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CSE Transparency Index
Part of: GS Prelims and GS- II – Governance
In news The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), a Delhi-based non-profit, released the report ‘Transparency Index — Rating of Pollution Control Boards on Public Disclosure’.
About CSE Transparency Index-
- There are 28 state pollution control boards (SPCB) and 6 pollution control committees (PCC) in the country that make pollution information public on websites.
- CSE has released a report/index to assess the level of transparency maintained by these SPCBs and PCCs.
- This report critically evaluates the information shared by SPCBs/PCCs during the last four-five years (2016–21) and uses several indicators that provide a broader indication on the type and amount of information shared.
Key findings:
- Around 60% of the bodies scored less than 50% on the information disclosure parameters studied.
- Only 14 boards scored above 50% in the index.
- They are Odisha, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Goa, Karnataka, Haryana, Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Kerala, Maharashtra, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan.
- The index’s analysis cited that most agencies are not transparent enough with information in the public domain.
- Information on functioning, actions taken by boards against polluting industries, public hearing data on new projects etc are rarely disclosed, or are not even available on public websites.
- TOP PERFORMERS: Pollution control boards of Odisha and Telangana (67%).
- Tamil Nadu ranked a close second with 65.5% transparency,
- Madhya Pradesh ranked third (64%)
- West Bengal ranked fourth (62%)
- Goa ranked fifth (60.6%).
- Only five boards including Haryana have shared minutes of their board meetings on their websites.
- Only five SPCBs including Himachal Pradesh have shared information on inspections conducted by the boards.
News Source: Outlook
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