In India MoEF&CC has categorised industries into Green, Orange, Red and White based on the potential environmental impact of the industrial activity. EC Exemption is applicable for those industries or projects considered to have a low risk of environmental pollution and notified by the regulatory authorities. MoEF&CC have notified amendments to the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Rules, making several exemptions in case of need for environmental clearance. The exemption from obtaining an EC for these industries is subject to certain conditions and criteria, such as the size of the industry, its location, the use of raw materials, and the potential impact on air, water, and soil quality. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Following are the exemptions introduced<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Highway\nprojects of strategic & defence importance<\/strong> which are within 100 km from the Line of Control (LoC), are\nexempted from an environmental clearance before construction. Also, highway\nprojects related to strategic importance in border areas of a state are\nsensitive and need to be executed on priority, keeping in view defence, strategic\nand security considerations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Biomass\nBased Power Plants<\/strong>,\nincluding thermal power plants up to 15 MW based on non-hazardous municipal\nsolid waste or biomass using auxiliary fuel such as coal, lignite\/petroleum\nproducts up to 15% have been provided with EC Exemption \u2014 as long as the fuel\nmix is eco-friendly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ports\n& Harbour dealing in Fish: <\/strong>Fish\nhandling ports & harbours with less pollution potential compared to others\n& caters to small fishermen, are now provided with EC Exemption from\nenvironmental clearance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Toll\nPlazas:<\/strong> Toll plazas that require more\nwidth for the installation of toll collection booths and expansion activities\nin present airports related to terminal building expansion without any increase\nin the airport\u2019s existing area, other than expansion of runways, etc., are also\nprovided with EC Exemption.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Exemption\nfor low-polluting industries<\/strong>: The industrial\ncategorisation based on the pollution Index (PI) concept was introduced in 2016\nas part of the government’s efforts to ease the regulatory burden on small and\nmedium-sized industries while ensuring that they comply with environmental\nregulations and guidelines. Categorising industries into Green, Orange, and\nWhite categories aim to facilitate the regulatory process and ensure that the\nenvironmental impact of industrial activities is minimised. The White category\nincludes small-scale industries such as agro-based, chemical and pharmaceutical,\nelectronic, food and beverages, leather and leather goods, plastic, and textile\nindustries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n