Consider the following statements:
1. 36% of India's districts are classified as "overexploited" or "critical" by the Central Ground Water Authority (CGWA).
2. CGWA was formed under the Environment (Protection) Act.
3. India has the largest area under groundwater irrigation in the world.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

1 only

2 and 3 only

2 only

1 and 3 only

APEDIA

UPSC Prelims

2020 • 04 Oct, 2020 • Paper-1

Consider the following statements:
1. 36% of India's districts are classified as "overexploited" or "critical" by the Central Ground Water Authority (CGWA).
2. CGWA was formed under the Environment (Protection) Act.
3. India has the largest area under groundwater irrigation in the world.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Correct Answer

2 and 3 only

Statistical Exaggeration: The Central Ground Water Board assesses groundwater mostly at the block, taluka, or mandal level, not strictly by entire districts. Fu......

💡 Analysis & Explanation

Statistical Exaggeration ▼

The Central Ground Water Board assesses groundwater mostly at the block, taluka, or mandal level, not strictly by entire districts. Furthermore, the 36% figure vastly exaggerated the official data for 'critical' or 'overexploited' administrative units at the time. Statement 1 is factually inaccurate.

Statutory Genesis ▼

In response to judicial directives to manage the crippling water crisis, the Central Ground Water Authority (CGWA) was specifically constituted by invoking Section 3(3) of the powerful Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. Statement 2 is correct.

Global Irrigation Supremacy ▼

Driven by the historical legacy of the Green Revolution, highly subsidized electricity, and unregulated borewells, India extracts more groundwater annually than China and the US combined, definitively placing it first globally in total area under groundwater irrigation. Statement 3 is correct.

Conclusion ▼

Only statements 2 and 3 represent factual regulatory and geographic realities.

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