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The Finance Minister, Mr Pranab Mukherjee, has reduced total allocations to various environmental initiatives by a third to Rs 600 crore against Rs 900 crore in the previous year.
Mr Mukherjee has made an allocation of Rs 200 crore each from the National Clean Energy Fund (NCEF) to the Green India Mission and for launching environmental remediation programmes. NCEF was launched in fiscal 2010-11 through a levy of clean energy cess of Rs 50 a tonne on coal imported and produced domestically.
The Green Brigade is unhappy with Mr Mukherjee's allocations from NCEF to various environmental initiatives.
“The NCEF was supposed to be utilised to fund research and development of clean technologies and transform the energy sector. Coal is being taxed to clean up pollution. It is a clear misutilisation of the reason why coal is taxed,” said Mr Chandra Bhushan, Associate Director, Centre for Science and Environment.
Besides, the Finance Minister has proposed a special allocation of Rs 200 crore for clean-up of some important rivers and lakes, besides River Ganga.
“It is outrageous and irrational that budgetary allocation for environmental initiatives have been reduced,” said Mr Gopal Krishna, Convenor, Toxics Watch Alliance. Considering the way that environmental related issues are on the rise, there is a need for extended budgetary support, he added.
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