Question

Which of the following is included in the Central Government's power under Section 3(2)(ii) of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986?

• A. Planning and execution of a nation-wide programme for the prevention, control and abatement of environmental pollution
• B. Laying down standards for the quality of the environment in its various aspects
• C. Collection and dissemination of information in respect of matters relating to environmental pollution
• D. Carrying out and sponsoring investigations and research relating to problems of environmental pollution

Hint:

Section 3(2)(ii) = Quality Standards! If the government is setting permissible limits for air/water/noise quality, they are acting under this specific subsection.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is B

Section 3(2) breaks the Central Government's environmental powers into a numbered list, so answering this question is really about knowing the specific job assigned to sub-clause (ii).

1. Nation-wide programme planning and execution: This broader coordinating power sits in the clause just before the one the question targets, sub-clause (i), not (ii).
2. Laying down environmental quality standards: Sub-clause (ii) specifically empowers the Central Government to fix standards for the quality of the environment across its various aspects, air, water, soil, and so on. This is the exact function tied to the sub-clause number in the question.
3. Collection and dissemination of pollution-related information: This information-sharing function is assigned to a different sub-clause within the same Section 3(2) list.
4. Carrying out and sponsoring investigations and research: This research-oriented power similarly sits in another sub-clause, separate from the standard-setting one.

Since the question asks about a specific numbered sub-clause rather than the Section as a whole, the answer depends on correctly locating that one function within the list.

\[ \boxed{\text{Laying down standards for the quality of the environment in its various aspects}} \]

Answer 2

Since Section 3(2) essentially reads like a numbered checklist of the Central Government's environmental powers, lining up the four options against that checklist quickly reveals the mismatch in three of them.

1. Option (A): Nation-wide programme planning reads as a broad coordinating power, more consistent with an earlier item in the list than with sub-clause (ii) specifically.
2. Option (B): Fixing environmental quality standards is a distinct, technical standard-setting power, and it is this specific function that Section 3(2)(ii) assigns to the Central Government.
3. Option (C): Gathering and spreading pollution-related information is an administrative, data-focused power placed elsewhere in the same sub-section.
4. Option (D): Sponsoring research and investigation is again a distinct function, focused on generating knowledge rather than fixing binding standards, and sits in yet another part of the list.

Only the standard-setting power lines up with the specific sub-clause the question names.

Hence, the correct answer is Laying down standards for the quality of the environment in its various aspects.