Environment Ministry

India sets own air standards, WHO guidelines not binding, says govt

The government on Thursday told Parliament that global air quality rankings cited by various organisations are not conducted by any official authority and that the World Health Organisation's (WHO) air quality guidelines serve only as advisory values, not binding standards. Responding to a question in the Rajya Sabha on India's position in global indices such as IQAir's World Air Quality Ranking, the WHO Global Air Quality Database, the Environmental Performance Index (EPI) and the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) metrics, the Environment Ministry said no official country-wise pollution ranking is carried out worldwide. Minister of State for Environment Kirti Vardhan Singh said the WHO's guidelines are meant to help countries set their own standards, taking into account geography, environmental conditions, background levels and national circumstances. He said India has already notified its National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for 12 pollutants to protect public health and ..

Adani gets environmental nod for luxury airport hotel in Thiruvananthapuram

The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change cleared a Rs 136-crore luxury hotel proposal by Adani Airport Holdings Ltd within the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport premises. The approval followed a detailed review by the Expert Appraisal Committee (Infra-2) during its August meeting, sources said on Tuesday. The project, spread across a little over 8,000 sq m inside the airport area, includes a 240-room hotel with food-and-beverage facilities offering 660 seats. According to official documents, the site is currently used as an open parking area within the airport, operated by the Adani Group. The land was handed over to the Adani Group's airport arm under a long-term concession agreement signed with the Airports Authority of India in January 2021. The proposed five-storey structure will have a height of 23 metres, with two basement levels for parking, a ground floor and four upper floors. The total built-up area is estimated at nearly 34,000 sq m. Authorit

Bhupender Yadav calls on CoP30 to uphold multilateralism in climate action

He also highlighted the initiatives taken under PM Modi's leadership, which embody action-oriented and cooperative multilateralism

Delhi posts best Jan-Sep air quality since 2018, AQI averages 164 this year

The environment ministry said Delhi's average AQI dropped to 164 in Jan-Sep 2025, with no 'severe' days recorded, while PM2.5 and PM10 levels fell to their lowest since 2018, excluding 2020

Forest rules amended to get approval for critical minerals mining: Minister

The government's National Critical Mineral Mission 2025 seeks to achieve self-reliance in the critical minerals sector, said Yadav at CII Sustainability Summit in New Delhi

Centre speeds approvals for critical minerals, no exemption from green law

The Environment Ministry has set up a separate category on its online clearance portal to speed up approvals for mining projects involving critical minerals, a move aimed at boosting domestic supply of resources considered essential for clean energy and advanced technologies, the government informed Parliament on Monday. In a written reply in the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Environment Kirti Vardhan Singh said the Mines Ministry had in February requested faster clearances for such projects, following which the new facility was added to the Parivesh 2.0 portal on March 13. The step comes after amendments to the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957, which gave the Centre powers to auction 24 minerals identified as critical and strategic. These include lithium, nickel, tungsten, titanium and graphite, which India largely imports but needs for sectors such as defence, electronics and renewable energy. So far, 34 blocks of these minerals have been auctioned acr

Will talk to environment ministry on HtBt cotton issue, says Chouhan

Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan says the agriculture ministry will discuss the illegal cultivation of HtBt cotton with the environment ministry, addressing concerns raised by farmers

World Environment Day 2025: How nature helps heal your mind and body

On World Environment Day, doctors explain how nature helps reduce stress, balance mood, enhance immunity, and support mental and physical well-being

NGT asks environment ministry to frame guidelines for plywood industry

The National Green Tribunal has asked the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) to frame guidelines for plywood industries in the country. The green body was hearing a matter regarding several plywood units causing pollution in a village in Yamuna Nagar district of Haryana. In its order dated May 27, a bench of NGT Chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava said there was an "urgent need for framing of guidelines" regarding the plywood industries as guidelines had been framed by environment ministry or Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) regarding other industries, such as, sand mining, stone crushers, brick kilns and common bio-medical waste treatment plants by laying down measures for preventing or controlling air and water pollution. The bench, also comprising judicial member Justice Arun Kumar Tyagi and expert member A Senthil Vel, said plywood industries had a pollution index of 78.3 and were included in the Orange' category of industries by the ..

Climate change may fuel spread of fungi that could 'eat you from inside out'

Scientists from Manchester University have warned that rising temperatures could fuel the rapid global spread of Aspergillus, a deadly fungus already responsible for millions of deaths each year

How ground-level ozone is making Delhi's air more deadly for residents

Ground-level ozone breached safe limits daily across Delhi-NCR this summer, exposing millions to serious respiratory risks and worsening the city's air quality

Climate anxiety can't force us to compromise basic needs: Bhupender Yadav

India has the right to grow responsibly based on national circumstances and the climate anxiety gripping the world cannot force it to give up its right to ensure food, water and energy for its people, Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav said on Saturday. Addressing the National Conference on Environment, organised by the National Green Tribunal, he said rapid economic growth is the best defense against climate change for developing nations. The minister also said India is committed to mitigating climate change and has met its Paris Agreement commitments on green energy nine years ahead of the 2030 target. "India reserves its right to grow responsibly based on our national circumstances... But the climate anxiety which has gripped the world cannot force India to give up its right to ensure food, water, energy... to its 140 crore people. India is confidently striking a balance between challenges and opportunities," he said. Yadav said that under the Paris Agreement, the world

Rs 858 cr pollution control fund unused due to lack of approval: Parl panel

The budgetary allocation of Rs 858 crore for pollution control in 2024-25 remains unutilized due to lack of approval from the Union Environment Ministry for the continuation of the scheme, a parliamentary panel has said in its report. In the report tabled in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday, the department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Science and Technology, Environment, Forests and Climate Change said air pollution has assumed "gigantic proportions", affecting not just Delhi but many other cities. "In such a scenario, the committee is shocked to note that amount to the tune of Rs 858 crore allocated for 'Control of Pollution', which is 27.44 per cent of the annual revised allocation of the ministry, remains unutilized since the approval for continuation of Control of Pollution Scheme till 2025-26 is awaited," the 31-member panel headed by BJP Rajya Sabha member Bhubaneswar Kalita said. "At a time when the ministry is required to address the grave and critical challenge of

SC to take up GM mustard case challenging Centre's nod from April 15

The court has told all parties to file their written submissions within a week

India's climate future lies in renewable energy, says Bhupender Yadav

Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav said that climate change impacts both developed and developing nations, but the historical burden of emissions lies with the Global North

Decoded: Why beverage giants are pushing against govt's new PET bottle rule

Beverage manufacturers in India cites capacity constraints in recycling plastic waste and cost impact ahead of peak summer demand, as govt sets April 1 deadline for the use of 30 per cent rPET bottles

India committed to protecting, enriching nature, says Bhupender Yadav

Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav on Sunday said India is committed to conserving and enriching nature, as reflected in the steady increase in Ramsar sites -- wetlands of international importance -- across the country. On the occasion of World Wetlands Day, Yadav credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi's focus on wetland conservation for India's record 89 Ramsar sites, the highest in Asia and the third highest in the world. "With a consistent rise in Ramsar sites, India is showing the commitment to both conserve and enrich nature. Towards that end, PM Shri Narendra Modi ji has laid an unprecedented emphasis on preserving wetlands. It is because of this approach that our tally of Ramsar sites has reached 89," Yadav posted on X. Attending an event in Uttar Pradesh's Gonda to mark the World Wetlands Day, Union Minister of State for Environment Kirti Vardhan Singh said the district has more than 100 small and large wetlands and has the potential to be recognised as a wetlands ...

Union minister Bhupender Yadav launches facility for Pashmina certification

The NGS facility is expected to bolster ongoing projects and enable new research avenues, including the study of genetic adaptation to climate change, pathogen-host interactions, and the development

Illegal tree felling in Delhi: NGT issues notice to environment ministry

The National Green Tribunal has issued notice to the Centre regarding the alleged felling of scores of trees in the national capital. The green body was hearing about the alleged illegal felling of thousands of trees at Chajju Ram Bagh in Jindpur by a private builder to construct a warehouse and commercial godown. In an order dated December 9, a bench of NGT Chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava noted that the district magistrate of north Delhi did not file his reply, as per the tribunal's earlier order to produce the relevant khasra entries and revenue record of Chajju Ram Bagh of last 20 years to ascertain the correct position. The bench also comprising judicial member Justice Sudhir Agarwal and expert member A Senthil Vel noted that the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) filed a compliance report enclosing an order where the forest officials concerned had imposed a compounding fee of Rs nine lakh for illegal felling of 15 trees. "It cannot be ascertained under what ...

NGT seeks reply from environment ministry over illegal dumping in Siliguri

The National Green Tribunal has sought replies from the Union environment ministry's offices in West Bengal and Sikkim on the alleged illegal dumping of medical and hazardous waste in a vacant plot in West Bengal's Siliguri. The green body was hearing a matter where it had taken suo motu (on its own) cognisance of a newspaper report regarding the unauthorised dumping in the Farabari area of the town, allegedly from the neighbouring state of Sikkim. "The article highlights that the situation became more complicated when it was revealed that the owner of the vacant plot had made private arrangements with truck drivers for waste disposal without obtaining necessary clearances from the local panchayat or other relevant authorities," a bench of NGT Chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava said in an order dated November 27. The bench also comprising judicial member Justice Arun Kumar Tyagi, and expert member A Senthil Vel, said that the "irresponsible dumping" was inconveniencing the ...