Environment, Development and Politics in India

For decades, India has vigorously and openly pursued the goal of economic development. In recent years, however, the propriety of this goal has been challenged by the global environmental crisis. Nevertheless, development is a necessity for India due to its escalating population and the overwhelming poverty its population faces. This book examines the process of environmental decision-making and implementation in India. Contrary to the general perception that politics plays a passive or secondary role in the making of environmental policy, this study demonstrates that the role of politics is both aggressive and goal-oriented. Contents: Environmental Crisis; Making of an Environmental Policy; Functioning of an Environmental Bureaucracy; Environmental Bureaucracy and Its Non-Regulatory Functions; Response From the People; Environmental Politics In a Broader Perspective.