‘R2 Code of Practices’ constitutes a tool available for promoting the adoption of ​

The correct answer is A. The R2 Code of Practices is the Responsible Recycling standard for electronics recycling, issued by SERI (Sustainable Electronics Recycling International) and later revised as R2:2013. It sets out environmental, health-and-safety, data security and downstream accountability requirements for e-waste recyclers. It is a voluntary, third-party certified standard, not a legal mandate.

Why the others are wrong:

• B: Ecological management of Ramsar wetlands comes under the Ramsar Convention (1971) and, in India, the Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2017. R2 has nothing to do with wetlands.
• C: Sustainable farming on degraded land falls under soil health and land restoration programmes, not an electronics standard.
• D: EIA is a statutory process in India under the EIA Notification, 2006, issued under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.

Core concept: voluntary market-based standards versus statutory instruments. This links to Mains themes on e-waste management, the E-Waste (Management) Rules, 2022 (which replaced the 2016 Rules), and extended producer responsibility. Note that the rules have changed since the exam year.

Trap: candidates pick B or D because the names sound familiar. Ask whether the instrument is a statute, an international convention, or a private certification standard.