Modi government disregarded environment in the past; will it be any different this time?

India’s abysmal performance in the 2024 Yale’s Environmental Performance Index is a stark reminder of the Modi government’s failure to prioritise environmental protection. Despite lofty claims, India ranks 176th out of 180 countries, with a score of 27.6.

India is behind neighbours Afghanistan (171), Bangladesh (175, & Nepal (165). The drastic fall in India’s ecological standing is encapsulated in the Environmental Performance Index (EPI), an international ranking system that measures the environmental health and sustainability of countries.

According to EPI 2022, India ranked the lowest among 180 countries, after Vietnam (178), Bangladesh (177), and Pakistan (176).

The Environment Ministry made radical changes to the country’s environmental law regime, including changes in the crucial Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.

The changes were made to make it easier to develop infrastructure and industrial projects, even in environmentally sensitive areas.

Even as the country witnessed enormous forest fires and 20% forest degradation in the past years, according to Global Forests Watch, the Central government is aiming to dilute the Forest Conservation Act, 1980, and limit the role of state governments in forest affairs.

More than 60% of the forest area in the country falls within 187 tribal districts. Perhaps the most damaging of all decisions taken by the erstwhile Modi government are the proposed changes to the environmental impact assessment (EIA) process, which was originally designed to safeguard the country’s diverse ecology.

In March 2021, the MoEFCC issued a revised draft policy on evaluating the environmental impact of large projects, meant to replace the 2006 regulations currently in use, which will legally grant industrial, mining and infrastructure projects access to land, water, forests and other environmental resources. 

In August 2014, the number of independent members in the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) was reduced from 15 to just three.

By 2019, the NBWL approved just fewer than 100% of all industrial projects, which were given environmental clearance. A total of 682 projects were allowed from the 687 it had to examine. In contrast, under UPA-2, only 80% of the projects secured clearance 260 out of 328.

In January, the Supreme Court stayed the implementation of two office memoranda issued by the MoEFCC in July 2021 and January 2022, offering ex post facto environmental clearance of projects.

The most disturbing is the trajectory of development and growth in the Himalayas. In 2016, Prime Minister Modi announced the Char Dham Yatra route, estimated to cost about 12,000 crore.

Unfortunately, 508.66 hectares of forested land will be diverted to non-forestry work and 33,000-43,000 trees will be cut down to construct roads. Not to mention, the onslaught of hundreds of hydropower projects across the eco-fragile Himalayan states.

Another reform of far-reaching magnitude is the government’s decision to approve a slew of big-ticket changes in the mining sector, including amendments to the Mines and Mineral (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957 (MMDR Act).

The proposed ‘reforms’ propose doing away with the distinction between captive and non-captive mines, and re-allocating blocks held by state-owned firms, opening the gates for private players via the auction route.

Although the Modi government has publicly advocated clean power and committed to increasing India’s renewable energy target to 450 gigawatt (GW);in reality it has continued the push for coal-based thermal projects.

With the BJP now with a reduced strength and a new coalition NDA government, under the same Modi, will India see any improvements in environmental protection?