Natarajan's priority areas include greater convergence between forestry and the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Scheme, bringing in an environmental component in ministries like rural development, health, water resources and agriculture, river cleaning, creating a bio-diversity index that would form the basis of afforestation efforts and building up climate change or environmental warriors to deal with issues at the grassroot or panchayat level.
The shift is clear - the focus is on areas that don't necessarily put environmental protection against the government's plans for a 9% plus growth path.
The environment minister has repeatedly clarified that she has no intention of undoing the "good work" that the ministry has done. At the recent GoM on "go/no-go" forest areas for coal mining, Natarajan agreed to review the ministry's clearance-related orders. Read the full report here.
Source: ET Bureau, Economic Times, New Delhi.
