Environmental Governance Newsletter - April 2016

TOP STORY
 
Chhattisgarh cancels forest rights of tribals in Surguja
Activists claim the move was in response to the tribals' protest against mining in their forest
 
Mining
 
Fight for Khandadhar
Once rescued from Korean company POSCO, Odisha's ecologically rich Khandadhar hills have now been handed over to the state's mining body. Tribal communities in the region gear up for another round of fight to save their rivers and land
 
 
OMC moves Supreme Court seeking fresh palli sabhas in Niyamgiri
The application is yet to be listed for hearing and any formal comment could be made only after the apex court hears the matter
 
 
REGULATORY WATCH
 
MoEFCC deals death blow to Madhya Pradesh's tourism promotion plan
Sources said the underlying objective behind the proposal was to "rejuvenate" degraded forest areas in order to take off pressure from existing tiger reserves
 
 
Art of gobbling up Yamuna floodplain
Without proper mapping and a plan for its acceptable use, no one can prevent the Yamuna floodplain from being gobbled up
 
 
Banks at a loss
Piling up non-performing assets serve as a lesson for banks to do social and environmental impact assessments of projects more rigorously
 
 
Fiscal branch
For the first time, the 14th Finance Commission gave forests weightage in determining states' share in the Union tax revenue. Whether this will aid conservation remains to be seen
 
Court Watch
 
SC vacates Madras HC order staying issue of pattas to forest dwellers
The Madras High Court had passed an interim order in April 2008 staying the issue of pattas in Tamil Nadu without its permission
Green Clearance Watch
 
Forest Clearance Analysis for January - March, 2016
CSE carried out analysis of final approvals, also called Stage 2clearances, awarded to small and large projects (below and above 40 Ha respectively) between 1st January, 2016 to 22nd March, 2016.
 
Environmental Clearance Analysis for January- March 2016
CSE analysed the status of environmental clearances (ECs) for the period January- March 2016 cleared by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC).
Forest Governance
   
Parliamentary panel gives more teeth to Compensatory Afforestation Fund
However the panel’s report tabled in this budget session misses the forests for the trees
 
 
21 villages inside Simlipal Tiger Reserve granted community forest rights
Exercising the rights however, might prove to be a challenge
 

Editor's Note
chandra_bhushanDear Friends,
During the past few months, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has come out with a series of rules and regulations on industrial pollution and waste management. Rules for plastic, biomedical and e-waste management have been issued and rules to manage municipal solid waste are scheduled to be notified shortly....
- Chandra Bhushan
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Trainings
Trainings Archive
Training Programme on Environmental and Social Responsibility in Project Financing
Feb.5-6, 2016
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Training Programme on Functional Area - Water Pollution Monitoring, Prevention & control (wp)
February 20- 22, 2016
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Roadmap for Brick Kiln Sector: Challenges and Opportunities
February 8, 2016
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Experience Sharing Workshop on Compliance Monitoring & Enforcement: Challenges & Prospects for African Nations Nairobi, Kenya
March 14-1, 2016
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Two Days Training Programme on E-waste for GAIL Officials
February 22-23, 2016
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Two Week Foundation Course & One Week Specialization Course for Environmental Regulators on Compliance, Monitoring & Enforcement
February 1-19, 2016
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Waste Management
New plastic waste management rules leave out vital points One aspect that was not dealt with was the informal sector of waste collection
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New E-waste rules announced
Compared to the E-Waste (Management & Handling) Rules, 2011, these seem to be a welcome change.
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Recycling the bin
Several initiatives are demonstrating how the informal e-waste recycling sector can be formalised
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CSE welcomes new bio-medical waste management rules
There has been a reduction in waste categorisation from the existing 10 categories to four which is a good step, says non-profit
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Global News
What India can learn from failure of European forests to mitigate climate change
Replacing native species of natural forests with exotic ones reduces their effectiveness as carbon sinks
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Agreement likely between Brazil and mining company over dam collapse
A tailings dam had collapsed in November 2015 that killed 16 people and polluted nearby areas
Read more >>