Trigger-happy environment ministry forced to come clean

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Editor's note: On 1 March, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi got himself vaccinated against COVID-19 and, in the process, kicked off the second phase of the vaccination drive for senior citizens and those with comorbidities, the environment ministry quietly uploaded a document on its website to clear up the confusion caused by its sudden about-turn on the corporate environment responsibility, or CER, guidelines among businesses in the real estate sector and one of its own expert groups, according to a review of official documents accessed by The Morning Context.  First issued in May 2018, the CER guidelines required companies to spend between 0.25% and 2% of their capital investment in projects towards activities aimed at mitigating adverse impacts caused by them on people and the environment in their immediate vicinity. The exact quantum of expenditure depended upon the type of project and the size of investment. When the guidelines were challenged in the Delhi high court, the environment ministry strongly defended them in January 2020.  But as The Morning Context revealed in a recent report, the CER guidelines were abruptly shelved by …