Concept:
EIA stands for Environmental Impact Assessment.
The EIA Notification 2006 was issued by the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF), Government of India, to evaluate the environmental impacts of proposed development projects before granting approval.
The objectives include:
• Environmental protection
• Sustainable development
• Assessment of environmental impacts
• Prevention and mitigation of ecological damage
Step 1: Analyze option A.
Conservation of biodiversity is important, but it is not the primary objective of the EIA Notification 2006.
Hence, option A is incorrect.
Step 2: Analyze option B.
Preventing forest use for non-forest purposes is mainly associated with forest conservation laws.
Hence, option B is incorrect.
Step 3: Analyze option C.
EIA aims to assess whether projects may create harmful environmental impacts in the short term or long term.
This is the core purpose of environmental impact assessment.
Hence, option C is correct.
Step 4: Analyze option D.
Encouraging industries in SEZs is not the objective of EIA notification.
Hence, option D is incorrect.
Step 5: Choose the correct option.
The main objective of EIA Notification 2006 is environmental protection through impact assessment.
Therefore, the correct answer is:
\[
{\text{(C) To ensure that any project or major activity will not harm the environment on a short or long term basis}}
\]