Special
Feature – 3
India’s Green foot Prints hog International lime lights

*Neeraj
Bajpai
If
Anti-corruption drives, including demonetization of high currency notes, are
the center piece of the Narendra Modi Government’s first three years of governance,
A slew of initiatives including India’s bold stand in the Paris climate meet,
sustained bids to protect flora and fauna and stringent control orders for air
and water pollution levels, are among noteworthy foot prints on the environment,
forests and climate front.
The government says that it has done massive work during last three
years to protect environment while also ensuring that the developmental projects
also do not suffer. A right balance has been created between developmental
needs of the nation and adequately addressing the environmental concerns.
India participated in COP-22 meeting in
Marrakech, Morocco last year. The main thrust of COP 22 was to develop rules for
operationalizing the Paris agreement and advance work on Pre-2020 actions.
India, led by its Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister
Anil Madhav Dave, participated constructively and in association with other developing
countries, ensured that climate actions are based on the principles of equity
and Common but Differentiated Responsibilities (CBDR) and climate justice. The
Marrakech Action Proclamation for climate and sustainable development captures the
sense of urgency to take action on climate change, while ensuring sustainable
development.
Signing ceremony of Framework Agreement on International Solar
Alliance also took place at COP-22. COP-22 concluded on November 20,
2016.
India has committed to reduce
Green House Gas (GHG) emissions intensity of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP)
by 33 to 35 percent by 2030 from 2005 level. Other quantified goals are (a) to
achieve about 40 percent cumulative electric power installed capacity from
non-fossil fuel based energy resources by 2030 with the help of transfer of
technology and low cost international finance including from Green Climate Fund
(GCF), (b) to create an additional carbon sink of 2.5 to 3 billion tons of CO2
equivalent through additional forest and tree cover by 2030.
The Government has also decided to ratify the Second Commitment
Period (2013- 2020) of the Kyoto Protocol. Developing countries like India have
no mandatory mitigation obligations or targets under the Kyoto Protocol.
India has also batted for establishing
an international clean energy data-grid. BRICS nations joined hands to
save environment. Second meeting of BRICS Environment
Ministers held in Goa on September 16-17, 2016. The areas, agreed
for mutual cooperation, are - abatement and control of air and water
pollution, efficient manage
Pollution abating measures
In other major moves, The Environment Ministry
in consultation with Central
Pollution Control Board has reclassified the industries into “Red”, “Orange”,
“Green” and “White” category, as part of policies and objective
of government to promote ‘Ease of Doing Responsible Business.It scrapped environmental clearance for
nonpolluting – New White Category – industrial units.
The Government has notified a Graded Response Action Plan for
Delhi and NCR, which comprises measures such as prohibition on entry of trucks
into Delhi; ban on construction activities, closure of brick kilns, hot mix
plants and stone crushers; shutting down of Badarpur power plant, ban on diesel
generator sets, garbage burning in landfills and plying of visibly polluting
vehicles etc.
Major strategies and steps to tackle increasing air pollution
include control and mitigation measures related to emissions from automobiles,
industrial activities, notification of National Ambient Air Quality Standards;
Formulation of environmental regulations and statutes etc.
These measures include setting up of monitoring network for
assessment of ambient air quality; introduction of cleaner or alternate fuels
like gaseous fuel (CNG, LPG etc.), ethanol blending; promotion of cleaner
production processes; launching of National Air Quality Index; universalization
of BS-IV by 2017; leapfrogging from BS-IV to BS-VI fuel standards by 1st April,
2020; comprehensive amendments to various Waste Management Rules and
notification of Construction and Demolition Waste Management Rules.
The Ministry launched a web
portal for obtaining Coastal Regulation Zone clearances besides starting schemes
related to coral reef conservation as well as protection.
WILDLIFE
In order to save flora and fauna, The Central Government provides
financial assistance to State/Union Territory Governments for the Integrated
Development of Wildlife Habitats. It also aims at preventing human-animal
conflict.
It is because of sustained efforts to conserve tiger, India’s
tiger population has grown to around 2,500, last year while it was 2,226 in
2014.
Based on the proposals from the states, notification have been
issued for listing wild pig in Uttarakhand, monkeys in Himachal Pradesh
and Nilgai and wild pig in Bihar in Schedule V of the Wild Life
(Protection) Act, 1972. The Government also approved a series of measures for conservation and
preservation of lakes in Bengaluru.
Asia’s first
‘Gyps Vulture Reintroduction Programme’ launched at Pinjore in Haryana. India became the 56th signatory State to sign the ‘Raptor MoU’ on
conservation of birds of prey in Africa and Eurasia. The ‘Raptor MoU’ extends its
coverage to 76 species of birds of prey, out of which 46 species, including
vultures, falcons, eagles, owls, hawks, kites, harriers, etc. also occur in
India.
The Compensatory Afforestation Fund Bill 2016 passed in Rajya Sabha on
July 28, 2016, thus ending the long era of ad-hocism and will help the Centre
and State Governments to utilise these amounts in a planned manner. It will
facilitate make available more than Rs. 6,000 crores per annum to the
States/UTs for conservation, protection, improvement and expansion of forest
and wildlife resources of the country.
Noose is being further tightened around poachers. Recently, The Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB), coordinated
“OPERATION THUNDER BIRD” in India, from January 30-February 19, 2017.
Operation Thunderbird is the code-name for INTERPOL’s multi-national and
multi-species enforcement operation.
A total of 2, 524 Live species of scheduled animals, 19.2 kg
of elephant ivory, 1 tiger skin, 9 carcasses of wild animals, 1 organ pipe
coral, 1 jar snake venom, 8 leopard skins and 1 Indian Mujtac skin was
seized. As many as 71 persons were arrested during the operation.
WCCB also convened a species specific operation on turtles, code
named OPERATION SAVE KURMA” from December 15 last year to January 30, this
year. A total of 15, 739 live turtles were recovered from 45 suspects.
The budgetary allocation for wildlife conservation has been
enhanced from Rs. 346.38 crore in 2015-16, Rs. 475 crore in 2016-17 and Rs.
522.50 crore for 2017-18.
Other Measures
Many other steps were also taken during the NDA regime so far.
Now, Bio-medical Waste Management Rules, 2016 require that the effluent
generated or treated from the premises of HCFs should conform to the specified
standard before their discharge into the sewer.
The Ministry of
Environment & Forests has decentralised the process of granting environment
clearance for sustainable sand mining and mining of minor minerals. The
Ministry has constituted District Environment Appraisal Committee (DEAC) and
District Environment Impact Assessment Authority (DEIAA) for appraisal and approval
of mining of minor minerals up to 5 hectares and 25 hectares in case of cluster
respectively.
On
March 18, 2016, Government notified Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016. On
March 23, 2016, the E-Waste Management Rules, 2016 were
notified. For the first time, the Rules brought the producers under
Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), along with targets. New Bio-medical
Waste Management Rules were notified on March 27, 2016.
A joint action has
been initiated with Water Resources Ministry to run sewage treatment plants and
with Urban Development Ministry for organised Solid Waste Management. The same
formula will be extended to all the other rivers.
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*Author is
a former editor of the United News of India. Widely travelled journalist, he
has covered many national and international events during his 30 years career
and was also the member of the Press Council of India.
Views
expressed in the article are author’s personal.