Draft National Environment Policy 2004

The draft NEP's diagnosis of the environmental crisis in India contains a fair assessment of the institutional, policy and other failings that have brought this about. However, it falls seriously short of pointing to fundamental changes required in development and planning with regard to natural resources that would put India onto a path of sustainable development. Moreover, it has been formulated in a largely non-participatory manner, failing to involve most sections of the populace who depend on natural resources for life and livelihood reasons.