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No Green Consciousness

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February 23, 2017

What is the issue?

  • The environment does not find any mention in Finance Minister Arun Jaitley’s Budget speech.
  • While the allocation for the Ministry has actually increased in this year’s Budget key schemes have seen their allocations reduced.

What are the affected programmes?

  • Project Tiger outlay has fallen from Rs.365 crore in the revised estimates to Rs.345 crore for 2017-18.
  • Coastal zone management and clean energy funds have been increased, but funds for prevention of water pollution and climate adaptation are meagre.
  • The Climate Change Action Plan, incidentally, has received a princely sum of around Rs.40 crore.

What is the contradiction?

  • The silence of both the Budget and the Economic Survey 2016-17 is at odds with India’s commitments in the Paris agreement.
  • A reduction in the emissions intensity of the GDP cannot be achieved through a renewables drive alone.
  • It is estimated that just one of the targets of adding additional carbon sinks of 2.5 to 3 billion tonnes of CO2-equivalent — would need investments of Rs.1lakh crore annually for afforestation.
  • There is no reflection of this commitment in the Budget.
  • Despite the country being lambasted on all fronts for rising air pollution, the Government has failed to conduct comprehensive impact studies.
  • Two-year-old guidelines on air pollution control are yet to be implemented and no additional allocations have been made for the same.
  • The more worrying fact is the relaxation of environmental laws & regulations, the under-utilisation of funds despite needs and the lack of transparent approval process. Therefore they have to be adequately addressed.
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