Greenness of Recent Budget

Greenness of Recent Budget,

1. 150 crore allotted to national afforestation program

(But, 150 crore is not sufficient to carry out Afforestation programme to desired extent)

2. Efforts to meet the target of 175 GW energy from renewable sources by 2022

            (But, funding reduced for Renewable energy projects and MoEF)

3. Increasing carbon cess on Coal by 200 rupees per tonne to 400 rupees.

            (Effort must be made to replace coal with renewable source, not increased imposition of cess)

4. Promote organic  farming  through  ‘Parmparagat  Krishi  Vikas  Yojana’

(Carbon sequestration, Sustainable agriculture, Reduced use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, Protection of biodiversity, Reduced dependence on Fertilizers, pesticides – Prevents Eutrophication, nitrate pollution of water sources, biomagnifications etc.)

5. Facility of cooking gas connection for BPL families

   (Indoor air pollution checked, use of firewood eliminated)

6. Programme for  sustainable  management  of  ground  water  resources

5 lakh farm ponds and dug wells in rain fed areas and 10 lakh compost pits for production of organic manure will be taken up under MGNREGA

(Resource recycling, Compost – Carbon sequestration, Farm pond – Water use efficiency, Ground water conservation)

7. Soil Health Card scheme will cover all 14 crore farm holdings by March2017.

  (Prevention of soil pollution, Reduced fertilizer consumption)

8. Green Highways to grow avenue trees along National Highways

But, the budget failed to look into deeper following issues related to green economy

No funds for biodiversity protection: forests,lakes,ponds,wetlands and other biological diversity.

2.No efforts to reduce carbon footprints: Efforts to shift to a low carbon economy are non existent. A    low carbon footprint ensures a healthier economy.
Wildlife habitats:No measures to set up national parks and WLS
No dedicated funds:A separate Green Protection Fund should be set up for environmental protection.
R&D:Increase in funds for R&D in environment are lacking. R&D would have led to better Waste Disposal methods, reducing air pollution, increased efficiency of renewable sources of energy
No polluter pays principle – A tax on pollution by industries,cars,etc could have been imposed to foster a greener country.