Steering Committee for the Eleventh Five Year Plan (2007-2012)

Environment, Forests and Wildlife and Animal Welfare

Dated 22nd March 2006

It has been decided to set up a Steering Committee on Environment, Forests and Wildlife and Animal Welfare for the Eleventh Five Year Plan The composition of the Steering Committee will be as follows:

2. The Terms of Reference of the Steering Committee will be as under:

1. To make recommendations for an effective and efficient paradigm for environment and forestry sector for the Eleventh Five Year Plan based on a review of the existing programmes, policies and taking into account the issues related to institutional, legislative and enforcement structures;
2. Identify thrust areas for the Environment, Forestry and wildlife sub sectors for the Eleventh Five Year Plan;
3. To analyse the trade and environment interface from the point of view of protecting vital national interest including IPRs, use of frontier technology such as biotechnology, clean technologies etc.; and
4. To recommend strategy for a proactive national stance on international environmental issues such as climate change, biodiversity and desertification.

3. Within the broader socio-economic objectives of the Eleventh Five Year Plan and recognizing that the economic and social development and the protection of environment/forests are inter-dependent and mutually reinforcing components of sustainable development, the Committee may especially focus, inter alia, on the following items:

A. ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES

1. Strategies for sustainable development to achieve environmental integrity and alleviation of poverty.
2. Initiatives for tackling the problem of air, water and noise pollution and safe disposal of hazardous waste etc.
3. Evolving environmental education as a people's movement for ensuring their participation in environmental awareness campaign including involvement of NGOs.
4. Strengthening the role of State and Central Pollution Control Boards/Committees in environmental management through monitoring and enforcement.
5. Strategies for rationalizing the environmental regulations governing issues like Environmental Impact Assessment, Coastal zone management, environment management in industries and incorporating valuation of environmental impact in the National System of Accounting.

B. FORESTS, WILDLIFE and ANIMAL WELFARE ISSUES

6. Co-ordination of programmes between Centre and the States in view of national and regional circumstances.
7. Greening the country through joint forest management, agro-forestry, urban forestry and afforestation of underutilized lands through local self governments.
8. Capacity building for Management Planning for conservation and development of natural resources rooted in the principles of ecology, economics, social and gender equity, energy conservation, employment generation and social auditing.
9. Optimizing productivity of forests, reducing demand and supply imbalances, rationalizing export and import regulations for improving opportunities for marketing of wood and other forest produce.
10. Technological and manpower requirements for forest protection against forest fires and illegal activities including encroachments and poaching.
11. Recognizing the symbiotic relationship between forest and forest dwellers, integration of poverty alleviation schemes, gainful employment generation programmes with due empowerment of communities including tribals and women.
12. Policy prescriptions for strengthening linkages between forestry, agriculture, pastures, watershed development in rural and tribal development programmes.
13. Suggest ways of imparting special programmatic and policy focus on development and sustainable use of medicinal plants, bamboo and canes and other Non-timber forest produce (NTFP) resources.
14. Promoting efficient and quality value addition for realization of worth of the forest produce collected by the communities
15. Conservation and development of wildlife habitats, protected areas, and evolve workable participatory systems with communities for conservation of biodiversity.
16. A community centered Animal Welfare strategy with vigorous role for voluntary agencies.
17. Innovative ways for augmenting flow of resources into the sector.

4. The Chairman may constitute specific Working Groups for the relevant sub-sectors as may be considered necessary. The Steering Committee will suggest a portfolio of schemes, corresponding measurable objectives and financial requirements. The Committee may consider any other issue, which it may consider relevant.

5. The Chairman may co-opt other Experts and constitute sub-groups for specific tasks. The Steering Committee would be serviced by E and F Division of the Planning Commission.

6. The expenditure on TA/DA of official members of the Steering Committee will be borne by their respective Ministry/Department as per the rules of entitlement applicable to them. TA/DA for non-official members will be borne by the Planning Commission as per SR190(a).

7. The Steering Committee will submit its report to the Planning Commission by the 30^th September, 2006.

8.  Dr. S.K. Khanduri, Director (Forestry), Planning Commission [Tel. No. 23096732, Room No. 349, Yojana Bhawan, New Delhi], will be the nodal officer in the Planning Commission for this Steering Committee and any further correspondence in this regard may be made with him.

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