Environmental Impact Assessment — Prelims Strategy

Prelims Strategy

For Prelims, focus on factual accuracy and conceptual clarity regarding EIA.

1
Legal Basis: — Memorize that EIA is mandated under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, and operationalized by the EIA Notification, 2006. Understand the constitutional articles (48A, 51A(g), 21) that provide its foundation.
2
EIA Process: — Learn the four stages (Screening, Scoping, Public Consultation, Appraisal) in sequence and what each stage entails.
3
Project Categories: — Clearly differentiate between Category A (Central clearance, EAC) and Category B (State clearance, SEAC/SEIAA, further divided into B1 and B2). Understand the general criteria or examples for each category (e.g., large power plants vs. smaller ones).
4
Key Principles: — Grasp the 'precautionary principle', 'polluter pays principle', and 'sustainable development' in the context of EIA.
5
Key Bodies: — Know the roles of MoEFCC, EAC, SEAC, SEIAA, CPCB, and SPCB .
6
Current Affairs: — Pay close attention to recent amendments, proposed drafts (like EIA 2020 controversy), and landmark judgments by the Supreme Court or NGT related to EIA. Focus on the core changes or rulings.
7
Mnemonics & Quick Facts: — Utilize mnemonics like 'SPACE' for the process and create flashcards for thresholds and definitions. Practice MCQs that test specific provisions, exemptions, and the roles of various bodies. Avoid confusing similar-sounding terms or acts.

Also build Paper II skills

Climate data, pollution metrics, and treaty timelines are natural practice for CSAT data interpretation and careful reading. CSAT hub.

• Data interpretation
• Correlation vs causation
• Estimation techniques