In which year was the master plan of the National Capital Region (NCR) approved to guide the planned development of Delhi and its surrounding areas?

Introduction / Context:
The National Capital Region (NCR) around Delhi is a large metropolitan area that includes parts of neighbouring states. To handle its complex urban growth, master plans and regional plans were developed to guide land use, transport and infrastructure development. The question asks about the year in which the master plan of the National Capital Region was approved. This is an important factual detail linked to the evolution of Indian urban planning and union territory administration.

Given Data / Assumptions:
- The options suggest years 1959, 1962, 1981, 1996 and 1975.
- We assume familiarity with general phases of planning in Delhi and NCR, including the preparation of master plans in the nineteen sixties onward.
- While the National Capital Region Planning Board Act came later, the specific question focuses on the year the master plan was approved.

Concept / Approach:
Urban planning in and around Delhi has evolved over several decades. A comprehensive master plan for the broader National Capital Region was approved in the early nineteen sixties to address issues of congestion, land use and regional integration. According to standard Indian polity and geography question banks, the correct year associated with the approval of the master plan of the National Capital Region is 1962. Later years saw further revisions and the creation of statutory bodies, but the initial approval date remains a key exam fact.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recall from study materials that the master plan of the National Capital Region was approved in the early nineteen sixties.Step 2: Look at the options and identify which one in the early nineteen sixties fits this description.Step 3: Find that 1962 is the year repeatedly mentioned in standard question banks and reference sources for this fact.Step 4: Recognise that other years such as 1959, 1981, 1975 and 1996 are associated with different stages or other planning efforts.Step 5: Select 1962 as the correct answer.

Verification / Alternative check:
An alternative verification method is to consult compilations of Indian polity or urban geography objective questions that discuss the NCR. They consistently state that the master plan of the National Capital Region was approved in 1962. While later legislation such as the National Capital Region Planning Board Act came into force in the nineteen eighties, the master plan itself is tied to the year 1962. This repeated confirmation in exam oriented literature supports the selection of option B.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
1959 (option A) predates the commonly accepted approval date and is not usually associated with the master plan of the NCR. 1981 (option C) appears in some contexts related to later planning initiatives and regional board activities, but it is not the original approval year of the master plan. 1996 (option D) is far too late and relates to subsequent policy developments rather than the initial plan. The additional distractor 1975 (option E) is also not associated with the approval of the NCR master plan in standard references, making it incorrect.

Common Pitfalls:
Students may confuse different planning milestones: the master plan of Delhi, the master plan of the NCR and the establishment of the National Capital Region Planning Board. This can lead to mixing up dates from the nineteen sixties, nineteen seventies and nineteen eighties. Another pitfall is to rely solely on logical guessing based on the age of Delhi as a city rather than on the specific factual data provided in textbooks and question banks. Carefully associating each date with the correct event is essential for scoring well on such questions.

Final Answer:
1962 is the year in which the master plan of the National Capital Region was approved to guide the planned development of Delhi and its surrounding areas.