Page 3 - Environment Ministry

Captive elephant transfer rules 2024 leave gaps for misuse: Jairam Ramesh

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Tuesday wrote to Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav, expressing concern that the Captive Elephant (Transport or Transfer) Rules 2024 notified in March do not effectively prevent the wild capture and commercial trade of elephants. In his letter, Ramesh said the Wildlife Protection (Amendment) Bill, 2022, allowed the non-commercial transfer of elephants for "any other purpose" but failed to clarify what this phrase means, leaving room for misuse. "This is no way to treat India's national heritage animal, declared thus in 2010," Ramesh wrote on X and urged Yadav to reconsider the Rules in light of these concerns and those raised by various animal welfare organisations. Ramesh reminded Yadav that during his speech on the Wildlife Protection (Amendment) Bill, 2022, he had objected to the non-commercial transfer of elephants "for any other purpose". He said this was contrary to the recommendation of the Standing Committee that examined the Bill in

Modi 3.0 Cabinet: Bhupender Yadav returns as environment minister

Bhupender Yadav, who defended India's dependence on coal at international climate talks, retained his portfolio as environment minister in the third Narendra Modi government. Kirtivardhan Singh, the BJP MP from Gonda and a first-time minister in the Modi government, has been appointed as Union minister of state for environment. A key organisational member of the BJP, Yadav took over as environment minister from Prakash Javadekar in the second Modi government in July 2021. He also served as the Union labour and employment minister in the previous government. This portfolio has now been allotted to Mansukh Mandaviya. Under Yadav's leadership, India's climate actions were rated the fourth strongest in an annual performance index released by Germanwatch in 2023, up one place from the previous year. His achievements also include the reintroduction of cheetahs in India, a ban on identified single-use plastic items, and an increase in Ramsar sites -- wetlands of international importance

India lost 38,100 hectares of tree cover to forest fires in over 2 decades

Globally, 2023 stands out as the year with the highest tree cover lost due to fires

Bandhwari landfill fire: NGT issues notice to environment ministry, others

The National Green Tribunal has sought a response from authorities, including the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), regarding the blaze in the Bandhwari landfill site in Gurugram last week. A fire broke out at the site along the Gurugram-Faridabad Road, days after a massive blaze erupted at the Ghazipur waste site in east Delhi. Waste collected by the civic bodies in Gurugram and Faridabad is dumped at the site. The NGT was hearing the matter where it had taken suo motu (on its own) cognisance of a newspaper report regarding the fire. A bench of NGT Chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava noted that the report claimed the combustion of methane gas could have caused the blaze and that there was an alleged lack of precautionary measures. "The news item raises substantial issues relating to the compliance of environmental norms particularly with respect to prevention of fire and landfill gas management," said the bench comprising expert member A Senth

After saying no, EC allows environment ministry to issue green clearances

The environment ministry had sought permission to environmental clearances while the Model Code of Conduct is in place

Firms in a tough global environment

Strategy thinkers have to redesign firms

India lags behind in geospatial patents but is scrambling to catch up

Geospatial technology data helps in urban planning, transportation, environment management, agriculture, public health and natural resource management

India's leopard population holds steady amid threats of habitat loss

Despite facing increasing threats due to habitat loss, human-wildlife conflict, and poaching, the leopards population has remained steady, with an estimated 13,874 individuals across the country

Govt permits planting of trees on degraded land parcels for credits

India is yet to have a domestic carbon/green credit marketplace with the regulations for it under consideration. There are however independent agencies running such platforms

Water Act 2024: HP, Rajasthan and UTs first to decriminalise small offences

Experts have raised concern over central government overreach and the weakening of state autonomy, as well as the potential for leniency towards large units

Climate Change: Parliament panel unhappy over delay in submission of ATNs

A parliamentary committee has expressed displeasure over the "unprecedented" delay by the environment ministry in submitting action taken notes on the recommendations made in a report in 2018. In a report presented in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday, the 30-member Committee on Estimates chaired by BJP MP Sanjay Jaiswal said that ministries and departments concerned are required to furnish action take notes (ATNs) on the panel's recommendations within six months of the presentation of its report to Parliament. The committee presented its 30th report (16th Lok Sabha) on Performance of the National Action Plan on Climate Change to Parliament on December 13, 2018. While the ministry was expected to provide the ATNs by June 12, 2019, "the first set of requisite ATNs were received after a long delay" on September 13, 2021, the committee said. Subsequent sets of ATNs were received on October 28, 2021; and July 18 and August 24 last year, the committee said. "The committee takes serious note of

NGT seeks response from Centre, Delhi govt on 2023 Yamuna floods

Delhi battled one of its worst flood-like situations in several pockets last year because of heavy rain, with more than 25,000 people being evacuated from the inundated areas

Three cubs born to Namibian cheetah at Kuno National Park: Environment min

A Namibian cheetah has given birth to three cubs at the Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh, weeks after three cubs were born to another feline. Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav shared the news on X, saying, "Kuno's new cubs! Namibian Cheetah named Jwala has given birth to three cubs. This comes just weeks after Namibian Cheetah Aasha gave birth to her cubs." He further said in the post, "Congratulations to all wildlife frontline warriors and wildlife lovers across the country. May Bharat's wildlife thrive." On January 3, Kuno National Park officials reported that Namibian cheetah Aasha had given birth to three cubs. Before this, a cheetah named Siyaya had given birth to four cubs last March. However, only one of them survived. Jwala, Aasha and Siyaya are among the cheetahs translocated to India from Namibia under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Project Cheetah', aimed at re-introducing the only large carnivore species that went extinct in independent India. The first

12 Gw pumped storage hydropower projects get govt's green signal

Pumped storage hydropower is a type of hydroelectric energy storage that uses water stored in two reservoirs at different elevations to generate electricity

Reserve forest: Govt allows delay in notification of compensatory land

Environmentalists say the move could vitiate the intent of Forest (Conservation) Rules, which require state governments to certify that compensatory afforestation land is available

SC starts hearing pleas challenging commercial release of GM mustard

The bench of Justices BV Nagarathna and Sanjay Karol asked the petitioners how much time they would take to argue the matter

SC stays MoEF's office memorandum on ex post facto environmental clearance

The Supreme Court has imposed a stay on an office memorandum issued by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change allowing ex post facto environmental clearance which permits projects to carry out operations without getting environmental clearances. A bench of Justices B R Gavai and Sandeep Mehta issued a notice to the Ministry of the Environment and Forests (MoEF) on the plea filed by NGO Vanashakti. "Issue notice returnable in four weeks. Until further orders there shall be stay of the office memorandum dated January 20, 2022," the bench said. Senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, appearing for Vanashakti, submitted that environmental impact assessment mandates prior approval before the commencement of any activity and allowing ex post facto environmental clearance was anathema to the Environment Protection Act. He argued that the Environment Impact Assessment notification of 2006 stipulates prior environment clearance for all projects and the problem arose with an

States fined Rs 79 cr over non-compliance of solid waste mgmt rules: Govt

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has imposed fines totalling Rs 79,098 crore on states and Union territories for non-compliance with municipal solid waste management rules and other environmental violations in 2022-23, the government informed Parliament on Thursday. According to the data provided by Union Minister of State for Environment Ashwini Kumar Choubey in a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha, Tamil Nadu faces the highest fine of Rs 15,419 crore, followed by Maharashtra (Rs 12,000 crore) and Madhya Pradesh (Rs 9,688 crore). The NGT directed Uttar Pradesh to pay Rs 5,000 crore, Bihar Rs 4,000 crore, Telangana Rs 3,800 crore, West Bengal Rs 3,500 crore, Karnataka Rs 3,400 crore and Delhi Rs 3,132 crore for not complying with the Municipal Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016 and other environmental violations. The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) monitors the water quality of aquatic resources at 4,703 locations in 28 states and eight Union territories under th

India to rely on coal power until it becomes developed country: Yadav

India is committed to meeting the energy needs of its people and will continue to rely on coal power until it achieves developed country status, Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadava said on Tuesday. Responding to a question at a press conference here, the minister also said India resisted pressure from developed countries to end the use of fossil fuels at the UN climate conference in the United Arab Emirates. He said India is committed to meeting the energy needs of its people and this cannot be done by just "importing oil and gas". "While we are increasing our renewable capacity, we will also have to rely on coal power until we achieve the objective of a developed India," he said. India relies on coal for about 70 per cent of its power generation and aims to add 17 gigawatts of coal-based power generation capacity in the next 16 months. Yadav said India "strongly resisted" the rich nations' call for limitations on new and unabated coal power generation. "We said you cannot

India at COP: Advocates equity, seeks stronger role from developed nations

New Delhi reduced its GDP emission intensity by 33% between 2005 and 2019, achieving the target 11 years in advance, says Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav