UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Union Environment Minister hands over India’s first PRAMAAN certificates under the Indian Forest and Wood Certification Scheme to Andhra Pradesh Forest Development Corporation and a Bamboo Farmer from Odisha

Q1. With reference to forest certification under India's Indian Forest and Wood Certification Scheme (IFWCS), consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. A Forest Management certificate held by a plantation owner is, by itself, enough for a downstream furniture manufacturer to market its finished products with the scheme's certification claim.
  2. Chain of Custody certification follows certified produce through processing and trade up to the point of sale, so that a sustainability claim can be made on the final product.
  3. An enterprise that neither owns nor manages any forest or plantation, such as a wood-processing unit, can seek Chain of Custody certification.
  • A. 2 and 3 only
  • B. 1 and 2 only
  • C. 1, 2 and 3
  • D. 2 only

Q2. Consider the following statements: Which of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

  1. PRAMAAN certificates under the Indian Forest and Wood Certification Scheme are issued on the basis of audits by independent certification bodies rather than on the producer's self-declaration.
  2. The certification bodies that carry out these audits are accredited by the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) of the Quality Council of India.
  • A. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II explains Statement-I
  • B. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct, but Statement-II does not explain Statement-I
  • C. Statement-I is correct, but Statement-II is incorrect
  • D. Statement-I is incorrect, but Statement-II is correct

Q3. Consider the following statements: Which of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

  1. Under the EU Deforestation Regulation (2023/1115), an EU operator importing wood products that carry a forest certification must still exercise its own due diligence on them.
  2. The EU Deforestation Regulation classifies producing countries into low-, standard- and high-risk categories, and the category decides how often competent authorities carry out checks.
  • A. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II explains Statement-I
  • B. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct, but Statement-II does not explain Statement-I
  • C. Statement-I is correct, but Statement-II is incorrect
  • D. Statement-I is incorrect, but Statement-II is correct

Q4. With reference to the EU Deforestation Regulation (2023/1115), consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. An operator meets its obligation for a commodity once it shows that the commodity was produced legally under the producing country's law, even if the land was deforested after the regulation's cut-off date.
  2. A consignment can lose compliance if a trader mixes it with non-compliant produce along the supply chain without keeping them separate.
  3. The regulation's obligations are not limited to wood; they also cover commodities such as cattle, cocoa, coffee, oil palm, rubber and soya.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 1, 2 and 3
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 3 only

Q5. Consider the following statements regarding recorded forest area, forest cover and trees outside forests in India: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. Land counted as 'forest cover' in national forest assessments need not be recorded forest area, because forest cover is assessed irrespective of ownership and legal status.
  2. Trees on farm bunds and in agroforestry systems lie outside recorded forest area and are therefore outside the scope of the Indian Forest and Wood Certification Scheme.
  3. In national forest assessments, 'tree cover' means tree patches inside recorded forest areas whose canopy falls below the threshold for forest cover.
  • A. 2 and 3 only
  • B. 1 and 2 only
  • C. 1 and 3 only
  • D. 1 only

Q6. With reference to the standard used for Forest Management certification under India's Indian Forest and Wood Certification Scheme, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. The Indian Forest Management Standard was framed as a standalone certification standard, separate from the National Working Plan Code that governs forest working plans.
  2. The national criteria and indicators for sustainable forest management, developed through the Bhopal–India Process, were field-tested in forest divisions before being absorbed into the National Working Plan Code 2023.
  3. Because the standard is part of the National Working Plan Code, every forest division that follows an approved working plan is certified automatically, without a separate audit.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 2 only
  • C. 1 and 3 only
  • D. 2 and 3 only

Q7. With reference to the institutional design of third-party certification under the Indian Forest and Wood Certification Scheme, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. The accreditation body assesses whether certification bodies are competent, while the certification bodies audit the forest units and enterprises seeking certification.
  2. The Scheme Operating Agency itself audits forest units and issues certificates, so no separate certification bodies are needed.
  3. The accreditation of certification bodies follows international standards under an international system of equivalence, which helps certificates gain acceptance abroad.
  • A. 1, 2 and 3
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1 only
  • D. 1 and 3 only

Q8. A tribal community collects bamboo from a forest near its village, while a neighbouring farmer grows bamboo on private farmland. In this context, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. The bamboo growing in the forest remains subject to the Indian Forest Act, 1927, since the 2017 amendment's exemption covers only bamboo grown in non-forest areas.
  2. The Forest Rights Act, 2006 treats bamboo as minor forest produce, over which forest-dwelling communities have recognised rights.
  3. Under the Forest Rights Act framework, the gram sabha has the authority to issue transit permits for transporting minor forest produce out of the forest.
  • A. 1, 2 and 3
  • B. 2 only
  • C. 1 and 2 only
  • D. 1 and 3 only