A vaguely worded memo announced the scrapping of corporate environment responsibility guidelines last September. The confusion it created left the environment ministry with no option but to issue a clarification.
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 …
Akshay is an investigative reporter and former writer at The Morning Context. Based in Delhi, he writes about the environment, public policy and economy from the lens of the pulls and pressures of an ambitious democracy. Akshay uses the right to information extensively for reporting stories of vital public interest. Over the past decade and more, he has worked for HuffPost India, Frontline, The Economic Times, Down To Earth and DNA.
akshay@mailtmc.com