
  2. Karnal in Haryana
  3. Aligarh in Uttar Pradesh
  4. Bharatpur in Rajasthan
  • A. 1 and 3 only
  • B. 2 and 4 only
  • C. 1, 2 and 4 only
  • D. 1, 2, 3 and 4
  • NRAA-Funded Wild Rice Conservation Project Secures Major Milestone in Assam
    NRAA-Funded Wild Rice Conservation Project Secures Major Milestone in Assam

    The notification of Borjuli site in Sonitpur, Assam as a Biodiversity Heritage Site under an NRAA-funded wild rice conservation project is a named, verifiable fact. Biodiversity Heritage Sites and wild crop genetic resource conservation are tested Prelims topics.

  • India Advances Global Green Hydrogen Leadership under National Green Hydrogen Mission

    Under the National Green Hydrogen Mission (NGHM), a landmark commercial deal for green ammonia and methanol export to Japan (IHI Corporation named) is a concrete outcome. India's green hydrogen ambitions and NGHM are recurring Prelims themes; this adds a factual export-deal hook.

  • NITI Aayog launches report on "Strategic Roadmap for Making Ayurveda Global"
    NITI Aayog launches report on "Strategic Roadmap for Making Ayurveda Global"

    A named NITI Aayog report on Ayurveda's global expansion is testable as a policy document. NITI Aayog reports, AYUSH sector initiatives, and traditional medicine diplomacy are recurring Prelims themes; the report's launch date and authoring body are clean factual hooks.

  • INDIAN NAVAL SHIP TRIKAND RESPONDS TO PIRACY ATTEMPT ON MV GOLDEN ARSENAL IN THE GULF OF ADEN

    A named Indian Navy anti-piracy operation with specific ship (INS Trikand — identified as a stealth frigate), vessel flag state (St. Vincent and the Grenadines), and location (Gulf of Aden) offers testable facts. India's maritime security operations are plausible Prelims hooks but appear occasionally, not frequently.

  • Union Minister Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan launches nationwide ‘Viksit Bharat – G-Ram G Act’ from Andhra Pradesh with Chief Minister Shri Chandrababu Naidu and Deputy Chief Minister Shri Pawan Kalyan

    A newly named nationwide scheme launched by the Rural Development ministry that explicitly positions itself as moving 'beyond MGNREGA' is potentially testable. However, the excerpt lacks concrete numbers or statutory grounding, keeping it at 3 rather than 4.

  • MANAS: A Digital Shield Against Drugs

    MANAS is a named government digital initiative (national narcotics helpline) with a specific mandate under Nasha Mukt Bharat. Named government portals/helplines with specific functions are tested in Prelims, though this release is a backgrounder without new launch data.

  • VB-G RAM G Act comes into force across the country from today; “A historic day for rural India”: Shivraj Singh Chouhan

    The VB-G RAM G Act (likely a renamed/revised MGNREGA or rural employment guarantee framework) came into force across India from July 1, 2026. Key facts: national launch in Tirupati on July 2; revised wage rates notified with no daily wage below ₹300; national average wage increased by over 10%. A new central Act coming into force with specific wage figures is high-priority Prelims material.

  • India Achieves Major Milestone with Approval of Country’s First PinS Instrument Approach Procedure for Helicopter Operations

    DGCA approved India's first Private Point-in-Space (PinS) Instrument Approach Procedure for helicopter operations, implemented at Undavalli Heliport (developed by AAI). This is a named first in Indian aviation with a specific location and implementing body — classic Prelims material for science/tech and aviation sections.

  • 11 Years of Digital India: Better Healthcare & Digital Markets Making Lives Easier

    This release contains high-quality testable data: Greece is named as the 10th country to adopt UPI; every second real-time digital transaction globally is processed via India's UPI; 13 lakh Anganwadi workers connected via Poshan Tracker covering 9 crore beneficiaries. Multiple concrete facts that are prime Prelims material.

  • India, EU Advance Cooperation on Sustainable Ship Recycling; Three Indian Yards Ready for EU Recognition

    India has a 35.4% global market share in sustainable ship recycling. Three Indian ship-recycling yards are ready for EU recognition. India committed $8 billion to strengthen shipbuilding and recycling, with a target of recycling 16,000 ships. These are specific, verifiable figures in a sector where India leads globally — strong Prelims material on maritime/shipping sector.

  • GAGAN: Navigating India’s Skies with Precision

    Detailed backgrounder on GAGAN (GPS Aided GEO Augmented Navigation), India's Satellite-Based Augmentation System developed jointly by ISRO and Airports Authority of India (AAI). It enhances GPS accuracy for aviation, is certified to international standards, and supports satellite-based landing approaches. GAGAN is a recurring Prelims topic and this backgrounder consolidates key testable facts about its developers, purpose, and certification status.

    • The Hindu

    Latest PIB

    Latest from The Hindu

    Explore