-Business Standard A committee set up to review laws related to protection of environment and forests, headed by former Cabinet secretary T S R Subramanian, has recommended an omnibus green law that will not only subsume existing legislation, but also hold the potential to undo existing judicial pronouncements on environmental issues. The proposed law will also do away with all existing authorities created under the Environment Protection Act, 1986. The panel's report,...

-The Telegraph New Delhi: The Supreme Court today issued a notice to the Union government to enforce improved emissions standards for vehicles across India after a non-government organisation carried an air pollution monitoring instrument inside the courtroom and found pollution levels exceeding safe limits. During the hearing of an ongoing PIL on air pollution this afternoon, the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) showed that the level of particulate matter (PM) smaller...

-Economic and Political Weekly   The runaway growth in states of subsidised solar pumps, which provide quality energy at near-zero marginal cost, can pose a bigger threat of groundwater over-exploitation than free power has done so far. The best way to meet this threat is by paying farmers to "grow" solar power as a remunerative cash crop. Doing so can reduce pressure on aquifers, cut the subsidy burden on electricity companies, reduce...

-Livemint The Subramanian committee reviewing environment laws was undemocratic in process and results A high-level committee, led by retired bureaucrat T.S.R. Subramanian and set up under the Environment Ministry to review laws that protect the country's environment, submitted its report on 18 November. There's no dispute that there is a need to review the entire body of environment laws, such as the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980, Wildlife (Protection)...

-Down to Earth Demonstrations follow T S R Subramanian Committee report recommending measures to fast-track environmental clearances Thousands of people gathered in Mumbai and Dehradun on Monday to protest recent attempts by the NDA government to undermine the rights of local communities to manage and protect their forests. Specifically targeted is the requirement for gram sabha consent on all projects seeking to divert forestland for non-forest purposes, as guaranteed by the Forest...