Environment Minister

Centre spent Rs 3,623 cr for crop residue management: Environment Minister

After Punjab, Haryana received Rs 1,081.71 crore, Uttar Pradesh was allocated Rs 763.67 crore, the NCT of Delhi Rs 6.05 crore, and ICAR Rs 83.35 crore from the total Rs 3,623.45 crore

India should not be seen as 3rd or 4th-largest GHG emitter: Bhupender Yadav

Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav on Wednesday said India should not be viewed as the world's third or fourth-largest emitter of greenhouse gases and its low per capita emission should be considered instead. Addressing a session at the Global Renewable Energy Investors Meet and Expo in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, he said India is home to 17 per cent of the world's population, but its share of global carbon emissions is less than 5 per cent. In contrast, the per capita emissions of the combined 17 per cent population in developed countries account for 60 per cent of global emissions, he added. "India should not be viewed as the world's third or fourth-largest emitter of greenhouse gases. While we might rank 'fourth or fifth' in terms of (cumulative) carbon emissions, our per capita emissions are significantly lower than those of developed countries," he said. When it comes to the use of fossil fuels, developing countries, including India, maintain that they still have significant

Developing countries need over $5 trn for climate goals: Bhupender Yadav

Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav on Tuesday said developing countries need more than USD five trillion to meet their climate goals by 2030, and the USD 100 billion promised earlier by developed nations is "too small" an amount. Addressing the 19th Sustainability Summit organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Yadav said that developed countries, which are historically responsible for most greenhouse gas emissions and appropriating a large share of the global carbon budget, had pledged USD 100 billion and technology transfer to help developing nations combat climate change. "But they failed on both fronts... Now, developing countries need more than USD five trillion. USD 100 billion is too small an amount," he said. He added that if poorer nations, such as Ethiopia, were to adopt the consumption patterns of developed countries, humanity would need the resources of seven Earths to meet the global demands. Yadav also said the consumption patterns in India ali

Hasn't been an easy road: Bhupender Yadav on 2 years of Project Cheetah

Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav on Tuesday said the two years of Project Cheetah have been challenging, with several hurdles, from habitat adjustments to ensuring the cubs' survival in the wild, successfully overcome. Yadav said the project, envisioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is a globally pioneering effort, symbolising hope for successfully restoring lost wildlife populations and ecosystems. "It hasn't been an easy road. Numerous challenges, from habitat adjustments to ensuring the cubs' survival in the wild, were overcome," he posted on X. "Today, as the world watches these cheetah cubs thrive in their natural habitat, we celebrate not just their survival but the resilience and dedication of all involved in these humongous efforts," he said. This is just the beginning of restoring balance to our ecosystems. Many more milestones lie ahead, the minister added. As part of the first-ever intercontinental translocation of the big cats, 20 cheetahs have been brough

India aiming for developed economy and ecology: Environment minister Yadav

Yadav also announced an extension of the deadline for idea submissions in the Ideas4LiFE initiative from September 15 to October 15

Bhupender Yadav responds to Jairam's concerns over Great Nicobar project

Yadav noted that despite the diversion of forest land for the project, 82 per cent of the Great Nicobar area remains under protected forests

Delhi govt starts preparations to control air pollution during winters

On August 21, 'Save Environment' Round Table Conference will be organized with environmental experts at the Delhi Secretariat, Delhi environment minister Gopal Rai stated

Delhi's action plan to check air pollution to launch from Jun 15: Gopal Rai

Delhi's summer action plan to control air pollution in the national capital will come into effect from June 15, Environment Minister Gopal Rai said on Thursday. The city government has come up with a summer action plan, which will mainly focus on tree plantation, Rai said at a press conference. "We held a meeting on Thursday in which 30 departments participated. The focus of the summer action plan will be on tree plantation. From June 15 to September 15, the government will work by focusing on 12 key points of the summer action plan," he said. The greening agencies have been directed to prepare their action plans, he added. Delhi's Air Quality Index (AQI) fluctuated between 'moderate' and 'poor' during May 24 to June 12, Rai said and added that dust particles play an important role in summer pollution. All the agencies will jointly run an anti-dust campaign from June 15 to June 30. For this, 580 patrolling teams will go on inspections and monitor if dust control measures at ...

Man-animal conflict: Bhupender Yadav calls for sympathetic, tech approach

Wayanad has witnessed several incidents of wild elephant attacks, including the recent death of a forest department watcher

NCAP funds remain largely unused in Delhi-NCR cities, govt data shows

Cities in Delhi-NCR and covered under the National Clean Air Programme have utilised less than 40 per cent of the funds allocated to curb air pollution levels, the Centre informed Parliament on Thursday. According to data presented by Union Minister of State for Environment Ashwini Kumar Choubey, the central government released Rs 428.61 crore to Delhi, Noida, Alwar, Meerut, Faridabad and Ghaziabad between 2019-20 and 2023-24. Of this, only Rs 170.58 crore (around 40 per cent) has been utilised. Delhi received Rs 38.22 crore but utilised only Rs 10.77 crore. Similarly, Noida utilised only Rs 0.95 crore of the Rs 26.42 crore allocated to it under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP). Alwar utilised a meagre Rs 0.04 crore from its allocation of Rs 15 crore. Meerut and Ghaziabad, receiving funds under the 15th Finance Air Quality Performance Grant, utilised Rs 81.93 crore and Rs 76.89 crore from their allocations of Rs 139.19 crore and Rs 136.25 crore, respectively. The NCAP, laun

India to rely on coal power until it becomes developed country: Yadav

India is committed to meeting the energy needs of its people and will continue to rely on coal power until it achieves developed country status, Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadava said on Tuesday. Responding to a question at a press conference here, the minister also said India resisted pressure from developed countries to end the use of fossil fuels at the UN climate conference in the United Arab Emirates. He said India is committed to meeting the energy needs of its people and this cannot be done by just "importing oil and gas". "While we are increasing our renewable capacity, we will also have to rely on coal power until we achieve the objective of a developed India," he said. India relies on coal for about 70 per cent of its power generation and aims to add 17 gigawatts of coal-based power generation capacity in the next 16 months. Yadav said India "strongly resisted" the rich nations' call for limitations on new and unabated coal power generation. "We said you cannot

India opted holistic approach to environment conservation: Bhupendra Yadav

Yadav said, "The mangrove ecosystem in India offers a unique example of existing in harmony with nature. The Sunderbans, lying along eastern India, offers the largest contiguous mangrove forest in the

Strict action against construction cos violating anti-dust norms: Gopal Rai

Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai on Monday directed officials to take strict action against construction agencies found violating anti-dust norms at Sarai Kale Khan here. As part of the Delhi government's anti-dust campaign, Rai inspected several construction sites in the area and found they did not have a working anti-smog gun, water sprinklers and tin sheds to prevent dust pollution. The minister directed the Delhi Pollution Control Committee to issue notice to the project proponents concerned. He said a penalty will be imposed on the violators if they fail to submit a satisfactory reply within 24 hours. Rai Saturday launched a month-long drive to prevent dust pollution in the capital and said strict action will be taken against anyone found violating relevant norms. The Centre's air quality panel on Friday directed authorities in the National Capital Region to enforce a ban on coal usage in hotels and restaurants, and to take punitive measures against polluting industries an

No plan for cheetah relocation, want it to be success: Bhupender Yadav

Union Minister Bhupender Yadav on Saturday said there was no plan to relocate cheetahs from Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh's Sheopur, his statement coming amid the death of nine felines since March this year. The Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change said the government accepted the sensitivity of the ambitious project and wants it to be a complete success. "There is no plan going on for this (relocation)...Naturally the infection caused by insects due to monsoon has also come to our notice. We have lost two cheetahs due to the infection. We have also shared information with experts from South Africa, Namibia and we are moving forward on its management, Yadav told reporters. Asserting that all forest officials and veterinarians were working very hard at KNP, Yadav said this was the first year since the cheetahs were translocated (from Namibia and South Africa in September last year and February this year respectively) and added that continuous work was goin

Cheetahs to remain in Kuno, won't be relocated, says Bhupender Yadav

Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav on Saturday said the cheetahs will continue to remain in the Kuno national park in Madhya Pradesh and asserted that the project will be successful. We are in touch with experts, including international experts. Our team will visit there. The cheetahs will not be relocated and will remain in Kuno only, the minister said. Yadav's comments came amid concern expressed by some experts on the cheetah project and that some recent deaths could possibly be due to infection caused by radio collars though that is highly unusual and collars have been used in wildlife conservation in India for over two decades. Other experts, however, said only the post-mortem report will determine the exact cause. Rajesh Gopal, the head of the cheetah monitoring committee set up by the NTCA, said the reason for the cheetahs' death could be septicemia from radio collar. It is highly unusual. I have also seen it for the first time. It's .

Officials to use anti-smog guns amid spike in AQI: Environment Minister

Owing to the deteriorating air quality in the national capital, Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai Thursday directed officials to run anti-smog guns throughout the day and sprinkle water at construction and demolition (C&D) sites. The recent bump in the air quality index (AQI) of the national capital was due to strong dust-laden westerly winds from the Thar desert and Pakistan, Rai said at a review meeting with officials of his department and the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) at the Delhi Secretariat. "The Kejriwal government has always taken tough steps to curb increasing pollution in Delhi," an official statement quoted Rai as saying. The minister added, "On May 16 and 17, a significant portion of Delhi and NCR was engulfed by dust, causing reduced visibility." The contribution of dust pollution to PM10 levels rose from 11 per cent during May 1-15 to 65.77 per cent from May 16-17, Rai added. On Tuesday, the DPCC data showed PM10 levels soaring to 3,826 micrograms ..

Social harmony achieved by embracing all with open heart: Bhupender Yadav

Social harmony is not achieved through speeches but by embracing everyone with an open heart, Union minister Bhupender Yadav said on Tuesday. His remarks came during the launch of the book "Our Life, Our Memories", a collection of stories of four personalities associated with the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and marginalised sections of society. The book captures the challenging circumstances of Asha Lakda, late Aniket, Kaliram, and Dhanraj, and their relentless struggle to move forward. It highlights how they inspired the people around them despite their ordinary circumstances. Sunil Ambekar, all-India prachar pramukh of the RSS, said, "The ideology of the ABVP or the Sangh broadens people's thinking. It fills individuals with love for the country rather than hatred. It does not confine them to their own organisation, but provides them with an opportunity to serve the nation and excel in their personal lives." Harsh Chauhan, chairman, National Commission for Schedule

Need efforts from central, state to improve air quality: Bhupender Yadav

The Centre provided Rs 8,915 crore in the last four years to improve air quality in the 131 cities covered under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav has said. Addressing a meeting of the National Apex Committee under NCAP on Wednesday, Yadav emphasised the need for coordinated action by central and state governments, Union territory administrations, urban local bodies and state pollution control boards to improve air quality. Yadav appreciated the performance of 95 cities which have improved air quality and 20 cities which met the national ambient air quality standards in the financial year 2021-22 under the programme, a statement said. He spoke on the significance of the airshed approach adopted in the Indo-Gangetic plains and stressed the need for regional cooperation to address the issue of air pollution. NCAP is a national-level strategy for a 20 per cent to 30 per cent reduction in PM2.5 and PM10 concentration by 2024, with 2017

Under G20 presidency, 'green growth' priority for India: Bhupender Yadav

India has already submitted its Long-Term Low Emission Development Strategy document at COP 27

Over 5,000 PIBOs registered for EPR in one year: Environment Ministry

India saw over 5,000 producers, importers and brand owners (PIBOs) registering for extended producer responsibility (EPR) in the last one year, the Union Environment Ministry said on Friday. Extended producer responsibility is a mechanism where companies have to ensure that their products are collected and recycled at the end of their useful life, rather than being disposed of in a landfill or incinerated. The ministry also said 2.26 million tonnes of plastic packaging has been covered under EPR for the year 2022-23. India generated a total of around 3.4 million tonnes of plastic waste in 2019-20. "From around 310 registered producers, importers and brand owners (PIBOs) before the notification of the EPR guidelines on February 16, 2022, the number of PIBOs registered on the centralised EPR portal on plastic packaging has gone up to around 5,400," the ministry said in a statement.