Parliament Question: Single-Window Clearance Mechanisms

OIH GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 65 TO BE ANSWERED ON 20.07.2026 Single-Window Clearance Mechanisms

65. SHRI ANIL YESHWANT DESAI:

SHRI ARVIND GANPAT SAWANT:

Will the MINISTER OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE be pleased

to state:

(a) the details of railway, mining, dam/irrigation and new/existing National Highway projects pending for environmental clearance during the last five years along with the project-wise cost and expected timelines for completion of the said projects;

(b) the reasons for delays in granting clearance and the average time taken for clearance in each sector;

(c) the impact of such delay on project execution and economic growth;

(d) the steps being taken by the Government to expedite the clearance process, including any proposed policy reforms or single-window clearance mechanisms; and

(e) whether any sector-specific measures have been introduced to ensure timely approvals while maintaining environmental sustainability, if so, the details thereof? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE (SHRI KIRTI VARDHAN SINGH)

(a) to (e): The Government of India has issued Environment Impact Assessment (EIA)

Notification, 2006 under the powers conferred by sub-section (1) and clause (v) of sub-section (2) of

section 3 of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. As per the provisions laid down in the EIA

Notification, 2006, as amended from time to time, the proposals specified in its Schedule are appraised by the Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) at Central Level and State Expert Appraisal Committee (SEAC) at the State/UT Level, considering all the environmental implications associated with the project, including issues raised during the Public Consultation. Based on the recommendations of the EAC/SEAC, the proposals are considered by the Ministry or the State Environmental Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA) respectively for approval for grant of Environmental Clearance (EC) or otherwise. As per the provisions stated above, ECs are granted after due consideration of environmental issues and incorporation of appropriate environmental safeguards, including mitigation measures prescribed in the Environmental Management Plan (EMP).

As per the extant provisions of the EIA Notification, 2006, as amended from time to time, Environmental Clearance is required for project activities falling under the 38 categories specified in its Schedule. Railway projects are not covered under the provisions of the EIA Notification, 2006, as amended. The details of proposals related to mining, dam/irrigation and new/existing NationalHighway are available on the PARIVESH portal. For the FY 2025-26, the average time taken for grant of Environmental Clearance to various projects of various sectors was 57 days against statutory timelines of 105 days prescribed in the EIA Notification, 2006.

To expedite the process of granting Environmental Clearances, the Ministry has, in the recent past, undertaken many systemic reforms both through the technological intervention by upgrading the PARIVESH portal (a Single Window Portal providing end-to-end online solution), amendments in the EIA Notification 2006 and Clarifications/Guidelines issued through different Office Memorandums (OMs). These reforms include increasing the validity of Terms of Reference

(ToR)/Environmental Clearnce (EC), allowing flexibility in baseline data collection before ToR approval, and reforms in the Public Hearing process. Further, the process for granting Environmental Clearance to Pumped Storage Projects (PSPs) has been rationalised. PSPs that do not require Forest Clearance or Wildlife Clearance, do not involve the creation of new reservoirs, and do not result in any increase in the submergence area or storage capacity of the existing reservoir are now treated as Category B2 projects. The Ministry has also amended Item 6 of Appendix IX of the EIA Notification, 2006 stipulating environmental safeguards in order to exempt prior EC for the extraction of ordinary earth in respect of linear projects.

Further, to facilitate the expeditious appraisal of mining projects, out-of-turn appraisal has been introduced for critical, strategic, and atomic mineral mining projects through the PARIVESH portal.

Public Hearing requirements have also been exempted for specified critical, strategic, and atomic mineral mining projects, and these projects will be appraised at the Central level irrespective of the lease area involved in the proposals. In addition, Standard Terms of Reference and out-of-turn appraisal have been introduced for underground coal mining projects.

The aforementioned reforms, especially paperless governance in clearance management through PARIVESH portal ( https://parivesh.nic.in ), have ensured that development proceeds with robust environmental safeguards, contributing to sustainable development enhancing efficiency and transparency in environmental clearance management along.

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