UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — India’s Chemicals and Petrochemicals Sector: A Foundation for Industrial Growth

Q1. With reference to Quality Control Orders (QCOs) in India, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

1. A BIS standard does not by itself oblige a manufacturer to carry the Standard Mark; the obligation arises when the Central Government notifies a QCO for that product.
2. Because a QCO binds imported and domestically made goods alike, it can restrict substandard imports without any change in customs duty.
3. Under the WTO Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade, India may apply a QCO to an imported chemical while exempting the like domestic chemical, if the aim is consumer safety.

• A. 2 and 3 only
• B. 1, 2 and 3
• C. 1 and 3 only
• D. 1 and 2 only

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

1. A Quality Control Order on a chemical can be challenged at the WTO as an unnecessary obstacle to trade even if it applies equally to domestic and imported products.
2. The WTO Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade requires technical regulations to be no more trade-restrictive than necessary to fulfil a legitimate objective.

• 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. Under the BHAVYA Rasayan scheme, each chemical park must have a large contiguous, encumbrance-free land parcel. What is this condition chiefly meant to make possible?

• A. Let the Centre acquire the land directly and lease it out to private developers
• B. Ensure that each park sits inside the boundary of an already notified PCPIR
• C. Lay shared pipelines, effluent networks and utilities without piecemeal land disputes
• D. Qualify the park for exemption from environmental clearance as an industrial estate

Q4. Consider the following assertion: Locating small chemical units in parks that provide common effluent and waste-handling facilities can improve their environmental compliance. Which of the following statements support/supports the above assertion?

1. Many small units cannot individually afford a dedicated effluent treatment plant but can share the fixed cost of a common one.
2. A common facility gives the regulator a single treatment and discharge point to monitor in place of many scattered outfalls.
3. Solvent recovery units allow spent solvents to be reclaimed, reducing the quantity of hazardous waste that must be disposed of.

• A. 1 and 3 only
• B. 1, 2 and 3
• C. 1 and 2 only
• D. 2 and 3 only

Q5. With reference to emergency planning for Major Accident Hazard (MAH) installations in India, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above are correct?

1. The on-site emergency plan is prepared by the occupier of the installation, while the off-site emergency plan is the responsibility of the district administration.
2. The off-site emergency plan is confined to hazards within the factory premises and excludes the transport of hazardous chemicals by road or pipeline.
3. The Chemical Accidents (Emergency Planning, Preparedness and Response) Rules, 1996 replaced the Manufacture, Storage and Import of Hazardous Chemicals Rules, 1989, which therefore no longer govern off-site planning.
4. A district-level crisis group reviews the on-site emergency plans prepared by the occupiers of MAH installations.

• A. 1 and 4 only
• B. 1, 2 and 4 only
• C. 1, 3 and 4 only
• D. 2 and 3 only

Q6. Consider the following statements: Which of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

1. India's chemical-accident framework sets up crisis groups at the central, State, district and local levels instead of leaving emergency response to the occupier of the factory alone.
2. The Chemical Accidents (Emergency Planning, Preparedness and Response) Rules, 1996 were notified under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.

• 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

Q7. With reference to the challenge-route design of the BHAVYA Rasayan scheme for chemical parks, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

1. The parks are to be developed by the Union Government, with States limited to suggesting suitable sites.
2. Central assistance is not divided among all States by a fixed formula; it goes only to proposals selected through competition.
3. A State may propose a brownfield site, such as an existing industrial area, as well as a greenfield site.

• A. 2 and 3 only
• B. 1, 2 and 3
• C. 2 only
• D. 1 and 3 only

Q8. Consider the following facts about a Centre–State scheme: The Centre will support three chemical parks, to be developed by State Governments chosen through a challenge route. The total outlay is ₹3,030 crore. Of this, ₹3,000 crore is for common infrastructure and utilities inside the parks and ₹30 crore is for administrative expenditure. For each park the Centre gives a grant of up to ₹1,000 crore, subject to a minimum contribution of ₹500 crore by the State Government. Which of the following inferences can be drawn from the above?

1. Not every State that wants to host a chemical park can obtain central assistance under the scheme.
2. The Centre's grant will meet at least two-thirds of the infrastructure cost of every park that is selected.
3. Nearly the entire outlay is meant for physical infrastructure inside the parks rather than for running the scheme.
4. The infrastructure outlay is just enough for each of the three parks to receive the maximum permissible central grant.

• A. 1, 2, 3 and 4
• B. 2 and 4 only
• C. 1, 3 and 4 only
• D. 1 and 3 only