The Evolution of India's Environmental Policy

Abstract

Environmental policies are influenced by a multitude of factors and determine how environmental resources are accessed, apportioned, consumed, conserved and governed. Using existing literature, the paper tracks the evolution of India's environmental policy post-independence. We discuss the key milestones in the country's environmental journey and their drivers. We found that India's environmental policy took shape in the 1970s and 1980s when environmental obligations were included in the constitution and federal laws were framed. It led to the creation of an extensive protected area network, albeit by overlooking the needs of the forest dwellers. In the 1990s, the judiciary innovated by creating space for civil society to take up environmental issues and played an active role. This period also saw a gradual shift towards participatory natural resource management and collaboration between the state and the civil society. However, by the early 21st century this bonhomie weakened when civil society successfully secured the tenurial rights of the forest dwellers. The last decade has seen a weakening of participatory forest management, a shift towards re-centralization, and a relentless tussle between a strong state and a resilient civil society. The key influencing factors of environmental policy change were discerned as international diplomacy, political leadership, judicial activism, civil society advocacy and environmental disasters.