Question : Amendments in EIA

(a) the details of the proposed amendments in the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and the objectives of the amendments;
(b) whether the Government has taken note of the concerns over the environmental protection by amending EIA; if so, the details thereof;
(c) whether the Government has assessed/studied the conflict between environmental sensitivities and the well-being of the industrial sector; and
(d) if so, the details thereof along with the industrial tragedies reported in India since 1972 along with the casualties/losses incurred?

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE
(SHRI BABUL SUPRIYO)

(a) and (b): The objectives of the amendments in the draft EIA Notification, 2020, include 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 amendments, inter alia, includes 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; introduction of 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.
The draft EIA Notification, 2020 has been prepared after obtaining the views of different stakeholders. While drafting the EIA notification the concerns relating to environment protection have been duly taken care of.

(c) and (d): The draft EIA, 2020 strike a balance between development & environment cause and encourages modernization on one hand; and strengthens the monitoring mechanism on other by bringing defaulters into regulatory regime with commensurate damages & costs.

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