RAS question
What is GRAP in the context of environmental pollution?
Correct answer: (D) A set of emergency measures for Delhi-NCR based on air pollution severity levels.
GRAP is the Graded Response Action Plan, an emergency response mechanism for Delhi-NCR that activates graded pollution-control measures according to air-quality severity.
Explanation
GRAP stands for the Graded Response Action Plan. In the Delhi-NCR air-pollution context, it is not a general environmental term but an emergency response mechanism tied to Delhi's average AQI levels. The PIB release says CAQM revised GRAP for the entire NCR and describes it as a mechanism that brings multiple stakeholders, implementing agencies and authorities together when air quality deteriorates in Delhi-NCR. The staged design is the key: Stage I covers Poor AQI, Stage II Very Poor, Stage III Severe and Stage IV Severe+. As the stage rises, measures become stricter, including construction restrictions, transport curbs such as truck restrictions, and school-related measures. This is why the option describing emergency measures for Delhi-NCR is the precise answer.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) GRAP is a pollution-response framework administered through public authorities, not a biological category or type of organism.
- (B) Nothing in GRAP refers to landforms or rock structures; it is a graded air-quality action plan for Delhi-NCR.
- (C) A weather pattern describes atmospheric behaviour, whereas GRAP is a policy response triggered by AQI severity levels.
Concept
This tests environmental governance, especially how Indian institutions respond to urban air pollution through AQI-linked regulatory action. It recurs in RAS because Delhi-NCR pollution, CAQM and emergency restrictions connect environment, public policy and current affairs.