RAS question
The Environmental (Protection) Fund Rules 2026 were notified in January 2026. The penalties collected under which Acts are channelled into this fund?
Correct answer: (B) Air Act, Water Act and Environment Protection Act.
Under the Environmental (Protection) Fund Rules, 2026, penalties imposed under the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981, the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974, and the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 are credited to the Environmental Protection Fund.
Explanation
The January 2026 notification creates the Environmental Protection Fund in the Public Account of India under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. Rule 4(a) is the key exam point: it says the amount of penalty imposed under three pollution-control laws must be credited to the Fund: the Air Act, 1981, the Water Act, 1974, and the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. Rule 5 then gives the crediting route, requiring these penalty payments to go through the Central Government's online Bharatkosh portal before transfer to the Environmental Protection Fund under the approved accounting procedure. The fund is meant for environment-protection uses such as monitoring networks, laboratories, damage remediation, capacity building and pollution-control measures.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) The Forest Conservation Act and Wildlife Protection Act are not named in Rule 4(a), which lists penalties under the Air Act, Water Act and Environment (Protection) Act.
- (C) The CRZ Rules and EIA Notification are not the penalty sources specified for credit to this Fund under Rule 4(a).
- (D) The Biological Diversity Act and National Green Tribunal Act do not appear in the Rule 4(a) list of Acts whose penalties are credited to the Environmental Protection Fund.
Concept
This tests environmental governance through statutory funds and pollution-control legislation. RAS repeatedly asks such provisions because they link current notifications with core Environment Act, Air Act and Water Act mechanisms.