2023 · GS Paper 3 · Q17 · 15 marks
Comment on the National Wetland Conservation Programme initiated by the Government of India and name a few India's wetlands of international importance included in the Ramsar Sites.
In short
The National Wetland Conservation Programme, launched in 1985-86 and merged into the National Plan for Conservation of Aquatic Ecosystems in 2013, revived wetlands such as Chilika but suffers thin funding, encroachment and diluted rules. India's Ramsar sites include Chilika, Keoladeo, Wular, Loktak, the Sundarban Wetland and Vembanad-Kol.
Model answer
Ghissu Editorial · Verified 4 Oct 2026 · 290 words
Wetlands cover about 4.6% of India's area (National Wetland Atlas, 2011) and purify water, recharge aquifers and buffer floods. India launched the National Wetland Conservation Programme (NWCP) in 1985-86, soon after joining the Ramsar Convention in 1982.
National Wetland Conservation Programme: An Assessment
Wetland Policy Milestones → 1982 :: Ramsar accession → 1985-86 :: NWCP launched → 2013 :: Merged into NPCA → 2017 :: Wetland Rules → 2023 :: Amrit Dharohar → 2025 :: Over 90 Ramsar sites
1. Design and success: The NWCP funded state management action plans for catchment treatment, weed control and desilting; Chilika's new sea mouth (2000) revived its fisheries and took it off the Montreux Record in 2002. 2. Convergence: In 2013 it merged with the lake programme into the National Plan for Conservation of Aquatic Ecosystems, funded 60:40 by Centre and states. 3. Shortfalls: Loktak remains on the Montreux Record, Deepor Beel and Bellandur suffer encroachment and sewage, and critics say the Wetlands Rules, 2017 diluted protection by excluding river channels and paddy fields.
North and west
Keoladeo and Sambhar (Rajasthan), Wular (Jammu and Kashmir), Tso Moriri (Ladakh), Harike (Punjab) and Nalsarovar (Gujarat).
East and south
Chilika (Odisha), the Sundarban Wetland (West Bengal), India's largest site, Loktak (Manipur), Deepor Beel (Assam), Vembanad-Kol (Kerala) and Point Calimere (Tamil Nadu).
Map and notify
Notify atlas-mapped wetlands, as the Supreme Court urged in M.K. Balakrishnan v. Union of India (2017).
Community stewardship
Scale Mission Sahbhagita and wetland mitras under the Save Wetlands Campaign (2023).
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Question from the official UPSC Civil Services (Main) Examination 2023 paper. Answer written by Ghissu's engine and checked against our editorial standards. Found an error? Tell us and we correct it within 48 hours.