Consider the following statements : The Environment Protection Act, 1986 empowers the Government of India to 1. state the requirement of public participation in the process of environmental protection, and the procedure and manner in which it is sought 2. lay down the standards for emission or discharge of environmental pollutants from various sources Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Statement 2 is correct because Section 3 of the Environment Protection Act (EPA), 1986, explicitly empowers the Central Government to lay down standards for the quality of the environment and the emission or discharge of environmental pollutants. Statement 1 is incorrect because, although public participation is a vital component of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process, the EPA itself does not explicitly mention or mandate the specific procedure for public participation; these requirements are instead established through executive notifications issued under the Act. The core concept being tested is the specific statutory provisions and regulatory powers granted to the Union Government under the Environment Protection Act, 1986.