Tigers, air pollution, wildlife management, and coastal development dominated the allocation to the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change in the Budget 2022-23 presented on Tuesday.
The Ministry has received a total of Rs 3,030.00 crore in Budget 2022-23 compared to Rs 2,869.9 crore in 2021-22, way up as against Rs 2,630.2 crore in 2013-14.
It had launched a National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) in earnest in 2016. Even when much is left to be achieved, the government's serious intent is visible in increased allocation for the cause. Budget for control of air pollution was higher by Rs 210 crore at Rs 460 crore compared to the Rs 390 crore last year and much higher than Rs 250 crore in 2013-14.
The Ministry prides itself on the increase in number of tigers over the year and credits its conservation policies for the same. Continuing the higher allocation, it received Rs 300 crore for 2022-23, increased from Rs 220 crore in 2021-22, incidentally on a day when the International Lunar Year for the Tigers was launched by the WWF Tigers.
The Ministry has been receiving increased funds for the last few years for conservation of tigers, the dominant species in the forest ecosystem. The allocation is higher from Rs 195 crore in 2020-21, which, in turn was higher from Rs 175 crore in 2014-15, the first year of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government.
Similarly, the allocation for 2022-23 for Integrated Development of Wildlife Habitats was Rs 510 crore, up from Rs 414 crore in 2021-22.
The budget for the National Coastal Management Programme increased to Rs 193 crore in 2022-23 from Rs 132.5 crore in 2013-14.
However, there has been a budget cut for Statutory and regulatory bodies and autonomous bodies, such as the G.B. Pant Himalayan Institute of Environment and Development, the Indian Council of Forestry, Research and Education, the Indian Institute of Forest Management, and the Wildlife Institute of India.