← 28 September 2026's Current Affairs · Environment GS-3 Prelims ★★★★★ Mains ★★★★☆
Karnataka renews objection to Western Ghats ESA draft
Why in News?
Gadgil wanted almost all of it, Kasturirangan a third: the Western Ghats ESA fight explained
Karnataka has sought exclusion of villages from the Centre's draft Western Ghats Ecologically Sensitive Area notification.
Why it matters: asked in KPSC 2024; GS-3 core; factual, Prelims-type
What you need to know
2 min read
The Union Environment Ministry's draft notification demarcating Ecologically Sensitive Areas (ESA) in the Western Ghats remains contested, with Karnataka again seeking exclusion of villages from the proposed boundaries.
The 2011 Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel headed by Madhav Gadgil had recommended treating almost the entire Western Ghats as ecologically sensitive with graded restrictions, while the 2013 High-Level Working Group headed by K.
Kasturirangan scaled this down to about a third of the range spread across six States.
Karnataka's objections have centred on the effect of ESA restrictions on mining, construction and agriculture in the affected villages.
Sources: Topper IAS editorial (PIB / The Hindu / Indian Express)
Key facts
Remember these
- 2011: Gadgil panel recommended near-total Western Ghats area as Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA)
- 2013: Kasturirangan HLWG scaled this down to about a third of the range
- ESA notification affects six States: Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Goa, Gujarat
- Karnataka's objections centre on mining, construction and agriculture restrictions in listed villages
- Draft ESA notification is issued by the Union Environment Ministry
Prelims · Mains
How the exam will ask it
Prelims
- The Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (2011) was headed by Madhav Gadgil.
- The High-Level Working Group (2013) that scaled down the ESA area was headed by K. Kasturirangan.
- Karnataka has sought exclusion of certain villages from the Centre's draft Western Ghats ESA notification.
Mains
GS Paper 3 (Environment) and GS Paper 2 (federalism): the issue is balancing ecological conservation of the Western Ghats biodiversity hotspot against livelihood concerns (mining, construction, agriculture) in border States, rooted in the gap between the Gadgil and Kasturirangan recommendations; the way forward lies in Centre-State consultation to finalise village-level ESA boundaries without diluting core conservation goals.
PYQ connection
A question UPSC has already asked on this
Which of the following statements is/are correct regarding the K. Kasturirangan Committee? a) The Committee was set up in 2022. b) It was set up to study the status of important ecological areas in the Western Ghats. c) The Karnataka Government accepted the Kasturirangan Committee report in September 2024.
- a, b and c are correct
- only c is correct
- only b is correct
- only a and b are correct
Show answer
Answer: C
Why this matters: today's issue is directly connected to a concept UPSC has already tested. Read the story with this question in mind.
Practise this PYQ →Quick recall
Answer before you reveal
The High-Level Working Group that recommended a smaller area for notification as an Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA) in the Western Ghats, compared with the earlier expert panel's recommendation, was headed by:
- Madhav Gadgil
- T.S.R. Subramanian
- K. Kasturirangan
- E.A.S. Sarma
Show answer
Answer: C — Correct: K. Kasturirangan - headed the 2013 High-Level Working Group that scaled down the ESA area compared with the Gadgil panel. • Madhav Gadgil - wrong: headed the earlier 2011 panel that recommended a much larger ESA. • T.S.R. Subramanian - wrong: headed an unrelated 2014 review of environmental laws. • E.A.S. Sarma - wrong: a commentator on the issue, not a panel head.
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