Which of the following statements in relation to NIRANTAR (National Institute for Research and Application of Natural Resources t…

Environment & Ecology ·Previously asked in Union Public Service Commission Civil Services Examination 2026

View the full solved paper: GS Paper I 2026

Question

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.

  1. A. 1, 2 and 3
  2. B. 1 and 3 only (Correct answer)
  3. C. 2 only
  4. D. 3 only

Correct Answer

Option B — B

Detailed Solution & Explanation

The correct answer is Option B.

Key Points

  • NIRANTAR (National Institute for Research and Application of Natural Resources to Transform, Adapt and Build Resilience) is a platform of institutions under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), organised into thematic verticals.
  • Statement 1 is correct: the Ecosystem Survey and Analysis vertical is led by the Botanical Survey of India (BSI), Kolkata.
  • Statement 3 is correct: the Capacity Development Support vertical is led by the Indian Institute of Forest Management (IIFM), Bhopal.
  • Statement 2 is incorrect, and is the key: the lead for ecosystem-service research is a survey/research body, not the Central Zoo Authority — the CZA is a regulatory body for zoos under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, not an ecosystem-service research lead.
  • the platform pools MoEFCC's specialised bodies (BSI, ZSI, FSI, IIFM and others) to work on ecosystem restoration, resilience and natural-resource management in a coordinated way.

Exam Tip

  • watch for questions that pair a regulatory body (like the Central Zoo Authority) with a research function — the mismatch is usually the wrong statement.