Wildlife Protection (Amendment) Bill poorly drafted: Jairam Ramesh

Senior Congress leader and former environment minister Jairam Ramesh on Saturday said the Wildlife Protection (Amendment) Bill, which has been sent to the parliamentary standing committee headed by him, is poorly drafted and has huge shortcomings.

Ramesh, who heads the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Science and Technology, Environment, Forest and Climate Change, said he is overwhelmed by the over 70 responses received from experts and institutions on the Wildlife Protection (Amendment) Bill, 2021.

"The Bill had not been based on widespread consultations. It is poorly drafted and has huge shortcomings," Ramesh said on Twitter.

Now the Standing Committee has a very complicated task of examining the 50 amendments proposed, he said.

"We hope to complete this exercise in the next 45 days. I'm involving a number of professionals for the task. Frankly, this is what the ministry should have done in the first place!" Ramesh said.