Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC)

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19-Oct-2022: Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change conducts Special Swachhta Campaign 2.0

Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change conducted Special Swachhta Campaign 2.0 to reduce pendency in all work and disposing of scrap/waste.

The Campaign began with the preparatory phase on 14.09.2022 during which the Ministry identified the pending references and items to be disposed of. The identified references and items are being disposed of on a daily basis starting from 02.10.2022 when the Campaign phase started.

The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change identified 73 campaign sites which included the attached/subordinate organisations like Botanical survey of India, Zoological Survey of India, Forest Survey of India, National Zoological Park, G.B. Pant National Institute of Himalayan Environment, Wildlife Crime Control Bureau, National Museum of Natural History, Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History, Central Pollution Control Board etc. who have identified pendency in respect of 11 parameters as suggested by DARPG viz., pending Parliamentary Assurances, Pending cabinet proposals, pending public grievances and Appeals Pending References from MPs, State Govt., PMO and quantity of scrap/waste including e waste for disposal. The campaign phase will continue till 31.10.2022.

Under the Special Swachhta Campaign 2.0 Hon'ble Minister of EF&CC, Shri Bhupender Yadav, reviewed the disposal made under the campaign every a week. The Minister conducted surprise inspection of all the divisions and offices of Indira Paryavaran Bhawan, including the basement at Paryavaran Bhawan. The Hon’ble Minister interacted with the employees and directed them to maintain cleanliness at the workplace and dispose of pending matters at the earliest.

As part of Swachhta Campaign 2.0, the National Museum of Natural History at New Delhi with its regional centres at Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Mysore and Sawai Madhopur is organizing ‘Green talks’ to sensitize school children to adopt habits which will be helpful in keeping the environment neat, clean and healthy and will also be beneficial for their own health. The Green pledge to keep the environment neat and clean was also administered in the schools. This special ‘Green talk’ interactive programme started from 2nd October and will continue till 31st October.

21-Jul-2022: Steps Taken by Government to Protect Wildlife and Its Habitats

No species from India has been declared as extinct in the recent past as per the information available in the Ministry,

The Government has taken several steps to protect wildlife and its habitats. Important steps taken in this regard include:

  1. The Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 provides for stringent punishment for violation of its provisions. The Act also provides for forfeiture of any equipment, vehicle or weapon that is used for committing wildlife offence(s). Rare and endangered species found in India, like Tiger, Snow Leopard, Great Indian Bustard, Gangetic Dolphin, Dugong, etc. have been listed in Schedule-I of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 thereby providing them highest degree of protection.
  2. Protected Areas, viz., National Parks, Sanctuaries, Conservation Reserves and Community Reserves have been created in the country covering important habitats to provide better protection to wildlife, including threatened species and their habitat.
  3. Financial assistance is provided to the State/Union Territory Governments under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme of ‘Integrated Development of Wildlife Habitats’, for better protection to wildlife and improvement of habitat.
  4. The local communities are involved in conservation measures through eco-development activities which help the forest departments in protection of wildlife.
  5. The Wild Life Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) coordinates with State/UTs and other enforcement agencies to gather intelligence about poaching and unlawful trade in wild animals and animal articles.
  6. Alerts and advisories were issued by WCCB on poaching and illegal trade of wildlife to the concerned State and Central agencies for preventive action.

17-Jun-2022: Desertification and Drought Day organised by MoEF and CC

Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) organized Desertification and Drought Day today, under the chairmanship of Shri Bhupender Yadav, Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. This day is commemorated by the Ministry every year, with an aim to generate large scale awareness for understanding the key role of land in all environmental and economic concerns facing India and the world.

The commemoration of this event encourages individuals and groups to take initiatives that can keep the land healthy and productive. The event showcased presentations on various aspects of desertification such as on Initiative taken on restoration of Banni grassland, experience on Indian eco-restoration of deserts, forestry certification & achieving land degradation neutrality.

The Union Minister released Forest Stewardship Council’s Forest Stewardship Standard for India. This India-specific, voluntary forest management standard will give impetus to third-party auditing of forest owners for various principles, criteria and indicators. Forest certification is an important tool to combat desertification and promote forest sustainability. FSC forest certification will support Atmanirbhar Bharat goals and country’s efforts towards meeting our international commitments under SDGs, CBD, UNCCD, UNFCCC and Bonn Challenge.

Enlightening experiences were shared on management of desertification and land degradation by progressive farmer & conservationist Shri Sundaram Verma, Padma Shree awardee, 2020 and by Shri Himmata Ram Bhambhu, Padma Shree awardee, 2020, forest & wildlife enthusiast.

The programme also included a detailed presentation on road map for combating desertification by Shri Chandra Prakash Goyal, IFS, Director General of Forest and Special Secretary, MoEF&CC followed by key note address by Ms. Leela Nandan, Secretary, MoEF&CC wherein both the officers talked about the threat, composite and cohesive Action Plan.

The Union Minister highlighted that India has been at the forefront of bringing the issue of land degradation to the core of relevant international alliances for protection and conservation of environment. India hosted the 14th session of Conference of parties (COP 14) of United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) in September 2019 and recommendations of the Inter-Governmental working group report on Drought in COP-15. The Minister mentioned that the Prime Minister had said that India is striving towards achieving the national commitments of Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) and restoration of 26 Mha of degraded land by 2030. This would focus on sustainable and optimum utilisation of land resources. Government of India has adopted collective approach for making progress towards achieving the national commitments related to land restoration, said the Minister.

Shri Yadav also quoted the one-word mantra introduced by our Prime Minister – LIFE, which means Lifestyle for Environment. He remarked that there is a need for all of us to examine our current lifestyle choices. He strongly felt that what is needed today is mindful and deliberate utilization, instead of mindless and destructive consumption and this needs to become a mass movement of environment conscious life style. He stressed upon optimum utilization of native wisdom for work in agriculture and land improvement. He asked the Ministry to coordinate with 8 other related Ministries which are involved in restoration of land degradation. The Minister emphasised on the role of women in land management. Combating desertification should be achieved in mission mode, the Minister concluded.

5-Jun-2022: NITI Aayog & MoEFCC Invite Ideas on Solutions to Drive Climate-Friendly Behaviors Among Individuals, Communities and Organisations

NITI Aayog and the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MOEFCC), in partnership with the United Nations, World Resources Institute, Centre for Social and Behaviour Change (CSBC) and Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), are inviting ideas from across the world for one of the following, or related, areas:

Behaviour-change solutions aimed at individuals, households and communities to drive climate-friendly behaviours in sectors, including:

  • Water
  • Transport
  • Food
  • Electricity
  • Recycle
  • Reuse
  • International, national and/or local best practices that can be feasibly scaled-up for driving behaviour change related to climate action.
  • Innovative solutions that promote wider adoption of traditional, climate-friendly practices and/or create livelihood options for communities that may lose their jobs with a shift towards climate-friendly production.

Individuals, universities, think tanks, non-profits and others worldwide are invited to submit measurable and scalable behavior change solutions that can drive climate-friendly behaviors among individuals, communities and organisations.

Authors of the accepted ideas will be invited to present their work during an international conference in India (the details of the conference will be announced at a later stage).

Participants are strongly encouraged to submit empirically informed and measurable ideas that can offer implementable solutions while having the potential to be published in reputed academic journals.

Applications open  on 5 June 2022, 12:01 AM IST, and close on 31 December 2022, 11:59 PM IST.

Authors of the top 5 ideas will each be awarded with:

  • UN Global LiFE Ambassador award at COP 27 by UNFCC
  • Grant of USD 25,000 each for piloting and testing in select districts
  • Presentation to Hon’ble PM in LiFE Global Conference in India
  • End-to-end implementation support from MoEFCC to scale the idea(s) towards moving climate indicators.

Top 100 ideas will additionally be collated into a “Behavior Change for Climate Action” repository and disseminated globally.

11-Oct-2021: Releases Vision Plan (2021-2031) for Indian zoos to upgrade them to global standards

The two-day National conference for zoo directors and veterinarians organized by Central Zoo Authority and hosted by Sardar Patel Zoological Park, Kevadia, Gujarat concluded today.

In his special address at the valedictory, Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Shri Bhupender Yadav, congratulated everyone for their efforts at species conservation and reiterated the importance of all round protection of wildlife, wild habitats and the natural resources.

Assuring that Zoos will be an important subject for discussion during the State forest minister s dialogue henceforth the Union Environment Minister encouraged zoos to become financially independent and consider CSR and public private partnerships and focus on local birds and animals as priority species for conservation.

Shri Yadav highlighted the importance of conservation awareness and its value in conflict mitigation strategies and proposed an inclusive way forward for zoos and Nagar Vans with incorporating suggestions from zoo officials and using them to prepare short and long term action plans.            

The primary aim of this national conference was to discuss and deliberate on the new frontiers in zoo management and ex-situ conservation in the country. As on today there are more than 150 recognized zoos and rescue centers in the country that adhere to the guidelines and high standards of wild animal welfare.

On day two of the conference, 3 technical sessions were held to cover various aspects pertaining to scientific management of zoos in the country, dealing with challenges of wildlife trade and inclusion and involvement of the citizens in the science of conservation thereby securing the concept of the ‘People’s Connect which is of supreme importance for all Zoos in India. The sessions ‘was chaired by eminent personalities in the field of zoo and wildlife conservation and included deliberations and discussions.

Shri Yadav, actively participated in the sessions and encouraged the speakers and the zoo community as a whole to continue their selfless work and the innovation and endeavors for protection of wildlife and wild habitats.

Along with Shri Kiritsinh Rana, Minister for Forest and Environment, Government of Gujarat, the Union Environment Minister also released three important publications of the Central Zoo Authority

  • Vision Plan (2021-2031) for Indian zoos to upgrade them to global standards and strengthening of Central Zoo Authority- The vision document is committed to making CZA and Indian zoos a greater force for conservation by providing unparalleled animal care, cutting edge research, and immersive visitor experiences that strike meaningful chords with people of all ages. The exhaustive 10 years vision plan has been arrived at after a very stringent data mining and stakeholder consultive process and is expected to give a direction towards ex-situ conservation approaches in India.
  • WASH Manual for Zoos- Access to water and sanitation in public spaces is an essential element of sustainable WASH management .  CZA in collaboration with UNICEF has now developed a Guideline to provide guidance to zoos for creating and maintaining WASH facilities within their premises for staff and visitors.
  • Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav – A Compilation (Vol 1)- CZA in support with the zoos across the country tool upon the themselves to follow the clarion call given by Shri  Narendra Modi on 12th of march 2021 to celebrate the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav. The theme for the celebration has been to showcase 75 species across 75 zoos though massive outreach programs in the 75 weeks. Since the launch of the initiative, more than 1000 hours of outreach has been achieved.  To showcase and compile the same, a coffee table book style compilation of celebrations during the first 25 weeks as vol 1 was also launched today.

At the valedictory, Mrs. Sudha Murthy, Chairperson Infosys Foundation was felicitated and she delivered the plenary speech on the deep connection with animals and their positive impact. Mrs. Murthy emphasized on the aspect  of compassion that is developed, when children interact with animals , and how this connect with nature became even more important during the pandemic year.

An outreach movie titled ‘Live in harmony with nature, stop illegal trade in wildlife’ produced by Wildlife Crime Control Bureau was also released on the occasion. The dignitaries also gave away the CZA constituted Prani Mitra Awards that are given every year under 4 categories of – outstanding contribution by zoo director/ curator, biologist/ educationists, veterinarian and the animal keeper/ zoo frontline.

The winners of this year are:

  • Outstanding Animal Keeper - Shrimati Lakhidevi, Bhagwan Birsa zoological Park, Ranchi Jharkhand.
  • Outstanding Educationist/ Biologist - Shri Harpal Singh, Educationist Mahendra Chaudhary Zoological Park Chatbir Punjab.
  • Outstanding Veterinarian – Dr. Illiyaraja Agra Bear Rescue Facility, Uttar Pradesh
  • Outstanding Director – Dr. Vibhu Prakash Mathur, Director Vulture Conservation Breeding Centre, Pinjore Haryana.

The valedictory program was also attended by Dr S P Yadav, Member Secretary Central Zoo Authority, Mr. S. Tikadar, PCCF& CWLW Gujarat, Dr. Sonali Ghosh, DIG CZA and Dr Ram Ratan Nala, Director SVPZP, Kevadita along with senior officials of the Central and State Government.

27-Nov-2020: “India Climate Change Knowledge Portal” launched

Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Shri Prakash Javadekar launched the “India Climate Change Knowledge Portal”.

Expressing happiness over the web portal launch, Shri Javadekar said portal will be a “single point Information resource” which provides information on the different climate initiatives taken by various Line Ministries enabling users to access updated status on these initiatives.

Shri Javadekar informed at the virtual event that India has practically achieved its Pre-2020 Climate Action targets and said though historically India is not responsible for emissions, India, under the dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi is leading the world on Climate Action.

The portal captures sector-wise adaptation and mitigation actions that are being taken by the various line Ministries in one place including updated information on their implementation. The knowledge portal will help in disseminating knowledge among citizens about all the major steps Government is taking at both national and international levels to address climate change issues.

The eight major components included in the knowledge portal are:

  1. India’s Climate Profile
  2. National Policy Framework
  3. India’s NDC goals
  4. Adaptation Actions
  5. Mitigation Actions
  6. Bilateral and Multilateral Cooperation
  7. International Climate Negotiations
  8. Reports & Publications