Bhupender Yadav takes charge of environment ministry amid challenges to meet India's green goals and keep air cleaner

NEW DELHI: New environment minister, Bhupender Yadav, on Thursday took charge of his ministry amid challenges to deliver on multiple fronts - be it taking strict air pollution abatement measures in cities, striking a balance between development needs and environmental protection, and ensuring India reach its goals under different global commitments on biodiversity and climate change.
After taking the charge, Yadav, a BJP member in Rajya Sabha, said he would make all efforts to deliver on the responsibilities given to him by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Before assuming charge, he planted a sapling inside the premises of the environment ministry at Indira Paryavaran Bhawan in Jor Bagh in south Delhi.
Yadav joined the ministry at a time when it came under criticism for diverting wildlife habitat and forest lands for different infrastructure works during the pandemic-hit year when movement was quite restricted to assess the ground situation before taking any key decision.
A recent report of a New Delhi-based not-for-profit organisation, Legal Initiative for Forest and Environment (LIFE) shows that the standing committee of the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) had approved the diversion of around 1,792 hectares of wildlife habitat last year. At the same time, different green clearance committees of the ministry recommended the diversion of around 9,434 hectares of forest land in 2020.
Yadav will also have a challenge to articulate India's stand convincingly during two crucial multilateral forums -- first at Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP15) in China in October and second at the UN climate change conference (COP26) in the UK in November when big players would try to push the country for bigger mitigation (emission reduction) and nature conservation goals.
“The Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government is committed to sustainable development. I wish to be able to ensure India reaches those goals,” tweeted the new minister after assuming charge of the ministry.