Cement, Energy and Environment

" (c) if so, the detai ls thereof and the preventive measures taken/being taken by the Government in this regard? Answer MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) ENVIRONMENT AND FORESTS (SHRIMATI JAYANTHI NATARAJAN) (a) As per studies conducted by the Geological Survey of India, the glaciers in Himalayan region are receding at varying rates in different areas. As per these findings, recession of glaciers could result from natural cyclic processes and other factors including, inter alia, global warming. (b) and (c) The devastation in the Kedarnath area is not mainly due to the glacier melt. The combined effect of very heavy rainfall, heavy snowmelt and breaching of the Chaurabari lake in the upstream could have resulted in a gushing outflow with large amounts of debris which devastated the entire valley. The very heavy rainfall in the entire catchment further increased the magnitude of floods downstream. Government is implementing the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) with a view to enhance the ecological sustainability of India's development path and address climate change in all regions of the country. NAPCC comprises, inter alia, of eight National Missions including National Mission for Sustaining the Himalayan Eco-system which aims to strengthen the system for observing and monitoring the Himalayan glaciers. Besides, a research centre on Himalayan Glaciology has been estabiished at Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, Dehradun to undertake comprehensive glacier research in the country. Further, all states including Himalayan states are advised to prepare the State Action Plan on Climate Change to address specific climate change issues. ******** GOVERNMENT OF I NDIA MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT & FORESTS RAJYA SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 36 TO BE ANSWERED ON 05 .12 .2013 Management of environment and forests resources 36. Shri Husain Dalwai: Will the Minister of Environment and Forests be pleased to state: (a) whether resource constraints have hampered the management of environment and forest resources; (b) if so, the annual budget of the Ministry as percentage of GDP and annual National budget; (c) whether there is a need for significant increa·;e in the investment towards environment protection and sustainable management of natural resources; and (d) if so, how Government proposes to deal with the situation? Answer MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) FOR ENVIRONMENT AND FORESTS (SHRIMATI JAYANTHI NATARAJAN) (a)&(b): Yes Sir. Towards implementing the Plan Schemes/ Projects of the Ministry of Environment & Forests, against a requested allocation of Plan funds amounting to? 47,586/- crore for the Twelfth Five Year Plan period (2012- 2017), the actual allocation is? 17,874/– crore. Annual budget of the Ministry was? 2,430/- crore (Plan) and? 452.41 crore (Non-Plan), which together amounts to 0.0496% of the GOP at market prices and 0.1933% of the national budget,for the financial year 2012-13. (c)&(d): Yes Sir. Initiatives towards directing investment in the environment, forest and wildlife sectors, include (i) imposition of a cess at the rate of ? 50 per tonne of coal for creating a National Clean Energy Fund to finance innovative projects in clean energy technologies and to harness renewable energy sources to reduce dependence on fossil fuels, (ii) seeking convergence with existing programmes and Plan Schemes (such as the Mahatama Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, National Afforestation Programme, and the Thirteenth Finance Commission grants) for financing the Green India Mission, (ii i) increasingthe participation of financial institutions/ banks in financing voluntary projects, including the bundling of small projects which may reduce transaction costs and increase the average project size, (iv) integrating environmental attributes into cost-benefit analysis while making public investment decisions for more efficient allocation of resources, (v) exploring the possibility of utilization of voluntary contributions and net proceeds of proposed economic instruments (such as user fees for access to specified natural