Environmental Policies

Environmental Policies are the sum total of the values to which a

person or a group of persons or institutions social, legal and
governmental – consider as important in their relationships with one
another. Environmental policies have to be formulated in the credible
of social morals and values. Let us know more about the
Environmental Policies in India.

Table of content

1 Suggested Videos

2 Environmental Policies

3 Environmental Policy – Pre Stockholm Period (Prior To 1972)

3.1 Browse more Topics under Environment

4 Environmental Policy – Post Stockholm Period (After 1972)

4.1 Fifth Five Year Plan

4.2 Sixth Five Year Plan

4.3 Tiwari Committee (1980)

4.4 National Environment Policy, 2006

4.5 Objectives of the National Environment Policy, 2006

5 Practice Question

Suggested Videos
Introduction to culture and civilisation

Cities and Challenge of Environment

 Social Changes in Cities During Industrialisation

Introduction to culture and civilisation

Cities and Challenge of Environment
Social Changes in Cities During Industrialisation

Environmental Policies
The goals of the Environmental Policies may be formulated in
several ways – to protect human health, ensure the viability of
wildlife, preservation of historic monuments, stopping further
degradation of the environment etc.

The policy is the overall environmental intention and direction

forming the backbone and skeletal framework, from which all other
environmental components are hung including environmental
management systems, audits, assessments, and reports.
Environmental Policy – Pre Stockholm Period (Prior
To 1972)
In the early years of Independence, there was no precise
environmental policy and not many attempts were made to frame any
specific policy or law for the protection of the environment. This
period had more stress on the development of infrastructure with
little concern for environmental issues. Various environmental
concerns like sewage disposal, sanitation, public health etc., were
dealt with different ministries of government. However, the concern
for environmental protection was reflected in the national planning
process and forest policy.

In February 1972 a National Committee on Environmental Planning

and Co-ordination (NCEPC) was established in the Department of
Science and Technology. This was the apex advisory body in all the
matters pertaining to environmental protection and improvement. The
committee was assisted by Department of Science and Technology
and an Office of the Environmental Planning and Co-ordination
(OEPC) was set up under the direction of the Chairman of the
committee.

Browse more Topics under Environment

 National Parks of India – Part A

 National Parks of India – Part B
 Policies & Projects
 Environmental Awareness Practice Questions
Environmental Policy – Post Stockholm Period (After
1972)
For the first time, the importance of preserving the quality of life and
promoting the environment along with development was stressed in
the fourth Five Year Plan (1969 to 1974) with a chapter on the long-
term perspective. However, it was only diming the fifth (1974-79)
and sixth (1980-85) five-year plans, concerns that were expressed in
the fourth plan were made into a concrete one by initiating several
programmes.

Fifth Five Year Plan

The fifth five-year plan (1974-79) stressed the need to have a close
association with National Committee on Environmental Planning
and Co-ordination with all major industrial decisions so that
environmental goals are fully taken into account. It also stressed that
in the process and pursuit of development there should not be any
reduction in the quality of life and the link was very much stressed
between developmental planning and environmental management.

Sixth Five Year Plan

In the sixth five year plan (1980-85) an entire chapter on
‘Environment and Development’ was included which emphasizes
sound environmental and ecological principles in land
use agriculture, forestry, wildlife, water, air, marine environment,
minerals, fisheries, renewable energy sources, energy and human
settlements. It provided guidance on environmental concerns to
administrators and resource managers in formulating and
implementing programmes and lay down an institutional structure for
environmental management in the Central and State Governments.

Tiwari Committee (1980)

The Government of India set up a committee in January 1980 under
the Chairmanship of Shri. N.D. Tiwari, then Deputy Chairman of the
Planning Commission to review the existing environmental
legislation and recommend legislative measures and administrative
machinery for environmental protection. The committee stressed the
need for the proper management of the country’s natural resources of
land, forest and water in order to conserve the nation’s ecological
bases.
National Environment Policy, 2006
The National Conservation Strategy and Policy Statement on
Environment and Development, 1992 was one of the first attempts of
the Government of India to develop a policy framework for
environmental protection. The National Forest Policy, 1988 and the
Policy Statement for Abatement of Pollution, 1992 are some other
policy frameworks that
advocate effective environmental management at the national level.

However, a need was felt to bring together the guiding principles of

all these documents and develop a comprehensive national
environmental policy. Consequently, the National Environment
Policy was put together after widespread consultation and was
approved by the Union Cabinet on 18th May 2006. The National
Environment Policy, 2006 (NEP, 2006) does not displace earlier
policies but builds upon them.

Objectives of the National Environment Policy, 2006

Following are the objectives that were kept in mind while framing the
National Environment Policy, 2006 by MoEF, Government of India.

1. Conservation of Critical Environmental Resources – To protect

and conserve critical ecological systems and resources, and
invaluable natural and man-made heritage, which are essential for
life-support, livelihoods, economic growth, and a broad conception of
human well-being.

2. Intergenerational Equity – To ensure judicious use of

environmental resources to meet the needs and aspirations
of the present and future generations.

3. Integration of Environmental Concerns in Economic and Social

Development – To integrate environmental concerns into policies,
plans, programmes and projects for economic and social
development.
4. Efficiency in Environmental Resource Use – To ensure efficient
use of environmental resources in the sense of the reduction in their
use per unit of economic output, to minimize adverse environmental
impacts.

5. Environmental Governance – To apply the principles of good

governance (transparency, rationality, accountability,
reduction in time and costs, participation, and regulatory
independence) to the management and regulation of the use of
environmental resources.

6. Enhancement of Resources for Environmental Conservation – To

ensure higher resource flows, comprising finance, technology,
management skills, traditional knowledge and social capital for
environmental conservation through mutually beneficial
multistakeholder partnerships between local communities, public
agencies, the academic and research community, investors, and
multilateral and bilateral development partners.

Practice Question
Q 1: Who was the Chairman of the Tiwari committee?

A) R D Tiwari       B) B N Tiwari          C) N.D. Tiwari              D)

None of these

Ans: C) N.D. Tiwari
Environmental Management in
India
September 22, 2011

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Overview

India’s economic growth over the past few years has raised the prospect of eliminating
extensive poverty within a generation. But this growth has been clouded by a degrading
physical environment and the growing scarcity of natural resources that are essential for
sustaining further growth and eliminating poverty. It is no coincidence that the poorest
areas of the country are also the most environmentally-stressed regions, with eroded
soils, polluted waterways, and degraded forests. Simultaneously, rapid growth has
unleashed greater public awareness and an unprecedented demand for the sound
management of natural resources including air, water, forests, and biodiversity.
Environmental sustainability is rapidly emerging as the next major development and
policy challenge for the country, and will be central to the 12th Five Year Plan which is
currently under preparation.

The Challenges

Pollution: Water, land and air contamination associated with growth are increasing
exponentially. Rapid investment in the manufacturing sector, that includes 17 highly
polluting industries that are on the Central Pollution Control Board’s “Red List”, has
fuelled this growth. The share of the most polluting sectors in India’s exports has
increased dramatically during the last decade suggesting that India could be emerging
as a net exporter of pollution-intensive commodities. These trends indicate the need for
greater investment in environmental management.
Natural Resources, Ecosystems and Biodiversity: In rural areas, poverty has become
intertwined with resource degradation - poor soils, depleted aquifers and degraded
forests. To subsist, the poor are compelled to mine and overuse these limited resources,
creating a downward spiral of impoverishment and environmental degradation. There is
growing pressure to better protect India’s pockets of mega-biodiversity which are
increasingly recognized as being of immense significance for global biodiversity, yet are
increasingly threatened. Greater investment in the protection of these natural assets
would yield a double dividend of poverty alleviation and the improved sustainability of
growth. 

Coastal Zone Management: India’s coastal zone is endowed with fragile ecosystems
including mangroves, coral reefs, estuaries, lagoons, and unique marine and terrestrial
wildlife, which contribute in a significant manner to the national economy. Economic
activities such as rapid urban-industrialization, maritime transport, marine fishing,
tourism, coastal and sea bed mining, offshore oil and natural gas production,
aquaculture, and the recent setting up of special economic zones have led to a
significant exploitation of these resources.In addition to the contribution of increased
economic activity, coastal development and livelihoods are under stress due to a higher
incidence of severe weather events, which have the potential to inflict irreversible
damage to lives and property, for communities that are traditionally poor and vulnerable
to economic shocks.

Environmental Governance: The pace of infrastructure investments, which could reach

$500 billion in the 12th Five Year Plan, calls for integrated and coordinated decision-
making systems. This is made especially challenging by fragmented policies and
multiple institutional legal and economic planning frameworks, with often conflicting
objectives and approaches.
Environmental Health: The health impacts from pollution are comparable to those
caused by malnutrition and have a significant impact on the productivity, health and the
quality of life. Environmental health challenges are largely caused by poverty-related
risks associated with poor access to basic services, such as safe drinking water and
sanitation, and poor indoor air quality. The contamination of surface waters and the
spread of pathogens are promoted by the alteration of catchments and watersheds that
have accompanied rapid urbanization and intensive farming. Despite significant
improvements in rural water supply and sanitation over the past few decades, water-
related diseases still account for a large number of avoidable child deaths every year.

Climate Change: India is highly vulnerable to climate change due to a combination of; (i)
high levels of poverty, (ii) population density, (iii) high reliance on natural resources, and
(iv) an environment already under stress (for instance water resources). By mid-century,
the mean annual temperature in India is projected to increase 1.1º to 2.3 º C under the
moderate climate change scenario of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
(A1B), with anticipated deterioration of agro-climatic conditions. In the higher portion of
that range, the loss to Indian GDP would be greater than the world average, and could
be close to 5 %. Simultaneously, there is likely to be greater variability in rainfall, leading
to higher risk of increased frequency and severity of droughts, floods and cyclones.

Reflecting the size of its economy and population, India is ranked as the sixth largest
emitter of greenhouse gas emissions in the world. However, by most measures, India
would be classified as a low carbon economy. It has: (i) a low intensity of emissions per
unit of GDP ( on par with the world average); (ii) per capita emissions that are among the
lowest in the world (at about 10 percent of the developed country average) and (iii) forest
cover that has stabilized. However, India’s emissions are set to grow substantially due to
its sustained economic growth.

Government Priorities

India has made a substantial effort in attempting to address environmental challenges. It

has enacted stringent environmental legislation and has created institutions to monitor
and enforce legislation. The National Environmental Policy (NEP) recognizes the value
of harnessing market forces and incentives as part of the regulatory toolkit, and India is
one of only three countries worldwide which has established a Green Tribunal to
exclusively handle environmental litigation. On environmental governance, the GOI is
contemplating the establishment of the National Appraisal and Monitoring Authority
(NEAMA) to carry out environmental appraisals.

During the current 11th Five Year Plan, the Government issued regulations to promote
an integrated and inclusive approach to coastal zone planning and the sound
management of hazardous wastes, issued a number of critical policies (e.g. revised river
conservation strategy and the National Biodiversity Plan), and established a Wildlife
Crime Control Bureau to supplement existing conservation measures for species at risk,
such as tigers. In response to the threat of climate change, the Prime Minister’s National
Council on Climate Change issued India’s first comprehensive National Action Plan in
June 2008. In the run-up to Copenhagen, India also volunteered its own target to reduce
carbon intensity by 20 to 25 percent by 2020 against a 2005 baseline and established an
Expert Group on Low Carbon Growth to identify how best to meet this challenge.

World Bank Support

Responding to these pressures, the World Bank has developed a multi-pronged
approach to address environmental issues and mitigate its lending risks:

A Sound Program of Knowledge Products and Lending: This seeks to improve the
knowledge base for environmental solutions, and to pilot a number of programs to
address key environmental challenges.

Risk Management and Mainstreaming through Cross Support Activities: Through the
World Bank’s safeguard policies, a sound mechanism for decision making has been
developed. A number of tools to enable the integration of environmental management in
project design, and minimize the environmental footprint of the Bank’s operations have
also been developed.

Country Systems and Capacity Building Initiatives help build institutional capacity, and
include the piloting of country (state) systems for managing risks of World Bank projects.

List of Active Projects

The World Bank has a growing relationship and portfolio in the environment sector.
Projects under implementation include the following.

Integrated Coastal Zone Management Project ($222mn approved June 2010) to help
build the appropriate institutional arrangements, capacity and advanced knowledge
systems needed to implement the national program on integrated coastal zone
management. It will also help pilot this approach in three coastal states, Gujarat, Orissa
and West Bengal, through a range of complementary pilots in select coastal stretches to
build state-level capacity.

Capacity Building for Industrial Pollution Management Project ($65mn approved June
2010) to build tangible human and technical capacity in state agencies in Andhra
Pradesh and West Bengal for undertaking environmentally sound remediation of polluted
sites and to support the development of a policy, institutional and methodological
framework for the establishment of a National Program for Rehabilitation of Polluted
Sites (NPRPS).

The National Ganga River Basin Authority Project ($1bn approved in May 2011): to build
capacity of its nascent operational-level institutions, so that they can manage the long-
term Ganga clean-up and conservation program; and implement a diverse set of
demonstrative investments for reducing point-source pollution loads in a sustainable
manner, at priority locations on the Ganga.
Biodiversity Conservation and Rural Livelihoods Project (GEF/IDA $23m approved in
May 2011): to develop and promote new models of conservation at the landscape scale
through enhanced capacity and institutional building for mainstreaming biodiversity
conservation outcomes.

Pipeline Projects

Environmentally Sustainable Development Policy Loan in the State of Himachal

Pradesh: The proposed Development Policy Loan will seek to establish a framework for
environmental sustainability, which will promote the participation of the state public and
private sectors in the National Mission on Enhanced Energy Efficiency, develop a policy
and institutional framework for the further development of environmentally sound
hydropower development, and enable sustainable development in a number of key
sectors of the economy including: tourism, industry, and agricultural development and
horticulture.

Global Environmental Facility (GEF): Following the recent replenishment, the World
Bank has been requested to prepare a number of projects to be financed by the GEF,
namely: Climate Resilience through Community-Based Approaches in Semi-Arid Areas,
Integrated Biodiversity Hotspots and Improvements, Adaptive Management Tools in
Sustainable Land Management, and Integrated Ecological Management of the
Lakshadweep Sea.

Research

Energy Intensive Sectors of the India Economy: Options for Low Carbon Development:
The study looks at five sectors of the Indian economy that accounted for three quarters
of India’s CO2 emissions from energy use in 2007 – power generation, energy-intensive
industries (like iron and steel, cement, fertilizer, refining, pulp and paper etc), road
transportation, commercial buildings and residential housing.
It presents three carbon emission scenarios, outlining the different growth paths that
India could follow from 2007 to 2031 -- the end of the Fifteenth Five Year Plan.

Sundarbans Sustainable Socio-Economic Development: The objective of the Non-

Lending Technical Assistance is to assess measures that would build resilience of the
socio-economic and biophysical system and achieve long term sustainable
development. Resilient systems are those having a capacity to adapt when faced with
persistent stresses, but the adaptive capacity of those residing in the Sundarbans has
been undermined on an ongoing basis. Historic sea level rise from deltaic subsidence,
salinity intrusion, flooding and nutrient loss in local soils have all conspired over the past
century to render this one of the most hazardous areas in the Indian sub-continent.
India 2030: Vision for an Environmentally Sustainable Future: This study deals with a
broader debate on the implications of rapid economic growth on environmental
sustainability and the need to rethink India’s current institutional arrangements in light of
promoting long-term environmentally sustainability. The primary objectives of the study
are to identify environmental challenges, opportunities and constraints to growth that will
emerge in India over the next few decades and suggest policy responses and develop
strategies to harmonize the twin objectives of growth and environmental sustainability in
urban and ecologically fragile hill areas.