Environment Protection Act,1986-
In the wake of Bhopal tragedy, the Government of India enacted the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 (EPA) under article 253 of the constitution. The purpose of the Act is to act as an "umbrella" legislation designed to provide a frame work for Central government co-ordination of the activities of various central and state authorities established under previous laws, such as Water Act & Air Act. The potential scope of the Act is broad, with "environment" defined to include water, air and land and the inter-relationships which exist among water, air and land, and human beings and other living creatures, plants, micro-organisms and property. Environment protection rules were also enacted as a corollary to this Act.
National Conservation Strategy and Policy Statement on Environment and Development, 1992
The National Conservation Strategy and the Policy Statement on Environment and Development are in response to the need for laying down the guidelines that will help to weave environmental considerations into the fabric of our national life and of our development process. It is an expression of India’s commitment for reorienting policies and action in unison with the environmental perspective.
It talks about the nature and dimensions of the environmental problems, actions taken in response to the problems and lists out priorities and strategies for action. It also views development policies from environmental perspectives and the support policies and systems required.
Policy Statement for the Abatement of Pollution, 1992
The objective of this document is to integrate environmental considerations into decision-making at all levels. To achieve this, the document lays down steps to be taken to prevent pollution at source, encourage, develop and apply the best available practicable technical solutions.
The Policy Statement for Abatement of Pollution, adopted in 1992 lays emphasis on pollution prevention in place of the conventional end-of-the-pipe treatment also identified the adoption of best available and practicable technologies as the key element for pollution prevention. The focus of the various programmes and schemes of the Ministry and its associated organizations related to pollution prevention and control is, therefore, on such issues such as promotion of clean and low waste technologies, waste minimization, reuse or recycling, improvement of water quality, environment audit, natural resource accounting, development of mass based standards, institutional and human resource development etc. The whole issue of pollution prevention and control is dealt with by a combination of command and control methods as well as voluntary regulations, fiscal measures, promotion of awareness etc.
National Environment Policy, 2006
A diverse developing society such as India provides numerous challenges in the economic, social, political, cultural, and environmental arenas. All of these coalesce in the dominant imperative of alleviation of mass poverty, reckoned in the multiple dimensions of livelihood security, health care, education, empowerment of the disadvantaged, and elimination of gender disparities. The present national policies for environmental management are contained in the National Conservation Strategy and Policy Statement on Environment and Development 1992, Policy Statement on Abatement of Pollution 1992, National Agriculture Policy 2000, National Population Policy 2000 and National Water Policy, 2002 have also contributed towards environmental management. All of these policies have recognized the need for sustainable development in their specific contexts and formulated necessary strategies to give effect to such recognition. The National Environment Policy seeks to extend the coverage, and fill in gaps that still exist, in light of present knowledge and accumulated experience. It does not displace, but builds on the earlier policies. Sustainable development concerns in the sense of enhancement of human well-being, broadly conceived, are a recurring theme in India’s development philosophy. The present day consensus reflects three foundational aspirations. First, that human beings should be able to enjoy a decent quality of life; second, that humanity should become capable of respecting the finiteness of the biosphere; and third, that neither the aspiration for the good life, nor the recognition of biophysical limits should preclude the search for greater justice in the world. The National Environment Policy is also a response to India’s commitment to a clean environment, mandated in the Constitution in Articles 48 A and 51 A (g), strengthened by judicial interpretation of Article 21. It is recognized that maintaining a healthy environment is not the state’s responsibility alone, but also that of every citizen. A spirit of partnership should thus be realized throughout the spectrum of environmental management in the country. While the state must galvanize its efforts, there should also be recognition by each individual – natural or institutional, of its responsibility towards maintaining and enhancing the quality of the environment.
Vision Statement on Environment and Health
The purpose of vision document was to evolve a strategy of health-risk reduction arising from environment pollution would help the implementing agencies to revise the environmental and industry specific actions. Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) had constituted a Committee on Environment and Health in July, 1999 and the report was submitted in May, 2000. The Report of the "Committee on Environment and Health" brought out issues requiring attention of various stakeholders. The "Conference on Environmental Health" organized by Ministry of Environment and Forests in November, 2002 also brought out thrust areas and action points that need to be implemented for protection of public health.
The environment in which we live greatly influences our health. The household, workplace, outdoor and indoor environments may pose risks to health in a number of different ways. The poor quality of air which we may breathe, the contaminated water we may drink and the surroundings in which we live, determine our quality of life. While the genetic factors may also be responsible for causing diseases but the environmental factors play much more active role in contracting various diseases. The key purpose of this Vision Statement on Environment and Human Health is to evolve a strategy for health risk reduction. It also offers a comprehensive approach to the environmental health management plans, which would be a systematic approach to estimate the burden of disease and injury due to different environmental pollutants. Therefore, the activities and programmes required to be taken up for the protection of the public health due to environmental pollution are also given in this statement in the form of a road map.