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Year End Review -2004
The Ministry of Environment & Forests has taken many important policy initiatives in 2004 such as release of draft National Environment Policy, finalization of a set of guidelines covering animal welfare and experimentation, adoption of "good practices", and re-engineering of regulatory procedures including environmental and forestry clearance, Environmental Clearance, Genetic Engineering, and Coastal Zone Regulation.
The Draft National Environment Policy (NEP) 2004 was released on the website of the Ministry of Environment and Forests at http://envfor.nic.in for information and extensive consultation with all concerned Departments of Central Government, State Governments, Experts, Industry Associations, Voluntary Organizations/Community Based organizations and Research Organizations working in the field of environment.
The draft Policy recommends bringing in regulatory reforms, enhancing and conserving environmental resources, setting up of environmental standards, adopting standardized management systems, and promoting environmental certification and indicators.
The Draft NEP is a response to the national commitment to mainstream environmental concerns in all development activities. The NEP 2004 briefly describes the key environmental challenges currently and prospectively facing the country, the objectives of environment policy, normative principles underlying policy action, strategic themes for intervention, broad indications of the legislative and institutional development intended to accomplish the strategic themes, and mechanisms for implementation and review. The NEP is intended to be a guide to environment protection through out the country to reconcile the objectives of environmental protection and development, taking care of the poor, particularly livelihoods of the poor.
Further reforms have been initiated in grant of environmental clearances, which include delegation of more responsibilities to the State Governments for granting environmental clearances in regard to certain categories of the projects and introduction of a system of accreditation for consultants and experts to prepare environmental impact assessment.
Procedures for environmental regulations have been simplified and made transparent by adoption of "good practices" in regulatory procedures such as environmental clearance, forestry clearance, Coastal Zone Regulation, Genetic Engineering Approval Committee and experimentation on animals.
A set of guidelines has been framed, which covers the utilization and care of animals to be used in testing, research and training, taking into account the ethical concerns raised by NGOs and numerous impediments to the conduct of medical research encountered by the scientists.
India has completely phased out, during 2004, production of ozone-depleting Halons, which is a significant milestone for India towards its endeavour in protecting the Ozone Layer, while ensuring that Indian industry does not get adversely affected and consumer interests are protected.
India took over the chairmanship of the group of mega diverse countries, known as Like Minded Megadiverse Countries (LMMC) in 2004. India is one of the 18-mega diverse countries – Brazil, China, India, Zaire, Indonesia, Colombia, Mexico, Ecuador, Kenya, Peru, Venezuela, Costa Rica, Bolivia, Malaysia, Philippines, South Africa, Democratic Republic of Congo and Madagascar - which possess 60-70% of the world’s biodiversity.
A model legislation is being prepared, which will be adopted by States conferring rights in respect of the non-timber forest produce for weaker sections working in the forests; the specific rights to be identified by the concerned States. The legislation will also safeguards the legal rights of tribal communities over mineral and water resources etc.
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