UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Project GIB Adds Three Chicks, Taking Captive Stock to 94 Birds: Union Minister Shri Bhupender Yadav

Q1. The Great Indian Bustard (Ardeotis nigriceps) is taxonomically classified exclusively under which one of the following bird families?

  • A. Gruidae
  • B. Otididae
  • C. Ardeidae
  • D. Phasianidae

Q2. According to IUCN, the Great Indian Bustard, India's heaviest flying bird, weighs approximately how much when fully grown?

  • A. 5 kg
  • B. 10 kg
  • C. 15 kg
  • D. 25 kg

Q3. The Great Indian Bustard was included in Appendix I of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) at which one of the following Conferences of the Parties?

  • A. COP-11 held at Quito, Ecuador (2014)
  • B. COP-12 held at Manila, Philippines (2017)
  • C. COP-13 held at Gandhinagar, India (2020)
  • D. COP-14 held at Samarkand, Uzbekistan (2024)

Q4. With reference to current affairs, which one of the following best describes 'Project GIB', whose captive stock recently crossed 94 birds?

  • A. An integrated conservation breeding programme for the Great Indian Bustard implemented by the MoEFCC with the Wildlife Institute of India and Rajasthan Forest Department
  • B. An IUCN-led global species recovery initiative for all bustard species of arid grasslands
  • C. A BirdLife International species action plan adopted under the Convention on Migratory Species
  • D. A UNDP-GEF flagship project for biodiversity restoration of the Thar desert landscape

Q5. The integrated programme titled 'Habitat Improvement and Conservation Breeding of Great Indian Bustard', under which captive stock has now reached 94 birds, is implemented under which one of the following Union Ministries?

  • A. Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change
  • B. Ministry of Earth Sciences
  • C. Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare
  • D. Ministry of Science and Technology

Q6. Under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, the Great Indian Bustard (Ardeotis nigriceps) is listed in which one of the following Schedules?

  • A. Schedule I
  • B. Schedule II
  • C. Schedule IV
  • D. Schedule VI

Q7. Which one of the following is the largest protected area and the primary stronghold of the Great Indian Bustard in India?

  • A. Rollapadu Wildlife Sanctuary
  • B. Desert National Park
  • C. Kutch Bustard Sanctuary
  • D. Karera Wildlife Sanctuary

Q8. With reference to the Supreme Court's 2021 order and its March 2024 modification in M.K. Ranjitsinh v. Union of India relating to the Great Indian Bustard, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. The 2021 order directed undergrounding of all high-voltage and low-voltage power transmission lines over an area of roughly 99,000 sq km in Rajasthan and Gujarat, while the 2024 modification confined the mandatory undergrounding obligation to the smaller 'Priority Area' identified by the Wildlife Institute of India.
  2. The 2024 judgment, for the first time, located a 'right to be free from the adverse effects of climate change' in Articles 14 and 21 of the Constitution.
  3. The expert committee constituted by the 2024 order is chaired by the Chief Justice of India and deliberately excludes any representative from the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy.
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 1 and 2 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q9. In M.K. Ranjitsinh v. Union of India (2024), the Supreme Court located the newly articulated 'right to be free from the adverse effects of climate change' in which one of the following pairs of constitutional provisions?

  • A. Articles 14 and 21
  • B. Articles 19(1)(a) and 21
  • C. Articles 21 and 48A
  • D. Articles 48A and 51A(g)

Q10. Which one of the following is the nodal Union Ministry for implementing the Centrally Sponsored Scheme 'Integrated Development of Wildlife Habitats' (IDWH), under which the Recovery Programme for Critically Endangered Species (covering species such as the Great Indian Bustard, Snow Leopard and Dugong) is operated?

  • A. Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change
  • B. Ministry of Earth Sciences
  • C. Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare
  • D. Ministry of Tribal Affairs

Q11. As per the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, how many wildlife species are presently covered under the 'Recovery Programme for Critically Endangered Species' component of the Centrally Sponsored Scheme Integrated Development of Wildlife Habitats (IDWH)?

  • A. 9 species
  • B. 17 species
  • C. 22 species
  • D. 31 species

Q12. Which one of the following UN bodies provides the Secretariat for the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS), under whose aegis the Convention is administered?

  • A. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
  • B. United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
  • C. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
  • D. International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)

Q13. With reference to bustard species of India, which one of the following was added to Appendix I of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) at COP-13 held at Gandhinagar in 2020?

  • A. MacQueen's Bustard
  • B. Lesser Florican
  • C. Great Indian Bustard
  • D. Houbara Bustard

Q14. Which one of the following is the smallest bustard species found in India?

  • A. Great Indian Bustard
  • B. MacQueen's Bustard
  • C. Bengal Florican
  • D. Lesser Florican
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