ISSUES BASED DATABASE (SEPTEMBER)

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1 This section represents the highlights of important information about government initiatives on the environment, ranging from formulation of new policies to the enhancement of existing environment protection mechanisms. Also highlights the general information provided in Lok Sabha & Rajya Sabha on the various environmental issues. ISSUES BASED DATABASE (SEPTEMBER) Ministry of Tribal Affairs Title: Single Window System for Obtaining Market Information on Minor Forest Produces Through Toll Free Number Date: 2 nd September, 2014 Union Minister for Tribal Affairs, Shri Jual Oram, today here inaugurates a Single Window System for obtaining information on Minor Forest Produces (MFPS) through Toll Free Call Service number , where market rates information can be provided over phone to tribals and others on asking. TRIFED initiated a dialogue with Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) which is already running Kisan Call Centres (KCC) for disseminating market information about agricultural products. Establishing Toll Free Call Centre s would have entailed major capital and recurring manpower expenses. So it was decided that instead of establishing a parallel infrastructure for similar service, TRIFED should leverage the existing infrastructure of Kisan Call Centres (KCC). TRIFED entered into negotiations with Ministry of Agriculture who very kindly agreed to provide the necessary linkage of MFP net with KCC. This is another commendable initiative of convergence between two Ministries which will create synergy and optimum utilisation of Govt. resources. KCCs are available at Mumbai, Kanpur, Kochi, Bangaluru, Chennai, Jammu, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Chandigarh, Jaipur, Indore, Kolkata, Patna, Coimbatore, Kolkatta (North East States), Pune, Delhi, Ahmedabad, Jabalpur & Bhubaneshwar. With the operationalisation of this service, tribals can call from anywhere and enquire about: MSP of different items, State Implementing Agencies for MSP for MFP, Market price of MFPs in different Markets Since most of the tribal communities are also engaged in farming apart from MFP collection, they can also enquire about market related information about agricultural commodities. When someone calls Toll Free number , the Farm Tele Adviser (FTA) from the other end enquires about the caller s Name, Father s name, Address, Phone Number, Land holding etc. Once the FTA records this

2 information, Caller may ask his/her question in Hindi or Local language. FTA accesses Farmer s Portal linked with TRIFED s MFP net website to make the information available to the Caller instantly. In order to keep information on TRIFED s website updated, its 13 Regional offices located across India collects and feed information about market prices for different MFPs. All the stakeholders of this service are benefitted with this convergence between two Ministries. The other benefits to tribals include: Tribals get market information about MFPs and Minimum Support Price (MSP) free of cost. Tribals also get information about Agro commodities. TRIFED is able to create a network for collection and dissemination of information without any extra cost. TRIFED has saved its precious and scarce resources which would have otherwise gone into creating a parallel system. Inclusion of MFPs has expanded the ambit of Farmer s Portal Convergence between two Ministries created synergy and optimum utilisation of existing infrastructure which will prove to be a trend setter for others. A database of tribals using telephony gets created which can be used for spreading multiple social messages and general awareness about various Government programmes. Title: Initiatives of the Ministry of Environment, Forests & Climate Change Date: 2 nd September, Process for devolution of CAMPA funds for afforestation initiated which will ensure transfer of 30,000 Crores to states. With the approval of Cabinet, Draft CAMPA Order, 2014 containing provisions for transfer of an amount of 95 % of 35,000/- crorers accumulated with the Ad-hoc CAMPA to inalienable non-lapsable, interest bearing fund to be created under Public Accounts of the respective States/ UTs has been filed before the Hon ble Supreme Court for their approval before the same is published in the official gazette. Amounts to be realised in future in lieu of forest land diverted for non-forest purpose will also be credited directly to the said fund.

3 The CAMPA order envisages creation of a permanent institutional mechanism, both at Centre and each State Government, replacing the present body i.e. Adhoc Campa, with a view to ensure effective and expeditious utilization of the accumulated funds by the States, whom the funds actually belong to, in a transparent and effective manner for the purpose of compensatory afforestation, catchment area treatment, assisted natural generation, forest management, protection, infrastructure development, wildlife protection and management, relocation of villages from the Protected areas, managing human-wildlife conflicts, training and awareness generation, supply of wood saving devices and allied activities. 5% funds will be retained by the National CAMPA for the purposes 0f monitoring and evaluation of schemes implemented in the States, setting up of institutes, societies, centre of excellence in the field of forest and wildlife, pilot schemes, standardization of codes/guidelines etc. for the sector. 2. Transparency ensured by starting online submission of application for Environment and Forest Clearances successfully As a major step to ensure that the proposals seeking grant of forest clearance are processed in time-bound and transparent manner, a web portal for online filing and monitoring the forest clearance proposal applications has been launched. The portal will minimize the need for human interface between project proponents and officials dealing with Forest Clearance proposals in the Central and the State Governments. The portal will enable real time monitoring of the Forest Clearance proposals so as to ensure that time-lines stipulated for processing of these proposals by various authorities in the Centre and State Governments are adhered to. The portal also has inbuilt features to ensure that proposals complete in all respect only are accepted. Valuable time will thus not be lost to seek and obtain additional information, once a proposal seeking Forest Clearance has already been accepted by concerned authority in the State Government. So far 34 applications have been received online for Forest Clearance. On-line submission of applications for Terms of Reference (ToRs) and Environment Clearance (EC) has been mandated w.e.f. 1st July, 2014 with a view to increasing transparency in the system and facilitating early decision making. Till now, 219 applications for ToRs and 46 applications for ECs have been received in the Ministry for project proposals in different sectors. 3. A System of Realtime Monitoring of Ganga Water Quality initiated on the main river. Highly polluting Industries asked to install online continuous emission and effluent monitoring equipments There are 764 grossly polluting industries (discharging effluents with 100 KG BOD or more effluents) in the five States of the Ganga Basin e.g. Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal. 704 of these were inspected by CPCB out of which 48 industries have been issued letters and 180 industries have been issued directions under Section 5 of Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 and under Section 18 (1) (b) of Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974 for abatement of pollution.

4 There are more than 3,200 highly polluting industries (falling in 17 categories) in the country, which are monitored vigorously by the SPCBs and CPCB. Most of these industries do not have online continuous monitoring system for emissions and effluents. State Pollution Control Boards have been given directions under Section 18(1) (b) of Water Act and Section 18 (1) (b) of Air Act to get online Continuous Monitoring Station equipments installed in all of these industries by 31st March Directions are being monitored. Similarly, SPCBs have been issued directions to get online Continuous Monitoring equipments installed in all 175 CETPs, 25 Common Hazardous waste incinerators and 179 Bio Medical waste incinerators in the country 4. Benchmarks for pollution norms for cement industries upgraded to ensure cleaner environment Cement industry is one of the major air polluting sector among the 17 category of identified highly polluting industries. There are about 190 large cement plants and 365 mini/small cement plants. Though, number of mini plants is more, the contribution to production is less than 10%. India is second largest producer of cement with cement production of 280 million tonnes during Previously, emission standards for Particulate Matter (dust) between mg/nm3 were in place depending upon capacity, type and vintage of cement plant. It has been revised to mg/nm3 and published in gazette on International norms for Particulate Matter are between mg/nm3 except Germany (20/10) and Netherland (15). Norms for Sulphur Dioxide (100/200 mg/nm3 against international norms between ), Oxide of Nitrogen ( mg/nm3 against international norms ranging between ), Wastewater and guidelines for Storm water have been prescribed for the first time. In brief, the status is: Pollution Norms Now Earlier Air Particulate Matter( mg/nm 3 ) Sulphur Dioxide mg/nm 3 ) not existing Oxides of Nitrogen mg/nm 3 ) not existing Wastewater zero discharge or comply not existing with norms Storm water guidelines prescribed not existing 5. Bor tiger reserve created in Maharashtra, approval for special tiger protection force and rewilding of orphaned tiger cubs. On the recommendation of the National Tiger Conservation Authority, the State Government of Maharashtra has notified Bor Tiger Reserve covering an area of sq.km. (core /critical tiger habitat) on 16 August, 2014.

5 The Bor Tiger Reserve is rich in biodiversity with a wide variety of flora and fauna, including tiger, co-predators, prey animals and birds. The habitat is on the boundary of Nagpur and Wardha districts, amidst the Satpura-Maikal landscape, forming catchment of the river Bor. The sanctuary is also an important corridor between Tadoba-Andhari and Pench Tiger Reserves of the State. Bor is the 47th tiger reserve in the country and the 6th tiger reserve of Maharashtra. With Project Tiger coverage, the reserve would receive funding and technical support which would strengthen tiger conservation, besides ecodevelopment to benefit fringe people. 6. Border roads and all defence infrastructures within 100 kms of Line of Actual Control brought under General Approval scheme. To expedite creation of requisite infrastructure along Line of Actual Control (LAC) the MoEF on 4th July 2014 accorded general approval under the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 for diversion of forest land required for construction and widening of two lane roads by the BRO/ other agencies whom the Ministry of Defence entrusts the job, in the area falling within 100 kilometers aerial distance from the LAC and widening of link roads, between Border roads in the area within 100 kilometer aerial distance from the LAC and National Highways/State Highways/Other State Roads. Ministry of Defence has also been requested to identify strategic defence infrastructure related activities such as Army Stations, Ammunition Depots, Training Centres and other support infrastructure, such as schools, hospitals, residential quarters etc. which are to be taken up in the area within 100 km aerial distance from the Line of Actual Control and submit the list of such activities along with the proposal for grant of General Approval under Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980). 7. Forest Clearances for roads in Left Wing Extremism areas brought under General Approval scheme. To expedite creation of road infrastructure in the Left Wing Extremism (LWE) Affected districts to facilitate the Security Forces to effectively combat Left Wing Extremism, the Ministry has extended general approval under the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 for diversion of forest lands for construction of all categories of public roads, except those falling in the Protected areas, irrespective of the area of forest land involved, by Government Departments in 117 LWE affected districts. Further, relaxation of general approval under the FC Act has been extended from for diversion of forest land from the present 1 hectare to 5 hectares for execution of public utility projects of 15 specified categories by Government Departments in Left Wing Extremism (LWE) affected districts. These categories are Schools; Dispensaries/Hospitals; Medical Colleges, Electrical and Telecommunication Lines; Drinking Water; Water/Rain

6 Water Harvesting Structures; Minor Irrigation Canal; Non Conventional Sources of Energy; Skill up Gradation/Vocational Training Center; Power Sub-stations; All category of public roads; Communication Posts; Police establishments like Police Stations / Outposts / Border Outposts / Watch Towers in sensitive area (identified by Ministry of Home Affairs); Underground laying of optical fiber cables, telephone lines & drinking water supply lines; and quarrying of materials for construction of public roads. This initiative will help in faster construction of the public utilities and help in winning over the confidence of people. 8. Process of granting permission for forest diversion upto 40 hectares for developmental projects decentralized. 90% files for this purpose won t come to the Ministry. The Ministry has decided to delegate powers to the Regional Empowered Committees (REC) to be constituted at each Regional Office of the Ministry to finally dispose of all forest clearance proposals seeking diversion of forest land upto 40 hecatres, except the proposals relating to mining, regularization of encroachments and Hydel Projects. Draft Forest (Conservation) Second Amendment Rules, 2014 to provide for inter-alia constitution of the RECs at each Regional Office of the Ministry under Chairmanship of the concerned Addl. Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Central) and having inter-alia three non-official experts in forestry and allied disciplines and two representative of the State/ UT concerned have been formulated and sent to the Ministry of Law and Justice for vetting before its publication in the Official Gazette. More than 90% of proposals seeking forest clearance will now be finally disposed off by the Regional Office. Mere 10% of the proposals for forest clearance will come to the Ministry for decision. 9. Process of granting permission for forest diversion for all linear projects like Road, Rail, Canals, Transmission and Pipelines decentralized. To expedite grant of forest clearance to linear projects like Road, Rail, Canal, Transmission Lines and Pipelines, most of which are of public utility nature, the Ministry has decided to delegate powers to grant forest clearance to such projects irrespective of the area of forest land involved to the Regional Empowered Committee being constituted at each Regional Office of the Ministry. The Ministry has also issued guidelines to provide that in case of linear projects in-principle approval under the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 may be deemed as the working permission for tree cutting and commencement of work, if the required funds for compensatory afforestation, Net Present Value, wildlife conservation plan, plantation of dwarf species of medicinal plants, and all such other compensatory levies specified in the in-principle approval are realised from the user agency. 10. Decentralization of powers to State Level Environment Impact Assessment Authorities (SEIAAs) for granting Environment Clearance

7 Vide Notification S.O.1599 (E) dated 25th June, 2014, more powers have been delegated to SEIAAs to grant EC to various projects. Earlier, the projects in Category B were being appraised as Category A at MoEF level if they were located within 10 km. of Protected Areas, Critically Polluted Areas, Eco Sensitive Areas, and Inter-state / International boundaries. Now, this distance has been reduced to 5 km. subject to stipulations stated in the aforesaid notification, implying thereby that more projects can now be considered by SEIAAs for granting ECs. Apart from this, the capacity up to which non-molasses based distilleries and mineral beneficiation activities could be considered as Category B has been increased. Also, all bio-mass fuel based thermal power plants with capacity greater than or equal 15 MW have been put in Category B. Earlier, such projects were considered as Category A projects, if their capacity exceeded 20 MW. Ministry of Environment, Forests & Climate Change Title: Shri Prakash Javadekar meets Malaysian Minister for Natural Resources and Environment Date: 8 th September, 2014 Bilateral cooperation to be enhanced in strategic areas of environment and Climate change Shri Prakash Javadekar, Minister for Environment, Forests and Climate Change today met his Malaysian Counterpart Mr. Datuk Seri G. Palanivel, Minister for Natural Resources and Environment. Both the principals agreed to strengthen the bi-lateral strategic partnership in the area of environment and climate change. They reiterated the need to work closely in the domain of international negotiations so as to protect the interest of developing countries. During the discussions both the ministers discussed the possibility of co-operation in the areas of technical exchange for forest bio-diversity conservation with the focus on the following issues DNA Finger-printing of Wildlife animals, Sustainable forest management, Production forestry, Strengthening forest based livelihoods, E-waste management, River cleaning and water conservation etc. Possibilities for enhancing bilateral cooperation in areas of Climate Change and Watershed Management were also discussed. Speaking on the occasion, Shri Javadekar said India was committed for cooperation in climate change negotiations under the UNFCCC, where both the countries belonged to the Like Minded Developing Countries (LMDC) group and needed to coordinate with each other so as to ensure that the developed countries did not shift the emission burden on the developing countries. The Minister said that a concerted stand was required on the Global Climate Change negotiations. On the bio-diversity conservation and promotion, Shri Javadekar said that Indian White Tiger may be exchanged for

8 famous Malayan Tapir. Shri Javadekar also referred to the draft MoU under consideration by the Malaysian Forestry Research and Development Board in the field of Bio-technology, tree improvement and Conservation of Forest Genetics Resources and requested his Malaysian counterpart to facilitate the signing of the MoU at the earliest. Appreciating India s efforts in the areas of Climate Change and Watershed management, Malaysian Minister expressed his willingness to enhance technological co-operation. Secretary (Environment), Shri Ashok Lavasa said that in order to enhance bilateral cooperation the possibility of a draft MoU incorporating issues of mutual interest could be considered in order to enhance level of interaction and exchange. Title: Ministry of Environment, Forests & Climate Change constitutes High Level Committee Date: 10 th September, 2014 Committee to review acts administrated by the Ministry Suggestions invited from stakeholders through Ministry s website A High Level Committee (HLC) has been constituted by Ministry of Environment, Forests & Climate Change to review the following Acts administered by the Ministry of Environment, Forests & Climate Change. (i) Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 (ii) Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 (iii) Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 (iv) The Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act,1974 (v) The Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981 The composition of the Committee is as follows:- (1) Shri. T.S.R. Subramanian, Chairman (2) Shri Viswanath Anand, Member (3) Justice (Retd.) Sh. A.K. Srivastav, Member (4) Shri K.N. Bhat, Member The terms of reference are as follows:-

9 (i) To assess the status of implementation of each of the above Acts vis-a-vis the objectives; (ii) To examine and take into account various court orders and judicial pronouncements relating to these Acts; (iii) To recommend specific amendments needed in each of these Acts so as to bring them in line with current requirements to meet objectives; and (iv) To draft proposed amendments in each of the above Acts to give effect to the proposed recommendations. In this regard, the Ministry has invited Comments/suggestions/views from interest persons/organistions through MoEF web site Title: Uma Bharti Launches Website on Clean Ganga Date: 12th September, 2014 As a major step towards people s involvement in Ganga rejuvenation the Union Minister of Water Resource, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Sushri Uma Bharti launched a website on Ganga here today. Speaking on the occasion the Minister said that the launch of the website is an important tool to connect the public with the gigantic task of Ganga rejuvenation. She expressed the hope that large number of people concerned with the present state of Ganga will come forward to give their suggestions to improve the situation. The Minister reiterated the resolve of the Government to rejuvenate the holy river of Ganga within the shortest possible time. The website (nmcg.nic.in) contains wide rage of information on clean Ganga mission which includes Ganga Manthan, Namami Gange, conservation of pollution project, status of NGRBA, Ganga action plan, water quality monitoring, Industrial pollution monitoring, waste water management and comprehensive details of Ganga basin. The bilingual website has a provision to receive feedback from the public where suggestions can be given about Ganga Rejuvenation plan. Members of the public can also upload files up to the size of 4 MB along with their suggestions. Title: Environment Minister launches Online Portal for grant of recognition and monitoring of zoos Date: 12th September, 2014 Online Portal will bring transparency and accountability in the process of recognition of Zoos in the Country, Shri Javadekar said Environment Minister launches book Zoos in India 2014

10 Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Shri Prakash Javadekar here today launched an Online Portal for Grant of Recognition to Zoos and Monitoring of Zoos. Shri Javadekar also launched an E- archival and retrieval Management system for the Central Zoo Authority and a book on Zoos in India The Online Portal for grant of recognition and monitoring of Zoos envisages maintaining and providing real time information about the recognition and evaluation process to the stakeholders. The portal intends to reduce the bottlenecks of manual recognition system and fully automates the recognition process. This would help in saving time and resources, make record keeping communication easy and convenient and reduces the need of human intervention and thus probability of errors and delays. It would increase transparency, efficiency, accountability and also reduces the use of paper. The E-Archival and Retrieval Management System is systematic approach to the management of files which is essential for organizations to protect and preserve files. E-Document Archival & Retrieval Management Information System ensures that information can be easily preserved and maintained for future use. The book Zoos in India, Legislation, Policy, Guidelines and Strategy 2014 is an attempt to help in better management of existing zoos and facilitate creation of better zoos in the country in future and is a useful publication for all the stakeholders. Earlier to the launch function, the 27th meeting of the Central Zoo Authority, a statutory body of the Ministry, was held under the Chairmanship of Shri Javadekar here today. The meeting was attended by senior officers of the Ministry and the Central Zoo Authority. Ministry of Water Resources Title: Storage Status of 85 Important Reservoirs of the Country as on September 18, 2014 Date: 19th September, 2014 The Water Storage available in 85 important reservoirs of the country as on September 18, 2014 was BCM which is 79% of total storage capacity of these reservoirs. This storage is 94% of the storage of corresponding period of last year and 108% of storage of average of last ten years. The present storage position during current year is less than storage position of last year but better than the average storage of last ten years. Central Water Commission monitors live storage status of 85 important reservoirs of the country on weekly basis. These reservoirs include 37 reservoirs having hydropower benefit with installed capacity of more than 60 MW. The total storage capacity of these reservoirs is BCM which is about 61% of the storage capacity of BCM which is estimated to have been created in the country.

11 REGION WISE STORAGE STATUS: NORTHERN REGION The northern region includes States of Himachal Pradesh, Punjab and Rajasthan. There are 6 reservoirs in this region having total storage capacity of BCM. The total storage available in these reservoirs is 15.38BCM which is 85% of total storage capacity of these reservoirs. The storage during corresponding period of last year was 94% and average storage of last ten years during corresponding period was 80% of storage capacity of these reservoirs. Thus, storage during current year is less than the corresponding period of last year but better than the average storage of last ten years during the corresponding period. EASTERN REGION The Eastern region includes States of Jharkhand, Odisha, West Bengal and Tripura. There are 15 reservoirs in this region having total live storage capacity of BCM. The total storage available in these reservoirs is BCM which is 78% of total storage capacity of these reservoirs. The storage during corresponding period of last year was 79% and average storage of last ten years during corresponding period was 71% of storage capacity of these reservoirs. Thus, storage during current year is less than the corresponding period of last year but better than the average storage of last ten years during the corresponding period. WESTERN REGION The Western region includes States of Gujarat and Maharashtra. There are 22 reservoirs in this region having total storage capacity of BCM. The total storage available in these reservoirs is 20.12BCM which is 82% of total storage capacity of these reservoirs. The storage during corresponding period of last year was 79% and average storage of last ten years during corresponding period was78% of storage capacity of these reservoirs. Thus, storage during current year is better than storage of last year and also better than the average storage of last ten years. CENTRAL REGION The Central region includes States of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. There are 12 reservoirs in this region having total storage capacity of 42.30BCM. The total storage available in these reservoirs is 35.73BCM which is 84% of total storage capacity of these reservoirs. The storage during corresponding period of last year was 87% and average storage of last ten years during corresponding period was 63% of storage capacity of these reservoirs. Thus, storage during current year is less than the storage of last year but better than the average

12 storage of last ten years. SOUTHERN REGION The Southern region includes States of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. There are 30 reservoirs in this region having total storage capacity of BCM. The total live storage available in these reservoirs is 37.28BCM which is 73% of total storage capacity of these reservoirs. The storage during corresponding period of last year was 83% and average storage of last ten years during corresponding period was 79% of storage capacity of these reservoirs. Thus, storage during current year is less than the corresponding period of last year and also less than the average storage of last ten years during the corresponding period. States having better storage than last year for corresponding period are Jharkhand, Odisha, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Karnatakaand Chhattisgarh. States having lesser storage than last year for corresponding period are Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Tripura, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Ministry of Finance Title: Establishment of the Clean Ganga Fund Date: 24 th September, 2014 The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, today gave its approval for establishment of the Clean Ganga Fund (CGF). The following broad activities will be financed from the Fund: a) Activities outlined under the Namami Gange programme for cleaning of river Ganga. b) Control of non-point pollution from agricultural runoff, human defecation, cattle wallowing, etc. c) Setting up of waste treatment and disposal plants along the river around the cities.

13 d) Conservation of the biotic diversity of the river. e) Community based activities to reduce polluting human interface with the river. f) Development of public amenities including activities such as Ghat redevelopment. g) Research and Development and innovative projects. h) Research and Development projects and innovative projects for new technology and processes for cleaning the river. i) Independent oversight through intensive monitoring and real time reporting. j) Any other activity as approved by the Trust. Considering that the measures taken till now are inadequate and a national effort is required to mobilize resources for improving the condition of the river Ganga, the Government announced the setting up of an Integrated Ganga Conservation Mission called "Namami Gange" and an initial sum of Rs. 2,037 crore has been allocated in the Union Budget The Cabinet has now agreed to set up "Clean Ganga Fund (CGF)" with voluntary contributions from residents of the country and Non-Resident Indian (NRIs) / Person of Indian Origin (PIO) and others to harness their enthusiasm to contribute towards the conservation of the river Ganga. The Fund will have the objective of contributing to the national effort of cleaning of the river Ganga. Domestic donors to the Fund shall be eligible for tax benefits as applicable in the case of the Swachh Bharat Kosh. The Fund would be managed by a Trust to be headed by Finance Minister. The secretariat of the Trust will be set up in Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation under the Mission Director, Clean Ganga. Background: The Ganga Action Plan was launched on 14th January 1986 with the main objective of pollution abatement, to improve water quality by interception, diversion and treatment of domestic sewage and toxic and industrial chemical

14 wastes present, from identified grossly polluting units entering in to the river. After reviewing the effectiveness of the "Ganga Action Plan", the Government announced the "Mission Clean Ganga" project on 31st December, 2009 with the objective that by 2020, no municipal sewage and industrial waste would be released in the river without treatment, with the total budget of around Rs.15,000 crore. The Government also established the National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA), chaired by the Prime Minister, with the objective to ensure effective abatement of pollution and conservation of the river Ganga, by adopting a river basin approach for comprehensive planning and management. The proposal to set up CGF is to attract private contributions globally for increasing people's participation in this massive task. As this would also cover NRIs, CGF would also fulfil the Budget announcement in the Regular Budget Considering that the measures taken till now are not adequate and a national effort is required to mobilize resources for improving the condition of the river Ganga, the Government has announced the setting up of an Integrated Ganga Conservation Mission called "Namami Gange". Considering that there is a need to increase people's participation from across the country and abroad, it is proposed to set up a "Clean Ganga Fund (CGF)" with voluntary contributions. The main features of CGF are: i. CGF will have the objective of contributing to the national effort of improving the cleanliness of the river Ganga with the contributions received from the residents of the country, NRIs/ PIO and others. ii. CGF will be operated through a bank account by a Trust. iii. Domestic donors to the fund shall be eligible for tax benefits as in the case of "Swachch Bharat Kosh". Foreign donors could get suitable tax exemptions in domestic law, wherever permissible. iv. CGF will explore the possibility of setting up daughter funds in other jurisdictions/countries of high donor interest such as USA, UK, Singapore, UAE, etc. to enable tax benefits to donors in their respective jurisdictions. v. CGF will be catalytic in nature and will identify and fund specific projects which could be pilot projects, R&D projects, innovative projects or other focused projects. The Fund will define specific and measurable objectives to form the basis for planning, funding, and evaluation. vi. Broad activities proposed to be financed from CGF include, inter alia, Activities outlined under the 'Namami Gange' programme for cleaning of river Ganga; control of non-point pollution from agricultural runoff, human defecation, cattle wallowing etc.; setting up of waste treatment and disposal plants along the river around the cities; conservation of the biotic diversity of the river; community based activities to reduce polluting human interface with the river; Development of public amenities including activities such as Ghat redevelopment; R&D and innovative projects; Research and Development projects and innovative projects for new technology and processes for cleaning Ganga; independent oversight through intensive monitoring and real time reporting; any other activity as approved by Governing Council. This is an indicative list and can be expanded within the overall objective by the

15 Governing Council. The Fund shall not be utilised for activities such as dredging. vii. CGF will be subject to such audit as required by law as well as audit by any agency determined by Government. CGF would be administered by a Trust to be chaired by Finance Minister and upto 8 members from different fields including NRIs, nominated by the Government. Secretary (Economic Affairs), Secretary (Overseas Indian Affairs), Secretary (Environment, Forest and Climate Changes) and Secretary (Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation) will be members. The CEO of the Fund will be the Member Secretary of the Trust. Two Secretaries from the concerned state governments shall be additional members on a rotation basis. Government may also nominate experts and / or persons of eminence in public life as expert invitees. The Secretariat of the Governing Council shall be set up in Ministry of Water Resources. The Mission Director shall be the CEO of the Fund unless a separate CEO is appointed. The Governing Council will prepare the norms, procedures, cost norms and operational guidelines for obtaining financing from the Fund, which will be notified by the National Mission for Clean Ganga. Title: Achievements and Initiatives of the Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Date: 26 th September, 2014 Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation works with three-pronged objectives to ensure effective use of Water Resources, inclusiveness and sustainability. So far the following interventions have been made: Out of a total irrigable area of 140 M.Ha., irrigation potential of M.Ha. has been created. Out of this 88 M.Ha. is currently being utilised M.Ha. of Command Area has been developed through the CAD-WM Scheme of MoWR. During XI Plan, 2100 Water Bodies restored with irrigation potential of 0.92 lakh hectare. The proposals for inter-linking of 16 links under Himalayan component and 14 links under Peninsular component are under consideration. The Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation is focusing on the programmes, which have a direct bearing on the life of the common people of the country.

16 Inter-Linking of Rivers The work relating to Inter Linking of Rivers is in operation since Renewed thrust to Inter-Linking of Rivers (ILR) has been imparted. In 2014, first ILR project of Ken-Betwa has been initiated. The Ken Betwa link project would have a dam on river Ken along with 221 Km Link Canal, provide annual irrigation to 6.35 Lakh Hectare, supply drinking water to lakh people and generate 78 MW hydropower in Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. A Special Committee on ILR, under the chairpersonship of Union Minister (WR) has been constituted, to oversee the work of ILR. Rejuvenation of River Ganga The work of Ganga Rejuvenation has been transferred to this Ministry vide Gazette notification dated Ganga and its tributaries have been brought under one umbrella. Rejuvenation of Ganga has been prioritised as restoration of its wholesomeness by ensuring aviral dhara and nirmal dhara as also its ecological and geological integrity. Following major initiatives have been taken to rejuvenate Ganga: National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA) has been expanded by including Minister (WR, RD and GR) as vice-chairman and also other Ministers concerned with wholesome development of Ganga. Improved coordination among various ministries through Group of Secretaries (GoS) setup on ; The GoS has held 10 meetings and submitted its report on The First National Dialogue i.e Ganga Manthan was held on 7th of July 2014; more than 500 spiritual leaders of all beliefs, academicians & technocrats, NGOs & Environmentalists, and Policy makers & implementers actively participated in the deliberations. To facilitate inflow of ideas, suggestions and involvement of people, a website of NMCG has been launched on 12th of September A committee of Additional Secretaries of Mo(WR, RD&GR) and MoEF&CC constituted to recommend on provisional environmental flow; A Committee constituted to revise existing guidelines on sand mining by MoEF&CC;

17 Forest Research Institute (FRI), Dehradun has been requested to prepare a plan for afforestation and Conservation of Flora In collaboration with National Medicinal Plants Board a strategy is being finalized for conservation of medicinal plants in the upper reaches of Ganga. A project has been undertaken for identification of special properties of Ganga Jal, water quality monitoring and sediment analysis through National Environmental Engineering Research Institute. A three member technical committee comprising Director, NEERI, Secretary CPCB and Prof. Vinod Tare, IIT, Kanpur constituted to study and recommend suitable technologies for pollution abatement in river Ganga. Technology Upgradation The management of river water system is being modernised with the use of latest technology. Hydrology Project-III is being launched with World Bank Assistance for developing Decision Support System for modernisation of Ganga and Brahmaputra Basins, as well as other uncovered parts of the country, at a cost of Rs. 3,000 crore. An ambitious National Aquifer Mapping and Management Programme (NAQUIM) has been launched entailing mapping of aquifers in an area of 8.89 lakh sq. km of the country on a scale of 1:50,000 and in 3-D. Six pilot projects of Aquifer mapping have been carried out in five States viz. Rajasthan, Bihar, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka using advanced techniques including heliborne Transient Electromagnetic surveys for faster and accurate mapping of aquifers. This will help in managing Aquifer recharge, river bank filtration and identification of critically stressed blocks as well as identification of contaminated blocks. A World Bank aided project viz. Dam Rehabilitation and Improvement Project (DRIP) is in operation. Under the project, advanced materials and simulation techniques and guidelines are being brought/evolved in the country to ensure dam safety. To empower communities through well informed water related database for better research, planning, development, management in the area of water resources, under Development of Water Resources Information System (DWRIS)-a Web enabled Water Resources Information System named as IndiaWRIS, has been undertaken. It will add 800 new hydrological observation sites and expand monitoring of major reservoirs to 120 reservoirs.

18 International Cooperation An agreement has been signed between India and Nepal during the recent visit of Indian Prime Minister to Nepal paving the way for constitution of Pancheshwar Development Authority. The Pancheshwar Mutipurpose Project will have an installed capacity of 5600 MW and will create an irrigation potential of 0.37 MHa (0.24 in Indian side MHa and 0.13 MHa in Nepal) at a cost of Rs. 29,704 crore (2011 prices). It will also mitigate floods in the States of Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh. Implementation Plan with China was revised on June 30, 2014 to receive extended hydrological information of Yaluzangbu /Brahmaputra rivers from 15th May to 15th October every year. MoU with Australia for cooperation in the field of water resources has also been signed recently. India Water Week 2015 The Third edition of India Water Week has been scheduled for policy dialogue, stakeholder s consultation and will showcase innovation through exhibition on Water Management for Sustainable Development during January, 2015 at New Delhi. All aspects relating to water management for sustainable agriculture, drinking water supply, urbanisation, industrial and energy development to be discussed. A large participation of international experts is expected. Australia and Israel have agreed to be the main partner countries. Besides States of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Sikkim etc. would be partners for organising the event. People s participation through concurrent mass awareness programme on water conservation with focus on Hamara Jila - Hamara Jal at all district Head quarters will be undertaken. Future Directions Nirmal and Aviral Ganga Providing irrigation water to each field through creation of enhanced irrigation projects

19 Conservation of water bodies and ground water Bridging the gap between irrigation potential created and utilized Incentivizing the States to undertake water sector reforms. National Aquifer Management Programme through community participation Use of latest technology for modernization of water resources and flood management Active participation of water users associations (WUAs). Water Sector Schemes to be rationalized for easier implementation; effective use of water, inclusiveness and sustainability. Comprehensive planning for Dam Safety.