Panel formed for better coordination among petrol, environment ministries

This comes at a time when a tug of war is going on between the oil ministry and the MoEF

To speed up hydrocarbon exploration-related clearances, the Narendra Modi government has set up a committee for better coordination among the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MoPNG), the Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF), and the state governments.

The panel has Cabinet Secretary P K Sinha as chairman, and secretaries of home, petroleum and environment will be members.

The newly formed committee will have a representative from the NITI Aayog and chief secretaries of petroleum-producing states like Assam, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Telangana and Tamil Nadu, said a source close to the development.

V P Joy, Director General (DG) of the Directorate General Hydrocarbons