The 2023-24 Budget has allocated `3,079.40 crore to the Union Environment Ministry, an increase of 24 per cent from last year’s `2,478 crore. Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman also announced a special scheme called ‘Amrit Dharohar’ for protecting vital wetlands which sustain aquatic biodiversity. The scheme aims to achieve sustainable ecosystem development with the help of local communities.
It falls under ‘Green Growth’, one of the seven priorities of the budget.
The Prime Minister has given a vision for ‘LiFE’, or Lifestyle for Environment, to spur a movement of environmentally conscious lifestyle, said Sitharaman during her budget speech. India currently has 75 Ramsar sites, which are wetlands of international importance that have been designated under the criteria of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands.
These wetlands have rare or unique biodiversity and play a huge role in protecting the ecological biodiversity of a region. “Local communities have always been at the forefront of conservation efforts,” Sitharaman added.
The Government will promote their unique conservation values through Amrit Dharohar. This scheme will be implemented over the next three years to encourage optimal use of wetlands and enhance bio-diversity, carbon stock, eco-tourism opportunities and income generation for local communities, the minister said.
The allocation for the National Mission for Green India reduced from last year’s ` 361.69 crore to `220 crore in this year’s Budget. According to the FY23 revised estimates, the allocation for the same had reduced to `214.10 crore.
Climate action and sustainability have been a key topic of discussion as well as implementation, especially in the last year, not just in the country but on various global platforms as well such as the G20, World Economic Forum, etc.
While India plans heavily on going green, to tackle the issues at hand such as pollution, the Centre has allocated `crore. This is comparatively higher than the last fiscal when the government allocated `460 crore to control pollution, which was `10 crore more than the previous one’s Budget.