Address the Trust Deficit

Context: The pandemic presents an opportunity to think of a new recovery path, one that can decouple economic growth and environmental degradation. 

Challenges to the Environmental Conservation in India

• Gaps in monitoring and implementation:

• For, E.g. Two decades after the waste management regulations came into effect, their status is not promising.
• Provision of Extended Producer Responsibility, has also posed challenges in monitoring and implementation.
• In a recent ruling, the judiciary not only ruled against the industry but also blamed officials responsible for implementing the regulations.

• Dilution of regulatory requirements: will create more adverse impacts resulting in greater community upsurge.
• Lack of Participation among stakeholders: The industry, community and regulator are crucial remain isolated and get activated only in a crisis, leading to no progress.

• When trust between the industry and community erodes, there are more agitations.

Way Forward: Environmental health will be the key enabler of socio-economic growth in the future.

• Industry needs to realise the importance of environmental regulation and consider itself as a part of the ecosystem rather than the centre of it.

• Making regulatory infrastructure unbiased- for bridging the trust between community and industry.

• Promoting greater transparency and accountability- with the help of technology.

• Seeking people's participation- 

• There is a need to evolve a more effective implementation involving all stakeholders

• For, E.g. Kerala's Janamaithri Suraksha, which aims to bridge the gap between police and the public with citizens' involvement. 
• Similar maithri needs to be developed between the regulator, community and industry on environmental protection.

Conclusion: Instead of decoupling, we need to couple growth and environmental protection in order to ensure sustainable development