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Cse In News

PM SHRI Kendriya Vidyalaya wins Sterling School award

PM SHRI Kendriya Vidyalaya No. 2, Mangalore has brought pride to Karnataka by receiving the prestigious Sterling School award from the Centre for Science and Environment under its Green Schools Programme. The recognition followed a comprehensive Green School Audit. The Vidyalaya has been rated as a Green School for five consecutive years, reflecting its consistent efforts toward environmental conservation and sustainable campus practices. Only two schools from Karnataka received this distinction for the academic year 2025-26. At the national level, only two Kendriya Vidyalayas were honoured, the other being Kendriya Vidyalaya, Narela, West Delhi. The organisation appreciated the leadership of Principal Jaswinderlal, the efforts of Green School Coordinator Sujatha U Nair, and the active participation of the Green Team in initiatives such as waste management, composting, rainwater harvesting, and energy conservation. The award was presented by Sunita Narain, Director General of the Centre for Science and Environment, at a ceremony in New Delhi. The recognition strengthens the school’s commitment to sustainable practices and environmental responsibility.

India's cities need mobility reform, not just infrastructure spending

The Union Budget has placed cities at the centre of India’s growth strategy, with a sharp push to public capital expenditure, including infrastructure spending of ₹12.2 trillion, the announcement of seven new high-speed rail corridors, a continued expansion of Metro networks, a proposal to create “city economic regions”, and an incentive for municipal corporations to approach the bond market. Together, these signal an ambition to unlock the economic potential of India’s rapidly urbanising population. Yet this ambition will remain unrealised unless urban mobility systems begin to deliver outcomes, not just assets. The Economic Survey 2025-26 mentions that transportation is the “bloodstream, spine and muscles” of a city, enabling the flow of people, goods, and ideas. When this system weakens, congestion, pollution, and falling productivity follow. The Survey further quantifies this cost starkly. A study by the Centre for Science and Environment estimates that even an unskilled worker in Delhi can lose up to ₹19,600 annually due to congestion. For skilled workers, the losses rise to nearly ₹26,000 a year. Another study by the Institute for Social and Economic Change estimated that Bengaluru alone lost about 700,000 productive hours in 2018. A report by Uber-Boston Consulting Group put the annual congestion cost of India’s four largest metros at $22 billion. The TomTom Traffic Index 2025 highlights how serious the problem has become. Bengaluru now ranks as the second-most congested city in the world, and Kolkata and Pune also rank among the slowest. India, overall, ranks fifth globally and second in Asia on congestion. However, the core problem is not insufficient spending. India has expanded mass rapid transit significantly over the past decade. As of 2025, over 1,036 km of Metro and regional rapid-transit systems were operational in 24 cities, with more under construction. But rail systems alone cannot solve urban mobility when cities remain overly dependent on private vehicles. The roads are also being used more as storage for cars than as corridors for moving people. Buses, the most flexible and cost-effective form of mass transport, remain inadequate. While the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs recommends 40-60 buses per 100,000 people, India’s cities together have only about 47,650 buses, nearly 61 per cent of which are concentrated in just nine mega cities. Weak first- and last-mile connectivity further reduces the usefulness of Metro and rail investment. Achieving real change will require a broader shift towards people-centric planning, with viable alternatives to private vehicles becoming the default choice. This means expanding and digitising bus fleets, making walking and cycling safe and attractive, integrating shared mobility for last-mile access, and implementing transit-oriented development around stations to shorten trip lengths. Technology-led traffic management and demand-based parking policies must also play a role. Urban mobility has become a central problem to economic growth. Without fixing how people move within cities, the Budget’s growth ambitions risk stalling at the signal.

Regenerating Water Bodies to Build Resilient Cities in India

[59] Centre for Science and Environment, Back from the Brink, Centre for Science and Environment, (2024) Water insecurity is becoming a chronic urban challenge, manifesting as inequitable access to potable water, contamination, erratic rainfall patterns, recurrent floods and droughts, and worsening salinity. The projection that 68 percent of the world’s population will live in urban areas by 2050[1] has further added to the challenge, as infrastructural and spatial planning often fall behind the rapid scale of urbanisation.[2] Globally, rapid urban transformations are provoking anxiety about water resources in cities. An analysis of 12 megacities[a] found that their current water demand outstrips supply by 5.27 billion m3/year, which could grow considerably by 2035.[5] In India, the urban population is projected to cross 675 million by 2035, with over 70 million new residents expected in cities by 2045.[6] This growth is further weakening the already stressed basic services infrastructure, including water. Water infrastructure in Indian cities, especially piped water networks, sewage systems, and stormwater drains, is often outdated, fragmented, or non-existent in informal settlements. These gaps are compounded by the commodification of water resources and dependence on tankers and private borewells; bottled water services fill the vacuum created by inadequate public provisioning. Also, rural landscapes provide critical ecosystem services to cities, including the water that must be sourced from distant, predominantly rural catchments. As urban centres expand their water footprints into these regions, it becomes essential to manage rural–urban interdependencies with care, ensuring that urban development does not undermine the ecological integrity of rural areas or compromise local water availability. While the government has launched schemes to expand supply, such as the Jal Jeevan Mission,[7] the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT),[8] and Smart Cities Mission, demand-side management, ecosystem-based approaches, and localised water conservation remain in the margins. In this scenario, urban water bodies, including lakes, ponds, tanks, wetlands, and stepwells, offer a powerful but underutilised solution. These blue infrastructures are natural recharge zones, flood buffers, microclimate regulators, and cultural spaces that have been historically central to Indian urban hydrology. India’s first-of-its-kind 2023 Waterbody Census counted over 2.4 million water bodies, of which only 2.9 percent are in urban areas, highlighting the resource scarcity in cities that do not otherwise have access to perennial river systems.[9] Yet, decades of neglect, pollution, and land use changes have degraded them.[10] Many water bodies have been encroached upon, converted into dumping grounds, or turned into cesspools. Others have been ‘revived’ through cosmetic beautification, often destroying their ecological and hydrological functions. These issues intersect with the larger discourse on the three pillars of sustainability: economic, social, and environmental.[11] Scholars have often characterised sustainability as having three essential dimensions of economy, society, and the environment, or the “triple bottom line”.[12] Drawing from the conceptual lineage of economic trilemmas, such as Dani Rodrik’s globalisation trilemma,[13] which argues that deep economic integration, national sovereignty, and democratic politics cannot all coexist; environmental governance scholars like Arun Agrawal,[14] Jesse Ribot,[15] and Anne Larson[16] have identified that ecological sustainability, democratic decentralisation, and equity or social justice are often mutually incompatible under current governance regimes, especially in the Global South. Many lake rejuvenation projects in India[b] result in partial or superficial solutions such as fenced parks, jogging tracks, or desilting, while ignoring deeper structural issues like catchment protection, upstream waste control, or inclusive governance. This approach raises a critical question: can urban water body rejuvenation balance ecological sustainability, economic development, and distributive justice, or is it an irreconcilable trilemma? This paper argues that the current paradigm of water body management in India is fragmented and proposes a shift towards regenerative urbanism, where water bodies are treated not as static amenities or real estate assets, but as living, multifunctional ecosystems embedded in urban metabolism and community life.

India Treats Only 28% of Its 112 Billion Litres of Daily Wastewater: Economic Survey

India generates 112 billion litres of wastewater daily, the world’s third-largest producer, according to the Economic Survey 2025-26. And, only 28 percent is treatment, while a mere 8 percent is recycled for reuse. The Center for Science and Environment projects wastewater generation will increase 75 to 80 percent by 2050, reaching 130,000 million litres daily, 3.5 times the existing treatment capacity. The urban areas account for two-thirds of India’s wastewater generation, according to the Economic Survey. And less than 27 percent of households are connected to underground sewerage systems. This limits collection and reuse potential. The Economic Survey cited the Council on Energy, Environment and Water assessment of 503 cities, which found 82 percent either do not reuse treated water or lack functioning infrastructure.

जिले के 11 स्कूलों को राष्ट्रीय स्तर पर मिला ग्रीन स्कूल अवॉर्ड, पर्यावरण संरक्षण की रेटिंग से हुआ चयन

जिले के 11 स्कूलों को राष्ट्रीय स्तर पर "ग्रीन स्कूल’ के रूप में अवार्ड मिला है, जो फाजिल्का निवासियों के लिए गर्व की बात है। जिला शिक्षा अधिकारी (सेकेंडरी) अजय शर्मा और जिला शिक्षा अधिकारी (प्राइमरी) सतीश कुमार ने सम्मानित हुए सभी स्कूलों को इस उपलब्धि के लिए बधाई दी है। उन्होंने कहा कि स्कूल का हर एक शिक्षक और विद्यार्थी इस सम्मान का हकदार है, जिन्होंने स्कूलों में पर्यावरण संरक्षण के प्रति अपना बहुमूल्य योगदान दिया है। शिक्षा के क्षेत्र में तो विद्यार्थी झंडे गाड़ ही रहे हैं, बल्कि अन्य कार्यक्रमों में भी कड़ी मेहनत कर नाम चमका रहे हैं। स्टेट स्तर से कुलबीर सिंह बाठ (संयुक्त निदेशक, साइंस एवं पर्यावरण आउटरीच प्रोग्राम) और मंदाकिनी द्वारा स्कूलों के प्रदर्शन को निखारने में अहम भूमिका रही। एनवायरनमेंट एजुकेशन प्रोग्राम के जिला समन्वयक विजय पाल ने बताया कि भारत सरकार के पर्यावरण, वन और जलवायु परिवर्तन मंत्रालय के संस्थान सीएसई नई दिल्ली और पंजाब स्टेट काउंसिल फॉर साइंस एंड टेक्नोलॉजी चंडीगढ़ के दिशा-निर्देशों के अनुसार पंजाब के स्कूलों का ग्रीन स्कूल प्रोग्राम के तहत ऑडिट किया जाता है। स्कूलों के छह विभिन्न घटकों की जांच की जाती है जिनमें भूमि, पानी, कचरा, भोजन, ऊर्जा और वायु शामिल हैं। इन सभी विवरणों को भारत सरकार के पोर्टल पर नियमों के अनुसार अपलोड किया जाता है, जिसकी समीक्षा सीएसई नई दिल्ली द्वारा की जाती है। पूरे भारत में पंजाब के 237 स्कूल चुने गए, जिनमें से 218 सरकारी स्कूल हैं। पंजाब राज्य तीसरी बार राष्ट्रीय स्तर पर विजेता बना है। इंडिया हैबिटेट सेंटर, नई दिल्ली में महानिदेशक सुनीता नारायण और संयुक्त निदेशक कुलबीर सिंह बाठ द्वारा फाजिल्का के 11 स्कूलों को सम्मानित किया। सम्मानित होने वाले स्कूलों में सरकारी हाई स्कूल बनवाला हनवंता, सरकारी हाई स्कूल हीरां वाली, सरकारी हाई स्कूल मलूकपुर, सरकारी हाई स्कूल चुवाड़ियां वाली, सरकारी हाई स्कूल कटैहड़ा, सरकारी सीनियर सेकेंडरी स्कूल कीड़ियां वाली, सरकारी प्राइमरी स्कूल बहादुर खेड़ा, सरकारी सीनियर सेकेंडरी स्कूल बलेल के हसल, सरकारी सीनियर सेकेंडरी स्कूल कबूल शाह खुब्बण, सरकारी सीनियर सेकेंडरी स्कूल खुब्बण और सरकारी सीनियर सेकेंडरी स्कूल सीतो गुन्नो शामिल हैं। समारोह में सरकारी हाई स्कूल कटैहड़ा से गीतू चगती, सरकारी हाई स्कूल मलूकपुर से मनमोहन और सरकारी प्राइमरी स्कूल बहादुर खेड़ा से सुनील कुमार ने यह सम्मान प्राप्त किया। अवार्ड के लिए आवेदन करने से पहले सरकारी बांडीवाला स्कूल की मुख्य अध्यापिका पूनम, शिक्षक नरेश कुमार, अंकित सेठी और शिवम विखोना आदि द्वारा जिला स्तर पर ओरिएंटेशन प्रोग्राम आयोजित किया गया था, जिसमें अवार्ड के मानदंडों के बारे में विस्तार से बताया गया था। इस अवसर पर भारती फाउंडेशन से प्रदीप, दविंदर और मंगा सिंह (एजुकेटर मेंटर) का विशेष सहयोग रहा।

Devbhoomi: Beyond a Slogan, a Living Responsibility

The Landslide Atlas of India 2023 places both Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh among the country’s most landslide-prone states, while the State of India’s Environment Report 2024 highlights rising glacial lakes and rapid glacier retreat in the western Himalayas. An argument once shared between friends from Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh over who truly deserves the title of Devbhoomi may sound casual, even familiar. Yet, beneath that debate lies a much deeper question — one rooted not in rivalry, but in history, memory, and responsibility. Much like the age-old assertion, “Who is more Indian than us?”, the claim to Devbhoomi is not about superiority, but about continuity — about a civilisation shaped long before modern political boundaries were drawn. Ancient texts place nature, not structures, at the centre of sanctity. In the Mahabharata’s Shanti Parva, Bhishma tells Yudhishthira that lands through which sacred rivers flow are the most holy. Devbhoomi, therefore, is defined by rivers, mountains, forests, and balance — not by administrative boundaries or tourism statistics. It is not a label bestowed by governments but a condition sustained by protection. Yet governance today treats Devbhoomi as a branding exercise. Religious symbolism is amplified, while environmental safeguards are weakened. Across Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, unregulated tourism, aggressive construction, and infrastructure expansion in fragile zones continue without adequate ecological scrutiny. The result is predictable and already visible. Dehradun’s recent air quality index nearing 300 is not an anomaly; it is a warning. For mountain communities, environmental decline is lived daily — in drying springs, unstable slopes, recurring landslides, and increasingly erratic monsoons. If Devbhoomi is sacred, why are those who live closest to it paying the highest price for development decisions made elsewhere? Scientific assessments leave little room for denial. Studies by the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development and the World Bank describe the Himalayas as a “Himalayan Grey Zone,” warming faster than the global average. Black carbon from diesel emissions and stubble burning is accelerating snowmelt in regions such as Mussoorie and Shimla. The Landslide Atlas of India 2023 places both Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh among the country’s most landslide-prone states, while the State of India’s Environment Report 2024 highlights rising glacial lakes and rapid glacier retreat in the western Himalayas. Despite this, policy responses remain cosmetic. Environmental impact assessments are diluted, carrying-capacity studies are ignored, and disaster management remains reactive rather than preventive. Devbhoomi is celebrated in speeches and posters, but compromised in planning files. Pride without responsibility is hollow. If governments invoke Devbhoomi as cultural identity, they must also accept its ecological cost. Protecting rivers, regulating construction, enforcing tourism limits, and planning for climate resilience are not ideological choices — they are governance necessities. Devbhoomi cannot survive as a slogan. Essence without existence has no meaning. A land allowed to choke under pollution and destabilise under concrete cannot be preserved by symbolism alone. Devbhoomi must be recognised as a living ecological system, demanding science-based, accountable policy. Its protection cannot be confined by state borders or political convenience. If Devbhoomi is to endure beyond rhetoric, environmental protection must move from sentiment to statute. Anything less is not reverence — it is neglect.

Urban local bodies used over ₹7,000 crore to fight road dust, Lok Sabha told

HT had reported on July 20, 2024 that road dust mitigation has been the primary focus of the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), which was launched in 2019 as the first such effort to set clean air targets for 131 polluted cities and to reduce particulate pollution nationally, with much lower funding for combustion sources that emit pollutants, a Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) assessment had found. Urban local bodies have used ₹7,094.39 crores to control road dust, the union environment ministry told the Lok Sabha on Monday.Out of 130 cities, 48 million-plus cities/ urban agglomerations are funded under the XVth Finance Commission Million-Plus City Challenge Fund as an air quality performance grant, and the remaining 82 cities are funded under the Control of Pollution Scheme of MoEFCC. “Till date, ₹13,852.22 crore has been released to 130 cities under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) as critical gap funding to implement air pollution mitigation measures. Funds under NCAP are released to each cities for implementing the City Action Plan, which includes measures to control road dust as one of the components. Accordingly, information submitted by respective ULBs have been reported on the PRANA portal, ₹7,094.39 crore has been utilized for measures for control of road dust,” union minister of state Kirti Vardhan Singh said in a written response. He was responding to questions by Shiv Sena MPs Eknath Shinde and Ravindra Waikar on three issues: the detailed data on the funds sanctioned and disbursed for controlling road dust pollution, whether there has been a percentage reduction in road dust levels after the implementation of mechanised sweeping and water-sprinkling measures and if so, the details thereof, and the details of the innovative technologies or materials introduced to prevent dust resuspension on busy roads and construction-heavy areas, particularly in Mumbai, Thane, Raigad and Pune districts, among others. Findings of source apportionment studies conducted in cities under NCAP have revealed road dust is the major contributor and accounts for 20-60% of PM10 concentrations, the response said. City action plans implemented under NCAP address road dust control, construction and demolition activities, open waste burning, vehicular pollution and industrial pollution. The focused actions by 130 cities under NCAP have shown positive results with 103 cities showing reduction in PM10 concentration in 2024-25 with respect to 2017-18, 64 cities have shown reduction in PM10 levels by more than 20% with respect to base year 2017-18 and 25 of these cities have achieved a reduction of more than 40%. A total of 22 cities have met NAAQS and have PM10 concentrations less than 60 µg/m3, the response said. HT had reported on July 20, 2024 that road dust mitigation has been the primary focus of the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), which was launched in 2019 as the first such effort to set clean air targets for 131 polluted cities and to reduce particulate pollution nationally, with much lower funding for combustion sources that emit pollutants, a Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) assessment had found.

स्टालवार्ट्स वर्ल्ड स्कूल को मिला " ग्रीन स्कूल अवार्ड

अमृतसर| अमृतसर के स्टालवार्ट्स वर्ल्ड स्कूल ने शिक्षा के साथ-साथ पर्यावरण संरक्षण के क्षेत्र में राष्ट्रीय स्तर पर अपनी धाक जमाई है। सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरनमेंट द्वारा नई दिल्ली के इंडियन हैबिटेट सेंटर में आयोजित एक...

A world remade by rivalry: Each country must chart its own future

The old world is dying, the new world struggles to be born, and now is the time for monsters.” This quote by Italian philosopher Antonio Gramsci is frequently repeated in the political-policy world today. It is not off the mark. January 2026 has brought more turmoil and disruption to the existing world order. Speaking at the World Economic Forum (WEF), Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney delivered some home truths: That this is a rupture of the old; that the rule-based global order is gone, and it is not coming back. Let’s get this clear: It is now an established strongman’s world, in which each country must work out its own economic future, its alliances, and its own road to prosperity. The subtext is even more crucial — the scramble for supremacy between China and the United States will add to new tensions over territory, as we see in Venezuela and Greenland, and over technology, for instance, electric vehicles and renewable energy versus the combustion engine and oil, gas and coal. In this intense rivalry between nations, global cooperation — so needed for addressing existential challenges like climate change — is the loser. Let’s also be clear that this is no longer about the energy transition needed to combat climate change. It is about control over supply chains of raw materials, from rare-earths to coal and oil, and over processing capacity and technology. The divide between petro-states and electro-states is real, and the contest is brutal. Climate change is a collateral damage. The ultimate irony is why the Arctic (and Greenland) matters in today’s geopolitics. Because of climate change, this refrigerator of the world is melting, and ships can cross faster across continents over the “head” of the Earth. These routes are strategic as they provide Russia and China an advantage in reaching the Western Hemisphere. Receding ice will also expose the region’s oil and mineral wealth for exploitation. What is being lost is that this world’s refrigerator plays a crucial role in regulating the weather systems. But in this mercantile world order, all this seems to not matter anymore. It is all about making money, even out of global loss and devastation. Then there is the question of mineral extraction for the new-age green-tech world, and what this will mean for the search for territory and the environment. Till recently, it was widely considered that the world was approaching peak demand for minerals such as coal, iron-ore and bauxite. But with the drive towards electrification, green technology and artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure, it is now estimated that global demand for copper will double over the next decade or so. Countries with the largest copper reserves, Peru, Chile and the Democratic Republic of Congo, are therefore in the spotlight. China processes and refines roughly 50 per cent of global copper. With demand surging, more mines will open, often in dense forests and biodiversity-rich areas and there will be the need for copper smelters — facilities that require high investment to control pollution. The same is true for rare-earths, from lithium to graphite. China not only has a massive head start in securing these supply chains but is also the leader in green technology. Other countries are now in a tizzy to catch up—to find new mines and agreements. What this means for our future is already showing up in today’s skirmishes. In my mind, there are two overarching questions that will play out in our very real world. One, as countries rework global trade for on-shoring — make at home to secure supply chains and revive industrialisation — will richer countries, which once preferred off-shoring because of high environment and labour costs, now accept those costs domestically? Or will they rework standards for all and drive-up production costs across the world? The European Union’s Mercosur partnership with South America is being resisted by its farmers because of food-safety standards. Similarly, the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) is being pushed through, even though it will add to costs of decarbonisation on emerging world’s industry. The second question is what this great chasm—geopolitical rivalry combined with inward-looking economic policies — will mean for the growth of green technology, which is critical for climate change mitigation. At the WEF, the contrast was stark. On one side was the US-led fossil fuel push, and on the other, China’s vice-premier was urging countries to collaborate on “green infrastructure, green energy, green minerals and green finance”. Countries are caught between domestic and imported energy supplies, and between competing alliances they must trust for their future supply chains. Also, there is the question of what countries will manufacture domestically and if they can hold on to their industries in the face of Chinese competition. Last year, China had a record-breaking trade surplus of $1.2 trillion. It can produce and supply virtually everything at cheaper rates than most countries can. What does this mean for every country’s plan to increase domestic manufacturing and economic growth? A new world is coming. We need answers to ensure it is better for both people and the planet. The author is at the Centre for Science and Environment. sunita@cseindia.org, X: @sunitanar

KV 2 gets ‘Sterling School’ award by CSE

Kendriya Vidyalaya No. 2 (KV 2), Mangaluru, has been conferred with the ‘Sterling School’ award by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) under its Green Schools Programme, following a comprehensive Green School Audit. A release here said that the school was consistently rated as a Green School for the past five consecutive years, reflecting its sustained and systematic efforts towards environmental conservation and sustainable campus practices. The achievement is particularly significant as only two schools from Karnataka could secure this distinction for the academic year 2025–26. At the national level, only two Kendriya Vidyalayas across India were awarded this honour, the other being Kendriya Vidyalaya, Narela, West Delhi. The CSE appreciated the leadership of Principal Jaswinderlal, the committed efforts of the Green School Coordinator, Sujatha U. Nair and the active participation of the Green Team for implementing best practices in waste management, composting, rainwater harvesting, cleanliness drives, and energy conservation. CSE Director General Sunita Narain presented the award in New Delhi on January 30.

Air quality management allocation dips 10%, pollution control outlay down 2% in budget 2026-27

Air quality management suffered a nearly 10% dip in outlay under the Union Budget for 2026-27. Allocation to the central pollution control authority dipped slightly by 2%, DTE reported. The ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change’s overall allocation stood at Rs 3,759.46 crore, up 10% from the Budget Estimates for 2025-26. The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), under the ministry, has been allocated Rs 35.26 crore for the upcoming year, down from the Rs 38.98 crore in the BE for 2025-26. The outlay is, however, a rise from the Rs 31.26 crore in the Revised Estimate (RE) for last year. The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) saw an outlay of Rs 123 crore, a marginal dip from Rs 123 crore in BE for 2025-26, but a rise from the RE of Rs 116 crore, the outlet said. Budget 2026-27: ₹ 20,000 crore to accelerate carbon capture in heavy industry Budget 2026-27 allocated Rs 20,000 crore to accelerate carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) technologies in heavy industry. Investment is aimed at bridging the gap between pilot projects and commercially viable, large-scale systems, DTE reported. The move targets sectors like steel and cement, which are crucial for industrial decarbonisation and economic competitiveness, the outlet added. New waste management rules implement polluter pays principle and defines bulk waste generators Centre has approved Solid Waste Management (SWM) Rules, 2026 for processing of waste by bulk waste generators under extended bulk waste generator responsibility (EBWGR), both expanding the definition of bulk waste generators and introducing the polluter-pays concept for the first time, reported the HT. The outlet explained that “bulk waste generators include entities with a floor area of 20,000 square metres or more, or water consumption of 40,000 litres per day or more, or solid waste generation of 100 kg per day or more.” In the older solid waste management rules 2016, the bulk waste generator definition did not specify the floor area or water consumption limits of entities. The new rules have a broader definition -- which mean more entities will now be classified bulk waste generators. The new rules include provisions for implementation of “polluter pays” principle. Now environmental compensation will be levied on entities carrying out activities without registration; providing false information or ; and submitting forged or manipulated documents. Also, now bulk waste generators will have to register themselves with the concerned local body through a centralised online porta. The newspaper explained that the new rules, shift the burden of processing waste from overextended municipal governments to large-scale commercial and residential entities that produce it. If they can’t process it on-site, they must hire professional waste managers and obtain an EBWGR (extended bulk waste generator responsibility) certificate to demonstrate that their waste was handled safely. The new rules will come into effect from April 1 and will integrate the principles of the circular economy and extended producer responsibility.

Budget cuts pollution control allocation

The Union Budget 2026–27 on Sunday cut allocation for pollution control at a time when the toxic air quality of Delhi-NCR and the Indo-Gangetic Plains has set off alarm bells on an unfolding public health crisis. The Centre has allocated Rs.1,091 crore for pollution control in FY 2026–27, which is Rs 209 crore lower than the revised estimates of Rs 1,300 crore in 2025-26 that was increased from the allocated Rs 853.9 crore that year. The allocation falls under the Control of Pollution scheme, which funds pollution control boards, committees and the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), India's flagship initiative to reduce particulate pollution in non-attainment cities. The NCAP monitors pollution in 82 cities. The decision triggered sharp criticism from environmental experts. They said the absence of a targeted approach for regions facing the worst pollution was a major gap. Sunil Dahiya of Envirocatalysts pointed out that the Budget failed to address the regional nature of the crisis. "There is no dedicated allocation for Delhi-NCR or north India, even as air pollution remains a recurring health emergency. Emission reduction at source needs strong policies and financial backing, which are missing," he said. Dahiya added that while the overall Control of Pollution head showed a marginal rise, NCAP's funding across the 82 cities is lower this time than last year's revised estimates, which is a worrying signal. He also flagged the absence of focused support for EV infrastructure, calling this a "significant miss". Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director at the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), aired similar concerns. She said the allocation did not match the scale of the crisis. "The decline in budgetary support has raised doubts about how NCAP 2.0 can be expanded without a commensurate increase in central funding, even if convergence with other sectors is planned," she said. Environmental activist Amit Gupta found the budget "deeply disappointing". "The NCAP allocation was cut by nearly Rs 200 crore. What is even more alarming is that in FY 2024–25, only Rs 16 crore was spent against an allocation of Rs 900 crore." While the budget boosts clean energy spending, experts argued that this did not translate into a strong anti-air pollution strategy. Aarti Khosla, founder and director of Climate Trends, noted that a record allocation was made for rooftop solar panels, but more could be done. "This shows intent for energy transition, but given the extent of air pollution, stronger measures such as accelerating EV adoption and fast-charging infrastructure were needed," she said. Vibhuti, director (south Asia) at IEEFA, said transport electrification remained a missed opportunity. "EVs can deliver immediate public health benefits, yet the budget support remained weak," she said. However, some increases were seen for regulatory bodies. The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) received Rs 35.26 crore, a Rs 4 crore jump; CPCB received Rs 123 crore against Rs 116.2 crore in FY 2025–26, and allocations for environmental education and capacity building also rose. Rs 104 crore was allocated for environment education, awareness, research and skill development, a jump of Rs 29 crore against 2025-26. A jump of Rs 33.8 crore was seen in environmental knowledge and capacity building (Rs 102.7 crore) for FY 2026–27.

मोदी सरकार के नए बजट में एयर पॉल्यूशन से निपटने को लेकर फंड में कमी, एक्सपर्टस ने उठाए सवाल

CSE की कार्यकारी निदेशक ने क्या कहा सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरनमेंट (CSE) की कार्यकारी निदेशक अनुमिता रॉयचौधरी ने भी इसी तरह की चिंताएं व्यक्त कीं। उन्होंने कहा कि आवंटन संकट के पैमाने से मेल नहीं खाता। उन्होंने कहा कि बजटीय सपोर्ट में गिरावट ने इस बारे में संदेह पैदा कर दिया है कि NCAP 2.0 का विस्तार केंद्रीय फंडिंग में समान वृद्धि के बिना कैसे किया जा सकता है, भले ही अन्य क्षेत्रों के साथ तालमेल की योजना बनाई गई हो। नई दिल्ली: ऐसे समय में जब दिल्ली-एनसीआर समेत गंगा नदी के मैदानी इलाकों में एयर क्वालिटी बेहद गंभीर दौर से गुजर रही। वायु प्रदूषण से लोगों की मुश्किलें बढ़ी हुई हैं। ऐसे में लोगों को उम्मीद थी कि आम बजट 2026-27 में बड़े ऐलान हो सकते हैं। हालांकि,वित्त मंत्री निर्मला सीतारमण के रविवार को पेश किए गए बजट में प्रदूषण नियंत्रण के लिए आवंटन में कटौती की गई है। केंद्र सरकार ने वित्त वर्ष 2026-27 के लिए प्रदूषण नियंत्रण के लिए 1,091 करोड़ रुपये आवंटित किए हैं। ये 2025-26 के संशोधित अनुमान 1300 करोड़ रुपये से 209 करोड़ रुपये कम है, जिसे उस साल आवंटित 853.9 करोड़ रुपये से बढ़ाया गया था। एयर पॉल्यूशन से निपटने के लिए फंड में कमी यह आवंटन प्रदूषण नियंत्रण योजना के तहत आता है, जो प्रदूषण नियंत्रण बोर्ड, समितियों और राष्ट्रीय स्वच्छ वायु कार्यक्रम को फंड देता है। ये गैर-प्राप्ति शहरों में पार्टिकुलेट प्रदूषण को कम करने के लिए भारत की प्रमुख पहल है। NCAP 82 शहरों में प्रदूषण की निगरानी करता है। इस फैसले से पर्यावरण विशेषज्ञों ने कड़ी आलोचना की। उन्होंने कहा कि सबसे खराब प्रदूषण का सामना कर रहे क्षेत्रों के लिए लक्षित दृष्टिकोण की कमी एक बड़ी कमी है।

Gian Jyoti Global School Honoured with National Green School Award

Mohali, February 2, 2026: Gian Jyoti Global School, Phase II, Mohali, has achieved a prestigious milestone by being awarded the National Green School Award for its outstanding contribution towards environmental protection and sustainable development. The award was presented during a national-level ceremony organized by the Government of India at Stein Auditorium, India Habitat Centre, New Delhi. The award was received by Principal Gian Jyot, representing the institution. Notably, Gian Jyoti Global School is the only private school from Mohali district to receive this honour. A total of 23 schools from the district were awarded, all of which were government schools except Gian Jyoti Global School. This achievement highlights the school’s strong commitment to environmental responsibility and sustainable practices. The award is based on a rigorous Green School Audit conducted under the guidelines of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India. The school demonstrated excellence through several impactful initiatives, including the development of a Zero-Waste Campus, successfully recycling and composting over 90 percent of its waste. By adopting solar energy, the school has reduced its conventional electricity consumption by nearly 30 percent. To conserve water, an advanced Rainwater Harvesting System has been installed on the campus. Additionally, the school has been declared completely Single-Use Plastic Free. This recognition is conferred under the Environment Education Programme of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and is jointly implemented by the Punjab State Council for Science and Technology, Chandigarh, and the Centre for Science and Environment, New Delhi. Expressing pride over the achievement, J.S. Bedi, Chairman, Gian Jyoti Group, stated that students at Gian Jyoti Global School are introduced to environmental protection, recycling, water and energy conservation, and eco-friendly practices from an early age. He added that this collective effort by the school management, teachers, students, and parents has positioned the school as a model institution in environmental education and a step towards nurturing responsible future citizens.

Fly ash draft notification fails to address concerns

The Union Government recently issued a draft amendment notification regarding the eco-friendly utilisation of ash (fly ash and bottom ash), which are by-products of coal and lignite thermal power plants (TPPs). The draft mandates 100% utilisation of fly ash and promotes sustainable practices while conserving topsoil. Fly ash, which makes up about 80% of the total ash generated, consists of fine, powdery particles that are carried away with flue gases. Bottom ash, accounting for approximately 20% of the total ash in a TPP, is a coarse, gravel-like residue that settles at the bottom of a coal furnace. A 2020 report by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), a New Delhi-based non-profit environmental policy think tank, found that only about 50-60% of the total fly ash generated by the power sector is currently utilised. Various media reports and experts associated with TPPs have noted that the usage of ash is quite uneven. Some TPPs manage to utilise as much as 98% of their fly ash, while the majority utilise around 50%. Less than adequate utilisation of fly ash is prevalent in clustered TPP areas, where multiple power plants exist in districts such as Korba, Talcher and Nagpur. In these clusters, the utilisation level is often below 40%. One of the significant challenges in using ash is its transportation. Fly ash is now being primarily used in industries such as cement, brick, ready-mix concrete, and for constructing roads and flyover embankments. While the industry sees profitable opportunities for fly ash in industrial applications, they find it uneconomical for use in abandoned mining fill sites. Fly ash poses adverse environmental and health impacts due to its hazardous nature. Improper disposal and non-utilisation can result in severe air and water pollution. In addition to lime, silica and alumina, fly ash contains toxic heavy metals such as lead, mercury, arsenic and hexavalent chromium, all of which are known carcinogens. The presence of fly ash also diminishes the fertility of nearby agricultural lands, and residents living within a 5 km radius often report respiratory disorders due to emissions. In addition to health and environmental impacts, several significant coal ash pond accidents have occurred across the country over the last 15 years, affecting both utility thermal plants and captive power plants. Minor incidents involving fly ash occur regularly but often go unreported. The new draft recognises the concerns raised by various stakeholders regarding the implementation of the Ash Utilization Notification of 2021. The notification requires all mines — regardless of whether they are operated by the government, public, or private sector — to backfill voids or stow both operating and abandoned mines located within a 300 km radius (by road) of coal or lignite thermal power plants with fly ash.

KV-2 wins sterling school award

Mangaluru: PM SHRI Kendriya Vidyalaya No 2, Yekkur, Mangaluru brought laurels to Karnataka by winning the Sterling School Award under the Green Schools Programme of the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE). The recognition followed a rigorous Green School audit and highlighted the school's consistent environmental commitment, as it was rated a Green School for five consecutive years. Notably, only two schools from Karnataka received the honour for 2025–26; KV-2 was one of them, and the other was a private institution from Bengaluru. The principal of the school, Jaswinderlal, said that at the national level, only two KVs across India received this honour, the other being Kendriya Vidyalaya, Narela, West Delhi. "A total of 2,000 schools from across the country take part in the programme, which has several other categories, and Green School is one of them. We were selected for Sterling School under the programme," he said. The Green School coordinator is Sujatha U Nair, and the green team actively participated in implementing best practices in waste management, composting, rainwater harvesting, cleanliness drives, and energy conservation. The principal said that the school conducted various activities, and strives to meet all parameters to win the award every year. Besides waste management and maintaining good cleanliness, it also has a kitchen garden on the campus. "This recognition reinforces the KV's commitment to promoting environmental responsibility and motivates the school to continue imbibing sustainable practices for a greener future," he said. The award was presented by Sunita Narain, director general, Centre for Science and Environment, at a formal ceremony in New Delhi.