RAS question
The Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act was enacted in:
Correct answer: (D) 1981.
The Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act was enacted in 1981.
Explanation
The Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act is a 1981 law, listed in the official text as Act No. 14 of 1981 and dated 29 March 1981. Its purpose was to provide for the prevention, control and abatement of air pollution. The Act also worked through Pollution Control Boards: the official text refers to Boards being given powers and functions for those purposes, and to Water Act State Boards being deemed State Boards for the prevention and control of air pollution. That is why 1981 is the only correct year here; the question is testing the chronology and institutional logic of India's pollution-control laws, not just a date.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) 1977 does not match the Air Act's official title and enactment details, which identify it as the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981.
- (B) 1986 refers to the EPA, whereas the Air Act is specifically identified in the official text as a 1981 Act.
- (C) 1974 belongs to the Water Act, and the Air Act's official text instead records Act No. 14 of 1981.
Concept
This tests environmental legislation chronology and the institutional role of Pollution Control Boards. It recurs in RAS because environment questions often ask candidates to distinguish the Water Act, Air Act and later umbrella legislation by year and purpose.