Working Groups/Task Force for the Eleventh Five Year Plan (2007-2012)

Task Force on Grasslands and Deserts for the Environment and Forests Sector

Dated 21st March, 2006

It has been decided to set up a Task Force on Grasslands and Deserts for the Environment and Forests Sector for the Eleventh Five-Year Plan. The composition of the Task Force will be as under:

1.

Dr. Punjab Singh (already heads a group in Agriculture sector)

Chairman

2.

Dr. Asad Rahmani, BNHS, Mumbai

Member

3.

Mr. Sonam Wangchuk, SECMOL, Ladakh

Member

4.

Ms. Charudatta Mishra, Mysore

Member

II. Terms of Reference of the Task Force will be as follows:

  1. Review the current laws, policies, procedures and practices related to conservation and sustainable use of grassland and desert ecosystems and recommend correctives.
  2. Similarly review the institutional and individual capacities available to address issues related to conservation and sustainable use of grassland and desert ecosystems and recommend how they may be adequately strengthened.
  3. Assess the current issues and systems of integrating concerns relating to fragile grassland and desert ecosystems into other sectors (ministries, departments) and to recommend required new or remedial measures.
  4. Review the current EIA laws, policies, procedures and practices as being applied in the grasslands and desert ecosystem context and recommend corrective measure to address significant issues that specifically arise in the context of these fragile ecosystems.
  5. Ministry of Environment and Forests will provide basic information and data input to the Task Force as and when required.
  6. The Chairperson of the Task Force will be free to co-opt any official / non-official as special invitee for its meeting.
  7. The non-official members will be paid TA/DA by the Planning Commission as per SR 190 (a) for attending meetings of the Task Force.
  8. The Task Force will submit its report to the Chairman, Working Group on Forests by 31.10.2006.
  9. Shri M. Ravindranath, Joint Adviser (E and F), Room No. 301, Yojana Bhavan ( Tel No. 23096725) will be the Nodal Officer for the Task Force for all further communications.
  10. A report of the Task Force will be submitted to the Planning Commission.