Relevance for Banking, SSC & RBI Grade B exams: Polity & Governance

The government’s Green Highways initiative, framed under the Green Highways (Plantation, Transplantation, Beautification and Maintenance) Policy 2015 and guided by Indian Roads Congress (IRC) SP:21 directives, has emerged as a key policy intervention in India’s infrastructure and environmental governance. Over the past five years, approximately 1.32 lakh km of national highways have been covered with over 3.61 crore plants, integrating environmental sustainability into road infrastructure development. This policy mandates tree plantation along the Right of Way (ROW) of national highways, including median strips and roadside land, with costs integrated into project budgets. Such initiatives reflect the government’s commitment to balancing developmental needs with ecological responsibility, a theme increasingly relevant for examinations like RBI Grade B and SSC where questions on sustainable development, public policy, and budgetary allocations are frequently asked.

For banking aspirants preparing for exams like IBPS PO, SBI Clerk, or RBI Grade B, understanding the financial and policy dimensions of the Green Highways project is crucial. The integration of environmental mitigation costs within the overall project budget highlights the convergence of fiscal policy and ecological governance—a concept tested in sections on Economics and Governance. Additionally, the use of recycled materials like fly ash, reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP), and plastic waste in road construction underlines the policy’s focus on circular economy principles, which are increasingly emphasized in current affairs sections of competitive exams. The data-driven approach—such as state-wise plantation figures—also serves as a potential source for data interpretation questions in SSC exams, making this topic strategically important for multiple competitive examinations.

Source: PIB (Press Information Bureau)

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