RAS question
Which of the following statements about India's Gangetic Dolphin survey under Project Dolphin is/are correct? 1. The total estimated population is approximately 6,327. 2. Uttar Pradesh has the highest population among all surveyed states. 3. The survey covered 8,500 km of rivers across ten states.
Correct answer: (A) 1 and 2 only.
India's dolphin survey under Project Dolphin estimated a total population of 6,327 river dolphins, with Uttar Pradesh recording the highest state-wise Gangetic dolphin count at 2,397, while the survey covered eight states rather than ten.
Explanation
Statements 1 and 2 are correct because the official river dolphin survey brochure gives the total as 6,327, combining 6,324 Ganges River Dolphins and 3 Indus River Dolphins, and lists Uttar Pradesh at 2,397, the highest state-wise estimate. Statement 3 is wrong only on the number of states: the survey effort was about 8,500 km when the river-wise surveyed stretches are added, but the state table covers Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Assam and Punjab. Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh are grouped in one row, which is a common trap in reading the table.
Why the other options are wrong
- (B) It includes statement 3, but the official state-wise table covers eight states, not ten, even though the surveyed river length is about 8,500 km.
- (C) It leaves out statement 1, although the survey total is explicitly given as 6,327 river dolphins, and it also accepts the incorrect ten-state claim in statement 3.
- (D) It treats all three statements as correct, but statement 3 overstates the state coverage by saying ten states instead of eight.
Concept
This tests environment and biodiversity reporting under government conservation initiatives, especially the ability to read official survey tables without miscounting grouped state entries. RAS often repeats such questions because wildlife surveys combine factual recall with careful interpretation of official data.