QUESTION 15
GS2
15 marks
What are environmental pressure groups? Discuss their role in raising awareness, influencing policies and advocating for environmental protection in India.
WRITE IN
11 min
250 words
What the examiner wants
Define environmental pressure groups and discuss, with Indian examples, how they raise awareness, shape policy and advocate for protection.
DiscussExplain the different sides of the issue, use evidence, and finish with a balanced view.
Demand-wise check
- 1Definition: organised groups that try to influence environmental decisions without seeking political office; types (grassroots movements, research and advocacy NGOs, legal activists)≈50 words
- 2Awareness: Chipko (1973), Appiko, Save Silent Valley, CSE's 'State of India's Environment' reports≈50 words
- 3Policy influence and advocacy: CSE on CNG for Delhi buses and pesticide residues, litigation (M.C. Mehta), Niyamgiri campaign leading to Gram Sabha consent (2013)≈50 words
- 4Limits: accused of blocking development, FCRA curbs, uneven reach≈50 words
Open in about 30 words and close in about 30.
Answer plan
DefinitionAwarenessPolicy influenceLegal advocacyLimitsConclusion
Where marks usually go
- Giving only movements from the 1970s with no recent policy impact
- Not defining what makes a pressure group different from a party
Draw this
- Table: group/movement → issue → outcome
Value addition
- ExampleCentre for Science and Environment's campaign and the M.C. Mehta case led to Delhi's public buses moving to CNG (1998–2002).Supreme Court orders in M.C. Mehta v. Union of India; CSE
- Case lawOrissa Mining Corporation v. MoEF (2013, Niyamgiri): the Supreme Court let Gram Sabhas decide on bauxite mining, after Dongria Kondh campaigns.Supreme Court of India, 2013
Mapped topper copies
Reviewed public-source references related to this PYQ. Same-syllabus references are labelled separately.
- Aditya Srivastava · AIR 1 · Page 3 ↗Reviewed PYQ reference
- Alfred Thomas · Page 13 ↗Same syllabus reference
- Aditya Srivastava · AIR 1 · Page 9 ↗Same syllabus reference
Links open original public sources. MainsBuddy does not host these answer sheets.
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