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RAS question

With reference to the Eco-Sensitive Zone notified around the Hastinapur Wildlife Sanctuary, consider the following statements: 1) The notified ESZ extends across 307 villages in five districts of Uttar Pradesh. 2) The barasingha or swamp deer is the state animal of Uttar Pradesh and is listed in Schedule I of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Correct answer: (A) Both 1 and 2.

Both statements are correct: the notified Eco-Sensitive Zone around the Hastinapur Wildlife Sanctuary covers 307 villages in five Uttar Pradesh districts, and the barasingha or swamp deer is Uttar Pradesh's state animal and a Schedule I species under the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972.

  1. (A)

    Both 1 and 2

  2. (B)

    1 only

  3. (C)

    2 only

  4. (D)

    Neither 1 nor 2

Explanation

The key is to treat this as a notification-based environment question, not as a generic wildlife fact. The official Gazette notification states that the Eco-Sensitive Zone around the State Animal Barasingha Wildlife Sanctuary, earlier known as Hastinapur Wildlife Sanctuary, includes areas in Muzaffarnagar, Bijnor, Amroha, Hapur and Meerut, and appends the list of 307 villages falling within the zone. The second statement also stands: the barasingha, or swamp deer, is identified with Uttar Pradesh's state animal, and Rucervus duvaucelii duvaucelii is listed in Schedule I of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, giving it the Act's highest level of legal protection.

Why the other options are wrong

  • (B) It accepts the notified ESZ's spread across 307 villages in five Uttar Pradesh districts, but wrongly rejects the barasingha or swamp deer statement, which is also correct.
  • (C) It recognises the barasingha or swamp deer statement, but wrongly denies the Gazette-backed ESZ fact about 307 villages across the five named districts.
  • (D) It fails because both parts are supported: the ESZ village-district coverage is in the notification, and the swamp deer protection point is also correct.

Concept

This tests Eco-Sensitive Zone notifications and the linkage between protected-area geography and species protection under the Wild Life (Protection) Act. RAS often asks such questions because state-linked sanctuaries combine map-based facts, official notifications and flagship species status.

Source

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