Importance Of Environment Management

Environmental Management Strategy of the Government
Pre-Globalization Era
In India, the earliest legal measure in environment scenario was the Indian Forest Act 1878, which was the first conservation effort in India as well as in West Bengal. Since the beginning of the 19th century many scientific discoveries have been made, which accelerated the industrial and agricultural production. On one hand, the increasing production of these two sectors, have accelerated development and on the other it became a major source of pollution. In 1950, environmental issues were reflected in the constitution of India with the commitment of state to protect the environment with regards to Forest and Wildlife. A framework for implementation of environmental

In the year 1972, the Wildlife Protection Act was passed.
In India, post 1972 was the beginning of National Environment Awareness. After attending the Stockholm Conference, Indira Gandhi implemented Water (Prevention & Control of Pollution) Act, in March 1974, for improvement of our environment of living, of providing food, water, sanitation and shelter. Indian parliament through the 42nd amendment in 1977 explicitly incorporated in the constitution the primary duty of every Government (Centre and the States) to improve and protect the environment. Article 48-A of the Directive Principles states that “The state shall endeavor to protect and improve the environment and safeguard the forest and wildlife of the country”. Article 51-A (g) mentions that it shall be the duty of every citizen of India “To protect and improve the natural environment including forests, lakes, rivers, and wildlife”. In the year 1980, the National Committee of Environmental Planning gradually evolved into a department of

with the advent of globalization in India, downturn in the growing importance of environmental consideration in various forms and on different fronts was evident. The tendency has been accelerated since 1995 when WTO came into existence with India as one of the founder members. On one hand, we note that in the interest of the industry and/or international trade, the existing environmental laws are either amended and/or repealed in many cases (e.g. import of hazardous wastes in coastal and other regions, opening of sanctuaries for mining and other industries, allowing foreign tourists in areas so far prohibited in the name of ecotourism or otherwise which increased bio-piracy etc.) and on the other, the authorities turned a blind eye to the violation of such laws in the name of protection of employment, industry or trade. The less awareness of the general public about environmental priorities in the context of the growing danger of the fallout of the climate change also contributed to such happenings. It is recommended that both long and short term steps should be taken to meet the present challenge of globalization on environmental laws. These include continuous efforts to increase public awareness about the urgency of protection of environment, short term targets of plugging the loopholes in the existing environmental laws and to implement them effectively with adequate punishment for violations. This is feasible in democratic countries like India