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:
- Communication for Awareness.
- Research and Advocacy.
- Education and Training.
- Knowledge Portal.
- Pollution Monitoring
Source: Times of India
