New mining leases deemed to have all approvals for 2 years: Environment ministry
New lessee will take on water, air, forest rights and other liabilities from the previous lessee
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 …
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
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 …
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
75% decline in Gujarat’s vulture population: Babul Supriyo
In neighbouring Madhya Pradesh, the vulture population has increased by 12 per cent
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 …
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
6,944,608 trees cut across India in last three years: MoEF&CC
6.2 crore trees were planted in their place as compensatory afforestation
New FCA rules not in compliance with FRA, endanger rights of tribals and forest dwellers
The new Forest Conservation Rules, 2022 were notified June 28 and will be put before both Houses of Parliament in the current session for approval
Why Union Budget 2022-23 is not good in environmental terms
By slashing allocation for environmental organisations, regulatory boards and introducing infrastructure development schemes, the Centre has sent …
Tribal affairs ministry constitutes committee on CFR guidelines under FRA
It was doing this as there had been no progress reported by states in recognising habitat rights despite its repeated clarifications
Indian Forest Act amendment: Govt ready with first draft
The draft, which has been prepared with focus on conservation and climate change, has been sent to states seeking comments
Can plastics be good?
Though plastics are harmful for the environment, a few interesting initiatives across India hold promise
