Ministry of Environment and Forests (India)

The Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) is an Indian government ministry. The Minister of Environment and Forests holds cabinet rank as a member of the Council of Ministers. The ministry portfolio is currently held by Jayanthi Natarajan, Union Minister of Environment and Forests, who is assisted by two Ministers of State.

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; afforestation, and land degradation mitigation. It is responsible for the administration of the national parks of India.

The Civil Services (Indian Forest Service) is under the administration and supervision of the Ministry of Environment and Forests.

Contents

History

Indira Gandhi's prime-ministership (1966 – 1977 and 1980 – 1984) introduced environmental debates into the national political agenda. The 4th Five Year Plan (1969-74), for example, proclaimed “harmonious development [...] on the basis of a comprehensive appraisal of environmental issues.” In 1976 (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. [1]

Organization

List of environment ministers of India

Period Minister
2011-current Jayanthi Natarajan
2009-2011 Jairam Ramesh

References

  1. ^ Sanjeev Khagram (2004) "Dams and Development", New York, Cornell University Press, ISBN 978-0801489075

See also

External links

It has some influence on agricultural ministry of India