Ministry speeds up green approvals as environmentalists call foul

India’s Environment Ministry has almost halved the time it takes to clear projects, cheering companies hit by the pandemic and worrying green activists concerned the increased pace may come at a cost.

It took an average of 84 days to clear a project in 2021, compared with 162 days the year before, according to data shared by the ministry. That’s a result of cutting down needless processes and setting timelines for assessment panels, according to Rameshwar Prasad Gupta, the top bureaucrat in the ministry who took charge last year.

The increased pace comes several years after the ministry was accused of deliberately