Abstract:

From Arthashastra by Kautilya to Bombay Nuisance Act in British regime to recent National Environment Policy,India is way ahead in terms of formulation of policies. Even strong constitutional and legislative frameworks exist. Mandatory Environment Impact Assessment and submission of annual Environmental Statement is also a strong indicator of environmental regulation. Despite having this strong framework, bureaucratic corruption has made it very easy to get government clearances for projects that deteriorate environment. A number of social, economic and institutional factors have made the realisation of existing policies difficult. Although the policy to combine the elements of economic efficiency, intergenerational equity, social concerns and environmental protection has been regularly updated, more emphasis has been given to the promotion of policies and programmes for economic growth through intensive resource and energy use, as is evident in natural resource depletion. Decentralisation of environmental policy is crucial.  Project-specific legislations, at sub-national levels, is needed to enhance participation equity as well as development. While International treaties are moving progressively to enable public participation, our domestic laws are being diluted to limit and restrict public participation. Evolving new models for environmental legislation based on the notion of law as a programme of social action, entailing people’s participation and cooperation, is necessary.  India is signatory to various international conventions having a direct bearing on environmental protection and conservation, so it is necessary to incorporate new and innovative policy measures in agreement with international standards without compromising the needs at local level.

Keywords: Environmental Policy; Glocal-level Implementation; India

-Presented at National Research Conference on Climate Change, IIT-Delhi, March 5-6,2010

For full length presentation,Environmental Policy of India by Prajwal Baral and Pratap Vardhan