Role and Organisation
The Ministry of Environment and Forests is primarily concerned with the implementation of policies and programmes relating to conservation of the country’s natural resources including lakes and rivers, its biodiversity, forests and wildlife, ensuring the welfare of animals and prevention and abatement of pollution. While implementing these policies and programmes, the Ministry is guided by the principle of sustainable development and enhancement of human well-being. The Ministry also serves as the nodal agency in the country for the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), South Asia Co-operative Environment Programme (SACEP), International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) and for the follow-up of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED). The Ministry is also entrusted with the issues relating to multilateral bodies such as the Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD), Global Environment Facility (GEF) and of regional bodies like Economic and Social Council for Asia and Pacific (ESCAP) and South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation (SAARC) on matters pertaining to environment.
The broad objectives of the Ministry are:
–Conservation and survey of flora, fauna, forests and wildlife,
–Prevention and control of pollution,
–Afforestation and regeneration of degraded areas,
–Protection of the environment, and
–Ensuring the welfare of animals.
These objectives are sought to be fulfilled by the Ministry primarily through:
–environmental impact assessment,
–eco-regeneration,
–assistance to organisations implementing environmental and forestry programmes,
–assistance to organisations including animal welfare programmes,
–promotion of environmental and forestry research, extension, education and training,
–dissemination of environmental information,
–international cooperation, and
–creation of environmental awareness among all sectors of the country’s population.
These objectives are well supported by a set of legislative and regulatory measures, aimed at the preservation, conservation and protection of the environment. Some of them are the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974, the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981, the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, the Public Liability Insurance Act, 1991, the National Environment Tribunal Act, 1995, the National Environment Appellate Authority Act, 1997, The Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 and Forests (Conservation) Act, 1980. The main legislations relating to protection of animals is the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960. Besides the legislative measures, a National Conservation Strategy and Policy Statement on Environment and Development, 1992, National Forest Policy, 1988 and a Policy Statement on Abatement of Pollution, 1992 have also been evolved.
The organizational structure of the Ministry indicating various divisions, subordinate offices and autonomous institutions is given in Annexure-1.
Allocation of Business
–Environment and Ecology, including environment in coastal waters, in mangroves and coral reefs but excluding marine environment on the high seas.
–Environment research and development, education, training, information and awareness.
–Environmental Health
–Environmental Impact Assessment.
–Forest Development Agency and Joint Forest Management Programme for conservation, management and afforestation.
–Survey and Exploration of Natural Resources particularly of Forest, Flora, Fauna, Ecosystems etc.
–Bio-diversity Conservation including that of lakes and wetlands
–Conservation, development, management and abatement of pollution of rivers which shall include National River Conservation Directorate.
–Wildlife conservation, preservation, protection planning, research, education, training and awareness including Project Tiger and Project Elephant.
–International co-operation on issues concerning Environment, Forestry and Wildlife.
–Botanical Survey of India and Botanical Gardens.
–Zoological Survey of India.
–NationalMuseum of Natural History.
–Biosphere Reserve Programme.
–National Forest Policy and Forestry Development in the country, including Social Forestry.
–All matters relating to Forest and Forest Administration in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
–IndianForest Service.
–Wild Life Preservation and protection of wild birds and animals.
–Fundamental and applied research and training including higher education in forestry.
–Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological park.
–National Assistance to Forestry Development Schemes.
–Indian Plywood Industries Research and Training Institute, Bangalore.
–Afforestation and Eco-development which shall include National Afforestation and Eco-Development Board.
–Desert and Desertification.
–Forest Survey of India.
–Indian Institute of Bio-diversity, Itanagar.
–Central Pollution Control Board.
–G.B. Pant Institute of Himalayan Environment & Development.
–Wildlife Institute of India and Indian Board for Wildlife.
–Indian Institute of Forest Management.
–Central Zoo Authority including NationalZooPark.
–Indian Council of Forestry Research & Education.
–Andaman and Nicobar IslandsForest and Plantation Development Corporation Limited.
–Prevention of cruelty to animals.
–Matters relating to pounds and cattle trespass.
–Gaushalas and Gausadans.
–The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960 (59 of 1960).
–The National Environment Tribunal Act, 1995 (27 of 1995).
–The National Environment Appellate Authority Act, 1997 (22 of 1997).
–The Water Prevention and Control of Pollution Act, 1974 (6 of 1974).
–The Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Cess Act, 1977 (36 of 1977).
–The Air (Prevention and Control of Pollutioin) Act, 1981 (14 of 1981).
–The IndianForest Act, 1927 (16 of 1927).
–The Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 (53 of 1972).
–The Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 (69 of 1980).
–The Environment (Protection), Act, 1986 (29 of 1986).
–The Public Liability insurance Act, 1991 ( 6 of 1991).
An overview of the activities undertaken during the year by the Ministry and its Subordinate Offices, Autonomous Institutions and undertakings is as follows:
Survey of Natural Resources
Flora
–Germplasm of 25 species of rare, endangered, wild relatives of ornamentals and medicinally important plants have been conserved, multiplied and maintained in different gardens of Botanical Survey of India. Seventeen rare and threatened plants, 264 medicinal and economically important plants and 362 ornamental plants have been collected, introduced and maintained.
–48 exploration/collection tours were undertaken by various units of Botanical Survey of India (BSI) in different districts, regions including protected areas, fragile ecosystems and wetlands. More than 12,500 specimens were collected including lower groups of plants, namely; algae, fungi, lichens, bryophytes and pteridophytes. 3500 specimens belonging to 1225 species were identified.
–3229 herbarium data sheets were prepared for the family Orchidaceae, seventy for Ranunculaceae and Magnoliaceae and entered into the computer using Botanical Research and Herbarium Management System (BRAHMS).
–Nine species and one variety have been described as new to science. 14 species have been recorded for the first time from India, one species from Sikkim, four species from Madhya Pradesh and eight from Himachal Pradesh. One species from Jammu & Kashmir, four species from Uttaranchal and one species from West Bengal are recorded as new to the state. Two species have been collected after a lapse of 50 years.
–Flora of Vishakapatnam, Indravati Tiger Reserve, Directory of Plants in the Botanical Garden of India, Flora of Jammu and Kashmir and the bulletins of the Botanical Survey of India were published.
Fauna
–Sixty five extensive faunal surveys were undertaken by Zoological Survey of India in different States/Union Territories including important ecosystems and some selected conservation/protected areas.
–Detailed taxonomic studies carried out during the year resulted in the discovery of a total of 5 new species.
–The National Zoological Collection was further enriched by 14401 specimens belonging to 485 species including 5 new species.
–The Fauna of India Volumes for Dermaptera Part II and 1 Hymenoptera; Scoliidea were published.
Forests
–The “State of Forest Report” eighth in the series was published and the resolution of data used is 23.5m X 23.5m and the scale of interpretation is 1:50,000.
–As per the assessment of forest cover 2001, 20.55% is the total forest cover of the country.
–A methodology has been developed for a comprehensive assessment of forest resources inside and outside forest areas at national level by stratifying the country into 14 physiographic zones according to tree species, composition and other physiographic and ecological parameters.
–A field inventory is being conducted by FSI of forest resources inside and outside forests including vegetation survey and estimation of soil carbon in forests.
Conservation of Natural Resources including Forestry and Wildlife
Biosphere Reserves
–Thirteen Biosphere Reserves have been set up in the country to protect representative eco-systems and serve as laboratories for evolving alternative models of development.
–Three Biosphere Reserves from India are now included in the World Network of Biosphere Reserves namely; Sundarbans (West Bengal), Gulf of Mannar (Tamil Nadu) and Nilgiri (Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu).
Wetlands, Mangroves and Coral Reefs
–Management Action Plans have been prepared for twenty two wetlands out of twenty six.
–Two new wetlands have been added to the national list namely; Pt. Calimer from Tamil Nadu and East Kolkata from West Bengal.
–Nineteen sites have already been declared as Ramsar sites of international importance in India. Six sites are in the process of being designated as Ramsar sites.
–A Directory of Wetlands covering 2,107 natural and 65,253 man made wetlands, occupying an area of 4.1 million hectares and information on the status of 183 Wetlands of national/international importance was prepared.
–Twenty four wetlands, 35 mangrove and four coral reef areas in the country have been identified by the Ministry for conservation and management.
–During the year the Research Sub-Committee on Mangroves and Coral Reefs met on 23.2.2004 and considered 17 forests proposals and recommended six.
–Financial assistance was extended for implementation of the Management Action Plan for 11 identified mangrove areas.
–Under the Management Action Plan for conservation and management of coral reefs financial assistance for Gulf of Mannar, Gulf of Kuchchh and Andaman & Nicobar Islands were released during the year.
Bio-Diversity Conservation
–India is one of the 16 mega diverse countries which possess 60-70% of the world’s biodiveristy. India took over the chairmanship of the group of Megadiverse countries in Feb, 2004.
–A draft National Plan for ecological security and livelihood of people most dependent on natural resources was drafted and circulated for comments.
–A National Biodiversity Authority has been set up at Chennai under the Biological Diversity Act, 2002.
–The Cartagena protocol on Biosafety was ratified in Jan 2003 and came into force from Sep 2003. India attended the first meeting of the parties held at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in Feb, 2004.
–The Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) has recently approved commercial release of RCH-2 Bt cotton hybrid developed by M/s Rasi seeds Pvt. Ltd for the Central and South Zone. The GEAC has also recommended large scale trials of a number of Bt cotton hybrids delivered by other companies.
All India Coordinated Project on Taxonomy (AICOPTAX)
–The AICOPTAX Project is to continue during the remaining period of the Tenth Five Year Plan. The Project has 15 operational coordinating and 63 collaborating units on Bacteria and Archeae, Animal Viruses, Fungi, Lichens and Bryophytes, Bamboos and Grasses, Palms, Heminthes and Nematodes, Mollusca, Microlepidoptera, Biosystematic training (Plants), training in Biosystematic – animals, Pteridophytes and Gymnosperms, Diptera, Orchids and Algae.
Assistance to Botanic Gardens
–The Ministry has constituted an Expert Group to examine and recommend proposals received under the scheme on Assistance to Botanic Gardens to augment ex-situ conservation of rare endemic plants. One time financial assistance is provided under the scheme.
–During the year, 22 institutions were provided financial assistance for improvement of infrastructural facilities in their botanical gardens.
Forest Conservation
–342 proposals (forest-land involved more than 49,484 ha.) were granted clearance under the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 for diversion of forest land for other purposes.
–Procedure for forestry clearance and application forms have been simplified by Forest (Conservation) Rules, 2003. To cut delays in forestry clearances, specific time limits have been fixed at State Government level and Central Government level for processing the proposals. Regional Offices have been delegated more power to process the proposals involving forest area up to 40 ha.
–To promote investment in power sector “Wind Energy Policy” under Forest (conservation) Act, 1980 has been put in place.
–In conformity with the National Forest Policy, 1988 and to provide boost to the development of tribal areas, new guidelines for “Development projects in tribal areas” have also been formulated and one time clearance has been granted for public utility development projects like Drinking Water, Electricity etc.
–385 number of forest villages have been converted into revenue villages in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra.
–The period of general approval under section – 2 of Forest (Conservation)Act, 1980 for public utility development projects has been extended upto 15/10/2005.
–A monitoring cell has been created for data base management, updating the web-site for forestry clearances, monitoring the movement of proposals in the State and at the Central Government level and also to monitor the compliance of the stipulated conditions of the approved cases.
–Integrated Forest Protection Scheme has been formulated by the merger of the schemes ‘Forest Fire Control and Management’ and ‘Bridging of Infrastructure Gaps in the Forestry Sector in the North Eastern Region and Sikkim’. The components of the 100% centrally sponsored scheme are infrastructure development which includes – working plan preparation / survey and demarcation and strengthening of Infrastracture for forest protection and forest fire control and management.
–The JointForest Management Programme was pursued vigorously with the result that JFM resolution has now been adopted in all the 28 States. 84,632 JFM Committees have been formed and 17.33 million ha forest area have been brought under JFM Programme. About 85.28 lakhs families are involved in JFM Programme in various states all over the country.
Wildlife Conservation
–During the year, ban on export of 29 species of plant, plant-portions and their derivatives obtained from the wild, was continued. Export of six species of exotic birds was also continued subject to pre-shipment inspection and provision under CITES wherever required.
–The various amendments made to the Wild Life (Protection) Act 2003 came into force from April 1, 2003 except for the provision relating to constitution of the National Board for Wildlife.
–The National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) was constituted vide notification dated September 21, 2003. The first meeting of NBWL was held on October 15, 2003 under the chairmanship of Hon’ble Prime Minister. A standing committee of the NBWC has also been constituted which met on December 24, 2003 and March 18, 2004.
–There are 92 National Parks and 500 wildlife sanctuaries in the country covering an area of 15.67 million heatares. Financial assistance for development of National Parks and Sanctuaries was provided to 269 National Parks and Sanctuaries in 28 States (including North-Eastern States) and UnionTerritories in the country during the year.
–Twenty eight Tiger Reserves have so far been set up in 17 States covering an area of about 37,761 Sq.Km. in the country. Project Tiger has been rated as a role model and one of the 56 events that changed India since independence. Eight potential areas in the country have also been identified for inclusion under Project Tiger.
–Under the India Eco-development Project 572 eco-development committees have been formed in seven protected areas covering 75,600 families.
–For the first time information and communications technology is being used for linking important tiger reserves in the GIS domain for evolving a management support system including crime detection, dissemination of information through web and evolving a “National Tiger Monitoring and habitat Evaluation System” with regional protocols.
–Seven elephant reserves have been set up during the year (till November 2003) which include Dihing – Patkai, Dhansiri – Lungding and Kaziranga – Karbi Anglong in Assam and Nilgiri, Coimbatore, Anamalai and Srivilliputhru in Tamilnadu. Total number of Elephant Reserves in the country stood at 23 as on 1.12.2003.
–A programme has been initiated during 2003-04 for the regular and systematic monitoring of wild elephants under the MIKE (Monitoring of Illegal Killing of Elephants) programme of CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora). Ten sensitive sites have been identified for this purpose in different parts of the country. MIKE also provides a forum for collaboration with other South Asian countries (viz. Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka ) for protection of elephants.
–A technical handbook on post-mortem techniques for elephants has been brought out during 2003-04.
–An amount of Rs. 8.05 crores (Rs.2.23 crores for North-Eastern States) was released (till November 2003) to the elephant range states for the purpose of habitat management, mitigation of man-elephant conflict, payment of ex-gratia relief for loss of life human and crop caused by wild elephants, strengthening of anti-poaching measures, capacity building of the field staff, registration of domesticated elephants using microchips etc.
–An International Workshop on Health Care Management of Wild Animals in Zoos was organized in association with the Wildlife Institute of India from 7th to 9th May, 2003 at New Delhi. International Experts from USA, Singapore, IUCN Veterinary Specialist Group participated in the Workshop. Vice-Chancellors of TamilNaduVeterinaryUniversity and OrissaAgricultureUniversity also participated in the Workshop. A total of 40 participants attended the Workshop.
–Out of the 165 recognized Zoos in the country, 44 major Zoos were due for renewal of recognition. Evaluation teams constituted for evaluation of these Zoos evaluated 36 Zoos during the year.
–An interactive website of the Central Zoo Authority () has been hosted. The complete inventory of animals of all the large, medium and small zoos are in the website. Zoos can now access their respective inventory and enter death, birth and other details directly. A total of 1.31 lakh hits have been registered so far.