Question

Discuss environmental protection act 1986 as an umbrellaact and its salient features

Answer 1

Ans: According to the Environmental (Protection) Act 1986, the term environment includes water, air, land and the interrelationship which exist among and between water, air, land and human beings, other living creatures, micro-organism, plant and property.

The salient features of the act are:

1.   The central government shall have the power to take all such measure as it deems necessary or useful for the purpose of protecting and improving the quality of the environment and preventing, controlling and decreasing environmental pollution.

2.  No person carrying on any industry, operation or processes shall discharge or emit any environmental pollutants or permit to do so in excess of such standards as may be prescribed.

3.   No person shall handle or cause to be handled any hazardous substances except in accordance with such procedure and after complying with such safeguards as may be prescribed.

4.  The central government or any officer empowered by it, shall have power to take, for the purpose of analysis, sample of air, water, soil or other substances from any premises, factory etc. as may be prescribed.

5.  Whoever fails to comply with or violate any of the provisions of this Act or the rules made or orders or directions issued there under shall in respect of each such failure or violation be punishable with imprisonment or with fine or with both.

The various schemes launched for women education in India (any three):

1.     The Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) serves as an umbrella scheme for shcemes directly and indirectly beneficial to the girl child:

a)    National Programme for the Education of Girls at an Elementary level (NPEGEL), provide free uniform and text books.

b)    The early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) Programme.

c)     The Education Guarantee Scheme under SSA also aims to provide vocational and non-formal education to out-of-school children, of which, girls are main beneficiary.

2.     The Kasturbha Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya sets up residential schools at the upper primary region-primary for girls from SC, ST and OBC families as well as minority communities.

3.     Mahila Samakhya (MS) Programme, seeks to benefit women of all ages, especially those from economically and socially marginalized groups. It aims to integrate formal and non-formal education for girls, education schemes for adult women and vocational training for girls and women.

4.     The Mid Day Meal (MDM) Scheme: The presence of the mid day meals in the schools

a)    Increase the chances for girls attending the schools.

b)    Reduce caste biases as it forces children of all caste to eat together.

The different education schemes such as The  Balika Samriddhi Yojana; The Integrated Child Development Services; Kishori Shakti Yojana etc. designed and funded by Ministry of  Women and Child Development (MWCD)