Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change
Emblem of India
Agency overview
Formed1985 (1985)
JurisdictionGovernment of India
HeadquartersIndira Paryavaran Bhavan, Jorbagh Road, New Delhi[1]
Annual budget₹2,870 crore (US$360 million) (2021–22 est.)[2]
Ministers responsible
Agency executives
  • Leena Nandan, IAS, Secretary (EF&CC)
  • C. P. Goyal, IFoS, Director General of Forests and Special Secretary
Websitemoef.gov.in

The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) is an Indian government ministry. This ministry is headed by Secretary Rank senior most IAS officer. The ministry portfolio is currently held by Bhupender Yadav, Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.[3]

The ministry is responsible for planning, promoting, coordinating, and overseeing the implementation of environmental and forestry programmes in the country. The main activities undertaken by the ministry include conservation and survey of the flora of India and fauna of India, forests and other wilderness areas; prevention and control of pollution; Indian Himalayan Environment and its sustainable development;afforestation, and land degradation mitigation. It is responsible for the administration of the national parks of India.

Prakash Javadekar meeting with US Secretary of State John Kerry at COP21 in Paris.

The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change is the cadre controlling authority of the Indian Forest Service (IFoS), one of the three All India Services.

History

Environmental debates were first introduced into the national political agenda during Indira Gandhi's first term as Prime Minister of India. The 4th Five-Year Plan (1969–74), for example, proclaimed "harmonious development [...] on the basis of a comprehensive appraisal of environmental issues." In 1977 (during the Emergency) Gandhi added Article 48A to the constitution stating that: "The State shall endeavour to protect and improve the environment and to safeguard the forests and wildlife of the country." The same decree transferred wildlife and forests from state list to concurrent list of the constitution, thus giving the central government the power to overrule state decisions on that matter. Such political and constitutional changes prepared the groundwork for the creation of a federal Department of Environment in 1980, turned into the Ministry of Environment and Forests in 1985.[4] Although tackling climate change was already a responsibility of the ministry, its priority was raised when in May 2014 the ministry was renamed to the current title of Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.[5]

Administration

The forest administration is based on demarcation of states into Forest Divisions which consists of Forest Ranges. Forest Beats under Ranges are the smallest unit of administration hierarchy. Natural features on the field form the boundaries of each beat which has an average area of around 16 km square.[6]

Organisation

Cabinet Ministers

  • Note:
    • MoS, I/C – Minister of State (Independent Charge)
    • † Died in office
Portrait Minister
(Birth-Death)
Constituency		 Term of office Political party Ministry Prime Minister
From To Period
Minister of Environment and Forests
Rajiv Gandhi
(1944–1991)
MP for Amethi
(Prime Minister)		 31 December
1984		 22 October
1986		 1 year, 295 days Indian National Congress (I) Rajiv II Rajiv Gandhi
Bhajan Lal
(1930–2011)
Rajya Sabha MP for Haryana		 22 October
1986		 14 February
1988		 1 year, 115 days
Ziaur Rahman Ansari
(1925–1992)
MP for Unnao
(MoS, I/C until 25 June 1988)		 14 February
1988		 2 December
1989		 1 year, 291 days
V. P. Singh
(1931–2008)
MP for Fatehpur
(Prime Minister)		 2 December
1989		 23 April
1990		 142 days Janata Dal Vishwanath V. P. Singh
Nilamani Routray
(1920–2004)
MP for Puri		 23 April
1990		 10 November
1990		 201 days
Maneka Gandhi
(born 1956)
MP for Pilibhit
(MoS, I/C)		 10 November
1990		 21 June
1991		 223 days Samajwadi Janata Party (Rashtriya) Chandra Shekhar Chandra Shekhar
Kamal Nath
(born 1946)
MP for Chhindwara
(MoS, I/C)		 21 June
1991		 15 September
1995		 4 years, 86 days Indian National Congress Rao P. V. Narasimha Rao
Rajesh Pilot
(1945–2000)
MP for Dausa
(MoS, I/C)		 15 September
1995		 16 May
1996		 244 days
Atal Bihari Vajpayee
(1924–2018)
MP for Lucknow
(Prime Minister)		 16 May
1996		 1 June
1996		 16 days Bharatiya Janata Party Vajpayee I Atal Bihari Vajpayee
H. D. Deve Gowda
(born 1933)
Unelected
(Prime Minister)		 1 June
1996		 29 June
1996		 28 days Janata Dal Deve Gowda H. D. Deve Gowda
Jai Narain Prasad Nishad
(1930–2018)
MP for Muzaffarpur
(MoS, I/C)		 29 June
1996		 21 February
1997		 237 days
Saifuddin Soz
(born 1937)
Rajya Sabha MP for Jammu and Kashmir		 21 February
1997		 21 April
1997		 1 year, 26 days Jammu and Kashmir National Conference
21 April
1997		 19 March
1998		 Gujral Inder Kumar Gujral
Suresh Prabhu
(born 1953)
MP for Rajapur		 19 March
1998		 13 October
1999		 1 year, 208 days Shiv Sena Vajpayee II Atal Bihari Vajpayee
T. R. Baalu
(born 1941)
MP for Chennai South		 13 October
1999		 21 December
2003		 4 years, 69 days Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam Vajpayee III
Atal Bihari Vajpayee
(1924–2018)
MP for Lucknow
(Prime Minister)		 21 December
2003		 9 January
2004		 19 days Bharatiya Janata Party
Ramesh Bais
(born 1947)
MP for Raipur
(MoS, I/C)		 9 January
2004		 22 May
2004		 134 days
A. Raja
(born 1963)
MP for Perambalur		 23 May
2004		 15 May
2007		 2 years, 357 days Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam Manmohan I Manmohan Singh
Manmohan Singh
(born 1932)
Rajya Sabha MP for Assam
(Prime Minister)		 15 May
2007		 22 May
2009		 2 years, 7 days Indian National Congress
Jairam Ramesh
(born 1954)
Rajya Sabha MP for Andhra Pradesh
(MoS, I/C)		 22 May
2009		 12 July
2011		 2 years, 51 days Manmohan II
Jayanthi Natarajan
(born 1954)
Rajya Sabha MP for Tamil Nadu
(MoS, I/C)		 12 July
2011		 21 December
2013		 2 years, 162 days
Veerappa Moily
(born 1940)
MP for Chikballapur		 21 December
2013		 26 May
2014		 156 days
Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change
Prakash Javadekar
(born 1951)
Rajya Sabha MP for Madhya Pradesh
(MoS, I/C)		 26 May
2014		 5 July
2016		 2 years, 40 days Bharatiya Janata Party Modi I Narendra Modi
Anil Madhav Dave
(1956–2017)
Rajya Sabha MP for Madhya Pradesh
(MoS, I/C)		 5 July
2016		 18 May
2017[†]		 317 days
Harsh Vardhan
(born 1954)
MP for Chandni Chowk		 18 May
2017		 30 May
2019		 2 years, 12 days
Prakash Javadekar
(born 1951)
Rajya Sabha MP for Maharashtra		 31 May
2019		 7 July
2021		 2 years, 37 days Modi II
Bhupender Yadav
(born 1969)
Rajya Sabha MP for Rajasthan		 7 July
2021		 Incumbent 2 years, 192 days

Ministers of State

Portrait Minister
(Birth-Death)
Constituency		 Term of office Political party Ministry Prime Minister
From To Period
Minister of State for Environment and Forests
Vir Sen
MP for Khurja		 31 December
1984		 25 September
1985		 268 days Indian National Congress (R) Rajiv II Rajiv Gandhi
Ziaur Rahman Ansari
(1925–1992)
MP for Unnao		 25 September
1985		 14 February
1988		 2 years, 142 days
Sumati Oraon
(born 1935)
MP for Lohardaga		 4 July
1989		 2 December
1989		 151 days
Maneka Gandhi
(born 1956)
MP for Pilibhit		 6 December
1989		 6 November
1990		 335 days Janata Dal V. P. Singh V. P. Singh
Jai Narain Prasad Nishad
(1930–2018)
MP for Muzaffarpur		 1 June
1996		 29 June
1996		 28 days Janata Dal Deve Gowda H. D. Deve Gowda
Babulal Marandi
(born 1958)
MP for Dumka		 19 March
1998		 13 October
1999		 2 years, 233 days Bharatiya Janata Party Vajpayee II Atal Bihari Vajpayee
13 October
1999		 7 November
2000		 Vajpayee III
Dilip Singh Judeo
(1949–2013)
MP for Chhattisgarh (Rajya Sabha)		 29 January
2003		 17 November
2003		 292 days
Namo Narain Meena
(born 1943)
MP for Sawai Madhopur		 23 May
2004		 22 May
2009		 4 years, 364 days Indian National Congress Manmohan I Manmohan Singh
S. Regupathy
(born 1950)
MP for Pudukkottai		 15 May
2007		 22 May
2009		 2 years, 7 days Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change
Mahesh Sharma
(born 1959)
MP for Gautam Buddh Nagar		 3 September
2017		 30 May
2019		 1 year, 269 days Bharatiya Janata Party Modi I Narendra Modi
Babul Supriyo
(born 1970)
MP for Asansol		 31 May
2019		 7 July
2021		 2 years, 37 days Modi II
Ashwini Kumar Choubey
(born 1953)
MP for Buxar		 7 July
2021		 Incumbent 2 years, 192 days

Initiatives

In August 2019 Ministry of Environment released the Draft National Resource Efficiency Policy. It is a set of guidelines which envisions a future with environmentally sustainable and equitable economic growth. The policy is guided by principle of reduction in primary resource consumption; creation of higher value with less material through resource efficient circular approach; waste minimization; material security and creation of employment opportunities and business model beneficial to cause of environment protection and restoration. It was based on the report of NITI Aayog and European Union titled, The strategy on resource efficiency. The policy seeks to set up a National Resource Efficiency Authority with core working group housed in the Ministry. It also plans to offer tax benefits on recycled materials and soft loans to set up waste disposal and material recovery facilities.[9][10]

As of 8th December 2021, some states have received more than Rupees 47,000 crore for afforestation. The states are directed to channel this amount as compensatory afforestation which shall be used for plantations, assisted natural forest regeneration, forest fire-prevention, pest and disease control in forest, and expedite soil and moisture conservation works.

References

  1. ↑ "Contact Us | Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Government of India". Moef.gov.in. 31 July 2015. Retrieved 16 June 2016.
  2. ↑ "MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE DEMAND NO. 27 : Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change" (web). Indiabudget.gov.in. Retrieved 16 August 2018.
  3. ↑ "Following Anil Daves death, Dr Harsh Vardhan gets additional charge of environment". Indiatoday.intoday.in. Retrieved 16 August 2018.
  4. ↑ Sanjeev Khagram (2004) "Dams and Development", New York, Cornell University Press, ISBN 978-0-8014-8907-5
  5. ↑ "Ministry of environment and forests undergoes a nomenclature change". The Economic Times. 28 May 2014. Retrieved 4 December 2016.
  6. ↑ Jhala, Yadvendradev Vikramsinh; Qureshi, Qamar; Nayak, Anup Kumar, eds. (July 2020). Status of tigers, copredators and prey in India, 2018 (First ed.). National Tiger Conservation Authority, Government of India, New Delhi, and Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun. ISBN 8185496501.
  7. ↑ "About ENVIS".
  8. ↑ "Tropical Botanic Garden and Research Institute | Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Government of India". Envfor.nic.in. Retrieved 16 June 2016.
  9. ↑ "Comments called for on the Draft National Resource Efficiency Policy Released". Press Information Bureau. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
  10. ↑ "EU-India joint declaration on resource efficiency and circular economy(PDF)". Consilium.europa.eu. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
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