Amendments made to Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) Notification, 2006 amidst COVID-19
Part of: GS Prelims and GS-III – Environment Impact Assessment
In News:
To ramp up availability/production of various drugs against COVID-19, Ministry of Environment has made an amendment to Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) Notification, 2006.
All projects or activities in respect of bulk drugs and intermediates, manufactured for addressing various ailments, have been re-categorized from the existing Category ‘A’ to ‘B2’ category.
The re-categorization of such proposals will lead to decentralization of appraisal to State Level, thus helping in fast track the process.
This amendment is applicable to all proposals received up to 30th September 2020.
Important value additions:
Environment Impact Assessment (EIA)
It is a process of evaluating the likely environmental impacts of a proposed project
It is statutorily backed by the Environment Protection Act, 1986.
New EIA legislation, 2006 makes it mandatory for various projects such as mining, thermal power plants, river valley, infrastructure and industries to get environment clearance.
The onus of clearing projects is on the state government depending on the size/capacity of the project.
Environment Impact Assessment Notification of 2006 has decentralized the environmental clearance projects by categorizing the developmental projects in two categories – Category A (national level appraisal) and Category B (state level appraisal).
Category A projects – They require mandatory environmental clearance and thus they do not undergo the screening process.
Category B Projects- They undergo screening process and they are classified into two types:
