Environmental Policies and Programmes in India

Environmental Policies and Programmes in India

• Environment policies of the Government of India includes legislations related to environment.
• Article 48- Article 48 says "the state shall endeavour to protect and improve the environment and to safeguard the forests and wildlife of the country";
• Article 51-A states that "it shall be the duty of every citizen of India to protect and improve the natural environment including forests, lakes, rivers and wildlife and to have compassion for living creatures."
• The Indian Wildlife Protection Act 1972protected the biodiversity.
• The 1988 National Forest Policy had conservation as its fundamental principle.
• The government passed the Environment (Protection) Act 1986 and Foreign Trade (Development and Regulation) Act 1992 for control of biodiversity.
• The Ministry of Environment & Forests is the nodal agency in the administrative structure of the Central Government, for the planning, promotion, co-ordination and overseeing the implementation of environmental and forestry programmes. The Ministry is also the Nodal agency in the country for the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
• The principal activities undertaken by Ministry of Environment & Forests, consist of conservation & survey of flora, fauna, forests and Wildlife, prevention & control of pollution, afforestation & regeneration of degraded areas and protection of environment, in the frame work of legislations.
• The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), statutory organisation, was constituted in September, 1974 under theWater (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974. Further, CPCB was entrusted with the powers and functions under the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981. It serves as a field formation and also provides technical services to the Ministry of Environment and Forests of the provisions of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. Principal Functions of the CPCB, as spelt out in the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974, and the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981
  • To promote cleanliness of streams and wells in different areas of the States by prevention, control and abatement of water pollution, and
  • To improve the quality of air and to prevent, control or abate air pollution in the country.
  • The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) of India is a statutory organisation under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoE,FCC). It was established in 1974 under the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974. CPCB is also entrusted with the powers and functions under the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981. It serves as a field formation and also provides technical services to the Ministry of Environment and Forests under the provisions of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. It Co-ordinates the activities of the State Pollution Control Boards by providing technical assistance and guidance and also resolves disputes among them. It is the apex organisation in country in the field of pollution control, as a technical wing of MoEF. The board is led by its chairman, who is nominated by the Central Government.[6] The current acting chairman is Shri S.P. Singh Parihar IAS .
• The United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (1992) (Rio Conference) specified the policy statement for the abatement of pollution. to incorporate environmental costs in the decisions of producers and consumers.
• To reverse the tendency to treat environment as a ‘free good’ and to pass these costs onto other parts of society or other countries or to future generations. to move fully towards the integration of social and environmental costs into economic activities so that prices will appropriately reflect the relative scarcity and total value of resources and contribute towards the prevention of environmental degradation to include wherever appropriate the use of market principles in the framing of economic instruments and policies to pursue sustainable development.