UPSC Prelims 2026 · GS Paper I
Question 77: Environment and Ecology
Which of the following statements in relation to NIRANTAR (National Institute for Research and Application of Natural Resources to Transform, Adapt and Build Resilience), a platform of institutions under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, is/are correct ?
- 1.Ecosystem Survey and Analysis is a vertical under this platform, the lead institute of which is Botanical Survey of India, Kolkata.
- 2.Research and Management of Ecosystem Service is a vertical under this platform, the lead institute of which is Central Zoo Authority, New Delhi.
- 3.Capacity Development Support is a vertical under this platform, the lead institute of which is Indian Institute of Forest Management, Bhopal.
Select the answer using the code given below :
AnswerUPSC’s answer is (b).
NIRANTAR is a platform of institutions under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, with verticals each led by a lead institute. Ecosystem Survey and Analysis is led by the Botanical Survey of India, Kolkata, and Capacity Development Support by the Indian Institute of Forest Management, Bhopal. Statement 2 pairs a vertical with the wrong lead: the Central Zoo Authority is a regulator of zoos, not a research institute.
- 1. Botanical Survey of India, Kolkata, leads Ecosystem Survey and Analysis.
- 2. The Central Zoo Authority is a zoo regulator, not the lead institute for this vertical.
- 3. The Indian Institute of Forest Management, Bhopal, leads Capacity Development Support.
How you could have got this
- If you were sure statement 1 is correct, (c) and (d) go: each of them leaves 1 out.
What you needed to know: Botanical Survey of India, Kolkata, leads Ecosystem Survey and Analysis.
- Then, if you were sure statement 2 is not correct, (a) goes: it includes 2.
What you needed to know: The Central Zoo Authority is a zoo regulator, not the lead institute for this vertical.
Only (b) is left. You didn’t need statement 3.
This follows UPSC’s provisional key; the final key could change it.
Which options go is worked out from UPSC’s key and the options, not by a model.
Why each option is right or wrong
- (a) Wrong: statement 2 names the wrong lead institute.
- (b) Right: statements 1 and 3 name the correct lead institutes.
- (c) Wrong: statement 2 is incorrect.
- (d) Incomplete: statement 1 is also correct.
Only the provisional key (27 May 2026) was found; the final key replaces it when found.
Answer: UPSC’s key. Explanation: written by UPSC Grade, not by UPSC.
Source: UPSC, Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination 2026, General Studies Paper I, Series A. The paper on upsc.gov.in.