Out of the 1,689 projects that the environment ministry decided upon from 2008 up to August 2011, only 19 were rejected. The ministry cleared 186 thermal power plants in the same period. Another 641 building and construction projects got the nod from the government and not a single project was rejected. Forty-five hydroelectric projects were given green sanction without any rejection.
Erstwhile environment minister Jairam Ramesh had led a high-pitched debate with his colleagues and industry on clearances but the data suggests that the rejection rate in his tenure was as low or even lower than that during his predecessors.
The environment ministry provides two kinds of clearances to projects - forestry clearance under the Forest Conservation Act and environmental clearances under the Environment Protection Act. Additionally, some projects on the coastline also require coastal regulatory zone clearance under the Environment Protection Act. Read the full report here.
Source: Nitin Sethi, TNN, New Delhi.
