India plans independent environmental regulator

India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said Sunday that the country will soon adopt an independent environmental regulator, with the aim of removing bottlenecks in the clearance of industrial projects while protecting the rights of the rural poor.

According to Reuters, the PM said, "This authority could lead to a complete change in the process of granting environmental clearances. Staffed by dedicated professionals, it will work on a full-time basis to evolve better and more objective standards of scrutiny."

India's urban middle class and its large corporations are keen to exploit the mineral resources of comparatively undeveloped states like Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, and Orissa (among others). But local residents and activists have protested vigorously against the acquisition of land for projects that they believe will displace millions of people, destroy their means of earning a living, and have a disastrous effect on the environment.  In some areas, this issue — especially where it concerns powerful mining interests — is the central cause of the simmering Maoist rebellion against the state, which Singh has repeatedly called the greatest threat to Indian national security.

Sensitive to these concerns, former Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh, who was recently moved to a different ministerial portfolio, delayed or rejected hundreds of industrial projects, including those of major domestic and foreign investors, such as UK-based miner Vedanta and South Korea's POSCO.