New Delhi, March 10 India has made significant progress in climate protection with a "whole-of-government" approach adopted by the Narendra Modi-led government, Union minister Bhupender Yadav said, asserting that the number of protected areas and wildlife reserves has increased substantially since 2014.
Responding to a debate on the working of his ministry in the Rajya Sabha, the Minister of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change asserted that the Modi government was committed to protecting and conserving the Aravalli ranges.
He also claimed that environmental clearances for industrial projects are now being given within 90 days, against the earlier almost three-year period.
He said that the number of protected areas in the country has increased from 757 in 2014 to 1,134 in 2026. The total protected area has expanded from 1,68,838.37 sq km to 1,87,162.91 sq km, Yadav said.
Highlighting conservation efforts, he said the number of tiger reserves has increased from 47 in 2014 to 58 now, elephant reserves from 26 to 33, and the Asiatic lion population has risen from 523 to 891. "Around 70 per cent of the world's tigers in the wild are in India," he said.
Yadav further said that India has enhanced its tree cover from 92,572 sq km to 1,12,014 sq km and created additional carbon sinks as part of its climate commitments.
The minister also stated that due to the digitization of the environmental clearance process through the PARIVESH portal, the time taken to grant clearances has reduced.
“Before 2014, it used to take around 600 days to get an environmental clearance in this country… If somebody wanted to start an industry, it would take him about three years to get the environmental clearance… Now, we have ensured that an environmental clearance is given within 90 days… This has happened through the government's effort to expand digital empowerment by bringing PARIVESH in 2018,” he said.
Launched on August 8, 2018, PARIVESH (Pro Active and Responsive Facilitation by Interactive and Virtuous Environmental Single-window Hub) is a single window portal for environment clearance, forest clearance, wildlife and coastal regulation zone (CRZ) clearances.
The minister said that PARIVESH 2.0, which was launched two years ago, helped project proponents -- parties carrying out a project -- to track their environment clearance applications.
He noted that the government has also framed rules on construction and demolition waste, electronic waste, fly ash disposal and single-use plastics to tackle pollution.
Amid a raging debate over last year's Supreme Court ruling, in which it accepted the government-recommended 100-metre criterion for classifying the Aravalli hills, Yadav accused the earlier Ashok Gehlot-led Congress government in Rajasthan of encouraging illegal mining in the hills.
He said, "The Supreme Court took cognisance because of rampant illegal mining in Aravalli during Ashok Gehlot's regime. In 2012, when Gehlot's government in Rajasthan was resorting to illegal mining in Rajasthan, I had raised this issue at the time.”
The minister asserted that the Modi government has in no way encouraged illegal mining in the Aravalli hills, and it was banned in several places, including Delhi, Faridabad and Gurugram.
He assured that the government was positive on the issue of setting up a High Powered Committee as directed by the apex court.
The Supreme Court in February asked the environment ministry and other stakeholders to suggest names of domain experts for the panel which would define the Aravalli hills and ranges, and observed that only lawful mining would be allowed in the region.
Participating in the debate, Congress member Neeraj Dangi raised concerns over deforestation, air pollution and the impact of infrastructure projects on ecosystems and tribal communities.
"I want to express the pain of people who are suffering from air pollution. Jungles are being cut, and the future is being threatened by climate change," he said.
The Opposition staged a walkout after Congress leader Jairam Ramesh accused Yadav of using objectionable words and sought an apology from him. Several Congress and other opposition party members stood up in Ramesh's support.
