Nirmala Sitharaman is the Union Finance Minister. She has allocated Rs 3,030 Crore to the ministry for fiscal year 2022-23. Of this, Rs 460 Crore were allotted to pollution control. This is Rs 10 crore less that the Budget last year.
In her speech, she highlighted India’s commitment in reducing its carbon footprint and stated that the Budget proposes a number of near-term as well as long-term actions.
“The greatest negative externalities that can affect India and other countries are climate change’s risks. At the COP26 summit in Glasgow last Nov, the prime minister stated that ‘what is required today is mindful and deliberate utilisation instead of mindless, destructive consumption.
“The low carbon development strategy that he outlined in the Panchamrit is a clear reflection of our government’s strong commitment to sustainable growth. This strategy opens up enormous employment opportunities and will lead the country to a sustainable development path. Sitharaman stated that the budget proposes a number of short-term and long-term measures.
The budgetary allocation for “climate action plan” was maintained by the finance minister at Rs 30 Crore.
The Union Budget also cut the budgetary allocation for Commission for Air Quality Management, a statutory body that works for air quality management within the national capital region. This was from Rs 20 crore in 2021-22 to this fiscal year at Rs 17 crore.
Control of Pollution is a concept that provides financial assistance to Pollution Control Boards/Committees, and funding to the National Clean Air Programme. This was launched in January 2019.
The allocations to government-funded wildlife projects, Project Tiger and Project Elephant, saw an increase this year. The former was increased by Rs 50 crore while the latter was increased by Rs 2 million.
Project Tiger, a conservation initiative for wildcats, has seen its fiscal allocation increase from Rs 250 crore last years to Rs 300 crore.
The Project saw an earlier reduction of Rs 100 million in two consecutive financial year, 2020-21 and 20,21-22. From Rs 350 crore allocated to it in 2019-20 it was reduced to Rs300 crore in 2020-21 and Rs 250 crore by 2021-22.
Project Elephant’s budget, which was established to conserve jumbos in the country, has been increased by Rs 33 crore to Rs 35 crore.
The budget for National Tiger Conservation Authority, a statutory body of the ministry responsible for tiger conservation and census, remained at Rs 10 million.
The Central Zoo Authority allocation was reduced from Rs 11 Crore last year to Rs ten crore this year.
The budget for National Coastal Mission, nearly doubled in last fiscal at Rs 20 crore, was reduced by Rs 5 million this year and now stands at Rs 195crore for 2022-23.
The NCM was allotted Rs103 crore in 2020-21. In 2021-22, it was doubled to Rs 200 crore by the government.
The National Coastal Mission entitles the environment ministry to ensure the livelihood security of coastal communities, including fisher folk, to conserve and protect the coast stretches, and to promote sustainable development based upon scientific principles.
The Centre also increased budgetary allocations for National Mission for Himalayan Studies from Rs 8 crore to Rs 487 million this year. This includes amount for various regional offices as well as statutory institutes such Wildlife Crime Control Bureau, Forest Survey of India.
The funds for ‘environment education and capacity building’ were also increased from last year’s Rs 70 crore to Rs. 78.62 crores. It is the umbrella scheme that covers all sectors and has two sub-schemes: Forestry Training and Capacity Building and Eco Task Force.
The budget for environmental education, awareness, and training was also reduced from Rs. 77.13 crore to Rs. 58 crore in 2021-22 to 2022-23.
Budget this year also reduced the budget allocation for five autonomous bodies of the environment ministry.
Five autonomous bodies, G B Pant Himalayan Institute of Environment and Development and Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education as well as Indian Institute of Forest Management and Indian Plywood Industries Research and Training Institute and Wildlife Institute of India (WII), were given Rs 287.45 Crore this year, which is Rs 305.5 Crore less than the Rs 305.5 crore they received in the last fiscal.
The budget for regulatory and statutory agencies was also cut from Rs 160.5 million last year to Rs 154.5 crore this fiscal. These bodies include the Central Pollution Control Board and Animal Welfare Board, Central Zoo Authority, Central Zoo Authority, National Biodiversity Authority National Tiger Conservation Authority, Commission for Air Quality Management, and Central Zoo Authority.
