Lok Sabha Question No. 423 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2016-07-19
Subject: Environmental Clearance
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: GOPALAKRISHNAN CHINNARAJ, RABINDRA KUMAR JENA

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

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 423 TO BE ANSWERED ON 19.07.2016

## Environmental Clearance

## 423. DR. C. GOPALAKRISHNAN: SHRI RABINDRA KUMAR JENA:

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

- (a) whether  the  Government  has  taken  any  initiative  to  improve  environmental  clearance process for infrastructure in the country and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) the number and details of environmental clearance projects taken up by the Government during each of the last three years and the current year; and
- (c) the number and details of projects pending for clearance during the said period?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER  OF  STATE  (INDEPENDENT  CHARGE) FOR ENVIRONMENT,  FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## (SHRI ANIL MADHAV DAVE)

- (a) The  Ministry  of  Environment,  Forest  and  Climate  Change  has  taken  various initiatives  to  make  the  environmental  clearance  process  more  transparent  and expeditious, without compromising the integrity of the environment. The initiatives inter  alia include  use  of  Information  Communication  Technology  for  environment clearance process, amendment of Environment Impact Assessment Notification, 2006 delegating more powers to State Level Environment Impact Assessment Authorities (SEIAAs),  standardization  of  Terms  of  Reference  for  preparation  of  Environment Impact  Assessment  Report  and  Environment  Management  Plan,    laying  down timeline  for  finalisation  of  Terms  of  Reference  in  30  days,  exemption  of  highway projects  in  border  States  from  scoping  requirement  and  linear  projects  in  border States from  the  requirement  of public hearing subject to suitable conditions, exemption  of  construction  of  schools,  colleges,  hostels  for  educational  institutions from the requirement of obtaining prior Environmental Clearance, delegation of the power to grant environmental clearance for mining of minor minerals (including sand mining)  for  5  ha.  of  individual  lease  and  25  ha.  in  cluster,  to  District  Level Environment Impact Assessment Authorities (DEIAAs), etc.
- (b) A total of 2306 projects were received in the Ministry during the last three years and the current year.  The details are enclosed at Annexure-I.
- (c) A total  of  432    projects  are  pending  for  environmental  clearance  as  on  30.6.2016. The details are enclosed at Annexure-II.

*****

ANNEXURE-I  referred in the statement referred to the Reply to Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 423 due for reply on 19.7.2016 regarding Environmental Clearance raised by Dr. C. Gopalakrishnan and  Shri  Rabindra Kumar Jena, Hon'ble Members of Parliament

Project received for Environment Clearance during last three years including current year till 15.07.2016

|                       |   Industry |   Thermal |   River Valley& Hydro- Electric |   Mining (Coal) |   Mining (Non- Coal) |   Infrastructure |   Nuclear, Defence & Others |   Total |
|-----------------------|------------|-----------|---------------------------------|-----------------|----------------------|------------------|-----------------------------|---------|
| 2013                  |        155 |        27 |                              20 |              44 |                  140 |              171 |                          12 |     569 |
| 2014                  |        154 |        14 |                              13 |              44 |                   94 |              310 |                          14 |     643 |
| 2015                  |        260 |        18 |                              14 |              61 |                  216 |              225 |                          07 |     801 |
| 2016 (upto 15.7.2016) |        116 |        09 |                               4 |              09 |                   67 |               82 |                          06 |     293 |
| Total                 |        685 |        68 |                              51 |             158 |                  517 |              788 |                          39 |    2306 |

ANNEXURE-II  referred in the statement referred to the Reply to Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 423 due for reply on 19.7.2016 regarding Environmental Clearance raised by Dr. C. Gopalakrishnan and Shri  Rabindra Kumar Jena, Hon'ble Members of Parliament

Projects Pending for Grant of Environment Clearance as on 30.06.2016

|       |   Industry |   Thermal |   River Valley& Hydro- Electric |   Mining (Coal) |   Mining (Non- Coal) |   Infrastructure |   Nuclear, Defence & Others |   Total |
|-------|------------|-----------|---------------------------------|-----------------|----------------------|------------------|-----------------------------|---------|
| Total |        170 |        09 |                              22 |              25 |                  129 |               63 |                          14 |     432 |