CSE transparency index

In news- The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) released the report ‘Transparency Index — Rating of Pollution Control Boards on Public Disclosure’.

About CSE Transparency Index-

To assess the level of transparency maintained by the state pollution control boards (SPCB) and pollution control committees (PCC), CSE has conducted a study, and assessed the data disclosure performance of 29 state pollution control boards (PCBs) and 6 pollution control committees in the country.
This report critically evaluates the information shared by SPCBs/PCCs during the last four-five years (2016–21) and uses several indicators that provide a broader indication on the type and amount of information shared.
This report provides the status of the information shared by SPCBs/PCCs on their websites and annual reports.

Key findings-

Around 60 per cent of the bodies scored less than 50 per cent on the information disclosure parameters studied.
Only 14 boards scored above 50 per cent in the index.
They are Odisha, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Goa, Karnataka, Haryana, Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Kerala, Maharashtra, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan.
The index’s analysis cited that most agencies are not transparent enough with information in the public domain.
Information on functioning, actions taken by boards against polluting industries, public hearing data on new projects etc are rarely disclosed, or are not even available on public websites.
The pollution control boards of Odisha and Telangana were the top performers and had scored 67 per cent in transparency.
Tamil Nadu ranked a close second with 65.5 percent transparency, Madhya Pradesh ranked third (64 per cent), West Bengal ranked fourth (62 per cent) and Goa ranked fifth (60.6 per cent).
Only five boards including Haryana have shared minutes of their board meetings on their websites.
Only five SPCBs including Himachal Pradesh have shared information on inspections conducted by the boards.

Centre for Science and Environment (CSE)

It is a public interest research and advocacy organisation based in New Delhi.
CSE researches into, lobbies for and communicates the urgency of development that is both sustainable and equitable.
Its efforts are specifically designed to create awareness about problems and propose sustainable solutions.
Research at CSE often consists of in-depth learning about an environmental problem and then finding answers in accordance with CSE’s core values.

CSE’s efforts are built around five broad programmes: