The Environment Ministry of India for its Environment Supplement Plan (ESP) has directly lifted close to 2,900 words from the 3,850 word-draft document adopted by the United States for their Supplemental Environmental Project (SEP) in March 2015, reports Indian Express.
Catch a glimpse of the blatant copy-paste job as posted in the Indian Express article:
Exhibit A:
US (Introduction A): Supplemental Environmental Project (SEP) is an environmentally beneficial project or activity that is not required by law, but that a defendant agrees to undertake as part of the settlement of an enforcement action.
India (Clause 1): An Environmental Supplemental Plan (ESP) is an environmentally beneficial project or activity that is not required by law, but that an alleged violator of Environmental Impact Assessment Notification, 2006 agrees to undertake as part of the process of environmental clearance.
Exhibit B:
US (II D): SEPs provide defendants with an opportunity to develop and demonstrate new technologies that may prove more protective of human health and the environment than existing processes and procedures.
India (4 iii): Innovative Technology: Environmental Supplemental Plan will provide the proponent and the Expert Group with an opportunity to develop and demonstrate new technologies that may prove more protective of human health and the environment than existing processes and procedures.
Exhibit C:
US (X B): With regard to the SEP, Defendant certifies the truth and accuracy of each of the following:
India (12): With regard to the Environmental Supplemental Plan, the project proponent shall certify the truth and accuracy of each of the following:
So this policy essentially proposes compensation and remediation for the damage caused by those firms or individuals, who go ahead with their project without any prior environmental clearance. Under existing laws, these are criminal offences punishable with imprisonment.
The Environment Ministry would’ve probably shuddered at the prospect of re-writing the over-3,500 word-draft and would’ve gone something like this:
Joint Secretary of the ministry, Manoj Kumar Singh has rejected allegations of a copy-paste job and defended his ministry by saying that they have ‘borrowed’ it from the US.
“Most Western countries follow this practice. But the language of our draft is different. Nothing was copied,” Singh told The Indian Express.
The newly appointed Environment Minister, Anil Madhav Dave hasn’t responded to the allegations yet.
(Feature image source: memegenerator.net)
