Prakash Javadekar MoS for Environment, Forests and Climate Change
1. Forest cover increased by 3,500 hectares, mangrove cover increased by 100 sq km. To check pollution, 24x7 real-time emission and effluent monitors were installed in 2,400 polluting industries. Each time pollution from these industries goes up, my officers and I get an alert on the phone. 622 closure notices have been issued to polluting industries. Industrial pollution on the Ganga river has been reduced by 35 per cent.
Ease of doing re sponsible business has been improved. Project approval period has been reduced from 600 days to 190 days. These approvals came without compromising on environmental norms. By making them more stringent, they have been made transparent. No hanky panky deals.
Two hundred approvals have been given, which unlocked 10 lakh jobs and were worth `10 lakh crore investment. Guidelines were issued in many areas, including real estate environment and solid waste management.
2. The CAMPA (Compensatory Afforestation Management Planning Authority) Bill was praised by all parties, but could not be passed. Hopefully, it will be passed in the next Parliament session. We would like to ensure better compliance of laws. The Jallikattu notification was done keeping in view the sentiments of people and ensuring safety for animals. Hopefully, it will stand scrutiny when courts take up the case next.
3. Of course the CAMPA Bill will be passed next, which will unlock `42,000 crore for states to be used for afforestation. We will bring down the project clearance rate to 100 days and will bring in PPP for afforestation in degraded forest and for increasing forest cover. We are waiting for a response from Tamil Nadu, after which ecologically sensitive zones area be designated for the Western Ghats.
4. Governance is a complex. Ratings do not do justice.