A. Policies & Laws at Central & State level for
environmental protection
In India, environment protection finds its place under the
Indian Constitution. Article 21 of the Indian Constitution
enshrines Right to Life as a fundamental right of citizens and
has been broadly interpreted by the Indian judiciary to
encompass, amongst others, right to clean environment, right to
livelihood and right to live with dignity. Under the directive
principlescc, forming part of the Indian Constitution, the States
are duty bound to protect and improve the environment and
safeguard the forests and wildlife and it is a duty of every
citizen to protect and improve the national environment
including forests, lakes, rivers and wildlife, and to have
compassion for living creatures. Further, under the Indian
Constitution dd , local bodies consisting of elected
representatives have been entrusted with the responsibility of
safeguarding the local environmental capital stocks.
India is also a signatory to a number of multilateral
environmental agreements and conventionsee, including the UN
Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)ff, the
Kyoto Protocolgg and the Convention on Biological Diversity
(CBD)hh. India is also a Party to related conventions, namely
the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species
of Wild Flora and Faunaii, the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands
of International Importance, and the Convention on Migratory
Species.
India has set out an elaborate set of policies with respect to
conservation and governance of environment. One of the
prominent legislations is the National Environmental Policy,
2006. The National Environment Policy, 2006 is intended as a
guide and is based on the spirit of sustainable developmentjj.
Some of the principal objectives of the said policy are to
protect and conserve critical ecological systems and resources,
to ensure equitable access to environmental resources and
quality for all sections of society, to ensure judicious use of
environmental resources to meet the needs and aspirations of
the present and future generations and to integrate
environmental concerns into policies, plans, programmes, and
projects for economic and social development.
The National Forest Policy, 1988 was prepared with the
primary objective of ensuring environmental stability and
maintenance of ecological balance including atmospheric
equilibrium which are vital for sustenance of all life forms,