Lok Sabha Question No. 3730 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2015-12-22
Subject: Bio-diversity Management Committee
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: (ADV.) JOICE GEORGE

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 3730

TO BE ANSWERED ON 22.12.2015

## Bio-diversity Management Committee

3730. ADV. JOICE GEORGE:

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

- (a) whether the Government proposes to entrust the Bio-diversity Management Committee (BMC) constituted under Bio-diversity Act for the overall matters relating to environment at the Panchayat level;
- (b) if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether all Gram Panchayats in the country have constituted BMCs;
- (d) if so, the details thereof, State-wise; and
- (e) whether the Government is planning to allot surplus funds for the BMCs to protect the environment and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

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

## (SHRI PRAKASH JAVADEKAR)

(a)  :      No,  Sir.      As  per  the  Biological  Diversity  (B.D.)  Act,  every  local  body  is  required  to constitute a Biodiversity Management Committee (BMC) and the main function of BMCs is to prepare  People's  Biodiversity  Register  (PBR)  in  consultation  with  local  people.  The  Register contains comprehensive information on availability and knowledge of local biological resources, their  medicinal  or  any  other  use  and  traditional  knowledge  associated  with  them.  The  other function of BMC are to advise on any matter referred to it by the State Biodiversity Board or National Biodiversity Authority for granting approval, to maintain data about the local vaids and practitioners using the biological resources. The BMCs are also empowered to levy charges by way of collection fees from any person for accessing or collecting any biological resource for commercial purposes for areas falling within its territorial jurisdiction.

- (b) Does not arise, in view of (a) above.

(c)  &  (d)  No,  Sir.  Currently,  there  are  37,769  Biodiversity  Management  Committees  (BMCs) operational in 29 States.  State-wise details of BMCs constituted as of 31.03.2015 are provided in Annexure-I .

- (e) No, Sir.

******

Annexure-I

| S. no   | SBBs              | BMCs as of 31/03/2015   |
|---------|-------------------|-------------------------|
| 1       | Arunachal Pradesh | 43                      |
| 2       | Assam             | 171                     |
| 3       | Andhra Pradesh    | 928                     |
| 4       | Bihar             | -                       |
| 5       | Chhattisgarh      | 27                      |
| 6       | Goa               | 54                      |
| 7       | Gujarat           | 3405                    |
| 8       | Himachal Pradesh  | 155                     |
| 9       | Haryana           | -                       |
| 10      | Jharkhand         | 66                      |
| 11      | J&K               | -                       |
| 12      | Kerala            | 1043                    |
| 13      | Karnataka         | 4636                    |
| 14      | Manipur           | 52                      |
| 15      | Meghalaya         | 94                      |
| 16      | Mizoram           | 221                     |
| 17      | Maharashtra       | 890                     |
| 18      | Madhya Pradesh    | 23,743                  |
| 19      | Nagaland          | 10                      |
| 20      | Odisha            | 230                     |
| 21      | Punjab            | 55                      |
| 22      | Rajasthan         | 31                      |
| 23      | Sikkim            | 13                      |
| 24      | Telangana         | 710                     |
| 25      | Tripura           | 217                     |
| 26      | Tamil Nadu        | 16                      |
| 27      | Uttar Pradesh     | 32                      |
| 28      | Uttarakhand       | 751                     |
| 29      | West Bengal       | 176                     |
| Total   | Total             | 37769                   |