The reduction of regulations to a mere formality has been catalysed by relaxing the norms for environmental impact assessments – begun by Veerappa Moily and continued by Prakash Javadekar. Environment minister Prakash Javadekar addressing a seminar in Bhopal on June 26. Credit: PTI Environment minister Prakash Javadekar is facing serious criticism by environmentalists for turning his ministry into a rubber-stamp authority and diluting critical environmental laws to facilitate quick industrial development. The reduction of regulations to a mere formality have been especially catalysed by relaxing the norms for environmental impact assessments (EIA). This was begun by Veerappa Moily, minister under the UPA government, and is being continued persistently by the present minister. The EIA is critical in ensuring sustainable development, ideas about which go back to the United Nations Declaration on the Human Environment at the Stockholm Conference in 1972 – even if the formal coin
Debadityo Sinha is an award-winning Indian ecologist and conservationist with a keen interest in studying the impact of law, policy, politics, and culture on conservation. He is the founder and Managing Trustee of 'Vindhyan Ecology & Natural History Foundation', and a member of IUCN Species Survival Commission- Bear Specialist Group. He is associated with Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy as a Senior Resident Fellow and leading the 'Climate & Ecosystems' team.