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Karnataka renews objection to Western Ghats ESA draft
ಸುದ್ದಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಏಕೆ?
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 ನಿಮಿಷ
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.
ಮೂಲಗಳು: Topper IAS editorial (PIB / The Hindu / Indian Express)
ಮುಖ್ಯ ಅಂಶಗಳು
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
ಪ್ರಿಲಿಮ್ಸ್ · ಮೇನ್ಸ್
How the exam will ask it
ಪ್ರಿಲಿಮ್ಸ್
- 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.
ಮೇನ್ಸ್
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
ಉತ್ತರ ನೋಡಿ
ಉತ್ತರ: 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
ಪಶ್ಚಿಮ ಘಟ್ಟಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಪರಿಸರ ಸೂಕ್ಷ್ಮ ಪ್ರದೇಶ (ESA) ಎಂದು ಘೋಷಿಸಲು ಮೊದಲಿನ ತಜ್ಞರ ಸಮಿತಿಯ ಶಿಫಾರಸಿಗಿಂತ ಚಿಕ್ಕ ಪ್ರದೇಶವನ್ನು ಶಿಫಾರಸು ಮಾಡಿದ ಉನ್ನತ ಮಟ್ಟದ ಕಾರ್ಯಪಡೆಯ ಮುಖ್ಯಸ್ಥರು ಯಾರು?
- ಮಾಧವ ಗಾಡ್ಗೀಳ್
- ಟಿ.ಎಸ್.ಆರ್. ಸುಬ್ರಮಣಿಯನ್
- ಕೆ. ಕಸ್ತೂರಿರಂಗನ್
- ಇ.ಎ.ಎಸ್. ಶರ್ಮಾ
ಉತ್ತರ ನೋಡಿ
ಉತ್ತರ: C — ಸರಿ: ಕೆ. ಕಸ್ತೂರಿರಂಗನ್ - 2013ರ ಕಾರ್ಯಪಡೆಯ ಮುಖ್ಯಸ್ಥ, ಗಾಡ್ಗೀಳ್ ವರದಿಗಿಂತ ಚಿಕ್ಕ ಪ್ರದೇಶ ಶಿಫಾರಸು. • ಮಾಧವ ಗಾಡ್ಗೀಳ್ - ತಪ್ಪು: 2011ರ ದೊಡ್ಡ ಪ್ರದೇಶದ ವರದಿ. • ಸುಬ್ರಮಣಿಯನ್ - ತಪ್ಪು: ಪ್ರತ್ಯೇಕ ಪರಿಸರ ಕಾನೂನು ಸಮಿತಿ. • ಶರ್ಮಾ - ತಪ್ಪು: ಕಾಮೆಂಟೇಟರ್, ಸಮಿತಿ ಮುಖ್ಯಸ್ಥರಲ್ಲ.
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