Law on civil fines for green violations is near-ready: Prakash Javadekar

The next three years of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government will focus on compliance with environmental laws, said Union Minister of Environment, Forests & Climate Change Prakash Javadekar in an interview to Business Standard (Click here). A law on civil penalties for green violations is near finalisation, which will help make implementation of green laws better, he said. The government would deploy greater use of technology to implement a slew of new emission standards for industries and the updated regulations for waste management, the minister said.

On forestry, he said states are yet to respond on the proposal to let private entities afforest on government forestlands. The decision to release existing funds of Rs 40,000 crore, in addition to focus on agro-forestry, will help green India beyond its forestlands, he said.

Javadekar refused to categorically state that the tribal consent powers for giving traditional forestlands to industries would not be done away with over the next three years of the NDA government.

He said it was a robust scientific decision to bank upon a 100-year-old document to decide the fate of future dams in the upper Ganga basin and that Uma Bharti's water resources ministry is now on board with his and the power ministry's views.