Bhupender Yadav chairs 88th meeting of Standing Committee of National Board for Wildlife

• The 88th meeting of the Standing Committee of the National Board for Wildlife (SC-NBWL) was held under the chairmanship of Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav in New Delhi on January 19.

National Board for Wildlife (NBWL)

• The National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) was first constituted in 2003 after the amendment of Section 5A in Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972.

• NBWL is a statutory body. 

• It has 47 members with the Prime Minister as the chairperson.

• The Union Environment Minister is the vice chairperson.

• Other members include Members of Parliament, secretaries of various ministries, eminent conservationists, ecologists and environmentalists, representatives of non-governmental organisations, directors of various institutes, etc.

• A Standing Committee of the National Board for Wild Life has been constituted under the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, exercising the powers and functions of the NBWL. 

• The Standing Committee is chaired by the Union Environment Minister.

• It is mandated to advise the government on matters relating to the conservation and protection of wildlife and forests, while ensuring that development activities in and around protected areas are undertaken in a balanced and sustainable manner.

Highlights of the 88th meeting of the Standing Committee:

• During the meeting, the Standing Committee considered 70 proposals relating to public utility services, defence requirements and infrastructure development located in and around Protected Areas, Wildlife Sanctuaries, Tiger Reserves and Eco-Sensitive Zones, in accordance with the provisions of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972. 

• The proposals were deliberated with due regard to ecological sensitivity, statutory requirements and the need to ensure essential services for local communities.

• Important public utility proposals considered by the Committee involve drinking water supply under the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM), primary and community health centres, widening of roads, 4G mobile towers and transmission lines.

• The Standing Committee also considered 17 defence-related proposals, primarily located in the Union Territory of Ladakh and the State of Sikkim, relating to strategic infrastructure in border and high-altitude areas. 

• These proposals were recommended in view of national security and strategic requirements, while ensuring strict adherence to wildlife mitigation measures and environmental safeguards, in line with directions of the Committee and applicable statutory provisions.

• The Committee reviewed the The Action Taken Report (ATR) on the decisions and directions taken by the committee in previous meetings especially with respect to policy measures and process streamlining including improvement of PARIVESH portal. 

• The Committee decided that policy and programmes related to wildlife conservation and compliance of the directions of the SC-NBWL will further be deliberated in the future meetings for effective monitoring.

(The author is a trainer for Civil Services aspirants.)