Question raised in Lok Sabha on Open Defecation Free Districts, 28/12/2017. State/UT-wise, no. of districts declared Open Defecation Free (ODF) districts and the number of districts that are yet to be declared ODF as on 22.12.2017 is at Annexure-1.

Question raised in Lok Sabha on Illegal Mining, 28/12/2017. Based on the quarterly returns on illegal mining submitted by various State Governments to Indian Bureau of Mines (a subordinate office under the Ministry of
Mines), state-wise details of instances of illegal mining reported for the last three years alongwith the details of action taken against the offenders is given at Annexure.

Question raised in Lok Sabha on Ground Water Contamination, 28/12/2017.

Question raised in Lok Sabha on Permissible Level of Pollutants, 22/12/2017. Government of India has laid down National Ambient Air Quality standards (NAAQS) for twelve air pollutants, namely, PM10, PM2.5, Carbon Monoxide (CO), Sulphur Dioxide (SO2), Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2), Ammonia (NH3), ground level Ozone (O3), Lead, Arsenic, Nickel, Benzene and Benzo (a) Pyrene. The relevant standards are annexed. The NAAQS helps in assessment of air quality with respect to various pollutants and development of preventive and corrective measures for mitigation.

Question raised in Lok Sabha on Environmental Clearance to Companies, 22/12/2017. The Ministry has issued a Notification vide S.O.804(E) dated the 14th March, 2017under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986to appraise the projects, which have started the work without taking prior environmental clearance in terms of the provisions of the Environment Impact Assessment Notification, 2006. The said Notification provides one

Question raised in Lok Sabha on Ecological Imbalance, 22/12/2017 . The details of the forest land diverted for non forestry purposes in the country during the last three years, State/UT wise including Jharkhand is annexed at Annexure ‘A’.

Question raised in Lok Sabha on Disposal of e-Waste, 22/12/2017. There are 178 dismantling/recycling units with a capacity of 441085.6 metric tonnes per annum. The State-wise details of installed recycling/dismantling facilities operating in the country is given at annexure-1.

Question raised in Lok Sabha on Development Projects near Wildlife Habitats, 22/12/2017. Census of elephant is undertaken at the national level once in every five years. State-wise/UTs wise and region wise comparative estimated population of elephants of 2012 and 2017 as available in the Ministry are given in Annexure-I.

Question raised in Lok Sabha on Development Projects near Wildlife Habitats, 22/12/2017. Census of elephant is undertaken at the national level once in every five years. State-wise/UTs wise and region wise comparative estimated population of elephants of 2012 and 2017 as available in the Ministry are given in Annexure-I.

Question raised in Lok Sabha on Conservation of Biodiversity, 22/12/2017. Conservation and development of biodiversity in the country, including Himalayan region is undertaken inter alia through establishment of National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries, notified Reserved Forest areas, designation of Biosphere Reserves, identification of ecologically fragile areas such as wetlands, biodiversity heritage sites and notification of eco-sensitive zones. So far, 37 National Parks, 122 Wildlife Sanctuaries, 7 Biosphere Reserves have been designated by Government of India in the Himalayan region.