UPSC Current Affairs Quiz, 10 August 2026

Explanation

The National Forest Policy, 1988 explicitly aims at maintaining environmental stability, restoring ecological balance, and expanding forest cover through plantations and regeneration using native (local) species — Statement 1 is correct. The National Working Plan Code, 2023 introduces ecosystem-based forest management that includes invasive species management, restoration of degraded forest areas, and prioritisation of site-specific native species in regeneration and restoration — Statement 2 is correct. Statement 3 is conceptually incorrect: the responsibility for removing invasive alien plant species from reserved forests and protected areas is with the respective State Governments and Union Territory administrations (and their agencies), not with the Central Government or MoEFCC directly. This reflects the constitutional division of powers over forests (Concurrent List) and the operational reality that forest management on the ground is a State subject. The Centre sets policy and provides frameworks; actual removal and restoration work is done by States/UTs.

Explanation

The Indian Nursing Council is indeed a statutory body created under the Indian Nursing Council Act, 1947. It sets national standards for nursing education and registration and coordinates with State Nursing Councils. However, under the existing legal framework, the actual responsibility for registration of individual nurses rests with the respective State Nursing Registration Councils — not directly with the INC. The INC's role is coordinative and standard-setting; it does not replace State Councils as the front-line registering authority. This federal, two-tier structure (national council + state councils) is a defining feature of the nursing governance framework in India.