Lok Sabha Question No. 376 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-02-02
Subject: Environment Audit Rules, 2025
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: Adv Gowaal Kagada Padavi

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 376 TO BE ANSWERED ON 02.02.2026

## Environment Audit Rules, 2025

## 376.     ADV GOWAAL KAGADA PADAVI:

Will the Minister of ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has begun implementation of the newly notified Environment Audit Rules, 2025, aimed at increasing transparency and accountability in environmental impact assessments;
- (b) if so, the timeline and mechanism proposed for their rollout across Maharashtra;
- (c) whether any  pilot audits  have  been  conducted  in  industrial  or  mining  zones  such as Chandrapur, Nashik or Nandurbar Districts;
- (d) the manner in which third-party environmental auditors will be empanelled to prevent conflict of interest;
- (e) whether the State  Pollution  Control  Board  have been instructed  to  align  compliance monitoring under the new Rules; and
- (f) the steps taken/proposed to be taken by the Government to strengthen real-time data monitoring of air, water and soil parameters in Maharashtra's eco-sensitive and tribal regions?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE (SHRI KIRTI VARDHAN SINGH)

(a)  to  (f)  The  Ministry  of  Environment,  Forest  and  Climate  Change  has  notified  the Environment Audit Rules,  2025 dated 29 August 2025 with the  objective of strengthening transparency  and  accountability  in  environmental  compliance.  For  the  implementation  and operationalisation of the said Rules, across the country, including Maharashtra, the engagement of the Environment Audit Designated Agency (EADA) has been completed.

As  per  the  aforesaid  rules,  the  roles  and  responsibilities of Environment Audit Designated Agency, inter alia, include certification of Environment Auditors through Recognition of Prior Learning  (RPL)  &  National  Certification  Examination  (NCE),  registration  &  renewal  of Registered  Environment  Auditors  (REAs),  issuance  of  guidelines  relating  to  certification, registration and audit fees.  A Steering Committee has been constituted in accordance with the provisions  of  the  Rules  to  oversee  the  implementation,  monitoring  and  supervision  of  the Environment  Audit  Scheme.  The  Environment  Audit  Rules,  2025  also  contain  explicit provisions to address conflict of interest.

The Ministry has notified Control of Air Pollution (Grant, Refusal or Cancellation of Consent) Amendment Guidelines, 2026 on 23.01.2026, which, inter alia, provide that the State Pollution Control  Boards  (SPCBs)/Pollution  Control  Committees  (PCCs)  may  engage  Registered Environment Auditors in accordance with the Environment Audit Rules, 2025, for the purpose of enabling a State Board to perform any of its functions including the functions conferred on it by or under the said guidelines.

Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has mandated the installation of Online Continuous Effluent/Emission  Monitoring  Systems  (OCEMS)  for  17  categories  of  highly  polluting industries, enabling 24×7 real-time transmission of environmental data to CPCB and concerned SPCBs/PCCs,  with  automated  alerts  for  exceedances  to  facilitate  timely  corrective  and regulatory  action.  Ambient  air  quality  monitoring  in  Maharashtra  is  carried  out  through  a network of manual and continuous stations, which has expanded from 41 Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Stations (CAAQMS) across 11 cities in 2002 to 97 CAAQMS covering 31 cities in 2025, in accordance with population-based criteria prescribed by CPCB, including coverage of eco-sensitive and tribal regions.

In addition, based on the recommendations of the Expert Appraisal Committees (EACs) / State Expert Appraisal Committees (SEACs), the Ministry / State Environment Impact Assessment Authorities (SEIAAs), while granting Environmental Clearances (ECs), stipulate conditions for continuous effluent/emission monitoring for certain projects/activities, the compliance of which is enforced by the concerned SPCBs and PCCs.

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