MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE
(SHRI BABUL SUPRIYO)
(a) & (b): Yes Sir. The Ministry has used the draft Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) Notification, 2020, with an objective, inter alia, to promote environmental cause; removes redundancies; encourages modernization; brings defaulters into environmental regime with requisite action, penalty and remediation; introduces standardization and technology driven process; and consolidates 55 amendments and 229 Office Memoranda/circulars issued from time to time in the past 14 years since the issuance of Environmental Impact Assessment Notification, 2006.
The draft EIA Notification 2020, has been issued for, inter alia, including integration of the amendments, office memoranda, circulars, guidelines issued from time to time; rationalization of categorization of projects; delegation of more projects or activities to the state level authority; fast tracking of environmental clearance for small projects or activities; strengthening of monitoring mechanism; standard operating procedures; explicit provisions; automation of the process; validity of environmental clearance at one-go; flexibility in data collection; provision for dealing with violation cases; provision for dealing with non-compliance of EC conditions; implementation of directions of Hon’ble Courts and Tribunal; rationalization of Public consultation process; integration of learning’s in implementation of EIA, 2006; etc.
(c) & (d): The central online portal ‘PARIVESH’ has integrated the process of application, processing and grant of environmental clearances across the states since August, 2019. With on boards of States on PARIVESH, the status of pendency and output in respect of projects or category of projects with relevant agencies including State Level Environment Impact Assessment Authorities and State Level Expert Appraisal Committees of respective states is available on the PARIVESH dashboard.
(e) to (g): The EIA Notification, 2006 lays down detailed process for application, appraisal and grant of Environmental Clearances(EC). The said notification also specifies time period for processing and grant of ECs. In some of the cases the time period was may be more because of additional studies desired by the expert committees or directions from the courts/Tribunal, etc.
Several steps have been taken for ensuring balance between environment clause and development including the draft EIA Notification, 2020 that encourages modernization and provides mechanism for fast tracking of environmental clearance for small projects or activities on one hand; and strengthens the monitoring mechanism on other by bringing defaulters into regulatory regime with commensurate damages & costs.
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