Centre to give Indian Forest Act a facelift
The environment ministry has started comprehensively amending the Act by “weeding out” and updating obsolete provisions
Court Digest: Major environment hearings of the week (September 23-27)
Down To Earth brings you the top environmental cases heard in the Supreme Court, the high courts and the National Green Tribunal through the week&…
Whither the National Green Tribunal?
Instead of giving financial and administrative support to the NGT, efforts are usually directed towards diluting its powers, defeating the very …
Missing the woods for wood
Is it worthwhile to clear forests to annually earn Rs 4,500 per hectare?
India unlikely to meet carbon sink commitment
The current rate of afforestation is lower than what is needed to achieve the target
What is MoEF&CC’s compliance module for environmental clearance all about?
The latest notification by the ministry is a step forward in streamlining the process; but some gaps remain
Implement the Biological Diversity Act in its true spirit
It is high time the Centre and states did so. It would save India from a number of avoidable problems
Power producers want government to relax norms for thermal power plants
The new norms announced late last year by the environment ministry have made domestic power producers anxious
Here is a 5-step guide for making your daily life plastic-free
Plastic is so ubiquotous in our lives that one should start on a small scale in the beginning
India’s forest cover goes up by nearly 3% this decade; but all is not well
'Very dense forests', which absorb maximum carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, increased by a mere 1.14 % between 2017 and 2019, according …
Environment Minister Anil Dave passes away at 60
He was known for his work towards conservation of the Narmada river
Bhupender Yadav releases DTE’s State of India’s Environment 2022
Climate change, desertification and the sustainability-affordability linkage three extremely critical issues facing India today
License to pollute : Inefficient Kota thermal power station allowed to function by Rajasthan
Earlier, the government was planning to retire two units of the plant June 30. However, protests by local politicians and the employees …
Forest Rights Act: Evicting the gaps
To protect traditional forest dwellers, the Forest Rights Act, 2006, needs to be enforced properly and not be used against them
MoEF&CC takes back advisory to avoid honeycombing of forest land under FRA
An official from the environment ministry says the advisory was withdrawn as there is no provision under the Forest Rights Act to club land together
Rules to implement Compensatory Afforestation Fund Act to be finalised by January 3
The Compensatory Afforestation Fund Act was passed to restore forest cover which was lost due to diversion of forest land
Environment ministry order bans use of plastic packaging for tobacco, gutkha
The ministry passed its order after the companies failed to adhere to the Supreme Court directive asking them to adhere to the new Plastic Waste …
Parliamentary panel underlines lack of quality data on air pollution in smaller cities
Panel suggested prioritising funds to install systems for monitoring air quality in smaller cities and towns; called for transparency in …
75% decline in Gujarat’s vulture population: Babul Supriyo
In neighbouring Madhya Pradesh, the vulture population has increased by 12 per cent
States with more than 75% forest cover won't have to divert revenue land
Forest Advisory Committee decided this while suggesting that instead states with deficient green land should divert their non-forest land …
Reconsider green clearance mechanism for small-scale mining: NGT to Centre
It says district-level authorities do not have the expertise to assess environmental impacts of mining projects
Court digest: Major environment hearings of the week (December 3-7)
Down To Earth brings you the top environmental cases heard in the Supreme Court, the high courts and the National Green Tribunal
Polavaram project: Public hearings remain distant dream as Centre, states play blame game
On December 3, the Centre backtracked on its submission to appoint an independent agency to hold public hearings in Odisha and Chhatisgarh
Building norms bent for better ease of doing business rankings
The latest notification has eased green norms for builders to facilitate urban development
MoEF&CC issues recommendations to improve environment clearance and monitoring process
The recommendations come after an audit report found delays in all stages of impact assessment and highlighted other gaps
