RAS question
The Rajasthan State Pollution Control Board (RSPCB) was established in:
Correct answer: (C) 1975.
The Rajasthan State Pollution Control Board was constituted on 7 February 1975 under section 4 of the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974.
Explanation
The Rajasthan State Pollution Control Board's establishment year is 1975, not merely the year of the central Water Act. The Board's own introduction states that it was constituted under section 4 of the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974 on 7 February 1975. That legal basis matters: the Act provided the framework, while Rajasthan's State Board came into being the following year to prevent and control water pollution and maintain or restore the wholesomeness of water. The Board is headquartered in Jaipur and monitors environmental quality across the state. Later environmental laws expanded its responsibilities, but they do not change the date of establishment.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) 1981 refers to the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, under which the Board later received air-pollution responsibilities, not its establishment.
- (B) 1974 is the year of the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act at the central level; Rajasthan's Board was constituted under it on 7 February 1975.
- (D) 1986 points to the Environment (Protection) Act period, whereas the RSPCB had already been constituted in 1975 under the Water Act.
Concept
This tests Rajasthan environmental administration, especially the link between central pollution-control legislation and state-level institutions. It recurs in RAS because dates, Acts and implementing bodies are often asked together in Rajasthan geography and environment questions.